During the “Above and Beyond Repair” quest in The Outer Worlds 2, you’ll be caught in the middle of a corporate tug-of-war. Officer Kaur wants you to cripple the Automech Repair Center (ARC), but other parties involving the Protectorate and Marshal Donelson have a different request for you to fix the Zyranium leak and save the facility. You have to decide to either sabotage the ARC and side with Kaur or fix it so the facility can run as usual. This guide explains the outcomes for each choice and which option gives you the better payoff.
The Outer Worlds 2 Automech Repair Center Quest
Above and Beyond Repair is Officer Kaur’s side quest on Paradise Island. She’s an acquisitions officer for Auntie’s Choice, and she has beef with how the Protectorate manages their automech production.
Kaur tasks you to infiltrate the Automech Repair Facility to shut down a “minor” Zyranium leak. Actually, she wants you to push the whole operation off a cliff. But when you get there, you will meet Marshal Donelson and Chief Deviser Delphinia Bryant, who will show you the flip side: the ARC controls the operations for many local systems. Now you face the signature Outer Worlds moral fork: sabotage for ideology or repair for stability.
What Happens If You Sabotage the Automech Repair Center?
If you follow Kaur’s orders and sabotage Automech Repair Center, you’ll get into the gas-flooded maintenance wing with your Gas Energy Deflection Apparatus active (which can be earned from the An Aegis Against the Miasma quest). In the gas-filled room, access the main terminal inside the Zyranium Bay and select these options to sabotage ARC:
- Access Flow Control Systems
- Initiate Zyranium Flow Shutdown
- Override Safety Measures and Perform Shutdown
- Disregard Safety and Perform Shutdown
It triggers a complete meltdown of the system — the ARC collapses, and the Zyranium leak goes out of control. Protectorate forces will pull out, and Above and Beyond Repair completes in Kaur’s favor.
Here’s what you get in the choice:
- Above and Beyond Repair ends successfully.
- 1080 XP, Designator Triple-Barrel Shotgun, Kaur’s Kuirass (her signature heavy armor), and +3 Auntie’s Choice reputation.
- Vanquishing the Vexing Vapors quest fails permanently.
- Kaur will be happy that your standing with Auntie’s Choice improves, but Fairfield’s atmosphere gets worse thanks to the continuous gas leak, and locals will resent your decision.
What Happens If You Fix the Automech Repair Center?
You can also choose to repair the ARC rather than to sabotage it. On the terminal, pick the safe option to shut down the Zyranium flow properly without overriding safety measures. The control then will vent the gas, stabilize the plant, and save the operation from destruction.
This is what you receive if you go down this route:
- Vanquishing the Vexing Vapors succeeds.
- 1080 XP, Repeating Rifle (Explosive Rounds), Ammo Recipe, The Dose Helmet, and 1,000 Bits.
- Above and Beyond Repair fails, and you won’t get its rewards.
- Kaur will be furious at first, but you can report back and calm her down later. She won’t disappear from the game; you can still progress her storyline, though with minor reputation gain.
Should You Sabotage or Fix the ARC in The Outer Worlds 2?
It’s completely up to you what you prefer to take when you walk away from the facility. Sabotaging the ARC gives better gear as a reward, but Automech Repair Center’s repair offers a much better story outcome.
If you side with Kaur, you’ll get the powerful early-game shotgun and armor that’s enough to survive the mid-levels. However, it fails the Vanquishing the Vexing Vapors quest (no rewards from it) and puts a little dent in the region’s stability. The gas leak scenario ends on a dark note, and future conversations will reflect the destruction.
But when you fix the ARC, it will keep the Protectorate’s goodwill, unlock a clean follow-up quest, and slightly improve your standing with neutral factions. The rewards aren’t good enough you get otherwise, but it’s the more ethical path and canon-friendly if you like to play as a balanced or Paragon-type commander.
