-------- SPACE QUEST: THE SARIEN ENCOUNTER - "MINIMUM RUN" WALKTHROUGH -------
Guide Written by: Kuro-chan_101 xxJJMMMMMMLLxx
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___oo--- - Space Quest is Copyright 1986 Sierra On-Line - --- WARNING: This Guide contains spoilers and some mild language. ---_______________________________________________________________________________SQ1-MR --- VERSION INFO
_______________________________________________________________________________Version 1.0 -- (April 19th, 2026)
- The guide has been completed._______________________________________________________________________________SQ1-MR --- INTRODUCTION
_______________________________________________________________________________
The objective of this walkthrough is not for a complete game, but for the least
amount of points possible and necessary to win. If you wish to aim for a
complete game, feel free to look up other walkthroughs available online. This
guide will not cover that.The intention of this guide is to show loopholes, exploits, more dangerous and
less rewarding methods to complete the game while keeping the score as low as
possible.For the purpose of keeping the guide brief and to the point, it will assume
you, the player, are already familiar with Space Quest : The Sarien Encounter
and how to beat it the normal way. Only puzzles related to points will be
listed (as well as which ones to 'carefully' avoid).This guide will track the number of points you will have to collect along the
way. There are softlocks to watch out for, but the game will be careful to
warn and help the player avoid them where possible.There are several points in the game where you need specific information, like
a certain password and sector ID you must acquire. Because this information
never changes with each play-through and there are no in-game flags that can
determine if you are allowed to know this information, this guide will offer
the player whatever information is needed, skipping out what is required to
obtain them._______________________________________________________________________________SQ1-MR --- Part 1: Escape the Arcada
_______________________________________________________________________________(Decks A & B)
Wake up, Roger! Nap time is over. Sariens have boarded your ship, killed nearly
everyone aboard and set the self-destruct sequence. You have 20 game minutes
(around 17 or 18 minutes on normal speed) to get what you need, avoid getting
killed and get off the ship.Walk left 3 screens (through a door, into the Data Archive, next room with an
elevator down and finally to a dead end). - Get Keycard ---------------------------------------- +1 pt.
- Kick Body ------------------------------------------ -1 pt.Walk right 1 screen and go down the elevator (do not return to data archive).
Walk past the Star Generator room and right 1 more screen.If you see "You think you hear footsteps", walk to the left side of the
elevator (along the wall) and wait there; this is a safe spot. After the coast
is clear (or you do not get the message), enter the elevator.(Deck C)
After you go down the elevator stop and wait a bit. If you get the footsteps
message, do not step out of the elevator; just sit and wait for the Sarien to
show up and go away. Otherwise, head 1 screen right.You can see a launch bad and bunch of glowing red lights going crazy. Go up to
the control panel in the middle of the room. - Push Door ------------------------------------------ +2 pts.Head right 1 screen. When the screen changes, stop. If you get the footsteps
message, either wait for at least 6 seconds or go back to the previous and try
this one again until you do not get the message. (The Sarien only shows up if
you are in the middle-right side of the room). When done, head to the little
slot beside the door. - Insert Keycard -------------------------------------- +2 pts.Enter the elevator and go down to the next level.(Flight Deck)
Walk down into the pit and up to the controls. Enter in 'push airlock' to open
the door. Walk back up to the locker doors (between the elevator and airlock
door near the top of the room). 'Push Left' and 'Push Right' will open both
doors. Walk up to the each of them to obtain important inventory items. - Get Spacesuit -------------------------------------- +2 pts.
- Get Translator ------------------------------------- +2 pts.Enter the airlock. Walk up to the control panel. - Push Button ---------------------------------------- +1 pt.Walk up to the left side of the pod and 'enter pod'.(Escape Pod)
Inside, you will need to 'fasten seatbelt', 'close door' and 'push power'. - Push Autonav --------------------------------------- +2 pts.'pull throttle' to escape the Arcade. Escape the Ship -------------------------------------- +15 pts.Ride the next sequence of events and (eventually) crash land on Kerona.Current Score: 26/202_______________________________________________________________________________SQ1-MR --- Part 2: Kerona Desert
_______________________________________________________________________________(Escape Pod)
For the moment you are safe. You will have to 'unfasten belt' before you can
leave the pod. Also, do not forget: - Get Kit -------------------------------------------- +2 pts.For the 'lesser points' option, you will need the kit. 'open kit' to
gain access to the water. When you are done, 'exit pod' to explore the
desert.(Desert)
You are on two timers, a water timer (less important) and the arrival of the
Sarien Spider Droid timer (MUCH more urgent). Get moving!NOTES: The water timer is surprisingly generous. Unless you go to great lengths
to enjoy a leisurely stroll through the desert, you will not require any
water while you are navigating the sandy dunes. The first warning
happens fairly early on, so there is still plenty of time to spare. The Spider Droid arrival timer has a large random value included, so if
you find you are having trouble defeating the Orat and getting up the
ramp before it arrives, you can try restoring a save from before you
exit the escape pod and try again. Hopefully, you will have more time to
work with. We will not be destroying the Spider Droid during this playthrough.Walk to the front of the escape pod. - Get Glass ------------------------------------------- +3 pts.You will have to walk right 3 screens. You will enter the small mesa.(Mesa)
On the screen with the ramp on the left side, go up 1 screen (Do not go up the
ramp, yet). Next, there is a cave in the wall around the lower-right side of
the screen. Enter the cave.NOTES: Have 'throw water' ready to go before you enter the Orat's cave, since
you will have very little time when you enter it. The Spider Droid and water timers do not count down while you are in the
cave, so there is no rush after you defeat the Orat to recover the Orat
part. You will not need to drink any water prior to throwing it; the game will
set the water timer to maximum, more than enough time to climb up the
cliffs and reach the elevator.(Orat's Cave)
The Orat will run up to you real fast, so make haste with your action. - Throw Water ---------------------------------------- +5 pts.Walk over to the orat part on the right (middle) side of the screen. - Get Part ------------------------------------------- +2 pts.Leave the cave (You may have to press up after reaching the exit to actually
leave).(Mesa)
Go down 1 screen and climb the ramp on the left side so you can begin walking
up the cliff.NOTE: Once you start up the ramp, the Spider Droid can no longer harm you. You
(now) only have to worry about the water timer and not falling off.Go up 1 screen and continue walking up the cliff. The cliff wraps around to the
left.Now, there are two ways you do this next part:
* Take the long way around by going left 1 screen (Nothing wrong with doing
this; it just takes more time).* 'Just' before going to the next screen, walk up instead. It will look like
you are no longer along the cliff, but the game data will say you still are,
so walk left to get back 'on' the cliff. This will save you walking around
for several screens.Assuming you are taking the long way, cross the bridge, go left 1 screen, then
up 1 screen, then right 2 screens until you reach the end.You will see an double arch creating a suspicious-looking place to stand on, so
go ahead and stand on there. - Descend (automatically) ---------------------------- +2 pts.(Underground Complex)
Get off the elevator. Move up a little an ;get rock' laying on the purple
floor. Walk left 1 screen. Stay near the rock wall to avoid being grabbed by
the hungry lil' alien hiding under the grate, then walk near the active geyser. - Put Rock on Geyser ---------------------------------- +4 pts.Walk through the door and up 1 screen. Ignore the acid pool and walk through
the holes and go left 1 screen. Next is the loud and annoying lasers. - Use Glass ------------------------------------------- +5 pts.With the laser setup destroyed, go up the ramp and onto the upper floor. Go
right 1 screen. This next room will always be a little tricky with the acid,
but they drip in a consistent way, so study the pattern and advance a step at
a time as needed. There is room between the second and third drips, so you can
wait more patiently for an opening. - Cross the Acid Drips ------------------------------- +3 pts.Go right 1 screen when done. Go 1 more screen to the right.NOTE: Make sure your gadget is turned on before entering the next room.When prompted to, 'drop part' to gain access to the next room. - Drop Part ------------------------------------------ +10 pts.In the next room, approach the skimmer along the right side of the room, 'get
on skimmer' and 'turn key' to jet off back along the desert. The next part of
the game is outright annoying, but necessary for completion.NOTE: Normally I would not suggest this, but given this part of the game is
a bit annoying, if you wish to skip most of the skimmer game, press
'[Alt] D' to enter Debug Mode. Type in 'set var'. It will prompt you for
a variable. Enter 44. Next, enter in a new value. Enter 2. This will
reduce the amount of time needed to complete this minigame down to a
trivial amount. - Complete Skimmer Minigame -------------------------- +25 pts.Current Score: 87/202_______________________________________________________________________________SQ1-MR --- Part 3: Ulence Flats
_______________________________________________________________________________You have now arrived at Ulence Flats. A port filled with scum and villainry...
If you are looking for it. Overall, it is not the worst place to be in all of
Space Quest.First order of business: 'take key' and 'get off skimmer'. This will prompt an
alien with huge shades to offer you 30 buckazoids for your skimmer. Decline it.
Head up 1 screen and behind the Droids B Us (left corner) to 'get buckazoid'.
Head back down 1 screen and say 'yes' to the alien's offer when he returns. - Sell Skimmer (+ Get Jetpack) ------------------------ +5 pts.Now you have a swell jetpack and some money, but not enough to do anything
with. This guide will present you with a few ways to earn some money.* If you are playing version 1.0X or 1.1A, you will have to play the slots
machine the hard way; expect to do a lot of saving and a lot of grinding.* If you are playing version 2.2, you can enter in 'holy shit' to rig the game
so you will always win. May as well select the diamond and go for the
maximum bet to win 60 buckazoids at a time.* If you are game for a little cheating that does not affect your score, enter
'[Alt] D' to enter debug mode, 'set var', then enter in '124' when asked for
a variable ID and '250' for a value. This will give you the maximum amount of
buckazoids the slots machine will allow you to have.With enough buckazoids on-hand, go up 1 screen (if you were in the bar and left
it), and right 1 screen. Enter the Droids R/B Us store, go up the stairs and
walk up to the first droid. - Buy Droid ------------------------------------------ +4 pts.For some reason, the game likes to operate under the assumption that you have a
20% off coupon for a droid. Leave the store, walk left 2 screens, then walk
down 1 screen and quickly back up 1 screen (to where you see the lone spaceship. - Buy Ship ------------------------------------------- +4 pts.From there, 'climb ladder' and 'push load'. The droid will then ask you where
to go. Enter in 'HH' and the droid will pilot the ship off Kerona. - Leave Kerona --------------------------------------- +25 pts.Current Score: 125/202_______________________________________________________________________________SQ1-MR --- Part 4: The Deltaur
_______________________________________________________________________________After a decent enough cutscene involving some asteroids and something to do
with an extended, Roger and his little droid have arrived at the Deltaur. With
the size of this thing, no wonder his old ship was overtaken so easily.After the ship has come to a stop (and the parser come back), enter in 'wear
jetpack' and 'exit ship'. You are now on your own. Fly right up the door in the
middle of the screen and 'open door'. Fly into the airlock. Wait for a droid to
pop out from the top door and sneak in.NOTE: There does not appear to be a limit on how many times the droid will go
back and forth on this screen, meaning you can try this any number of
times, if needed. - Enter the Empty room ------------------------------- +1 pt.Go over to the trunk. Enter in 'open trunk' and 'put jetpack in trunk'.There are two ways to get from this room to the room you need to be in.* 'Climb in trunk' to hide inside. Luckily, someone dumb enough will help
bring you to the room will want to be in. - Climb in Trunk ----------------------------------- +3 pts.* 'Close trunk' and 'push trunk to move it over to the wall. If you have the
survival kit, 'use knife' on the vent to pry it open. 'enter vent' to enter
the access shaft. Use the ladder to climb up 1 screen and go through the
vent to the side. Eventually, the player will be stopped. 'Kick vent' to jar
it loose and 'open vent' to allow Roger to fall into the target room. - Enter Vent --------------------------------------- +2 pts.
- Kick Vent ---------------------------------------- +1 pt.Both options yield the same points, so either way works fine.You are now in the laundry room and a Sarien will (eventually) enter the room.
Go over to the washing machine. 'Open door' and 'get in washer' to have a
miraculous change in uniform. - Complete the wash cycle ---------------------------- +5 pts.'Look uniform' to find the ID on the Sarien this belongs to. Walk right 1
screen and take the elevator on the left to go down to the next area. The Star
Generator is to the right, but for now it is inaccessible. Walk left and take
the elevator up to the next floor. Walk right a total of 3 screens until you
reach the armory. Stand around the midpoint at the desk and 'give ID' to the
robot so it will retrieve your gun. While it is out of sight, walk down and
around the desk corner to where you see a pair of grey cylinders. Do this
before the robot returns, or you will be unable to get it. - Get Grenade ---------------------------------------- +1 pt.NOTE: You MUST wait for the gun. If you try to grab a grenade and run, it will
catch you in the act and vaporize you instantly. - Get Pulseray (automatic) --------------------------- +1 pt.Leave the armory by going 1 screen left. Stand above where the guard is in
front of the Star Generator is stationed (your vertical position does not
appear to matter). - Drop Grenade (hits the guard) ----------------------- +5 pts.Now for a little bit of points relief, go left 1 screen. If there is a Sarien
guard there, hit F6 to shoot it. If not, walk back to the previous screen and
try again. There is about a 1 in 3 chance of a Sarien showing up. - Kill Guard With Helmet On -------------------------- -5 pts.
- Kill Guard ----------------------------------------- +3 pts.NOTE: There is no tracker for how many times you kill a Sarien guard with a
helmet on, meaning you can do this as many times as you want and each
time you will lose 5 points until the byte controlling the score loops
and you back at over 250 points. For the sake of a 'proper' minimum score
guide, please do this only once. The game tracks if you killed a Sarien guard, so you will only earn the
+3 points once. This means after you lose your helmet, you can shoot as
many guard as necessary.Walk left 1 screen and head for the elevator. Along the way, Roger will trip
over his two left feet and lose his helmet, which goes into the elevator, but
does not show up anywhere. This means any Sarien will shoot on sight.
Fortunately, you are armed, but the security bots are unaffected by the weapon,
so players will need to take care.Go down the elevator and walk right 2 screens to reach the Star Generator.
Approach the body on the floor. - Get Remote ----------------------------------------- +3 pts.
- Press Button --------------------------------------- +3 pts.Walk up the steps to the Star Generator and 'look panel'. Use the arrow keys to
punch in '6 8 5 8 [ENTER]' with the F6 key. If you do this right, a notice will
appear that the destruct sequence has been set. After all the delays and
slightly faster than real time timer, you have a little over 4 minutes (on
normal) to get off the ship. - Enter in 6858 and set the destruct code ------------ +10 pts.Walk down the steps and left 1 screen. Remember to watch out for enemies
blocking your way. Go into the elevator. In the next room, take the right-side
elevator into the launch bay where you will a convenient ship. - Enter the Launch Bay ------------------------------- +1 pt.Go down the steps, head to the pod and 'enter pod' to climb in. Finally, enter
in 'press launch' to win the game. - Escape the Deltaur --------------------------------- +3 pts._______________________________________________________________________________SQ3-MR --- POINTS BREAKDOWN
_______________________________________________________________________________ Description Points
Get Keycard 1
Kick Body -1
Push Door (button on console) 2
Insert Keycard 2
Get Spacesuit 2
Get Translator 2
Push Button (raise escape pod) 1
Push Autonav 2
Escape the Ship 15
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Get (survival) Kit 2
Get Glass 3
Throw Water 5
Get Part 2
Descend (automatically) 2
Put Rock on Geyser 4
Use Glass 5
Cross the Acid Drips 3
Drop Part 10
Complete Skimmer Minigame 25
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sell Skimmer (+ Get Jetpack) 5
Buy Droid 4
Buy Ship 4
Leave Kerona 25
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Enter the Empty room 1
Climb in Trunk 3
Enter Vent 2
Kick Vent 1
Complete the wash cycle 5
Get Grenade 1
Get Pulseray (automatic) 1
Drop Grenade (hits the guard) 5
Kill Guard With Helmet On -5
Kill Guard 3
Get Remote 3
Press Button 3
Enter in 6858 and set the destruct code 10
Enter the Launch Bay 1
Escape the Deltaur 3
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total 161_______________________________________________________________________________SQ1-MR --- LEGAL STUFF
_______________________________________________________________________________Space Quest I, Copyright 1986-1987 Sierra On-LineWritten By: Kuro-chan_101 (kuro101@kuro-rpg.net)This may be not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal use.
It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed publicly without
advance written permission. Use of this guide on any other website or as a part
of any public display is strictly prohibited.Current sites with permission to host this Walk-through/Guide:
GameFAQs (www.gamefaqs.com)
/rsierrabugsThe following sources were used for research and information for this guide.
Keep in mind, a lot of the data presented was also the result of research,
testing, trial and error, etc.:
- Space Quest I, DOS version._______________________________________________________________________________SQ1-MR --- FINAL COMMENTS
_______________________________________________________________________________Thank for you reading through this guide. Like with many Sierra games, this is
one of those games I grew up with and contributed to how well (or badly) I can
type, nowadays. I was expecting the game to be much tighter and have almost
no leeway for points removed. I know there are ways you can go above the
maximum score, like grabbing an extra grenade or taking both routes to get to
laundry room.- Kuro-chan_101
