7 articlesNight Dire Marsh is the new seasonal map condition added with Marathon Season 2 and it completely changes how Dire Marsh plays. Visibility is limited across most sections of the map and you have to rely on your flashlight to navigate. The UESC bots are more aggressive and spawn in higher numbers than normal, and Rooks drop in mid-match on top of that.
The biggest addition is access to the upper floor of the Complex. The Complex was conspicuously locked in Season 1 but now opens after you gather enough UESC certifications. Inside are difficult boss encounters and top tier loot. Getting in requires solving the certification puzzle first which is not obvious at all if you are going in blind. In this guide, I cover exactly how to enter the Complex, work through the puzzles, and take on the Warden boss waiting inside.
Complete Night Dire Marsh Complex Guide
To get into the Complex upper floor, you first need to find the “Observation Labs” key during your raid. I have shown what it looks like in the image below. One important thing to note is that this is a non-extractable item meaning you cannot take it out of the raid with you. You need to find it and use it within the same run.
How to Get The Observation Labs Key
There are two ways to find the Observation Labs key but neither of them guarantees a drop as it is a chance based item.
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Once you hack a tower it will ping the location of a nearby stash on your map. These stashes have a chance to contain the Observation Labs key along with other valuable loot so it is worth hacking every tower you come across during your run.
The second method is to track down and defeat the UESC Commander. This is a map event that can spawn during your raid and the Commander has a chance to drop the key. Keep an eye out for the event marker when it appears.
Reaching The Upper Floors
The fastest way to reach the upper floors of the Complex is by using the Elevator. To call it, you will need 7 UESC Certs so make sure you have those stocked up before heading there.
Once the Elevator takes you to the top, head through the vent shown in the image below. After getting through the vent, climb the ladder inside and you will come out on the upper floors of the Complex.
Reaching The Observation Lab
Once you reach the upper floors of the Complex you will find a console waiting for you. Interact with it to activate it and green panels will appear scattered across the room.
You need to shoot all of the required green panels to unlock the door to the next floor. The number of panels you need to hit is indicated by the red lights displayed above the console you just activated so check those before you start shooting to know exactly how many you are looking for.
Once you clear the panels and the door opens head through and repeat the exact same process on each subsequent floor. Activate the console, shoot the required green panels and move on to the next floor. Keep doing this floor by floor and you will eventually work your way up to the Observation Lab.
Side Note: One thing worth knowing before you start shooting panels is that there are also extra Red Panels scattered across the upper floors alongside the green ones. They look similar so keep an eye out for them as you work your way through each floor. Shooting all of the Red Panels will unlock a secret room with loot.
Observation Lab and The Boss Fight
Once you reach the Observation Lab, you will find a terminal in one of the rooms. Insert the “Observation Labs” key you picked up earlier to activate it and start the boss encounter.
Once the encounter begins, UESC enemies will start spawning alongside the new Warden boss. The fight has a unique mechanic layered on top of the standard combat.
Whenever the computer in the middle of the room turns red, you need to stop and shoot the green panels that appear around the room just like you did on the floors below.
The number of green panels you need to hit will increase as the fight progresses and the red lights on the middle console tell you exactly how many you need to clear each time. Balancing the boss damage and the panel mechanic is what makes this encounter more involved than a straight up fight.
Once you successfully clear all the panel sequences and bring the Warden down, the final room of the upper floors will open up. I will not spoil what is inside but it is absolutely worth the effort of getting here. The loot waiting in that room makes the whole effort totally worth it!
That’s It
The Warden encounter is a solid fight once you understand the panel mechanic and stop trying to brute force it as a straight boss fight. Get your UESC Certs stocked before you head in. Clear the Red Panels on every floor for the secret room. Do both of those and you will walk out of the Complex with some of the best loot Night Dire Marsh has to offer.
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