Before you get on to the business of completing quests, however, there are new places to visit and new sites to see in the Nexus. Now that you’ve freed up new resources and time has past, the place is much less cluttered and more functional. Might as well check out some of these new places, chat to new folk milling about, and pick up some more long-term quests which you’ll complete as you see to other business.

Path of a Hero (Part 2)¶

There are a few things you can do in Operations right now, but aside from Mariette’s quest (which you’re still avoiding, for now) they’re not very substantial. First up, head to the western end of the Operations level, just below Addison’s Office, where you’ll find your favorite journalist - Keri. After your feats on Eos, she’s got another episode to shoot, and you’ve got plenty to talk about. Spin your actions as you wish, flirt with the Asari if you wish, and afterwards the quest will go dormant.

Aid APEX¶

Next up, head to the APEX Terminal (near where Kandros stands), near which you’ll find his subordinate - Lieutenant Sajax. Talk to Lieutenant Sajax and she’ll ask you to help gather intel for her APEX teams, starting the assignment “Aid APEX”. Basically, she wants you to scan enemies as you explore - log twenty such scans and you’re golden. Obviously this is a long-term task you’ll work on at your leisure as you work through other quests.

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Talk to Kandros’s assistant, Lieutenant Sajax, to start the quest “Aid APEX” (left), while Davis Qar will give you the quest “Task: Boosting the Signal” (right).

Boosting the Signal¶

Make your way to the eastern end of the level, where the scientists once had made the best of a bad situation. Now, they’ve moved on to their own space, and new people have taken up their old workshop. One of them is Davis Quar, who has a good bit to say. Ultimately, however, when you go to leave he’ll ask you to perform a task for him - plant receivers near outposts and bring news to the fine colonists of Andromeda! Your first objective, naturally, is on Eos, but the high radiation currently permeating the ideal site for the receiver will prevent even this first step.

Other than that, there are a few people you can talk to - Sid, a Turian near where Davis Quar stands, and Jori and Lana, a Turian and an Asari (respectively) further west. In the latter case, they’re debating whether Jori should return to Eos after a traumatic incident there, with the Pathfinder’s recommendation being the determining factor.

Exploring the Docking Bay - Merchants and the Vortex¶

With that, you’re done in Operations… for now, anyways. Certainly some quests will lure you back here later. Make your way to the tram and travel to the Docking Bay, where there is much, much more to explore. First thing worth checking out in this area are the merchants, which have new stock. In addition, there’s a new merchant - the Vehicle Merchant, who naturally sells a variety of colors and mods for the Nomad.

From the Arms Merchant and Armor Merchant continue south, then go west through a door to find Vortex, a bar. Of all the things that opened up on the Nexus, apparently a watering hole was top priority. Did they ship alcohol along with the Nexus or the Hyperion ark? Have they been fermenting things grown in hydroponics? Isn’t that dangerously frivolous, in either case? Oh well. Inside the bar you’ll find Liam, who clearly prefers the debauchery and booze better than the sterile Operations deck. You can also talk to two bartenders - Butch Smith and Anan T’Mari, the latter of which will have a task for you, which you’ll get to after you’re done exploring.

Task - Cultivation¶

Leave the tavern and if you spot a crowd yelling at each other, ignore them for now. Don’t worry, they’ll simmer until a Pathfinder chooses to arbitrate their argument. Instead continue southeast from the door to Vortex to find one Doctor Camden standing around, fussing with his omni-tool. Chat with him and he’ll whine about the air and the seedlings as he introduces himself as the head of hydroponics. Exhaust his dialogue options and he’ll get around to burdening you with his own labors by asking you to collect plant samples. This is another open-ended quest of indeterminate length, requiring you to travel to various planets and scan samples of native Heleus flora.

Exploring the Docking Bay - Cultural Exchange Liaison¶

Return to the door of the Vortex and make your way northeast up a ramp to reach Hydroponics, where you’ll find Shapiro fretting over a malfunctioning hydroponics device. Ignore him for now and note that to the south you’ll find a bunch of sealed-off rooms (future expansion areas, perhaps?).

Continue north and you’ll find two new areas - to the west is the Tech Lab, where the scientists from Operations have set up a more suitable workplace, while to the north is the Cultural Exchange area, where you can talk to a Cultural Exchange Liaison. This place is ostensibly dedicated to the goal of welcoming new alien species and letting them know about the peaceful goals of the Andromeda Initiative. Probably not easy to sell a land-grab to the natives, and it doesn’t look like the Kett are in any mood for “cultural exchange”, in any event. Check out the displays, bloated with cringe-inducing propaganda, if you wish. Maybe the Kett have good reason to be hostile?

With that, you’re done exploring the Nexus, and should be familiar enough with the new areas that questing should be rather simple. Speaking of which, let’s knock out a few quests in the Nexus.