'Mass Effect: Andromeda' "High Noon" Guide: Should you side with Sloane or the Charlatan?

As one would expect from a BioWare game, Mass Effect: Andromeda allows your Pathfinder to make some hard choices: Do you kill a possibly malevolent AI on Voeld or give it to the angara? Do you make the decision to unfreeze colonists on the Nexus, knowing that it will stress your already limited resources? Do make a scientific or military outpost on Eos? On Kadara, your Pathfinder will be given a much more personal decision: Who do you side with in "High Noon," the duel to the death between prickly Outcast leader Sloane and the one who calls themselves the Charlatan?

If you're not sure about which side to pick, we've got the scoop on what the consequences are for each decision in Mass Effect: Andromeda's "High Noon."

Mass Effect: Andromeda "High Noon" guide: How to access the duel between Sloane and the Charlatan

You'll gain access to the "High Noon" side quest on Kadara after completing "Night On The Town," according to IGN. Sloane will bend your ear about the Charlatan, who's roughed up Kaetus and wants to settle the score with Sloane mano-a-mano near Draullir. She'll ask you to accompany her, since your Pathfinder observes that it could be a trap.

The easiest way to get to the meeting spot is to fast travel to your forward station in the Sulfur Springs, where Sloane will be hanging outside of a cave. She'll ask if you're ready to go, and if you say you are, you'll embark on the next leg of the quest.

Once you enter the cave, you'll be greeted by none other than Reyes Vidal, who the Pathfinder correctly surmises to be the Charlatan. He wants control of Kadara, and is willing to kill Sloane in order to get it. He'll offer to duel her for it, which Sloane will accept. 

While the two duelists pace around each other, the Pathfinder will notice some light glinting off of a scope. Your AI assistant SAM spells it out for you that a sniper has his sights on Sloane, and you have the opportunity to make a decision: Do you let the sniper shoot Sloane or do you save her?

Mass Effect: Andromeda "High Noon" guide: What happens if you let the sniper take out Sloane?

The path of least resistance is just to let the sniper take Sloane out, thus siding with Vidal and giving control of Kadara over to him. After the duel, you'll meet Reyes at his office in Tartarus, Kadara's local watering hole. He's happy you decided to help him and will offer to let the Initiative build an outpost there — something that Sloane was very opposed to. 

So ultimately, you get what you want, but you did sort of have to stab someone who trusted you in the back in order to get it. You also don't really have a lot of guarantee that Vidal won't make a heel turn on you at some point in the future, but you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, right?

Mass Effect: Andromeda "High Noon" guide: What happens if you save Sloane?

If you opt to do your due diligence where Sloane is concerned, you can tackle her to the ground with an R2 in order to save her from the sniper shot, at which point she'll get up and shoot Reyes's gun from his hands. Like you would after your plan to assassinate the leader of a smuggling port goes awry, Reyes opts to book it further into the cave and Sloane yells at you to go after him.

Do so, and you'll get a second R2 prompt as Reyes gets on his escape shuttle: you can try to shoot him as he turns his back to you. Do so and you'll clip him, causing a force field to envelop him as he escapes. Opt not to shoot him and he gets away unhampered, causing Sloane to be a little annoyed with you.

Regardless of what you decide to do with Reyes as he escapes, Sloane is appreciative of your valor (in her own way). When you meet with her again, she'll offer to let the Initiative build an outpost on Kadara, while reminding you that she's only doing it for you — and not Director Tann or the Initiative. Isn't that nice? You've made a friend.

Chances are some form of these choices will come back to haunt you in an expansion or a sequel, but as usual this choice is more about what kind of Pathfinder you're making. Are you someone who keeps their promises regardless of whether it's in your best interest to do so, or will you side with whoever you think will give you the biggest advantage? The choice is yours.

More Mass Effect: Andromeda news, updates, tips and tricks

For more on everyone's favorite space opera, check out the rest of what Mic has to offer. Here's an essay on the troubling history of colonialism in Mass Effect, a story about the horrifying harassment campaign carried out against a former BioWare employee, a guide to removing Ryder's helmet, a guide on romancing Keri, a guide to romancing Reyes and a quick explainer on the different types of health in Andromeda.