Leads are side quests in Atomfall that you can pursue for various rewards, with "The Bakery" being one mission to follow in Wyndham Village. This Lead follows an investigation of the titular Bakery, revealing secrets about its owner, Iris. The choices you make regarding this Lead can have a heavy impact on the characters involved, affecting which rewards you can get when the mission is over.
Among the many Leads in Atomfall you're able to follow, "The Bakery" is an easy one to pursue early. This mission is fairly short, with little combat if you choose a ive route through the steps it takes to complete the Lead. The rewards from this Lead allow you to unlock new Skills, so completing the optional quest early will help your character grow stronger.
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How To Start The Bakery Lead
Speak To The Right Character
There are no linear ways to trigger the start of "The Bakery" Lead, as you have to talk to the right character to activate the quest. As you explore Wyndham Village, you'll come across several characters by simply interacting with the world around you. In my experience, you need to speak to the following people if you want a conversation that will initiate "The Bakery" Lead:
- Captain Sims (Village Hall (33.4E, 79.3N))
- Iris Baxter (The Bakery - Wyndham Village (33.4E, 80.2N))
You can also start "The Bakery" Lead by finding the note in Wyndham Garage, which goes over details regarding the quest. This special item is located at coordinates (35.5E, 79.2N), and has a key to the Bakery building's bedroom next to it.
Speaking to Captain Sims includes an option to offer help regarding Protocol in the Village. When you offer your services, the Captain will tell you about his suspicions regarding The Bakery in town, prompting you to speak to Iris, the shop's owner. This baker has some secrets regarding her husband, which you can learn if you speak to her first.
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Talking to Iris first reveals that her husband is undergoing some sort of affliction, beginning "The Bakery" Lead. While you can threaten Iris to get more information on her husband's condition, you can also take a calmer approach to gain more knowledge about the situation. Similar to Fallout titles, Atomfall gives you dialogue options to start this Lead with hostility or sympathy.
Helping Iris Or Reporting Her To Captain Sims
Pick Which Route To Follow
When you speak to Iris, choose the "Prying" option when talking to her to reveal some crucial information. Apparently, her husband's illness is not some run-of-the-mill cold, as he has a dangerous infection that makes him hostile to anyone. At the moment, he's locked inside the upstairs bedroom of The Bakery, where he can't get out according to Iris.
Once you learn this from either The Bakery Note or Iris herself, you have a decision to make. You can either try to help Iris cure her husband or report the situation back to Captain Sims to prevent Iris' husband from hurting anyone. Both options have consequences tied to them, with the fates of multiple characters decided by the choices you make.
If you use The Bakery Bedroom Key to go into The Bakery's bedroom at any time during the Lead, you'll be attacked by Iris' infected husband. Should you kill Iris' husband, Phillip Baxter, she will become hostile towards you, attacking you on sight.
Reporting to Captain Sims is the easiest choice, as all you have to do is go back to the NPC in the Village Hall to complete the Lead. However, if you choose to help Iris, you have to find a special crafting recipe in Atomfall for a Strange Tonic she once came across that may hold the cure for her husband Phillip. To start helping Iris, pick the "Sympathetic" option in dialogue with her, then "Curious" when talking about the Tonic.
Follow these steps to find the Strange Tonic needed to help Iris' husband:
- Go to The Old Mine in Casterfell Woods (27.2E, 92.2N)
- Speak to Mother Jago about the Strange Tonic
- Head to the Druid Castle (19.6E, 83.7N)
- Find Mother Jago's Herbology Book
- Find the Strange Tonic Recipe
- Consume the Strange Tonic Recipe to learn it
The Druid Castle is a hostile location filled with enemies, acting as a dungeon you have to progress through to gain the Tonic recipe. While this can be difficult, progressing through the Druids' base can lead to several rewards, including an important Atomic Battery in Atomfall for you to collect. Once you learn the Strange Tonic recipe from finding it in the Castle, you'll have to craft it using these ingredients:
- 4x Spores
- 1x Chemical
- 3x Glass
- 5x Herbs
Rewards For Completing The Bakery Lead
Gain The Same Item From Different Outcomes
Regardless if you choose to help Iris or report her to Captain Sims, your reward from this Lead will be in The Bakery Bedroom. Using the Bedroom Key from the Wyndham Garage will get you into this space, but you'll find a different outcome for Iris and her husband based on your decision.
Your favor with certain characters will rise with the choice you pick from this Lead. For example, your reputation with Captain Sims increases if you report Iris' situation to him, giving you more favor with the Protocol in future interactions. On the other hand, those looking to gain a better relationship with Mother Jago should help Iris instead, as it indirectly helps Jago retrieve her Herbology book from the Druids.
Helping Iris
Choosing to help Iris and deliver the Strange Tonic to her will cause her to disappear for a bit as she tends to her husband. Entering The Bakery Bedroom a short time after she leaves will reveal that her husband has gotten out, posing a larger threat. While you don't have to hunt down the husband to complete the Lead, it's an unfortunate ending for all your hard work.
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Choosing to aid Iris does give you full access to The Bakery Bedroom without her hostility or having to fight her husband. On a table in this space, you can pick up your main reward from this Lead, the Consumables Manual on a desk. Reading this Manual gives your character three new skills, including:
- Gut Health
- Buff Duration
- Blue Fingers
Once you unlock these three skills, you can purchase them at any time for your character to give them new abilities. Each of the skills gained from "The Bakery" Lead is strong due to how they improve your crafting prowess. Some skills will increase the amount of time your consumable buffs stay active, while another makes it easier to harvest spores from the world.
Reporting Iris To Captain Sims
The harsher option in this Lead is to report Iris to Captain Sims, which causes the Protocol to head into The Bakery. When you return to the location later and use The Bakery Bedroom Key, you'll find that the Protocol has shot both Iris and her husband, killing them both to prevent the infection from spreading.
This ending is definitely tragic for Iris and her husband, but it once again allows you to explore the Bedroom without issue. You can pick up the same Consumables Manual here, learning the same skills you would've gotten for helping Iris. While you get the same reward either way, the main choice here revolves around whether you sympathize with Iris or make a hard call regarding the safety of the Village.
I've found that siding with Captain Sims leads to far less hostility from the Protocol in restricted areas, so there are benefits to this seemingly cruel choice. However, like any Lead in Atomfall, the outcome of "The Bakery" quest depends entirely on what route you think is best.
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