Tatooine Red Mastery Datacron Guide

This datacron has two methods to get to it. If you are playing solo, you will need to wait for and ride a very slow balloon across the Tatooine desert which is really cool once it arrives at the loading point – but it has a bad tendency of disappearing before you can get on it, or even dropping you to your death while riding it when it despawns. Otherwise, if you have a friend who has a character with Force Push, you can duel each other and have your friend careful Force Push you up onto the sand crawler where the datacron is hidden and avoid the balloon ride all together. Although your experience may vary, every single time I’ve tried to ride the balloon, I’ve had it despawn and have given up ever doing it that way again and I do not recommend the frustration of waiting for it if you can corral a friend in to help you get it.

Quick Travel / Taxi / Heroic Shuttle

Imperial side, the [HEROIC 2+] Prison Labor heroic shuttle is much faster than walking across the whole dune sea. Republic side you just need to run very far into the desert.

METHOD 1 – THE BALLOON

The first method is the original and main method to get the balloon. If you are playing purely solo, this is the only way to get it.

Find the Boarding Sandcrawler

It’s a pretty far run. Get on top and wait with the Jawa up there.

Wait for the Balloon

The balloon will eventually appear in the distance. It will slowly move towards you.

Either it will reach you, or magically disappear into thin air. If it disappears, you’ll need to wait for it to respawn then do its rounds again. I have heard this takes around 20 minutes though I have not timed it.

Jump Into the Balloon’s Basket

The balloon will stop for you on the corner of the sandcrawler near the Jawa.

Ride the Balloon

To decrease your chances of falling out or being dropped to the ground, players have said…

• Do not jump
• Do not emote
• Do not dance
• Do not use abilities

Basically just stand there and wait for the balloon to get close to the sand crawler.

Jump From the Balloon to the Sandcrawler

There are two side of the sandcrawler. Make sure to jump when the balloon is on the first half of the sand crawler, you’ll see a sparkly white light of the matrix shard to guide you. You won’t be able to reach the Matrix Shard from the second half.

Do not try and jump on the lip or rim of the balloon. Jump up and over with a little running jump.

Are you Under the Sandcrawler?

If you happen to be summoned to the sandcrawler, or logged off on top of the sand crawler, you can type /stuck to get back on top.

Be careful if you are under it and are running around, you might want to make sure you are under the platform where the matrix shard is before typing /stuck.

If you happen to be summoning a group, warn them to accept the summon, not to move, and then to type /stuck after they load in from the summon.

Get BOTH the Grey Matrix Shard and the Red Datacron!!!

The first object to find is the Matrix Shard, on the top of the sand crawler. Once you get it, DO NOT JUMP OFF THE SANDCRAWLER!

The second object is the Red Datacron, which is just off the side of the sand crawler on a very small platform sticking out of the side. Most players recommend to line yourself up with it, turn walk on with the slash key on your keyboard above your number pad, then turn around backwards and slowly walk backwards off the ledge, so you don’t over shoot it when trying to fall down onto it.

METHOD 2 – The Push

This is the method I recommend to use as it circumvents the balloon – normally I don’t like going around normal mechanics of the game, but the balloon has bugged or glitched out on me so many times that I really don’t recommend the wait for it.

The “push” method requires two players, with one of them being a  Juggernaut or Guardian with Force Push. Once one player gets up, the Guardian or Juggernaut can then leap up to them.

Quick Travel / Taxi / Heroic Shuttle

Imperial side, the [HEROIC 2+] Prison Labor heroic shuttle is closer but it’s still a long run.

Find the Sandcrawler with the Datacron

Far north west of the dune sea. This is NOT the same sandcrawler as you start at from the traditional version, this is where you would normally jump off the balloon in the traditional way.

Line Yourself Up

You and your friend will want to go to the side of the sand crawler – if you are facing the red datacron, go around to the sand crawler’s right.

You’ll be trying to jump up onto the thin slanted ledge of the sand crawler, from where the sand is high.

You will start a bit back from the sand crawler, so you don’t just get pushed into the sand crawler instead of on top of it.

Your friend will line themselves up so you are between them and the sand crawler, a bit further back, not immediately behind you.

Duel, First Player Jumps, Second Player Pushes

The idea is that if your friend just pushes you, you’ll just go forwards, and not upwards.

If you jump up and down, and your friend pushes while you are going “up”, you should be pushed up and forwards.

You and your friend will likely need to play with both the timing and lining yourselves up.

To duel, select your friend, then right click their character portrait, and under Additional Commands choose Challenge to Duel, and then you can start jumping and your friend can push you. Then you can keep doing it every time your friend’s push cooldown wears off.

Good luck! Don’t forget to get both the Matrix shard and Red Datacron!