An Equitable Arrangement in The Outer Worlds 2 — unlock the finale and broker the alliance

An Equitable Arrangement is the late-game faction quest that sets up The Outer Worlds 2’s finale. Your job is to shuttle between Auntie’s Choice and the Order of the Ascendant to explore a joint plan: capture the Spireton to secure the Archive and push back Protectorate forces entrenched inside. It’s a negotiation first, a fight second, and it determines who stands beside you at the end.

Unlock An Equitable Arrangement (quest start trigger)

The quest populates after you meet Vice President Gertie Hewett on The ACS Undisputed Claim at Head Office Tower. Once it’s in your log, you’ll be directed to engage both sides of the potential alliance:

• Speak with Ruth Basar for the Order of the Ascendant.
• Speak with Auntie Cleo for Auntie’s Choice.

From there, the thread is simple on paper: test whether both factions will set aside differences long enough to take the Spireton and lock down the Archive.

Burche • youtube.com

An Equitable Arrangement Quest Guide

Starts at: 00:10

Quest snapshot (fast facts)

How the alliance path is meant to flow

While objectives and side errands will vary based on your prior choices, the overarching flow remains consistent:

• Hear out Ruth Basar and get a sense of the Order’s conditions for cooperation.
• Check in with Auntie Cleo to confirm willingness to coordinate and any prerequisites.
• Complete the requested legwork each side proposes to build trust and keep reputations stable.
• Return to propose a joint move on the Spireton that leads directly into securing the Archive and clearing Protectorate resistance.

If both leaders are on board, the quest flags a collaborative push. This is the only route that brings Auntie’s Choice and the Order together for the ending.

What can lock you out of peace

Players report a recurring problem: after doing the setup work, the dialogue option to propose peace to Ruth Basar sometimes fails to appear. In those cases, the only path forward is an aggressive Order objective that immediately damages your standing with Auntie’s Choice. Once you accept that kind of request, the coalition route is effectively closed.

To protect the alliance path:

• Make a manual save before re-engaging Ruth after you’ve made progress with Auntie’s Choice.
• Keep both reputations neutral or better; avoid actions that auto-flag hostility.
• If you want cooperation, do not accept objectives that explicitly target the other faction’s facilities or assets until you’ve confirmed the alliance is locked in.
• If the peace dialogue still doesn’t appear, reload your pre-conversation save and try altering the order of visits (speak to Auntie Cleo again before Ruth, or vice versa) to refresh state.

End states and their impact

An Equitable Arrangement determines who joins the Spireton push and how the Archive fight plays out. Broadly, you’ll land in one of two buckets:

• Joint operation: Auntie’s Choice and the Order coordinate on the Spireton and present a unified front in the Archive. This requires successfully navigating the negotiation.
• Faction split: You accept objectives that undermine the other side, tanking that relationship and committing to a single-faction route into the finale.

The joint operation is the only state where both groups work together in the endgame.

Practical routing tips

• Sequence matters. Once the quest appears, speak to both leaders before committing to any objective that names the other faction as a target.
• Use hard saves before major dialogue beats, especially when returning to Ruth Basar to finalize terms.
• Watch for wording that signals an irreversible move against the other faction; backing out before accepting is safer than repairing a broken alliance.

FAQ

Is this the final mission?
It’s the capstone faction quest that feeds directly into the finale. Expect it to set the stage and roll into the end sequence.

Can you broker peace after taking the Archive solo?
If you already pushed the Archive alone, the leverage to form a new coalition is minimal. Plan for the alliance before the Spireton and Archive beats if that’s your goal.

What if I don’t see the peace option with Ruth?
Use a pre-conversation save and change the visit order. If it still doesn’t appear, you’re likely locked to a one-sided outcome in this run.

An Equitable Arrangement is less about a checklist and more about timing: trigger it with Gertie Hewett, line up both leaders, and avoid any objective that would sour your standing before the alliance is confirmed. If you’re chasing the joint operation, save often and treat each conversation as the hinge that it is.