UC Vanguard – Expanded Presence v1.0
UC Vanguard – Expanded Presence adds ambient UC Vanguard NPCs across key locations in the Settled Systems, giving the faction a stronger and more believable presence in the world.
Just subtle, lore-friendly worldbuilding.
I’ve always imagined the UC Vanguard as something closer to space privateers, much like historical French corsairs : independent captains with, sometimes, questionable pasts, operating under official sanction, taking risks the regular military won’t… and being paid in opportunity, rewards, and survival.
In Starfield, however, the UC Vanguard often feels strangely absent…
You barely encounter them in the world, as if you alone are the only one answering the call (a familiar Bethesda design choice), but one that leaves the universe feeling emptier than it should.
UC Vanguard – Expanded Presence aims to fill that gap.
This mod adds ambient UC Vanguard NPCs across key locations, bringing more life, realism, and believable presence to the faction.
You are not the only one bringing order and justice to the galaxy.
FEATURES
– 18 UC VANGUARD CAPTAINS & OFFICERS : placed in logical, lore-friendly locations (spaceports, bars, administrative areas, and civilian hubs)
– VANGUARD COUNTER (AT THE MAST) : It has been expanded with two additional officers assisting Commander John Tuala
– SMALL ENVIRONMENTAL ADDITIONS : to the MAST entrance hall, which felt overly empty
– Additional clutter on the Vanguard desk
– UC kiosks
– Light clutter added to the receptionist’s desk
– A Terrabrew machine
– ANIMATION MARKERS : added where new NPCs are placed, creating small ambient scenes and more dynamic sandbox behavior
NPC Locations
New Atlantis
– 1 Vanguard Captain at the Spaceport entrance
– (upper terraces, left of the scanners when arriving — compatible withStroud Premium Edition, which I use)
– 3 Vanguard Captains at the Newport Hotel
– 1 Vanguard Captain on the upper Terrabrew terrace
– 1 Vanguard Officer & 1 UC Marine Officer at Dawn’s Roost
– 1 Vanguard Quartermaster at the UC Distribution Center
– 2 Vanguard Officers at the MAST Vanguard counter, alongside Commander Tuala
– 1 Vanguard Captain at Kay’s House (The Well)
Cydonia
– 2 Vanguard Captains inside The Broken Spear
– 1 Vanguard Captain at the entrance of The Broken Spear
– 1 Vanguard Officer near the UC Office of the Governor-General
Gagarin Landing
– 1 Vanguard Captain at Lizzy’s Bar
Deimos Staryard
– 1 Vanguard Captain waiting near the ship docking corridor exit
– 1 Vanguard Captain in the showroom
COMPATIBILITY & PERFORMANCE :
– NPCs are custom-built to avoid the generic NPC look, while remaining 100% vanilla (no custom assets, no external dependencies)
– NPC placement is deliberately conservative in sensitive areas to avoid performance issues
– Designed to be as compatible as possible, but large city overhauls (e.g. New Atlantis Awaits) may cause conflicts (not tested)
– If a location has been fully redesigned, NPC placement may not align correctly
– No scripts
– Nothing is removed or replaced
On existing saves, some NPCs may require leaving the area and waiting 48 in-game hours or loading a save outside the location, to appear correctly.
FINAL NOTES
This mod may evolve based on feedback.
If you have ideas for lore-friendly locations where UC Vanguard presence would make sense and without harming performance (these are real NPCs, not crowd NPCs), feel free to share them.
If you have suggestions for other factions that could benefit from a similar approach, feel free to share your ideas.
