Guardians of the Galaxy features many decisions to make during your interstellar adventure. Most have to do with minor dialogue exchanges that might prompt a specific reaction from your fellow Guardians. However, there are a handful of decisions that, when made correctly, make Star-Lord’s life much easier. The game doesn’t provide any hints, so you have to put yourself in Star-Lord’s head and think, “WWSLD?”
Wrong decisions won’t break your game or force you to start over. And calling them “wrong” isn’t totally appropriate, but we will for the sake of this article. There are decisions, and there are optimal decisions. Here is every major decision you’ll make in Guardians of the Galaxy and the benefits of making the optimal choice.
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy: Beginner tips and tricks
- Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy nails the superhero team dynamic
- Guardians of the Galaxy’s full soundtrack is an ’80s meme dream
Hide the llama or tech?
The Guardians almost escaped the quarantine zone … almost. Nova Corps caught up with The Milano like they always do, and Ko-Rel is not too happy with her ex. She’s about to board the ship, and the Guardians have two pieces of highly illegal contraband on board: The blue llama and Rocket’s stash of stolen parts. With enough time to only hide one, Star-Lord must choose which will make Ko-Rel less upset.
Hiding the llama
If you hide the llama, Ko-Rel will fine you 7,000 units, but she’ll confiscate Rocket’s stolen parts. However, the llama will chew through the wall behind Star-Lord’s room, allowing him to escape after Drax locks him inside in chapter 10.
Hiding the tech
Ko-Rel will fine you 8,000 units if you hide the tech, but she won’t touch the llama. It’s, apparently, a biohazard, and she wouldn’t dare bring it on the Nova Corps ship. Hiding the tech costs you more money (which doesn’t really matter in the long run), but Rocket can use it to fit The Milano with a weapons upgrade during the space battle later on.
What’s the optimal choice?
Even though hiding the tech costs you more units, the weapons upgrade is more valuable than the hole in Star-Lord’s wall. Furthermore, the mini-game you’ll play with the llama is pretty funny and enjoyable. You’ll miss out on this golden moment if you choose to hide the llama.
Side with Ko-Rel or Nikki?
Onboard the Nova Corps ship, Star-Lord is thrown into a whirlwind of awkwardness. His ex has the Guardians in handcuffs, and his potential daughter is here to make the official arrest. Nikki and Star-Lord get separated and must navigate the ship’s underbelly to make it back to Ko-Rel. During their escape, Star-Lord learns that Nikki is a lot more like him than he thought. The two finally link up with Ko-Rel in an elevator, and she’s furious with her daughter. Ko-Rel can’t wrap her head around how Nikki gained access to Nova Corps high-security doors.
Siding with Ko-Rel
If you think Star-Lord is already in enough trouble, you can choose to side with Ko-Rel. Siding with Ko-Rel does not affect the game but ultimately hurts the completionist player.
Siding with Nikki
If you take the blame, Nikki will trust you. She’ll slip her access card into Star-Lord’s back pocket, which comes in handy once the Guardians return to the Nova Corps ship in chapter 7.
What’s the optimal choice?
Always side with Nikki whenever you can. You don’t need her access card to complete chapter 7, but you will miss out on a handful of collectibles without it. Siding with Ko-Rel doesn’t hurt you, but it also doesn’t offer anything. For a more immersive Guardians of the Galaxy experience, take the fall for Nikki. See, Star-Lord really is a good dad!
Sell Groot or Rocket?
There’s no way around getting fined by Nova Corps. The Guardians have barely enough units to buy dinner, let alone pay off their 7,000/8,000 unit fine. So, they head to Seknarf 9, to the home of Lady Hellbender and her monster collection. The plan is to sell Groot or Rocket to the monster queen, but which Guardian will fetch a better price?
What happens if you sell Groot?
If you sell Groot to Lady Hellbender, her jaw will hit the floor. Before her stands a Flora Colossus, and she knows how valuable he is. Lady Hellbender will enter into negotiations, during which you should always let Drax do the talking. Letting Drax handle the deal has the potential to net the Guardians 12,000 units.
What happens if you sell Rocket?
Lady Hellbender is not so impressed with Rocket. She laughs at him, and, as we all know, Rocket doesn’t like being laughed at. You’ll end up in a lengthy fight while poison gas fills the room. There are 12,000 units in this room, so don’t forget to pick those up before escaping.
What’s the optimal choice?
The best choice, and the default choice when starting from the Lady Hellbender chapter, is to sell Groot. If Drax does all the talking, you’ll walk out of there with 12,000 units. You’ll also play through a stealth-like mission where the Guardians must sneak around Lady Hellbender’s guards while they’re passed out drunk. You’ll miss out on an outfit hidden during this sequence if you choose to sell Rocket.
Let Gamora attack Raker or hold her back?
Gamora’s hatred for Raker has been brewing since she saw what he did to Nikki. It comes to a boiling point in chapter 8 when she has the opportunity to go after him on her own. This choice seems like it’s out of your hands at first, but Star-Lord can stop her if you choose to.
Stop Gamora
There’s no dialogue option for stopping Gamora. You have to manually run after her, which triggers Star-Lord to slip and fall over a ledge. Gamora will double back to save him, allowing enough time for Raker to escape. She’ll be upset but will accompany the Guardians through the rest of Chapter 8.
Let Gamora go
If you let Gamora go, she won’t reunite with the team until the end of the chapter. However, she’ll have Raker’s right arm to show for her efforts.
What’s the optimal choice?
Let Gamora chase after Rakker. Star-Lord, Groot, Rocket, and Drax can hold their own without her. However, if you’ve been relying on Gamora’s skills up until this point, you’ll have to rethink your strategy. The damage she does to Rakker in chapter 8 makes his boss fight much easier later on. The advantage during the Rakker boss fight is far more valuable than having Gamora during chapter 8.
The Worldmind
According to the Worldmind, the galaxy is doomed. However, the Guardians know something even the wisest being in the galaxy is oblivious to. This decision is similar to the Nikki/Ko-Rel decision in that letting the Worldmind think what it wants to think has no bearing on the rest of the game. However, getting the Worldmind to cast doubt on itself will benefit you later on. If you choose the right dialogue options, the Worldmind will second guess its bleak outlook and send aid incChapter 14. The correct dialogue options are:
- Share intel
- Appeal to duty
- Put in perspective
Cosmo’s Promise
Even Cosmo is vulnerable to the power of the promise. While he’s lost in an illusion of green pastures and tennis balls, the Guardians remain trapped in a suspended hold. You’ll have the option to free Cosmo from the promise or let him succumb to Magus’ power. Like the Worldmind, you’ll need to choose the right dialogue options to free Cosmo from the promise. They are:
- Offer hand
- Focus on present
- Remind about puppies
Freeing Cosmo will prompt him to help you in chapter 14. If you also manage to convince The Worldmind, the Guardians will roll into Rakker’s domain with an army to be reckoned with.
