D.U.S.T. Threat Evaluations
| D.U.S.T. Threat Evaluations | |
|---|---|
| First Ward | |
 | |
| Type | Tour Guide Tip |
| Place | First Ward |
| Available to | Everyone |
| Level range | 1–50 |
Overview
D.U.S.T. Threat Evaluations is a tip contact that offers Tour Guide Missions in First Ward.
Introduction
Prime Warden
Exploration Mission
The First Ward is a hotbed of dangerous activity from an impressive variety of sources. These reports from D.U.S.T. evaluate locations and groups they have identified as threats, with proposed countermeasures and strategic recommendations. While they are usually not so forthcoming with these documents, high mortality rates amongst personnel often leaves the evaluations in unexpected places.
Between the presence of the Devouring Earth, the Talons of Vengeance, and a variety of strange psionic or otherworldly monstrosities, having any and all information at your disposal is crucial for your survival in this place.
- Learn to survive within the First Ward.
- Review the threats later.
Too Busy
Cutting down on your many pending tasks might be a better next step to boosting your survival odds.
No More Missions
You have proven yourself capable of surviving in the First Ward. Having devised your own methods to deal with the threats, these reports from D.U.S.T. are not of much use to you now.
Accolade
You've obtained this Accolade by earning every Exploration badge within First Ward.
Missions
Dearly Departed
Briefing
To the east of the Sunken City lies the sizeable Mercyview Cemetery. D.U.S.T. has currently suspended expeditions into the area as they are under-equipped to handle the triad of the Carnivals of Light, Vengeance, and War all operating within the graveyard's confines. D.U.S.T.'s answer is to simply wait and allow the conflict between the Carnival splinters to resolve itself, then swoop in and eliminate the weakened winner.
Looking over the map, the cemetery is quite sizeable; the loss of life that accompanied the fall of the First Ward must have been immense. You decide to walk amongst the graves, both to pay your respects, and to see the current situation surrounding the Carnival factions.
- Pay respects to the Dearly Departed.
Flipping through the reports in the notes, you are relieved to find that risen zombies are not amongst the threat count here as you might have suspected.
There are a host of Ghouls present; however, their numbers originate elsewhere and the departed do not appear to be bolstering their ranks.
Mission Objective
- Visit Mercyview Cemetery
When the Devouring Earth struck First Ward the attack came suddenly and without warning. Thousands lost their lives on that terrible day. Though they knew they would likely never return to First Ward, the survivors laid the victims to rest in the Mercyview Cemetery believing the dead would wish to be close to the city they helped build. The survivors believed too that one day they would return and reclaim First Ward in the name of the fallen.
Eye of the Vortex
Briefing
There are many hypotheses that have been submitted by D.U.S.T. on the origin and nature of the vortex that looms over the entire First Ward. Some believe it is a beacon that calls the Seeds of Hamidon to protect the area. Others would say it is a portal into another realm, given form via an incomprehensible evil.
The vortex is certainly commanding in presence -- it is prominently seen from anywhere within the region. Sizing the vortex up, it appears to be centered above the tallest building within the Sunken City. You wonder: If you climbed that tower, could you reach up and manage a touch of the energy swirling above?
- Stand within the Eye of the Vortex.
You have to refrain from staring upwards and into the revolving maelstrom for too long or you start to get dizzy. The swirling energy seems to pull you towards it, and not physically.
It somehow feels as though your very essence is being siphoned from your body and dragged through to whatever the vortex's source may be.
Mission Objective
- Gaze upwards atop Sunken City tower
Mystical energies seethe and whirl overhead; hypnotizing in its terrible beauty. Standing this close to it one feels a charge in the air: the skin tingles with barely contained energy, the teeth ache to its harmonic vibration, the mind contemplates alien thoughts. You may feel as though you could fall upwards into it, be absorbed into it, become one with the vortex
Fearless Insurgent
Briefing
This report is a rather long list of all the security improvements and remaining vulnerabilities of the D.U.S.T. Ranger compound in the Free-Fire Zone. It appears that the fortification, security, and maintenance of this facility is one of their highest priorities.
Given the abnormally thorough scrutinization of every facet of their base's protections, you can only imagine that D.U.S.T. are quite afraid of "something" making it past their perimeters. Exactly what that threat is remains uncertain. Are they protecting something important or are they simply afraid of what might be lurking in the First Ward? You decide to expose some new flaws in their defenses and find out.
- Become a Fearless Insurgent.
In D.U.S.T.'s defense, the First Ward has many incomprehensible dangers that crawl about and skitter in the shadows. They are being prudent at least, it is smart to be taking zero chances with enemies they do not fully understand.
You can respect D.U.S.T. being thorough, but unfortunately for them, highly guarded compounds tend to draw certain individuals' curiosity, which is just about to happen.
Mission Objective
- Infiltrate the D.U.S.T. Ranger compound
You have penetrated the heart of the D.U.S.T. Ranger facility, a breach in security that the rangers will be spending many long hours analyzing, pondering, and adjusting procedures over. Heads will roll. You represent what they fear the most: a dedicated, powerful, fearless insurgent who penetrates their defenses and wreaks havoc.
Mayhem's Prodigal
Briefing
D.U.S.T. has a detailed report regarding their security assignment to defend the Mother of Mercy Hospital, one of the few Praetorian facilities still operational within the First Ward. While the Behavioral Adjustment Facility located in the Imperial City is overseen by the elusive Praetor Tilman, her true work is undertaken here.
Located atop a ridge on the far end of the Forbidden Crags, the hospital sits alone on the horizon. Given its prominence within the First Ward, you decide to run some reconnaissance on the Praetor's stronghold.
- Acknowledge Mayhem's Prodigal.
The D.U.S.T. Rangers stationed at the Mother of Mercy Hospital are just a formality. Those who have dealt with Praetor Tilman and the powerful psychics within her network know it is no mere hospital.
It would take an extraordinary force to actually threaten the Praetor and her subsurface compound.
Mission Objective
- See Mother of Mercy Hospital
This is where it all started. When First Ward was still a tyrant's dream, the true Mother of Mercy Hospital was already an aging heap of Gothic masonry. No one is sure exactly when Praetor Tilman built this hospital, or why she built it here, but even with its crumbling edifices, weed-choked grounds, and vacant windows, the place resonates with a malign power. So close to Mother Mayhem now, you can feel the weight of her psyche pressing down upon you, can feel her sightless gaze turn to you, condemning and welcoming at the same time: as with the return of a prodigal child.
Shadow Walker
Briefing
There are numerous informational gaps within D.U.S.T.'s reports on the spectral spaces maintained by the Carnival of Light. Despite not being able to grasp their true nature, they have managed to deduce that they are utilized for the traversal of something based on their layout around the First Ward. After having mapped out their general whereabouts, the D.U.S.T. Rangers have left the pathways alone, having concluded they do not pose any immediate danger to their operations.
You have noticed the strange runes and bizarre spatial shifts that occur within their confines from the times you have crossed their borders by mistake. Understanding the purpose of these pathways and learning their locations would likely prove beneficial. You cannot imagine the Carnival of Light created them for fun.
- Brave being a Shadow Walker.
If you had to hazard a guess, you would assume they ward against some malevolent force and allow for safe travel within. The pathways must lead somewhere, but you cannot hazard a guess as to where exactly.
Perhaps that answer will be provided once you have learned more firsthand.
Mission Objective
- Traverse the Shadowed Path
Despite the spirit wards that safeguard your soul and the ghost lights that guide your way, traversing the Shadowed Paths can be an unnerving experience. The Shadowed Paths are a fragment of the world where live the very things that go 'bump' in the night; the world of disembodied spirits and the unquiet dead. Thanks to the Carnival of Light they cannot sense you, but the frightened child that lives within us all knows they are out there, just out of sight, ready to strike at the first misstep. Tread carefully.
Shell Shocked
Briefing
There are various notes in this D.U.S.T. report regarding potential structural weaknesses that might be exploited if the Seed of Hamidon occupying the Sunken City were to be engaged. Most of D.U.S.T.'s findings came from researching the fallen remains of another Seed found to the south. Examining the shell does not tell them how the monster was conquered, however other valuable information was collected.
A review of the notes reveals that the Seed utilizes "seedlings" generated from within itself to enhance its own capabilities. Perhaps there is more to be learned at those remains. A second look could be interesting if not useful.
- Get Shell Shocked.
D.U.S.T. concluded that to bring the Seed of Hamidon down, clearing away any seedlings nearby will be crucial, as any in the vicinity will boost the power of its parent. Their notes mention they came in six variants:
Bulwark: Augments the Seed's defenses.
Contaminating: Exhausts nearby enemies.
Hematic: Exposes weaknesses on threats.
Maturing: Boosts the Seed's regeneration.
Respiring: Blurs vision of threats.
Tellurian: Offensive protectors of the Seed.
Mission Objective
- Inspect the Fallen Seed
First Ward is a terrifying, dangerous place, but there is no other location within the ruins that can evoke such powerful feelings of fear and dread. Here, on an island left undisturbed by any of the forces vying for control, is the shell of a defeated Seed of Hamidon. As a gentle breeze blows across the island from the nearby sunken city, one could be left feeling cold and alone, staring at the corpse of an alien monster that is a harbinger of a vastly more powerful creature waiting just beyond the walls....
Vengeance Seeker
Briefing
D.U.S.T. has issued one of their highest threat evaluations to an area dubbed the Forbidden Crags. The jagged landscape is host to the Talons of Vengeance, dangerous agents of fury and anger whose true nature is undetermined. Traversing the area is generally avoided by the D.U.S.T. Rangers if they can manage it, but they also are tasked with maintaining the perimeter of Praetor Tilman's nearby hospital.
There is something unnatural that draws the Talons to these rocks, some sort of otherworldly influence that permeates the area. There is a darkness here that you should venture to understand so you might know how best to confront it.
- Strike out as a Vengeance Seeker.
All malevolent forces have a source, and if you are to face the Talons of Vengeance in any meaningful capacity, you must understand them better. The utmost caution should always be employed when challenging the unknown.
The strange, warped creatures within the Forbidden Crags will know how deeply one who seeks their undoing can pierce.
Mission Objective
- Brave the Forbidden Crags
You stand in the domain of the Talons of Vengeance, the elemental nature of their ancient anger permeates the very air. Somewhere deep beneath your feet lurks the source of their power and agency on this world; you can feel it flow through you, but you're here to turn that vengeance back on its source. The Talons must be stopped, they must be punished for their actions, and you shall be the instrument of that vengeance.
Witness for the Fallen
Briefing
This report makes clear that D.U.S.T would need a substantial increase to their personnel in addition to heavy artillery weapons if they are to make any progress in reclaiming the Sunken City. The chief reason for this is the Seed of Hamidon that is seen routinely patrolling above the flooded remains of the First Ward. It would take a powerful force equipped with aerial capabilities in order to challenge the flying monstrosity.
While you find yourself considering the merits of confronting the Hamidon's floating creation, you would likely need to recruit some allies to do so. In the meantime, you can at least scout around the Sunken City and familiarize yourself with its layout in preparation for that potential encounter.
- Explore and be a Witness for the Fallen.
This place highlights the danger the Devouring Earth pose. They are a threat that cannot be taken lightly, and if humanity is to make any progress in reclaiming this the First Ward, the Seed of Hamidon will need to be eliminated from the skies above the Sunken City.
Unfortunately, it is not a task that will be easily accomplished.
Mission Objective
- Find the heart of Sunken City
The first statue ever erected in honor of Marcus Cole now stands as a mute reminder of what was lost when the Devouring Earth attacked First Ward. The ossified tendrils of Hamidon coil about it, but never reach it as though checked by Cole's majesty, or so his loyalists would like to think. Members of the Resistance who have made the trek out to this flooded region mock the statue and its current state: seeing it as a visual metaphor for Cole's hubris and eventual downfall.