by: Tony "RadarX" Jones

The Crater Lake Research facility is the Area 51 of the AFS, housing classified military research of the highest importance. Logos studies lead by Medical Officer Caspar could possibly provide significantly powerful equipment to use against our enemies. Unfortunately, Crater Lake has fallen into Bane hands and the fate of Officer Caspar and crucial research data is unknown at this time. You and your squad will rendezvous with Captain Velns's infiltration team and retrieve any classified data you find. You are also to locate Caspar and gather intelligence on Bane activity. The codename for this operations is Shiva.

This instance is designed for squads of players around 10 but can be soloed usually by level 13 or 14. I recommend bringing an EMP weapon for the Predators and enough credits to buy ammunition if you run short. Make sure you grab The Dead Live, and Centrifuge Fuel missions in Ranja Gorge (The starter mission for the Dead Live is in Twin Pillars and called Hoping for the Best) so you don't have to make two trips.

As you enter the instance you'll notice a room on your left, go inside and meet up with Captain Velns (32.3, 198.8). Velns will update The Dead Live which grants a reward of a Class 1 Standard Medpak or Class 1 EMP Bomb and give you a new mission called We Be Jammin' which requires you to place a beacon. She'll also give you the main mission called Destroying the Evidence. Heading outside the cavern you'll have your first Predator encounter. They are weak from behind, so if you have a friend with you stand on opposite sides of the ship and fire away with EMP. If not try and position yourself under it and keep trying to stay behind it.

After dispatching the Predator head down the trail, engaging any random patrols you find. When the trail stops, your squad will begin taking Bane cannon fire. After eliminating the Bane cannon head up into the destroyed building upper floor where you'll find a Data terminal at 124.3, -27.3. Interacting with this terminal will update the first part of Destroying the Evidence.

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AFS Data Terminals

Continue heading west staying on the upper ridge and you'll find another clearing with a large transmitter in it. A Bane cannon will very likely ambush you from the left, but once you've destroyed everything shoot the transmitter to update We Be Jammin'. To the south you'll see a trail that leads up, where you'll find a few destroyed buildings, more artillery, and Bane to kill. In the eastern most building at 102.3, -89.6 access the data terminal for the second part of Destroying the Evidence. In these same buildings you'll see small green crates on the ground. Opening these will give you crystals for Centrifuge Fuel and they will respawn given a minute or two.

Head back down the trail and continue west along the ridge until you see the GPS beacon at -169.5, -109.5. Interacting with this will complete We Be Jammin' rewarding you with a pair of Pulsar Hazmat Boots or a Teleract Photonic Shotgun and start a radio mission called Ghost in the Machine. Facing back east from the GPS beacon you'll notice a trail leading up to more destroyed buildings. Fight your way up, clearing out any opposition, and you'll find more crystal crates and a Data Terminal at -118.4, -76.0 for your third Destroying the Evidence update.

A little further west you'll locate a small Bane fortification with a dozen or so occupants. You can usually draw a few of them out front so you don't have to storm the position. One of the occupants is Caspar, only he's Machina now (you had to see this coming) so kill him which will update Ghost in the Machine. On the platform you'll see a piece of Bane equipment. Using it will complete Destroying the Evidence giving you a nice Reflective or Hazmat helmet and make a radio mission available called Reclaiming What's Ours. Your instructions will be to grab detonators, which can conveniently be found in containers on the same platform, and blow up a Bane generator to lower the forcefield to their base. The generator is only a few meters away from the platform at -253.8, -102.5.

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Crater Lake Logos

You finally get to head down into the crater itself, but now would be a good time to work your way around to the northside of it and grab the Movement Logos at -0.2, 114.9. Clear around the entrance to the Bane base, making sure to take out any wandering Predators at range. Your goal is to reach Daniel Corman and the other two Logos which are locked in a pen, requiring you to kill the Overseer.

Assaulting the base and the Overseer can be tricky as there will more or less be continual spawns into the area. It's best to clear out the static Thrax and between waves beaming in pull him away from the middle. The Overseer can be rather difficult solo because of his extremely fast charging shield. I found Sonic the most effective if you have it. Otherwise dropping his shields with Lightning might work.

Once he is defeated you'll still get a few Hunters spawning, but make sure to blow the second generator inside the base. Once it is destroyed access the panel on the platform to complete Reclaiming What's Ours and make your way to the pen grabbing the Chaos and Around Logos. Speaking to Daniel Corman at 18.1, -11.8 will complete Reclaiming What's Ours and give you a nice Eclipse Laser Rifle or Pulsar Reflective Glovesl. At this point you have another one of Tabula Rasa's ethical parables. You can choose to complete the Escort Daniel Corman out of the CLRF or Bending the Rules. Essentially Corman has been through enough and just wants to get out, so he wants you to take him to the entrance. Velns wants him brought back for debriefing stat, so who you listen to is up to you. Helping Daniel will net you 1800 credits and a Pulsar Hazmat Armor Vest or Laser Chaingun while Velns will get you a similar reward and a pat on the back.

Make sure to head back to Logos Mentor Ensine at Alia Das, turn in Ghost in the Machine to Franja Corman in Ranja Gorge (-717.2, 168.8, -324.4), and Centrifuge Fuel to Operations Chief Sten Corman. We hope this guide has been beneficial and will help you along your way in Crater Lake. If you see anything I missed or any corrections I need to make please email me and you'll get full credit.

Be sure to stop by our forums to discuss this fascinating zone.

Thanks to Bakar13 for reminding me about that second shield generator!


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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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