AETHUS Buried History Quest: Ancient Bones and Geode Prospecting

The AETHUS buried history quest requires players to gather ancient bones for the Astral Resource Corporation Archaeology Research Center. You obtain these fossils by fishing for swamp geodes in the wetland caverns and cracking them open at a prospecting bench.

Unlocking the ARC Contract

During your underground mining operations, harvesting subterranean materials triggers an incoming communication from the Astral Resource Corporation. The transmission originates from ARC internal staff stationed at the Archaeology Research Center.

The researchers post a specialized contract requesting specimens of creatures that once inhabited the underground caverns. The objective focuses on locating ancient bones deep within subterranean biomes and shipping them back through the corporate requisition channel for financial compensation.

Finding Swamp Geodes

Ancient bones cannot be mined directly from standard rock faces or mineral veins. Instead, they are encased inside rare swamp geodes found across wetland cave sectors.

To secure these geodes, you must bring angling equipment into subterranean wetlands. Knowing how to fish in cavern pools allows you to pull up mineral deposits alongside aquatic life. Fishing spots in the swamp biome yield geodes intermittently, though inventory limits mean multiple trips are required to build a reliable stockpile. Gathering raw biomass or clearing organic obstacles nearby helps clear access routes between harvest nodes and your staging camps.

Prospecting Bench Mechanics

Extracting quest materials requires a dedicated prospecting bench. You can utilize benches placed in field research areas or manufacture one at your main base once you have gathered sufficient parts.

The bench initiates a precision mini-game where you chisel into the geode casing:

1. Interact with the prospecting bench and select a swamp geode from your personal inventory.
2. Carefully chip away at the outer mineral crust without depleting your remaining tool durability.
3. Expose enough of the embedded artifact to register a successful extraction.

By default, players receive only six attempts per geode. Striking incorrect layers exhausts attempts quickly, often destroying the specimen or leaving only incidental mineral fragments such as dust rubies. Because geode drops are scarce during fishing runs, optimizing each attempt is necessary to fulfill the research contract efficiently.

Upgrades and Completion

Because base prospecting attempts provide a narrow margin for error, purchasing equipment modifications increases completion rates. The Prospecting Lens modification is listed among the best upgrades at terminal vendors, expanding maximum prospecting strikes by two attempts for 30,000 credits.

Equipping this lens increases room for error on rare swamp geodes, ensuring you uncover the ancient bone inside before the node shatters. Once you successfully retrieve the required fossil remains, submit the samples through your station terminal to satisfy the ARC Archaeology Research Center contract and receive your credit payout.