SWTOR Orbital Core Quest Guide

ISSUES/BUG: So some players report that they can not get into the instance if they have not caught up on the Wreckage on Dantooine quest at step [Master 4] Orbital Core. They get to the elevator, and just hang in space, without being able to go down. However, other players have successfully brought friends who had not started the Wreckage quest or who were only partially done the Wreckage quest. I am unsure which of these states is how the core is supposed to work and I can’t figure out what makes it work for some people and and make it work for others.

Requirements

You will need a total of four players who are also on or past the Wreckage on Dantooine quest at step [Master 4] Orbital Core – players who have not finished the earlier quests can not even enter the core area. This quest is too difficult to do with companions or low level players, and may be too hard for the average player to complete. It is designed for Master-Mode level players as 1 tank, 1 healer and 2 dps.

The biomes must also be Core Aligned – this happens when all three biomes reach rank 3 at 100%, unlocking the core for the next two hours. If the core is not aligned, you’ll need to help push the biome maps towards completion before you can enter the core.

Quest Pickup

You should pick up the quest for [Master 4] Orbital Core at the base camp if you have not already – the base camp is at the top right (north east) section of the map. The fastest way to get there is to quicktravel to the center of the map, then walk to the right and up (east then north).

There will be a glowing blue terminal you can pick up the repeatable quest from.

Core Location

To get to the core, enter the ship from any of the ship entrances.

Once inside the ship, just start wandering forward- you are looking for the room shaped like a circle with three entrances. The core will be an area that looks like a glowing orange circle.

Once there, with your team, right-click the blue elevator. It’s a little finicky, so you may have to do it a few times, and you must all be present inside the circle.

Buffs

The fights in Orbital Core are incredibly difficult, and are designed to be Master Mode level fights, only completable by the most skilled of players. However, the idea is that over time, you unlock powerful buffs that will make you stronger for these fights, as you explore more of the crash site and move up the reputation rank.

Non-Core Buffs

There are many buffs in the Dantooine Biomes but most of them are either removed on death or are specifically blocked against the Core bosses.

• Unknown Adrenal (Yellow) found on the ground:  Gives a combat boost, and you can bring it into the core, but it goes away when you die and you’d need to go re-find it.
• Mysterious Stimpack (Green) found on the ground: Gives a combat boost, and you can bring it into the core, but it goes away when you die and you’d need to go re-find it.
• Volcanic Residue from Crossover Buffs: Gives a combat boost, and you can bring it into the core, but it goes away when you die and you’d need to go re-pick-it-up
• Benign Spores from Crossover Buffs: Gives a combat boost, and you can bring it into the core, but it goes away when you die and you’d need to go re-pick-it-up
• Altered Flora from Crossover Buffs: Gives a combat boost, and you can bring it into the core, but it goes away when you die and you’d need to go re-pick-it-up
•  Crystallized Energy from Crossover Buffs : Gives a combat boost, and you can bring it into the core, but it goes away when you die and you’d need to go re-pick-it-up
• Cryogenic Mitigation from the Mitigation Module: You can bring it into the core, and it persists death, but it does not help you at all with the bosses – only in the biomes.
• Mycelial Inoculation from the Mitigation Module: You can bring it into the core, and it persists death, but it does not help you at all with the bosses – only in the biomes.
• Toxic Runoff Protection from the Mitigation Module: You can bring it into the core, and it persists death, but it does not help you at all with the bosses – only in the biomes.
• Contained Spore Bomb from Reputation Vendor: Specifically says it is blocked in the core.
• Icy Infusion from Research: ???
• Weaponized Runoff from Research: ???
• Spore-Spangled from Research: ???

Regulated Adrenals – Defensive & Offensive

Near the orange circle to enter the core is a glowing blue computer called a Hazard Mitigation Terminal. This terminal allow you to unlock some buffs that only work inside the Orbital Core fights.

• Defensive (Hero rank, at the terminal, 200,00 credits for 1.5 hours): Regulated Preservation Adrenal – Defensive capabilities (Endurance, Defense) increased and absorbing damage in the Orbital Core.
  • Modify stat Endurance, increase by 1,200
  • Modify stat Defense Rating, increase by 1,200
  • Stat increases seem to be static, not scaled.
• Offensive (Champion Rank, at the terminal, 200,00 credits for 1.5 hours): Regulated Aggression Adrenal – Combat capabilities (Accuracy, Alacrity, Critical Chance, Mastery, and Power) increased in the Orbital Core.
  • Modify stat Accuracy Rating, increase by 300
  • Modify stat Critical Rating, increase by 1,200
  • Modify stat Mastery, increase by 1,200
  • Modify stat Power, increase by 1,200
  • Modify stat Alacrity Rating, increase by 1,200
  • Stat increases seem to be static, not scaled.

Once you’ve purchased a stim, a temporary ability will pop up on your temporary ability bar when you reach an Orbital Core boss room.

Then you can activate it before you start the boss to get the buff.

Core Hazard Mitigation Stims

PTS: These were not available to test and may change.

I think these help with the individual three bosses before the main boss in the Orbital Core.

• Thermal Regulator – Offers triggered protection against extreme cold. Persists through death. Removed on area transition.
• Emergency Chemical Purge – Offers triggered protection against toxic chemical accumulation. Persists through death. Removed on area transition.
• Hyphal Degeneration Stim – Offers triggered protection against damage from spore-related afflictions. Persists through death. Removed on area transition

Choose a Route

This will lead you down to a room with three doors to choose from, and your quest log will ask you to Select a Route, by choosing one of three blue doors.

Each door leads to a different boss encounter.

To choose a different route, I think you can have everyone exit the core circle/area, and reset the [Master 4] Orbital Core quest back to Choose a Route.

G30-MN Mining Unit

SWTORISTA NOTES: This boss was too difficult for me to solo, and too difficult with just two people, as our companions kept dying.

Toxic Runoff – Early in the fight, the boss will give you a 0-stack of yellow Toxic Runoff. It deals more damage and gives more stacks with movement, so only move when necessary.

White Circles – The white circles grow, and when they get big enough, drop on the ground and turn into red explosive circles. Step out of them just enough to not get hit, to avoid as much toxic damage as possible.

Hazard Shielding – When the boss has a red shield buff icon, he is immune to damage unless you take him into the big red mining beams. Be careful when moving him into the beam, to reduce toxic damage.

Red Mining Beams – These big red lines on the floor hurt, stay out of them, and put the droid in the red lines when he is shielded

Splattering Runoff – Coated in vile slime. Taking escalating damage while moving. Pulsing area damage while moving. ((Wonderful. I didn’t get that far to see this lol.))

Glacial Preserver

SWTORISTA NOTES: This boss I got to try with a group of four, one tank, one healer, two dps, but I’m not sure we figured out all the mechanics yet. We only got it to 75%.

The boss gives you stacks of freezing if you are not moving.

Two random players will receive red circles that will drop and turn into lava.

One player will also receive additional red circles that follow them and drop over time and turn into lava called Magmolated.

This boss also has a frontal triangle red AOE attack.

He also has a pushback that makes avoiding lava hard, and gives you five stacks of freezing.

Sporogenic Probe

SWTORISTA NOTES: I didn’t get to try this boss in a group at all. I’m curious if maybe it could be solo’d if an influence 50 companion could heal enough between rounds?

The Sporogenic Probe has a timer and a big red circle – at the end of the timer, if you are in the circle, you will lose 90% of your health.

The first circle gives you ten seconds, and is small so you can step out of it.

The second circle gives you 7 and a half seconds, and is medium so you can step out of it if you are at the edge of the room.

The third circle gives you only 5 seconds, and takes up the entire room (it looks like you can step out of it in some places, but you can’t.)

I think after that it repeats the third circle over and over.

I think the idea is your healer needs to heal you up to 91% health or higher for all members of your group before the next timer ends, so you don’t die – and you need to kill it as quickly as humanly possible.

I still need to properly try this fight, but I’m not sure this boss even needs a tank.

Orbital Core

I assume this step happens after you defeat one of these bosses! It sounds like the orbital core will also be different depending on which of the three route bosses you chose. I’m looking forward to trying this fight out in the future, but it is absolutely available now.