Past and Future Company Excluded is a morally charged side quest in The Outer Worlds 2 that takes place in Golden Ridge, a region of Dorado that has been ravaged by war. A tense ceasefire, overcrowded refugee camp, and the mysterious Exclusion Zone force you to mediate between the Order of the Ascendant and the Displaced. Your inquiries, evaluation, and ultimate decision lead you to grant or deny access to this restricted territory—with implications that follow later.
Beginning the Quest
In Present and Future Company Excluded, start by finding the Voice of the Displaced, the representative of the refugees. She can be found behind the main camp area of Matriarch’s Mercy, beyond some barriers and tents.
She will tell you about the Exclusion Zone and her irritation with the Order’s lack of consent for her people to move there. She will ask for your help with Administrant Agarwal, one of the more senior Order officials. You have nothing to lose, so consent to help her. Agarwal is inside the large Order building towards the right side
Meeting Administrant Agarwal
Agarwal doesn’t exactly hide her irritation with the Voice of the Displaced, though she admits the refugees have good reason to be upset. She agrees that life would be easier if the Exclusion Zone could be opened up—but the prophecy of disaster makes the risk too great in her eyes.
Interestingly, Agarwal also recognizes you as someone “foretold” to arrive. Once the Abbot gives permission, your final judgment on the matter will stand as law. However, before she lets you make that decision, she insists you talk to everyone in Matriarch’s Mercy to understand the full picture—from both sides.
There’s no quest marker or counter to track this part. Agarwal simply won’t move the quest forward until you’ve spoken to everyone involved.
Whom to Speak With in Matriarch’s Mercy
Vicar Edie Orendy
You’ll find Vicar Orendy just outside the Order’s main hall, speaking to a small crowd of refugees. She represents the Order’s spiritual side and preaches about the Great Equation—the idea that all things, even war, follow a higher mathematical design. According to her, understanding it will one day allow humanity to predict and prevent tragedies like this.
You can challenge her philosophy, but it won’t alter the outcome. Orendy insists the Order is already doing its best by providing food, shelter, and medicine. Whether that’s enough is for you to decide.
Rollo Nast
Next, look for Rollo Nast, a member of the Displaced, perched inside or atop a stack of containers near the building’s entrance. He’s not a believer in the Order, yet he still relies on their daily “forecasts” about his future. One of them even saved his life once, so while he wishes the camp offered more comfort, he’s reluctant to dismiss the Order’s warnings about the Exclusion Zone.
Sub-Finagler Tilda Rademacher
Head downhill to the lower levels of the camp where the Sub-Rosa faction operates. These opportunists have set themselves up as makeshift mediators, resolving disputes among the Displaced through sanctioned combat—whoever wins a fight is deemed “right.”
Tilda Rademacher, their Sub-Finagler, can be found in a container at the bottom of this area. She sees her group’s brutal system as a necessary service, arguing that cramped living conditions make tempers flare and fights inevitable.
Provisioner Adelia Plotnick
Inside the Order’s headquarters, to the left, you’ll meet Provisioner Adelia Plotnick, who oversees supply distribution. Though she’s loyal to the Order’s teachings, she’s one of the more practical members you’ll encounter. She knows the camp’s situation is unsustainable but takes pride in managing limited resources as fairly as she can. Her role wasn’t self-assigned—it was given to her by the Order, proof, she says, that they are trying to help.
Doctor Hollis Beardsley
At the center of the same building is Doctor Hollis Beardsley, the overworked physician treating wave after wave of sick and injured refugees. He’s blunt about the reality: medical supplies are short, diseases spread fast, and cramped shelters only make things worse.
Beardsley believes prevention is the key to saving lives, but with the Displaced packed in so tightly, prevention is nearly impossible. Talking to him unlocks a side quest to recruit more doctors, but that’s separate from this storyline.
Violet Muncey and the Collapsed Shelter
Step outside again and circle around the main building near the bounty terminal. You’ll notice a collapsed structure—if your Observation or Engineering skill is high enough, you can analyze it yourself. Otherwise, Violet Muncey, who’s nearby, will fill you in.
She explains that overcrowding forced the refugees to build makeshift homes on top of one another using whatever scraps they could find. With poor materials and zero stability, collapses like this are inevitable.
Once you’ve spoken with Muncey, you’ll have gathered all the information needed to report back to Agarwal.
The Final Judgment
When you tell Agarwal you’re ready, she brings you to meet the Voice of the Displaced. Together, the three of you review what you’ve learned from everyone in Matriarch’s Mercy. Agarwal comments on what she thinks your sympathies are, but your dialogue choices here don’t limit your final decision.
You can side with either faction:
- Support the Order → Receive Order Armor
- Support the Displaced → Receive a Burst SMG
The quest ends immediately after you choose, but the long-term results unfold later in the story. If you grant the refugees access to the Exclusion Zone, their fate takes a dark turn—return after finishing the Monastery quest to see what became of them.
