Starfield locals are usually too busy to enjoy regular sports like soccer or baseball, so they came up with their own form of entertainment. You will hear many rumors about the infamous Red Mile throughout the massive universe. Moreover, you must complete this side activity at least once to unlock the Crimson Fleet questline. So, whether you like it or not, Red Mile is the only way forward for your playthrough.
The quest is, what is the Red Mile? Why is it so famous? How do you beat the current record holder? Furthermore, the game doesn’t explain any of this, nor does it provide any practical guidelines to lighten your way. Therefore, this article covers the Run the Red Mile side quest in Starfield and provides a reliable guide for completing every lap.
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Starfield: The Red Mile
The Red Mile is a special event that only takes place on Porrima III in the Porrima solar system (good outpost location). You can find this system east of Olympus and in the far east of the Alpha Centauri system in the Starmap HUD. This bloodshed of a sport is quite famous among the inhabitants of Starfield.
Whenever someone dares to run the Mile, the NPCs start placing bets on whether the contestant will survive the waves of deadly monsters. You will eventually find yourself competing in this sport, whether you are completing some quests in Akila City or signing up for the Freestar Collective.
How to start the Red Mile?
Like every other side activity in Starfield, you must talk to the person in charge to start the Mile. In this case, you can find Mei Devine walking around the Red Mile Casino in a bright red dress. All you need to do is to speak with Mei and tell her that you wish to run the Mile. After exhausting the dialogue, confirm that you are sober and doing this out of your own free will.
Next, wait for her to make the announcements on the stage, located on the left side of the room. Once the ritual is complete, there is no turning back, and the only way is through the metal door in front of you. Finally, enter the door, wait for the cycling, and pass through the second door to officially start the run. Also, there is no time limit attached and no exceptions for your gear, so make sure to take your time and bring the most powerful weapons and gear items.
Recommendations for the Red Mile:
Before you start the Red Mile, it would be best to reach at least character level 25 and gather a few supplies. You can run the Mile right after completing One Small Step and The Old Neighborhood quests. However, we do recommend that you only attempt this challenge after spending at least 15 hours in the game. Moreover, you must upgrade your skills like Boost Pack Training, Wellness, Fitness, and Laser Weapon Certification.
Finally, you should wear your best spacesuit and wear a helmet that improves your stealth movement. As for the Red Mile Maulers, they are quite tanky, and only laser weapons seem to do any noticeable damage. Similarly, you must gather supplies like ammo, Med packs, consumables, and, of course, the Runner’s Rush drink. You can purchase the Runner’s Rush for about 130 Credits from the bartender.
Red Mile Guide:
As soon as you walk through the second door, you will find yourself standing on the casino’s balcony. A large tower is visible in the distance, and that’s where you need to go. The land between the balcony and the Tower is mostly empty, with very few trees and hills to cover your movement. The original way is to go down the steel stairs and ride the elevator to read the grounds.
However, you can get a head-start if you invest enough points in the Boost Pack Training skill. Simply jump off the balcony and use your Boost Pack to move forward, balancing between gliding and boosting to recharge your fuel. Although it is impossible to fly all the way to the Tower, the booster method will save you a few minutes of running.
Eventually, you will start flying lower and lower until you touch the ground. Make sure that your touchdown is controlled, or else you may get the injury status effect. Now, there are two ways to complete the Mile: either fight the beasts or run for your life:
Fight the Maulers:
The Grounds between the casino and the Tower are infested by the Red Mile Maulers. They are deadly creatures that attack you on sight. Sometimes, they will rush and attack you; other times, they will ambush you from hiding. These mauler attacks will also stun you from time to time. Furthermore, the beasts have solid skin, so your guns and rifles will have no conspicuous effect on them.
On the bright side, you can try sneaking past them through the bushes. When a confrontation seems inevitable, you can use any laser weapon to clear your path. Moreover, the Stealth detection meter will show whether or not the beast has spotted you. So, you can use your handy scanner to scan your path and ambush the attackers before they get a chance. Lastly, fighting your way through the Red Mile is rather rewarding, as you can earn up to 6 XP per Mauler.
Speed Run the Mile:
The most feasible way to complete the Red Mile is to make a run for your life. After a few attempts at fighting your way, you will get tired of how repetitive the whole challenge feels, especially when you must repeat it 29 times. Obviously, the ground would be crawling with Maulers every time, and they may even level up to match your character. However, if you follow our path, you can complete the Mile without even a scratch.
As soon as you reach the casino balcony, use 1x Runner’s Rush drink, as it is enough for the entire run. Next, jump from the balcony and carefully boost pack your way across the ground as far as you can. Once you touch the ground (don’t hit too hard), stick to the left side of the frozen river and go uphill. From here, you must conserve your stamina by shifting between sprinting and boost pack.
Return to the Casino:
Once you activate the beacon on the Tower, the lights on top will turn red. This new change will attract a large group of Maulers, especially on the path that you followed. So, the next step is to return to the Red Mile casino, speak to Mei, and collect your reward for completing the run.
Regardless of which path you followed to the Tower, the best way back is to turn around and stick to your new left-hand side (previously right). Also, bring out your favorite laser weapon, and use your Runner’s Rush if it runs out. Again, follow the same strategy as before: sprint, jump, use the boost pack, and resume sprinting when the stamina bar is filled. Once you reach the steel staircase, the Maulers will no longer attack, and you are free to collect the reward.
How to Complete the Red Mile Challenge?
Completing the Red Mile once is difficult, but winning the Red Mile challenge is a whole other story. When you speak to Donovan, sitting at one of the tables, he tells you about how he has been looking for someone to break his record. The Red Mile challenge means that you must complete more runs than the previous record holder to unlock the reward.
You can check the Red Mile leaderboard for the current standings. The leaderboard is located right across from the bartender’s table, and you can check it by interacting with the tablets. In my playthrough, Donovan Rhys had completed 28 runs, topping the leaderboard. So, I had to complete the Red Mile 29 times to complete this challenge. However, this number may vary for different players, so it would be best to check the leaderboard after every 4 or 5 runs.
Once you complete a run and collect its reward from Mei, open the Starmap and fast-travel to your ship. Next, wait for around 48 hours to reset the whole place. Finally, return to the Red Mile casino and repeat the whole process to rerun the Mile.
Red Mile Challenge Rewards:
You will receive different rewards every time you complete the Red Mile. Here is the general formula of rewards you get for each run:
- 5,300 Credits.
- 110 XP
- A bunch of Random Healing Items.
- 1 or 2 guns (common to rare)
However, if you kill a bunch of Maulers on your way, you can quickly farm XP without even noticing it. For completing my 29 runs, I got these rewards in total:
- ~110,000 Credits
- 3200 XP
- Several Weapons (including Brute Force Shotgun and Wakizashi)
- Mounted Red Mile Apex Trophy (for your outpost)
- Random Healing Items
Conclusion:
Starfield features several side activities to pass your time when you don’t feel like completing quests. While most of these activities are challenging, the Red Mile will get on your nerves. You will learn about the Mile from random NPCs and even during the Entangled Quest. However, the game doesn’t tell you anything about this deadly sport. Therefore, this article provides a complete Run the Red Mile guide and how to unlock the Red Mile Apex Trophy in Starfield.
