With a space-faring setting like Honkai Star Rail, even the simplest of side quests can have the most memorable of stories. A great example of this takes place on the Herta Space Station and features a tough decision that’s sure to make anyone hesitate. Here’s how to complete the Guide Paradox quest in Honkai Star Rail.
How to Unlock the Guide Paradox Quest
This side quest became available as I was grinding to raise my Trailblaze Level and advance the story on the Jarilo-VI. In my experience, it popped up after my first (failed) attempt with the Simulated Universe (Part 2) quest when I was Trailblaze Level 23.
Related: Honkai Star Rail: How to Complete Simulated Universe World 2
I’ve seen it appear for other players at slightly different times, though, so there may be a more elusive requirement or perhaps some RNG involved. My advice is to stay on top of the side quests at the Herta Space Station, and Guide Paradox should pop up before you know it.
Just like the Fleeting Lights side quest and most others, it’s introduced through a message. In this case, Arlan will ask you to help an elderly researcher named Esther, who has reported a stolen videotape. The Guide Paradox quest will be added after the conversation is over and begins at the Master Control Zone at the Herta Space Station.
How to Complete Guide Paradox in Honkai Star Rail
Fast travel to the area with the Central Passage space anchor and then head to the right and up the stairs. Esther can be found at the far end of the walkway. Speak with her, and she’ll reveal that there are three videotapes missing, each of which has defense mechanisms to protect its contents.
All Videotape Locations
All three tapes can be found in the Supply Zone. To make this more convenient, it’s easiest to fast travel there with the upper left Spare Parts Warehouse space anchor.
Videotape: Doomsday Location
Walk forward a few steps and turn right to find a small screen that has Videotape: Doomsday on it. After some cryptic messaging and feelings of uneasiness, you’ll be able to take it out.
Videotape: Justice and Videotape: Dim Blue Dot Locations
Step back into the hallway and head east, taking on the enemy if need be. Keep on moving until you reach the safe area that has both Videotape: Justice and Videotape: Dim Blue Dot. Interacting with both will lead to slightly more coherent messaging that reveals someone named Sheila, but the Trailblazer will soon fall unconscious.
You’ll wake back up in the medical cabin area of the Base Zone area. A staff member named Joanne will greet you before she checks up on a woman with amnesia. Listen in on their conversation and the woman will reveal her name as Sheila.
Talk with her to reveal what you’ve discovered so far. She’ll seem to be none the wiser but does mention that she has a strange memory involving rows of security monitors.
How to Find the Security Monitor Room
There’s no need to investigate the entire station looking for these monitors. Instead, a quest marker will lead you to the West side of the Supply Zone area. Take the Electrical Room space anchor and head North to find the security monitor room.
Both the left and right rows of monitors can be interacted with, but it’s the latter that has the information you need. Avoid the gaze of the enemy (or fight it if you’d like) and read the strange contents on the right side involving a man named Gunn.
Discovering Who Sheila Is
Travel back to the Base Zone and head upstairs, where Joanne will tell you that Sheila is alone with Gunn in the medical cabin. Head inside and talk to him until he reveals the truth: Sheila is actually Prototype 157, an android that he modeled after his deceased wife of the same name.
She’s not aware of this, and her amnesia is merely a byproduct of her increasing self-existentialism. Gunn has had to repeatedly “fix” her, but she seems to be repeating the cycle.
This leads to a tough decision that you have to make as the leader of the investigation. You’ll be left with three choices for how Gunn should handle the android:
- Tell Sheila the truth
- “Fix” her once more
- Destroy Sheila
Does the Choice in Guide Paradox Matter? Which Choice to Pick
As of this moment, it doesn’t appear that the Guide Paradox choice matters. Although they do result in different endings, so to speak. There’s a special interaction after the quest is over makes it depressingly redundant. Here are the outcomes of each one nonetheless.
Tell Her the Truth
Gunn will reveal everything and leave the cabin. The android must then be spoken to after, and while she is thankful for you telling her the truth, the information overload and healthy dose of self-existentialism lead to her cognitive module burning out, effectively killing her.
Fix Her
Gunn factory resets her and leaves the cabin. Talk to her afterward and it will be apparent that she no longer has any memory of what transpired. It’s unknown whether the cycle will repeat or if she’ll remain in ignorant bliss.
Destroy Her
This choice has Gunn promise to take her to a disposal site. The next scene has neither of them in the room, and you’ll have to talk to Joanne to hear her uncertainty on whether Gunn will actually destroy the android.
Regardless of which choice you make, the next step is to bring the tapes back to Esther in the Master Control Zone. The quest ends with her taking the tapes and telling you a sad story that’s very likely about Gunn and the original Sheila.
How To Get the Does She Walk Alone? Achievement
The Guide Paradox quest might be over, but there’s still a tad bit of the story left and a related achievement left to unlock.
Head near Herta’s office on the West side of the Master Control Zone. No matter what fate you chose for her, you’ll see Sheila standing there. Talk to the android to find out that she has no recollection of you and that she has the number 158 on her neck. This will unlock the Does She Walk Alone? Achievement.
Hopefully, this walkthrough helped with any questions you had about the Guide Paradox quest in Honkai Star Rail. If you’re like many others and getting this quest out of the way to level up, check out some of our tips for how to increase trailblaze level. For everything else, our Honkai Star Rail guides hub has you covered.
