Okay, Guardians, let's talk Nessus and those mysterious Planetary Assimilation Pistons. You know the drill. Failsafe pinged me – and probably you too – needing help with her Vex problem. It felt like old times, honestly, hearing that slightly sarcastic yet somehow earnest voice asking for assistance after all these years since the Red War. She got me running around Nessus again, this time on her "Specimen ID: NES001" quest. One specific task had me stumped initially, just like it seems to be tripping up others: finding and activating these Planetary Assimilation Pistons. Failsafe isn't exactly known for her detailed briefings, right? So, let me break down what I learned the hard way, so you can breeze through it and get back to collecting those sweet Echoes weapons.

Here's how the quest flow goes down:

1. Initial Steps: You'll first complete the opening parts of the Echoes episode on Nessus. Failsafe directs you to gather samples and deposit them into that fancy new Radiolite Bay aboard the HELM. Standard procedure.

2. The Piston Quest: Then she drops Specimen ID: NES001 on you. This quest has two main objectives:

   • Collect data by playing the Breach Executable activity. Easy peasy, just jump in and complete it.

   • Find and trigger a Planetary Assimilation Piston somewhere on Nessus. This is the head-scratcher. She doesn't give you a map marker, a description, nada.

So, what are these elusive pistons, and where do you find them? Here's the crucial intel:

• They Spawn in Breach Executable: You won't find them wandering the open world of Nessus. You must be actively playing the Breach Executable activity.

• Random Appearances: There's no fixed spawn point. These things pop up randomly during different runs of the activity. One run might have one near the start, the next might have it deep in a side path later on. You gotta keep your eyes peeled.

• Visual Identification: They look like pillars of swirling, glowing Vex data streams, rising up from a distinct metallic bronze base. Think less "machine part" and more "Vex data fountain."

• Proximity Trigger: The game won't highlight it for you until you're practically standing on top of it. No big glowing waypoint from afar. You need to be vigilant and explore the nooks and crannies of the Breach Executable zones.

• Activation: Once you find one, just walk right up to it and hold your interact button (whatever that is on your platform). Simple as that!

Now, activating it requires a charge from your Piston Hammer. Failsafe gives you this tool right when she assigns the Specimen ID: NES001 quest. Important things to know about the hammer:

• Daily Charges: You get a fresh set of charges every daily reset. Don't blow them all at once unless you need to!

• Earning Extra Charges: Need more juice? You can earn additional Piston Hammer charges by:

  • Successfully completing Breach Executable runs.

  • Running the Enigma Protocol activity. Mix it up!

Why Bother Activating Them? Triggering a piston does more than just tick off your quest objective. It reveals nearby Radiolite samples! These are the goodies Failsafe is always after. You can collect them right then and there during the activity, or grab them later. Donate them to Failsafe either back at the HELM's Radiolite Bay or sometimes directly at the end of the mission for extra loot. More samples = better rewards. Simple math.

Here's the BEST news, especially if you're running with a fireteam: This quest is super team-friendly!

✅ Piston Activation is Shared: You do not need to be the one to physically interact with the Planetary Assimilation Piston yourself. If anyone in your fireteam finds and activates one during a Breach Executable run, everyone in the fireteam gets credit for the quest step. Huge time saver!

✅ Radiolite Samples are Shared Too: The samples revealed by the piston? They aren't first-come, first-serve. All samples are shared amongst the entire fireteam. There's absolutely no need to race your buddies or fight over who grabs what. Everyone gets the same amount automatically. No stress, just loot!

So, to recap my Nessus misadventures turned into your guide:

1. Grab the quest from Failsafe after the initial Echoes steps and depositing samples at the HELM.

2. Load into Breach Executable.

3. Actively search side paths and less obvious areas for the glowing Vex data pillar on a bronze base.

4. Get close, hold interact (using a charge from your Piston Hammer).

5. Collect the revealed Radiolite samples (shared with team!).

6. Profit! Donate samples to Failsafe for rewards.

Seriously, the team-share aspect makes this so much smoother than it first appears. Don't overthink it, dive into Breach Executable, keep an eye out for that distinctive Vex data stream, and help our old AI pal Failsafe crack the Vex code on Nessus. Good luck out there!