There are only a few sidequests that start in the Tephra Cave, so they are all going to be on the same page, instead of split up like with Colony 9. Note that none of these quests will show up until you reach Chapter 3 of the main story. No Affinity is needed for any of these quests and any Affinity gained is given to Colony 9.

All you have to do for this quest is fast travel to the Cylinder Hangar landmark located in Colony 9 and speak with the NPC inside the room there.

Arachno Silk is a rare item dropped by two enemies inside of Tephra Cave, namely the Worker Arachno and the Arachno Pod. The pods drop them at a better rate than the Worker Arachnos, but there is yet another way to get these. Sonia has these for trade from the very beginning, and she can be found in the Ether Light area from 06:00-18:00. You get three Silks and the quest will auto-complete.

You need to complete Arachno Silk Fundraising before this quest becomes available. The soldier wishes to reward you for your help by giving you something that he buried, but you need to find it. Upon defeating the Arachno Queen boss fight and taking the exit beyond that, back outside to Kneecap Hill, turn left as soon as you do exit to see the marker. Dig up the item to finish the quest.

Upon clearing Missing in Action, you can get another quest from the NPC in Cylinder Hangar. He lost a pendant that was very precious, which was last seen in the Villa Lake area. If you have that landmark already, fast travel to it and you’ll find the Lost Pendant at the north end of the area. Note that three Greedy Arachnos will spawn when you grab it, but you do not need to defeat these, so just escape. Return the pendant to the soldier to finish.

This quest is not available until you have discovered the Villa Lake landmark. You will need to defeat three different kinds of Arachnos, all of which are located in the small rooms prior to Villa Lake. These Arachnos are much tougher than the normal ones found in Tephra Cave, but they still aggro based on sound. The Zealous Arachnos are level 11 and you only need to defeat three, while the Resolute Arachnos are level 7 and require you to defeat four of them. The final one is the Devoted Arachnos, which are level 9 and have you taking you two of them. Be careful with fighting too many at once and try to isolate them, just to be on the safe side.

Quests Available After Mechonis Core¶

Once you complete the Mechonis Core part of the main story, you will be able to dive into the harder section of Tephra Cave. To get there, head to Villa Lake and the path in the north that was previously blocked is now open. The enemies in this section are high 80s and in the 90s, so be prepared to either run through them or to put up a fight. Note that one of the more common enemies are the Arachnos, which will attack if you make too much noise near them; walking very slowly past them will be ideal. Your goal is to make it to the two landmarks, Bafalgar Tomb and Heavenly Window, as they will be the focal points in order to complete the following quests.

The Book of Bafalgar¶

After the events of Mechonis Core, Shura can be found inside of Tephra Cave, at the Bafalgar Tomb area. In order to get there, fast travel to the Villa Lake landmark and use the newly opened path to the north to access the high-level area. Note that there are level 90+ Arachnos here, but they only aggro on sound, meaning you should be walking very slowly. In the first room with the spiders, there is a path on the right side, on base level, which will allow you to reach Bafalgar Tomb. Speak to her to find out she’s investigating Giants’ ruins, but requires a book in order to open up the tomb.

You should be able to easily get to the Starlight Book from Bafalgar Tomb just by going straight south and to the ledge overlooking Villa Lake. Once you reach the ledge, you can just head east to find the Starlight Book. Bring the book back to Shura to finish.

The Blood of Bafalgar¶

According to the Starlight Book, an offering must be made on the altar in order to open the door. Specifically, you need a White Spider Heart, an item that drops from the quest-exclusive Unique Monster, Dazzling Tolosnia. It can be found near the Heavenly Window landmark. If you’ve never been there yet, it’s quite a trek to get there. Starting from Villa Lake, take the usual path into the high-level area and continue straight north. This will eventually lead to the Bone Corridor location, which is populated with monsters that shouldn’t aggro you unless you attack them first, apart from some Brabilam Vangs and the Unique Monster, Musical Vanflare.

This will lead you to 2F, where you will have to do more dodging with spiders, bats and some other enemies that will attack on sight. You should eventually reach Heavenly Window, which will be your starting point in finding this monster you need. There is a path leading southwest out of this room, filled with a bunch of Arachnos, Vangs and some Pods; Dazzling Tolosnia will be at the end of this tunnel. It’s best to clear things along the way, to avoid having any enemies aggro you while fighting the Unique Monster. As for Dazzling Tolosnia, it isn’t anything too special, as there is no spike shield, although its Virgin Bite VII move can inflict a lot of damage. Return to Bafalgar Tomb with the White Spider Heart and interact with the altar, opening a hidden door. Speak with Shura afterwards.

The Path of Bafalgar¶

The hidden door is now open, but Shura is a little hesitant on entering the corridor beyond it. She wants you to go inside and have a look around the Prayer Room. Enter the corridor, go down the stairs and head inside the side room (triggering the Prayer Room location). There’s nothing here, but a tablet, so you take an rubbing of the inscription on it. Bring the inscription back to Shura, who sends you to the Path of Absolution. Travel to Heavenly Window and begin going down the same path as in the previous quest.

Remember that walking slowly will avoid any encounters here, as all of the enemies will aggro based on sound. Look for the narrow tunnel off to the side, which will lead to the Arachno Feeding Lair, where you want to walk slowly once more. Also, there is a small hole in the center of this room, so be careful to avoid falling in it. Just past the feeding lair will be the Path of Absolution, with no enemies and the Sacrifical Tablet in plain view. Return to Shura with the tablet.

The Coffin of Bafalgar¶

Shura has finally uncovered the location of the secret door, which is on the level below you. From where Shura is located, head down the stairs that led to her and at the bottom, immediately turn left to spot a peculiar wall. Approach this to find the secret door Shura mentioned, leading to the Soothsayer’s Crypt location. Pick up the Moonlight Book and return it to Shura, ending this quest and automatically starting the next one.

The Gratitude of Bafalgar¶

Having the Moonlight Book has allowed Shura to solve the mysteries surrounding the Bafalgar Tomb area, but she didn’t give you your reward yet. She returned to Colony 9 and can be found in the Commercial District at night, in front of Giorgio’s food stand. After a brief history lesson, she will finally hand over your reward.