Watch Your Step, Plasma Bursts Ahead

by: Taea

Deep in the southwest corner of Concordia Divide in Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa, a Bane facility tries to hide from the prying eyes of the AFS. The geothermal activity of this planet produces a ton of power, and the Bane are building facilities to harness the energy directly from the planet itself. Purgas Station is one of these power harvesting bases, and the AFS have targeted the reactor core inside for destruction: less power for the Bane weaponry will make them a weaker enemy.

Purgas Station instance is for squads in the early 40’s. The only mission available outside the instance comes from Recon Officer Stevens inside Foreas Base HQ at -44,121,430. His mission, A New Plan of Attack, sends you inside Purgas Station to rescue a wayward squad that seems to have been overwhelmed. Communications have been disrupted, so you’d better locate some of the Bane Comm Links to keep HQ informed of your progress. The instance is as far south and west as you can get in Divide. You can take the waypoint to the Purgas Control Point, run out the south gates and make a left before the Logos. There is also a path south of the CP that fishes around through the mountain. The area surrounding Purgas is populated with standard Divide Bane, except for 2 level 43 Linkers guarding the entrance at -880,121,-900.

style="float: right; "
border="1">

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/37164/preview" width="200" border="0">

Purgas Station Entrance

Just inside the entrance is a medical vendor; before continuing on, be sure to pick up several two way portable waypoints. There are lots of twists and turns in this maze of a facility, and dropping waypoints throughout your travels will save yourself from many profane words. Right next to the medic is a home base waypoint that you will probably use often. In front of you is a meat door, which to the surprise of the nearby NPC, you are able to easily open. Be prepared for a quick fight inside, and always watch out for the overhead Security Cameras, and traveling Sentinels. They like to port in squads of the enemy, and can make for some hairy fights. Take note of the Rotting Corpses on the ground that you can search for spare ammo and supplies.

Just ahead on your left is a holding room blocked by a force field. You’ve located the missing squad, and get an update to A New Plan of Attack. You can’t get through the field, so you need to find another way to get them out. Keep going east until you enter large, circular Juggernaut Bay. You may be surprised to find several active Jugs to fight, along with plenty of other Bane. The north end of the bay has a set of stairs to climb, where you’ll be able to reach a nasty mortar to blow up. Just past the mortar is another meat door at 251,73,216. Time to tunnel deeper into the facility.

Move ahead carefully, and look out for the Bane Hopscotch Game. Moving laser lights along the ground look to trip up the unwary soldier. Time it carefully and jump over the lasers to avoid triggering an alarm. Alarms in an enemy base are bad, got it? Continue down the path, over the catwalk, then west to another forcefield at 186,65,87. There’s no way to avoid crossing the beams here, not until the /limbo command is added to the game. Push through and prepare to take on Bane inside. A level 45 Thrax Deathtribe Soldier is among the troops; killing it will trigger a Radio Mission called Chain Reaction. HQ is pretty impressed that you found one of these elite soldiers. If you can take the rest of these guys out, you will really mess with the Bane chain of command.

The north end of the room has one of the CommLinks that you can use to reestablish communications for the AFS. A New Plan of Attack will update when you get close around 160, 73,130. Try to use it, and you’ll see that it hasn’t been fully decrypted. You can try entering a random code, but that won’t get you very far. Try again, and you’ll realize you need to find the real code. Another terminal at 158,73,133 will release the force field holding that AFS squad trapped, updating A New Plan of Attack again. Make your way back toward the entrance where Squad Leader Keen waits at 192,65,153.

style="float: right; "
border="1">

src="http://www.tentonhammer.com/image/view/37163/preview" width="200" border="0">

Help Me

Through a lot of blubbering excuses, you’re able to squeeze the access code out of him, updating A New Plan of Attack. Make your way back to the CommLink Terminal and use the access code to establish a connection with HQ. A brief congratulations comes with a warning that you’ll need to be extra careful as you proceed deeper inside the base, if you don’t want to suffer “a bad case of melanoma.” The energy the Bane have managed to harvest borders on that of a miniature sun. A New Plan of Attack completes at this point, rewarding you with 8000 credits and choice of Bio/Graviton Legs or Mech/Stealth Helmet.

A Radio Mission comes in called Off Grid. HQ is sending a team in to the facility to study the equipment. Be sure to check in with Comm Expert Taylor for further instructions. The NPCs port in, and Taylor will be found at 150,73,131. Speak with him for an update to your mission, then continue on with exploring the rest of the facility. Before you can go on, the waypoint in the lower part of the room will need to be activated. Head to the terminal at 150,63,82 to activate the waypoint and update Off Grid. Notice that you now have a new medic available here for the rest of your excursion through Purgas Station.

Continue to Purgas Station Part Two