Edgewater or Deserters: Which Should You Choose?

The Edgewater or Deserters: Which Should You Choose? choice can seem confusing when users first search the keyword. Edgewater and deserters have different meanings and usage, despite appearing together in gaming search results.

In The Outer Worlds, Edgewater is a place name, while deserters refers to people who abandon duty. Their contexts, origins, and terminology differ, so they are not spelling variations or unrelated terms from the same vocabulary.

Understanding this real connection makes the choice easier to follow. Gaming, geographic, and history references can create common mistakes, especially when search suggestions mix English language terms, military history, and real-world examples. These are different concepts with distinct meanings.

Quick Answer: 

If you want to understand the choice before touching the geothermal terminal, there are three practical outcomes to consider.

Choice	Immediate Result	Main Consequence
Redirect power to Edgewater	Botanical Lab loses power	Deserters can potentially return to Edgewater
Redirect power to Deserters	Edgewater loses power	The Deserters keep their settlement powered
Redirect power to Edgewater and remove Reed	Edgewater remains powered	Adelaide can return and take control of Edgewater

The important detail is that redirecting power to Edgewater doesn’t automatically mean you must keep Reed Tobson as leader. You can pursue a route where the Deserters return while Adelaide eventually takes over Edgewater.

So, if you’re comparing Edgewater vs. Deserters, don’t stop at the power switch. The leadership decision afterward can change the final result considerably.

What Is the Edgewater or Deserters Choice?

The decision happens during “Comes Now the Power,” a quest connected to repairing the Unreliable. Reed Tobson asks you to investigate the geothermal plant and redirect its power so that Edgewater can regain access to the power it needs.

However, a group of former Edgewater residents has established itself at the Botanical Lab. These people are known as the Deserters, and Adelaide McDevitt leads them.

The conflict centers on more than electricity. Edgewater represents the corporate system controlled by Spacer’s Choice, while the Deserters have rejected that system and created their own community.

Edgewater and Reed Tobson

Edgewater is a corporate-controlled settlement built around the Saltuna Cannery. Reed Tobson serves as its administrator and wants the workers who left to return.

Reed’s request sounds practical on the surface. Edgewater needs people to keep functioning, and the deserters represent a portion of its missing workforce. Yet the residents have serious reasons for leaving.

That tension gives the power decision its weight. You’re not simply choosing where electricity should flow. You’re deciding which community gets the resources needed to continue.

The Deserters and Adelaide McDevitt

The Deserters live at the Botanical Lab under Adelaide McDevitt. Adelaide has developed her own methods for keeping the community alive and has little interest in returning to Edgewater while Reed remains in charge.

Her position also goes beyond a disagreement with Reed. She has a different vision for how the settlement should survive, which becomes especially important if you later pursue the leadership-change route.

How the Power Decision Works

The geothermal plant contains the control system that lets you determine where the available power goes.

After progressing through the facility, you reach the Master Control Terminal. From there, you can redirect the power supply to either Edgewater or the Botanical Lab. Once you make the decision, the location that loses power becomes part of the next stage of the quest.

The choice also determines where you’ll retrieve the Power Regulator, which you ultimately need for the Unreliable.

That means the power decision serves two purposes. It resolves the local conflict while also moving the larger ship-repair quest forward.

Redirecting Power to Edgewater

If you select Edgewater, the Botanical Lab loses its power.

You’ll then return to the Botanical Lab to retrieve the Power Regulator. Adelaide won’t be pleased with the decision, and she’ll make her position clear.

This doesn’t necessarily end the Deserters’ story, though. You can speak with members such as Grace Romero and Thomas Kemp and work toward bringing the Deserters back to Edgewater.

Redirecting Power to the Deserters

If you choose the Botanical Lab, Edgewater loses its power.

When you return to Edgewater, Reed reacts to your decision. Getting the Power Regulator from Edgewater can then become a confrontation rather than a simple pickup. Depending on your dialogue options and character skills, you may be able to avoid a fight.

The town’s long-term condition also changes because Edgewater’s population becomes vulnerable after losing its power.

What Happens If You Redirect Power to Edgewater?

Choosing Edgewater keeps the town powered and opens several possible follow-up paths.

The first path is straightforward. You can convince some of the Deserters to return to Edgewater while leaving Reed in charge.

The second path goes further. You can work toward removing Reed and allowing Adelaide to return as Edgewater’s leader.

That second route is why the Edgewater choice has more flexibility than it first appears.

Can the Deserters Return to Edgewater?

Yes, but the game gives you conditions that affect how easily this happens.

Thomas Kemp and Grace Romero are important because they influence the willingness of other Deserters to return. Completing their related quests can make the process much easier.

Thomas is connected to “The Frightened Engineer,” while Grace is connected to “A Few Kindred Spirits.” Completing these quests provides additional context and helps with the eventual return of the Deserters.

This creates a useful preparation strategy:

• Complete the relevant Deserter side quests.
• Redirect power to Edgewater.
• Speak with Adelaide.
• Decide whether Reed should remain.
• If removing Reed, handle that before finalizing the Deserters’ return.
• Return to Adelaide after Reed is out of the picture.

The order matters if you’re pursuing Adelaide’s leadership route.

What Happens to Adelaide?

Adelaide refuses to return to Edgewater while Reed remains in charge.

You can accept her condition and work toward removing Reed. The game gives you a diplomatic route for persuading him to step down if your character meets the necessary dialogue requirements. Another route involves a more direct confrontation.

If Reed leaves, Adelaide agrees to return to Edgewater.

At that point, the two communities can effectively reunite under new leadership.

Key point: Redirecting power to Edgewater doesn’t force you to preserve Reed’s leadership.

What Happens If You Redirect Power to the Deserters?

Sending the power to the Botanical Lab keeps Adelaide’s community supplied while leaving Edgewater without its normal power source.

The immediate result is a stronger break between the two groups. Reed won’t simply accept the decision, and returning to Edgewater for the Power Regulator can become hostile. Dialogue skills may provide another way through the confrontation.

The larger consequence is more serious.

Edgewater’s residents depend heavily on the settlement’s existing infrastructure. Without its power, the town’s future becomes much less secure. Later story developments can reflect the collapse of Edgewater and the limited number of residents Adelaide is willing to accept into her community.

What Happens When You Return to Edgewater?

After powering the Botanical Lab, you’ll need to deal with Reed and retrieve the Power Regulator from Edgewater.

Reed’s response depends partly on your dialogue choices and character skills. A sufficient Intimidate option can allow you to avoid a larger confrontation. Without the necessary dialogue route, the situation can become hostile.

This is one reason the decision shouldn’t be viewed only through the lens of reputation. The practical consequences extend to how you obtain the quest item and how the settlement develops afterward.

What Happens to Parvati?

Parvati Holcomb has a personal connection to Edgewater, so the decision can affect her reactions.

She can react negatively to choices that harm Edgewater or its residents. Her responses provide another perspective on the decision because she knows the town and many of its people personally.

Her reaction doesn’t determine the quest outcome, but it can influence how the decision feels from your party’s perspective.

The Third Route: Change Edgewater’s Leadership

The most interesting part of the Edgewater or Deserters decision is the third route.

You can redirect power to Edgewater while also working to replace Reed with Adelaide.

This route requires more than simply choosing Edgewater at the terminal. You’ll need to speak with Adelaide, learn what she wants, and then deal with Reed.

Adelaide’s condition is simple: she won’t return while Reed remains in charge. You can agree to help remove him and then return to Edgewater to handle the leadership question.

How Reed Can Leave Edgewater

The game allows you to pursue a dialogue-based solution involving Reed’s leadership.

With the necessary persuasion and related information, Reed can agree to step down. Guides documenting the quest identify dialogue checks involving Persuade and further conversation about Adelaide’s situation and Edgewater’s food supply.

This approach changes the outcome without requiring the same level of direct conflict.

Once Reed is gone, return to Adelaide and tell her what happened. She can then agree to return to Edgewater with the Deserters.

What Happens When Adelaide Takes Over?

If you complete the conditions for Adelaide’s return, she becomes the new leader of Edgewater.

The settlement remains powered because you originally redirected the geothermal power to Edgewater. Meanwhile, the Deserters can return to the town.

This produces a substantially different result from simply sending power to the Botanical Lab.

The game therefore gives you a route that combines Edgewater’s power supply with a leadership change rather than treating the two settlements as permanently separate.

Consequences Compared

The easiest way to understand the decision is to separate the immediate power result from the later settlement outcome.

Decision	Power Supply	Adelaide	Reed	Deserters	Edgewater
Power Edgewater	Edgewater powered	Initially refuses to return	Can remain	Some can return	Continues operating
Power Deserters	Botanical Lab powered	Remains with Deserters	Remains in Edgewater initially	Remain independent	Loses power
Power Edgewater + remove Reed	Edgewater powered	Returns	Leaves leadership	Can return	Adelaide takes control

This distinction matters because power destination and leadership aren’t the same decision.

A player can choose Edgewater at the geothermal plant and still change who runs the town later.

How Faction Reputation Changes

The choice also affects your reputation with the groups involved.

Redirecting power to Edgewater increases your standing with Spacer’s Choice while damaging your standing with the Deserters. One documented walkthrough lists a +40% positive reputation change with Spacer’s Choice and a +20% negative reputation change with the Deserters for this route.

Redirecting power to the Botanical Lab produces the opposite general direction, improving your relationship with the Deserters while worsening your relationship with Spacer’s Choice.

However, reputation shouldn’t be confused with the settlement outcome.

You can improve your relationship with one group while still making later choices that alter the leadership structure of Edgewater.

What Happens to Edgewater Later?

The long-term difference becomes more visible as the story progresses.

If you divert power to the Botanical Lab, Edgewater’s decline can become severe. Later developments describe many former residents leaving and seeking help from Adelaide, although she doesn’t accept everyone. Some of those rejected residents are left in an extremely difficult position.

By contrast, keeping Edgewater powered allows the settlement to continue functioning.

If you also remove Reed and bring Adelaide back, the settlement develops under a different leadership structure. This makes the decision about more than electricity. It changes who gets to determine Edgewater’s future.

Can You Save Both Edgewater and the Deserters?

You can create an outcome where the two groups reunite in Edgewater.

The basic structure is:

• Redirect power to Edgewater.
• Complete the relevant Deserter quests.
• Speak with Adelaide.
• Agree to address Reed’s leadership.
• Convince Reed to leave.
• Return to Adelaide.
• Allow the Deserters to return.

This route keeps Edgewater powered while allowing Adelaide and her followers to return.

It isn’t literally a perfect compromise because the original conflict doesn’t vanish. Instead, the game changes the structure of the community so that the two groups can coexist under new leadership.

Key Factors to Consider

Faction Reputation

If reputation matters to your character build, pay attention to the faction attached to each choice.

Edgewater: favors your relationship with Spacer’s Choice.

Deserters: favors your relationship with Adelaide’s group.

The reputation system can affect later interactions, so the power decision isn’t isolated from the broader game.

Character Reactions

Parvati’s reaction can matter if you’re traveling with her.

Adelaide represents the Deserters’ interests, while Reed represents Edgewater’s existing administration. Their reactions help reveal the competing priorities behind the decision.

Leadership

Leadership is the biggest overlooked factor.

You don’t have to treat Reed and Adelaide as a permanent either-or choice. If you redirect power to Edgewater, you can still pursue Reed’s removal and Adelaide’s return.

Long-Term Consequences

The long-term settlement outcome is much larger than the initial terminal interaction.

Powering Edgewater keeps the settlement functioning. Powering the Botanical Lab places Edgewater on a much more difficult path.

That distinction becomes important later in the story.

Important Facts 

Here are the details worth remembering before making the decision:

• “Comes Now the Power” contains the main Edgewater-versus-Deserters decision.
• The geothermal plant determines where the power goes.
• The Power Regulator is found at the location that loses power.
• Redirecting power to Edgewater doesn’t automatically lock Reed into leadership.
• Adelaide won’t return while Reed remains in charge.
• Reed can potentially be convinced to step down.
• Thomas and Grace play important roles in convincing the Deserters to return.
• Completing related side quests can make the return process easier.
• Powering the Botanical Lab leaves Edgewater without its normal power supply.
• The choice affects faction reputation.
• Parvati can react to decisions that harm Edgewater.
• Adelaide can eventually become Edgewater’s leader.
• Later story events reflect the different states of Edgewater.

Common Mistakes

Assuming There Are Only Two Outcomes

The biggest mistake is treating the quest as a simple Edgewater vs. Deserters binary.

The geothermal terminal has two choices, but the consequences create additional branches. The leadership of Edgewater can change afterward.

Ignoring Adelaide’s Condition

If you want Adelaide to return, remember that she won’t accept a future in Edgewater while Reed remains in charge.

That condition determines whether you need to continue the leadership branch.

Forgetting the Deserter Side Quests

Thomas and Grace aren’t just background characters.

Their associated quests can help you prepare the Deserters for a return to Edgewater. Completing “The Frightened Engineer” and “A Few Kindred Spirits” makes this route considerably smoother.

Treating Reputation as the Entire Consequence

Reputation is only one part of the result.

The bigger changes involve power, settlement survival, leadership, character reactions, and later story developments.

Read More: Teet or Teat: Correct Spelling, Meaning, and Usage

FAQs

What Is the Edgewater or Deserters Choice in The Outer Worlds?

It is a story decision involving the people of Edgewater and the group of deserters living away from the town. Your choice can affect the outcome of this part of the game.

Are Edgewater and the Deserters the Same Group?

No. Edgewater is the name of the settlement, while the deserters are people who left the town because they no longer wanted to remain under its existing conditions.

Why Did the Deserters Leave Edgewater?

The deserters left because they disagreed with how life was being managed in Edgewater. They created their own community and chose to live separately from the town.

Does the Edgewater or Deserters Choice Affect the Story?

Yes. This decision can change certain events, characters, and conditions connected to Edgewater. The effects depend on how you handle the related quest.

Can You Help Both Edgewater and the Deserters?

The quest gives you ways to influence the situation rather than simply treating the two sides as unrelated groups. Your actions determine how the conflict develops.

What Happens if You Support Edgewater?

Supporting Edgewater can preserve the settlement and influence its future. The specific results depend on the decisions you make during the quest.

What Happens if You Support the Deserters?

Supporting the deserters changes the direction of the settlement’s story and can affect the people involved. Your choices during the quest determine the final situation.

Why Is the Edgewater Choice Important in The Outer Worlds?

The choice matters because it involves more than selecting a location. It connects characters, resources, leadership, and the future of the community.

Can You Change the Outcome of the Edgewater Quest?

Some parts of the outcome can be influenced by completing objectives, speaking with characters, and making different decisions. Your actions during the quest matter.

Should You Choose Edgewater or the Deserters?

There is no single choice that fits every playthrough. Consider which characters, story direction, and consequences match the way you want to play The Outer Worlds.

Conclusion

The Edgewater or Deserters decision in The Outer Worlds is more than a simple choice between two groups. It introduces different characters, competing interests, and consequences that can shape how this part of the story unfolds. Understanding what each side represents makes the quest easier to follow and helps you make a decision based on your preferred playstyle.

Edgewater offers a look at life inside the settlement, while the deserters represent people who decided to leave and build a different way of living. As you explore the quest, conversations and actions can reveal more about both sides. Paying attention to these details gives the decision more meaning than simply choosing an option from a menu.

Ultimately, the choice is part of what makes The Outer Worlds feel reactive. Your decision can influence characters and the settlement’s situation, giving the quest a different outcome depending on your actions. Instead of treating Edgewater and the deserters as interchangeable options, consider their stories and the consequences connected to your chosen path.