• Guide

How to get Despondent Assassin - Starfield

This legendary rifle is easy to get and a must-have for snipers in Starfield.

Bill Lavoy

September 6, 2023 12:05 PM

2

Snipers in Starfield will be happy to know that there is an excellent legendary rifle they can acquire early and without much work. The Despondent Assassin is one of the best rifles in the game for anyone who wishes to be a sniper and can even be modded to bend it further to your style of play.

How to get Despondent Assassin

You can get Despondent Assassin in Starfield by completing two quests: False Positives and Leader of the Pack. These quests are both found in Akila City, on the planet Akila, which is part of the Cheyenne system. The first quest, False Positives, can be started after you resolve the hostage situation at GalBank when you enter Akila City for the first time. When you take care of that quest, head across the street to hear Keoni Alpin and Davis Wildon arguing. When they’re finished, speak to Davis Wildon to get the quest rolling. Leader of the Pack will begin right after you complete False Positives. In fact, the transition is so seamless you may not realize it’s a different quest at all. Once you’ve completed both quests, Keoni Alpin will reward you with Despondent Assassin.

Despondent Assassin is a legendary rifle that comes with three perks:

• Demoralizing: Small chance to demoralize a target
• Hitman: +15 percent damage while aiming
• Anti-Personnel: + 10 percent damage against humans

Despondent Assassin will come out of the box with 40 physical damage per 9x39mm round fired. With Hitman and Anti-Personnel, the damage is immediately pushed to 50 physical damage when you hit a human with a round while aiming. If you swap the Small Magazine that’s installed for Armor-Piercing Rounds base damage is pushed to 41.7, and beyond 50 when factoring in Hitman and Anti-Personnel. Your numbers could be different depending on the skills you have unlocked, and you will no doubt be able to push the damage even further with the Ballistic and Rifle skills.

Simply put, Despondent Assassin is one of the best sniper rifles in Starfield and will no doubt find a home in your arsenal if you’re a fan of eliminating enemies from distance. The 9x39mm ammunition can be harder to find than other types, but you won’t be firing as often so you should be fine.

For more unique weapons you can collect, visit our Starfield Strategy Guide and we’ll set you on the correct path.

Bill Lavoy

Managing Editor

Bill, who is also known as Rumpo, is a lifelong gamer and Toronto Maple Leafs fan. He made his mark early in his career through guide writing and a deep understanding of editorial SEO. He enjoys putting in the work to create a great content, be it a wild feature or grinding out an in-depth collectible guide. Tweet him @RumpoPlays if you have a question or comment about one of his articles.