How to complete Specimen ID: NES004 in Destiny 2

As we push on through Destiny 2 Episode Echoes, more and more main and side quests are being added most weeks. After a short 2-week break, we’re back on the grind for Vex specimens in the Specimen ID: NES004 quest, and it’s going to take you a decent chunk of time to complete.

You’ll pick up the Specimen ID: NES004 quest while working your way through A Rising Chorus: Act II. At one point during that quest, you’ll report back to Failsafe, who will then give you the new quest. It’s similar to the previews Specimen quests in that you’re heading out into the system in search of a Vex specimen that must be researched and brought back for further study in the H.E.L.M.

How to complete Specimen ID: NES004 in Destiny 2

Below, I’ve broken down the Specimen ID: NES004 quest in Destiny 2 into easy-to-follow steps. Follow them or find where you’re stuck and track what you need to do so you don’t get hung up on this one. I’ve tried to offer the most efficient route through the quest possible, and which activities will complete it fastest so there’s as little downtime as possible.

Step 1: Open chests at the end of Episode Echoes activities

The first part of this quest requires you to open chests at the end of Episode Echoes activities. To simplify things, you must open chests at the end of any of the activities you access from the H.E.L.M.. This includes Echoes Battlegrounds and Breach Executable.

I found that Breach Executable was best for this step because you have to open a total of 3 chests, and this is the easiest activity to complete. Battlegrounds have much tougher final bosses and restricted respawning sections, making them take much longer and potentially requiring multiple restarts on the final encounter.

Step 2: Focus Echo Engrams into Echo gear

Once you’ve opened all three chests, head back to the H.E.L.M. and visit Failsafe. You need to open the Seasonal Engram Decoding menu and focus five of them into gear. I was at a much higher Power Level than what these Engrams were offering, and you might be too. Regardless, you’ve got to decode five of these Engrams into armor pieces to complete this step of Specimen ID: NES004.

Step 3: Collect Extracted Data and defeat powerful combatants

This third step of the quest requires you to collect Extracted Data from the Breach Executable activity. I managed to complete that part of it in a single run. Just make sure you don’t rush, and you collect and deposit as much Extracted Data as possible.

The second part of this step is defeating powerful combatants. You can do this in any Episode Echoes activities, but Breach Executable is, once again, the fastest way to do it. I completed the quest with any Echoes Battlegrounds as well, but it took me an hour longer than I’d have liked because the players I was with struggled so much with the boss.

Step 4: Turn it all in to Failsafe

When you return to Failsafe with that final step complete, you’ll get the Mirror-Encrypted Hydra Tail. Place this with the rest of your disgusting Vex body part collection, and you’ll complete the quest. This will leave you up to date and ready to tackle Specimen ID: NES005 when it drops.