Geothermal Shielding is a set of “secret” quests on the Kessan’s Landing area of Ord Mantell introduced with Update 7.4. Once completed, you get use of the Geothermal Shield Unit, which lets you explore areas of Kessan’s Landing on Ord Mantell you might not otherwise be able to safely walk through.
IMPORTANT! This information is from the PTS (Public Test Server). Much of the information below may not be correct, complete, or may change by the time it goes to the live servers with Update 7.4, slated for the holidays!
Contents
- Schematic Aspirations
- Thermal Regulator Unit
- Advanced Hypercoolant
- High-Grade Durasteel
- Subjective Selection
- Locate a Suitable Test Lab
- Scan for a Suitable Test Subject
- Recover a Test Subject
- Return Test Subject to Lab
- Examine Test Subject
- Purchase and Open Repair Kit
- Find Motivator Unit
- Acquire Shielded Wiring
- Repair Test Subject
- Place Test Subject on Activator
- Activate Test Subject
- Activate Test Subject!
- Install Prototype Shielding Components 0/3
- Initiate Test Protocol
- Assess Results 0/3
- Access Research Databank for Assistance
- Examine Troubleshooting Guide
- Good Calibrations
- There’s Always a Backup
- Test Plan
- Obtain Fabricator Components
- Download Fabricator Plans
- Return to Your Lab
- Install Fabricator Frame
- Install Fabricator Panel
- Install Fabricator Units
- Input Upgrade Instructions
- Retrieve Materials
- Collect Test Subject Pieces
- Repair Test Subject
- Activate Test Subject
- Install New Components
- Initiate Test
- Observe Results
- Encourage Test Subject
- Observe Results
- Reclaim Shielding Unit
- Activate Shielding Unit
- Complete Shield Unit Self-Test
- Thank Your Test Subject
- Place Shield Unit Generator
Schematic Aspirations
There is no quest marker on the map to start this set of quests! You have to walk to the south of the Ord Mantell map, into a walkway called Runoff Control.
There will be a glowing blue terminal you can right-click with a quest marker over it.
Download Schematic Data
Right-click the glowing blue terminal beside the first one. It will say “Access Authorization Failed”. It will give you a scanner to go look for the datastream, a glowing blue beam in the sky. You will need to scan the source of the glowing blue line.
Locate Terminal Datastream & Follow the Datastream
Use your Macrobinoculars by clicking the item in your quest log on the top right beside “Schematic Aspirations”, or right-click the item from the Mission tab of your Inventory.
Look around by moving your mouse, and look for the blue glowing line, which is where the datastream is – if your macrobinoculars circle turns orange, you’ve found a datastream source, so left click and wait to zoom in and scan it.
Press ESC on your keyboard once you have scanned a datastream to exit.
Find the Security Mainframe
The Security Mainframe is not marked on the map in a specific location, nor is it a glowing-blue object or something to “look” for. Instead you have to walk over to the area it is in, and it will trigger the next step of the quest.
It is located in the South East corner in the Southern-most room of the Subterranean Power Station tunnels (it’s the room with all the computers).
Find a Way to Bypass Security
There are a few glowing blue things you can right-click in this area. It doesn’t matter which you click, they are mostly for flavor, except for the Clearance Code Datapad which is very small on a nearby table.
Examine the Empty Combo-Key
You need to left-click the item in the quest objectives list, or right-click the item from your Mission inventory if you can’t see it in your quest log.
Recover Security Datasticks
This step is very hard to figure out on your own – if you came to the guide because of this step, you’re not the only one.
There are three datasticks to be found. They drop from three very specific enemies.
- Security Officer Henck, unique enemy, is upstairs, near the world boss
- Tech-Devourer Trainer, in an area in the south, more than one
- Asharl Tech-Devourer beasties chewing the cables in the tunnels, there’s more than one – kill it to get a data stick.
Search the Mainframe Area for Clues
[[I actually never found the clues. They are not necessary to complete the quest though. – Swtorista]]Security Officer Henck
Tech-Devourer Trainer
Asharl Tech-Devourer
Assemble the Security Datastick
You need to left-click the item in the quest objectives list, or right-click the item from your Mission inventory if you can’t see it in your quest log.
Download Schematic Data
Return to the starting area of Kessan’s Landing, and head to Runoff Control at the south of the map, where you started the quest.
Examine Schematic
You need to left-click the item in the quest objectives list, or right-click the item from your Mission inventory if you can’t see it in your quest log.
Then, there will be a new terminal nearby with three new quests to pick up, the order you complete them does not matter:
- Thermal Regulator Unit (Iokath)
- Advanced Hypercoolant (Ilum)
- High-Grade Durasteel (Corellia)
Thermal Regulator Unit
Obtain Materials
The quest directs you to Iokath, but it does not tell you exactly where on your map. Look for the three types of enemies and kill them to get the ingredients.
- Obtain Logic Units from Scour Swarm
- Obtain Thermal Paste from Probe Droid
- Obtain Monitors from Caretaker Droids
The only ones I had trouble finding were the Iokath Probes, but there is a big batch in the far west section of the Iokath map.
Fabricate Regulator Unit
Follow the map markers to the green elevator. Take the tram to the Factory. Right-click the glowing blue Fabricator button, and wait for the battery to load. You might want to kill the nearby enemies first.
Hypercharge Unit
Follow the map markers. Jump slightly off the railing in between the two batteries that are sparking. A temporary ability called Hypercharge unit will appear in the middle of your screen, click it. You might want to kill the nearby enemies first.
Expose Regulator to Transduction Rays
Follow the map markers. Go in one of the teleporters by walking on them.
Sync Instruction Sets
Take the nearby Superweapon Compound Tram. Walk behind the throne in the room. Follow the map marker. There is a blue button called root Computation Access Port. The Throne itself is for a different achievement/quest unrelated to Kessan’s Landing.
Verify Regulation Unit
Return to the starting area of Kessan’s Landing, and head to Runoff Control at the south of the map, where you started the quest.
Go to the glowing blue Component Workbench on the opposite side of the room from where you started and right-click it.
You are now done this quest, so head to Ilum for Advanced Hypercoolant.
Advanced Hypercoolant
The quests direct you to Ilum. Fly there and go through the Orbital Station to the planet floor.
Collect Hypercoolant Enclosure
This step is a long walk to the north-west of the map, looking for the spinning map icon.
In the Talz camp with all the tents, right-click an Empty Hypercoolant Enclosure, which looks like an explodable container glowing blue.
Extract Hypercoolant Chemicrystals
Follow the map marker to the general area – it is a larger radius.
You are looking for a red arrow glowing above one of the light-blue crystal pools. It does not look clickable at first, but there is a very small area in the center which is right-clickable to get Chemicrystals.
They are scattered around, and once one is use it may disappear and need to respawn.
Collect an Enzymizer Probe Kit
Follow the map marker. Look for a glowing blue pack on the ground to get an Enzymizer.
Collect Tauntaun Enzymes
Find a Tauntaun. Use the Enximyezier on a selected yellow-named tauntaun.
Combine Materials
You need to left-click the item in the quest objectives list, or right-click the Hypercoolant from your Mission inventory if you can’t see it in your quest log.
Review Synthesis Instructions
Hint: “Review Synthesis Instructions” – this is an item in your Mission Inventory with a message from the notes from the researcher’s databanks.
The hint is that “The final step requires exposing the container with all reagents inside to temperatures few organics could ever survive. My research indicates that such a place may exist in the southern reaches of Ilum’s Eastern Ice Shelf…”
You’ll want to go to the south-eastern edge of the map, past a bunch of Sith and tents. Run into the snowy lands in the distance, until you reach an Exhaustion zone – keep running and staying in the exhaustion zone until your quest updates. It’s fine if you die.
Verify Hypercoolant Mixture
Return to the starting area of Kessan’s Landing, and head to Runoff Control at the south of the map, where you started the quest.
Go to the glowing blue Component Workbench on the opposite side of the room from where you started and right-click it.
You are now done this quest, so head to Corellia for High-Grade Durasteel.
High-Grade Durasteel
This quest directs you to Corellia. You can quickly get there using the Solo tab to travel to the Corellia Heroics.
Obtain a Testing Device
The map marker shows you to take the tram, but the true location is Labor Valley if you want to quick-travel to the top left quick travel. The location is near the tram in Labor Valley.
On Republic Side, you are looking for an enemy called Imperial Rocket Gunner to get a “Testing Device”. For Imperials you are likely also looking for a Republic Heavy Weapons enemy within your mission’s search radius.
Practice Using the Test Device
Follow the map marker to find glowing blue Practice Targets to right-click.
Collect High Grade Durasteel
Follow the spinning map markers to find glowing-blue plates of Durasteel on the ground. Right-click them then right-click them again once you found one that is suitable.
(I am not sure if it is the same one every time, I went to the closest one in the west and it worked, Zahk went to the farthest west one and it did not.)
Verify Durasteel Shielding
Return to the starting area of Kessan’s Landing, and head to Runoff Control at the south of the map, where you started the quest.
Go to the glowing blue Component Workbench on the opposite side of the room from where you started and right-click it.
You are now done this quest, and hopefully finished all three planets, so you can now pick up the nearby quest Subjective Selection from the Geothermal Research Repository terminal on the opposite side of the workbench.
Subjective Selection
Start by leaving the geothermal plant. Walk into the glowing green door just ahead. Walking in the room will complete this step.
Locate a Suitable Test Lab
Now leave that workshop, and follow the markers on your map.
Scan for a Suitable Test Subject
Use your Macrobinoculars by clicking the item in your quest log on the top right beside “Subjective Selection”, or right-click the item from the Mission tab of your Inventory.
Look around by moving your mouse, and look for the yellow glowing objects, which is where the potential test subjects are – if your macrobinoculars circle turns orange, you’ve found a test subject, so left click and wait to zoom in and scan it.
Press ESC on your keyboard once you have scanned a test subject to exit.
The Charred Body, Battledroid, Scrapped Astromech, and the Turbo-Forklift, are not suitable, but you can scan them for fun.
The Gonk-Droid buried in the farm garden is correct. You can see its feet sticking out from the dirt with the macrobinculars once you are inside the garden fence in the more southern quest marker location.
Recover a Test Subject
Right-click a pair of gonk droid feet in the garden (what were these guys planting???), they are glowing bright blue and called Salvageable Droids.
Return Test Subject to Lab
Follow the map marker back to the lab.
Examine Test Subject
Click the orange “Assess Damage” temporary ability on your temporary ability bar.
Purchase and Open Repair Kit
Buy a [Droid Repair Kit] for 100 credits from the Parts Vendor in the main Kessan’s Landing village. He’s a marked vendor on the map, in the middle south of the town map.
Right-click the Droid Repair Kit from your inventory once you have left the vendor.
Find Motivator Unit
This is located outside the main town on Kessan’s Landing, you can quicktravel to near the world boss in the north east.
Find a FR3-D0M Prototype droid (not the world boss) and defeat it and it will drop a Motivator Unit.
Acquire Shielded Wiring
Follow the map marker to the cantina and look for the glowing blue Wiring Boxes. Right-click any of them to get Shielded Wiring.
Repair Test Subject
Head back to the lab in the Kessan’s Landing town. Inside the lab, find the workbench with the green arrow over it (it does not glow blue) and right-click it.
Place Test Subject on Activator
Right-click the round circle on the ground with the green arrow over it *it does not glow blue. The gonk droid will appear.
Activate Test Subject
A blue button will appear beside the gonk droid. Right-click it.
Activate Test Subject!
Right-click the blue button again!
Install Prototype Shielding Components 0/3
When you are close to the gonk droid, you should have three temporary abilities pop up, click them to add them to your gonk droid for this step.
- Activate Regulator Unit
- Affix Durasteel Plating
- Inject Hypercoolant
Initiate Test Protocol
Right-click the glowing blue Test Protocol Terminal that started glowing nearby.
Assess Results 0/3
Right-click the two gonk legs on the floor and the debris pile, all glowing blue.
Access Research Databank for Assistance
Leave the lab and return to the Runoff Control door in the south of the map and right-click the Databank terminal glowing blue.
Examine Troubleshooting Guide
You need to left-click the Troubleshooting Guide in the quest objectives list, or right-click the item from your Mission inventory if you can’t see it in your quest log.
This is the end of this quest. You can now pick up the nearby quest Good Calibrations from the Geothermal Research Repository terminal nearby.
Good Calibrations
Collect Diagnostic Tools
Head back to your lab by following the quest marker on the map.
Right-click the glowing blue box.
Calibrate Diagnostic Tools
Stand in front of the lava pool and a “Collect Data” temporary ability will show up to be used.
Gather Ord Mantell Data
This next step is not very specific on the map. Leave the main town in Kessan’s Landing.
As you explore, when you get near a point, a yellow arrow will start pointing you towards an objective when you get near one. You can follow it to your objective point.
When you get close to the end of the yellow arrows, a “Collect Data” temporary ability will show up to be used, left-click it on your temporary ability bar. You need to find 5 spots total.
- Near the ocean in the very south of the map, near the Solitude’s Laze quicktravel
- One in the lava area south-west of the Solitude’s Laze quicktravel, where there is a river of lava heading to the sea
- One directly in the “spinning” icon near the Lava Grazer
- One near the Tram Maintenance tunnel
- The final one is in the Lava-Flooded Tunnel
Gather Oricon Data
This step leads you to Oricon. You need to go near 2 lava pools on the planet.
Follow the map marker for the general area then follow the yellow arrows.
When you get close to the end of the yellow arrows, a “Collect Data” temporary ability will show up to be used, left-click it on your temporary ability bar. You need to find 2 spots total.
They are on either side of the fortress in the center.
Collect Geo Beast Samples
Defeat 3 Corrupted Geo Beast Larva in the spinny area on Oricon, there’s plenty around.
Gather Quesh Data
This step leads yo to Quesh, fly there. You may need to pick up the quest right in front of the shuttle if you have never been down to the surface.
Follow the map markers on Quesh.
One is near the southern-most spinny symbol on the map where there is a pool of green acid.
One is far to the north where there are two big pipe drains with an acid lake, the point is on the little peninsula between the two pipes.
When you get close to the end of the yellow arrows, a “Collect Data” temporary ability will show up to be used, left-click it on your temporary ability bar. You need to find 2 spots total.
Lobel Gills + Havrap Lung Tissue + Prowler Spleens
Follow the map markers on Quesh.
- Kill 3 lobels for Lobel Gills.
- Kill 3 Harvorisk for Havrap Lung Tissue
- Kill 3 Trinthan Prowlers for Prowler Spleens.
Upload Data Samples
Return to the starting area of Kessan’s Landing, and head to Runoff Control at the south of the map, where you started the quest.
When you walk in, the Separatists will attack! Defeat them.
Examine the Damage
Now you can right-click the glowing blue Geothermal Research Repositor.
This is the end of this quest. You can now pick up the nearby quest There’s Always a Backup from the Geothermal Research Repository terminal nearby.
There’s Always a Backup
Attempt to Recover Terminal Data
While near the Geothermal Research Repository terminal, use the temporary ability that shows up on your bar to recover data.
Return to the Security Mainframe
Return to the mainframe in the South East corner in the Southern-most room of the Subterranean Power Station tunnels (it’s the room with all the computers) – follow the map marker.
You just need to head into the area.
Search Databanks
Right-click the mainframe databank. You may want to defeat nearby enemies first. There’s 3 of them to right-click.
Find the Backup Terminal
Hint Examine Personal Logs: The personal logs are three items you can find in your Mission Inventory tab in your Inventory.
This is a very obscure set of hints.
The first clue is that the researcher used to work in “hypermatter manufacture oversight” – this hints towards the Black Hole area of Corellia where Hypermatter is made. The fastest way to get here is using the “Solo Daily Area: black Hole” quick travel. If not, go to normal Corellia, then take the nearby shuttle to the black Hole.
There’s no specific location shown on the map, but if you explore in the east it’s the area where there are fuzzy Drall trapped in blue prison cells for a normal Black Hole quest.
In the south east corner of the room there is a terminal with funny colored arrows, when you get close enough, the quest will update.
Slice the Backup Terminal
The second clue is the mysterious “Very important! Remember: HELLO. MEAN. HEAD. …GLURPLE?”
The answer to the colored terminal is:
- Yellow
- Green
- Red
- Green
- Purple
- Code Input Confirmation
The hint is a mnemonic to help the brothers remember. The first three words are rhymes (Yellow = Hello, Green = Mean, Red = Head). and “Glurple” means “Green Purple”.
NOTE: A player reported to me that that combination did not work, but “Yellow – Green – Red – Purple” did work for them.
The fact that the terminal says you have 4 inputs ready is a trick – you can input five then click the Code Input Confirmation.
Download Backup Research Data + Upload Data Calibrations
Right-click the blue panel. Either one.
Examine Data Readout
You need to left-click the item in the quest objectives list, or right-click the item from your Mission inventory if you can’t see it in your quest log.
This is the end of this quest. You can now pick up the nearby quest Test Plan that will just have appeared nearby.
Test Plan
This quest will send you back to Iokath. Follow the green elevator quest marker. Take the tram to the Factory.
Obtain Fabricator Components
Look for the glowing blue Fabricator Parts boxes. You need 3.
Download Fabricator Plans
Follow the map marker and right-click the glowing blue Schematic Databank on the wall.
Return to Your Lab
Return to the starting area of Kessan’s Landing, and go to your lab, follow the map marker.
Inside, go to your lava pool room and the place below the green arrow is right-clickable (you just click the air).
Install Fabricator Frame
Right-click the glowing blue panel.
Install Fabricator Panel
Right-click the smaller glowing blue panel.
Install Fabricator Units
Right-click the glowing blue terminal behind you.
Input Upgrade Instructions
Walk over to the Fabricator Frame you just installed. You’ll get three temporary abilities to click:
- Improve Geothermal Shielding
- Enhance Hypercoolant
- Update Regulator Firmware
Retrieve Materials
Right-click the glowing blue barrel on the floor.
Collect Test Subject Pieces
Right-click the glowing blue pieces of your destroyed gonk droid on the floor – both legs and the debris file for 3.
Repair Test Subject
Right-click the workbench with the green arrow over it (it does not glow blue) and right-click it.
[[BUG WITH FRIEND: this phase got FUNKY when me and a friend were doing it together – the workbench disappeared so Zahk had nothing to click to move forward :( :( :( He tried leaving group, but then he couldn’t go in the door once outside ,it was just a red door. He reset the quest and went back to Iokath. ]]Activate Test Subject
Right-click the glowing blue activator controls.
Install New Components
When standing near you gonk droid, use your “Install Upgrades” temporary ability.
Initiate Test
Right-click the glowing blue terminal.
Observe Results
The gonk droid will run around, just watch him.
Encourage Test Subject
When standing near you gonk droid, use your “Encourage Test Subject” temporary ability.
Observe Results
The gonk droid will run into the lava, just watch him.
Reclaim Shielding Unit
Right-click the glowing blue Completed Shield Unit on the floor behind the gonk.
Activate Shielding Unit
You need to left-click the Shielding Unit item in the quest objectives list, or right-click the Shielding Unit from your Mission inventory if you can’t see it in your quest log.
Complete Shield Unit Self-Test
Walk into the lava!
Thank Your Test Subject
When standing near you gonk droid, use your “Thank Test Subject” temporary ability.
Place Shield Unit Generator
Follow the map marker to near where you load in to the planet, near where the daily area quests terminal is. Look for the glowing green arrow and right-click below it.
You completed the secret Ord Mantell Kessan’s Landing quest, congratulations! It’s a very long quest!
You can now right-click the Completed Shield Unit and walk through lava for short periods of time! Useful for doing dailies in the area and exploring for secrets.
Lava Tips:
- Lava under grates will still burn you. Rocks are safe.
- If you stand on lava too long, it will overload, and will need a few seconds to reset.
- In the southern part of the map, between two lava waterfalls, there is a tunnel in the lava that you can only get into with the Geothermal Shield activated. Have fun exploring.
Hypercoolant Synthesis Instructions
Notes from the researcher’s databanks:
“Only true advanced hypercoolant, synthesized on Ilum itself, will suffice for my purposes. To create this chemical cocktail, which will help maintain temperatures inside the shielding unit, a suitable container is needed first.
Once an appropriate and durable container is located, one must carefully harvest hypercoolant chemicrystals from glowing deposits across Ilum. Then, the real secret: tauntaun metabolic enzymes from a living (that’s important!) blood sample must be added.
The final step requires exposing the container with all reagents inside to temperatures few organics could ever survive. My research indicates that such a place may exist in the southern reaches of Ilum’s Eastern Ice Shelf…”
Troubleshooting Guide
From the researcher’s databanks:
“So you’ve built your first geothermal shielding unit (congrats!), but it didn’t quite work (uh-oh!). Not to worry, you probably just forgot to calibrate the unit correctly. This is all theoretical, mind, since I haven’t actually constructed one for myself, but I can imagine there may be additional calibrations needed for a fully-functional unit.
If that’s the case, you’ll need to collect data from a variety of geothermal and radioactive locations. Easy! Obviously, Kessan’s Landing is the place to start, since that data is quite specific to our particular problem. However, you’ll likely need to supplement with additional data from both geothermal activity and radioactive chemical exposure. Good luck!”
Personal Log: Career Goals
The researcher’s log contains mostly mundane details, but there are some notable entries: “I don’t know, it’s just so much more… fun, I guess, working with the geothermal plant here. Much more interesting than hypermatter manufacture oversight. I really feel like I’m helping develop technologies that can make people’s lives better… and yes, I still have the dream of exploring the INSIDE of a volcano with a shielding unit of my very own design! I have it all planned out, I just need to get approval for all the materials I need (and the time off).”
Personal Log: IMPORTANT
This personal log contains an unusual sentence: “Very important! Remember: HELLO. MEAN. HEAD. …GLURPLE?”
Personal Log: Invaders
Scanning the detailed personal log, this section stands out: “I’ve decided to leave some of the research data with my eldest brother (you know the one). I used to work very closely with him, and it seems less and less safe around here these days…”