The Illustrated Manual is a companion quest in The Outer Worlds.
Synopsis[]
Vicar Maximillian DeSoto has asked you to find a banned heretical book, the Journal of M. Bakonu.
Walkthrough[]
Retrieve the journal[]
Go to the Collector's Domicile at the abandoned outpost in Emerald Vale, where the Stranger will encounter a few marauders and a tamed canid. Having disposed of the enemies, find your way to the building marked "Cannery" and get inside the room behind the cash register, where you’ll find a computer pad which directs you towards a "cave by the river". Following the quest marker, you will end up at the cave entrance just east of the geothermal power plant.
Once inside the cave, keep walking until you find the collector's river hideout. The hideout is guarded by a number of proximity mines which will detonate if approached. They can be triggered from a distance by shooting them. After clearing the mines, enter the hideout to find a safe. The safe is locked (Level 5 Lockpick). There are two mag-picks on a shelf if one does not have the tools to open the safe. Retrieve the book and return to Vicar Max.
Upon your return, Max will be furious about the book being in French, as it shows that he had hoped it to be able to help him solve "the Plan". The book was the only reason why he got himself assigned to Emerald Vale, where he feels nothing but utter contempt for the locals. Max will ask to join the Stranger's crew in order to get off the planet. If the Stranger agrees, Max will board the Unreliable and become available as a companion after one has fixed the ship's power regulator.
Returning the book to Max will grant you 4800 XP, increased Spacer's Choice reputation, and unlock Max's companion quest, The Empty Man.