After that wild launch stretch—queues, busted boards, hotfixes every other day—I'm glad things are calmer, and I've been spending more time on the stuff most people skip, like lore runs and stash planning with ARC Raiders Items pulled up on a second screen so I don't waste a good drop. Balance talk is still loud (Kettle Rifle, Trigger Nades, you know the drill), but when the firefights get stale, Celeste's Journals is the kind of objective that forces you to play smarter, not louder.
Why This Quest Hits Different
You only unlock it after you finish "Back On Top" and meet Celeste in Underspace, and the setup is simple: she wants pieces of her Arc War memories back. The twist is the rules. Two specific journals on Dam Battlegrounds, extracted in one life. No second chances. Die with one in your pack and you're back to square one. It's a weird little lesson in restraint—don't chase every ping, don't ego-peek, don't "just check mid real quick." You'll feel your hands get sweaty because the mission punishes the exact habits most squads live on.
Journal One: South Swamp Outpost
Most runs fall apart because people sprint straight through the dam's center like it's a warm-up. It isn't. I've had way more consistent clears by dropping near South Swamp Outpost early, while the bots are still manageable and the other teams are busy smashing into each other. Clear the main swamp building, then head to the back room—there's a bunk bed and the first journal is sitting there. Grab it, breathe, and don't drift toward the road just because it's "faster." Fast gets you spotted.
The Rotation That Keeps You Alive
The safest move is boring, and that's why it works: hug the western waterline. Stay low in the reeds, use wrecked boats as cover, and let the loud squads announce themselves somewhere else. If you can pop a lock, check the grated door near the south generator; there's a maintenance tunnel that cuts under the map and dumps you closer to the north side. It's not magic, but it trims the rotation and keeps you out of those mid-map sightlines where snipers basically farm free kills.
Journal Two and the Clean Exit
North Ridge Outpost is the scary part because the journal sits in a small office tent on a desk, and the angles around that spot are nasty. Don't come in from the front—wrap around and climb the back cliffs so you arrive with cover instead of crossing open ground. I usually run a suppressed SMG or anything quiet; staying off the audio compass matters more than winning a fair duel. Grab it, immediately break line of sight, and commit to extraction. If you want to keep the momentum going after the rep bump, it helps to have a reliable place for gear and currency when you're rebuilding, and RSVSR fits neatly into that routine without dragging you back into another grind.
