If you’ve spent hours wandering the deserts of Vesta and hitting dead ends while trying to track down hidden quest markers, you’re not alone. I spent three separate runs bumbling through unmarked canyons before I figured out how to do follow their traces in The First Descendant without wasting half my play session on wrong turns. This quest is easy to overlook if you’re just grinding main missions, but the rare mod rewards and exclusive character skin make it well worth the extra effort. You don’t need a max-level build to beat it, either—all you need is a little patience and the right pointers to avoid the most common pitfalls.
Pre-Quest Prep Before You Do Follow Their Traces in The First Descendant
You can pick up this quest from NPC Kael at the western Vesta hub once you hit level 20, but it’s smart to hold off until you have a few basic items and settings adjusted to avoid frustration. I tried running it at level 21 my first time, and the ambush mobs wiped me three times before I even got to the halfway point. A little prep goes a long way here, and none of the required items are hard to get with 10 minutes of grinding at the hub.
- Character level 25 or higher (lower level characters can attempt it, but you’ll take 3x more damage from ambush mobs)
- One scout drone consumable (you can buy these from the central hub vendor for 500 gold each)
- At least two empty mod slots to equip the exclusive rewards you earn for completing the quest
- Disabled auto-quest navigation (the default pathing leads you to the wrong canyon 80% of the time, so turn it off before you start)
If you’ve unlocked the Pathfinder character’s signature mod, you can equip it to make trace markers glow even through walls, which cuts your quest time almost in half. At least 120 inventory slots are also a good idea, because the trail is littered with hidden loot caches that drop rare upgrade materials you won’t find in main missions. It’s not required, but you’ll regret leaving extra loot behind if your bag is full halfway through.
Step 1: Track the First Set of Trace Markers Through the Vesta Desert
Once you accept the quest, you’ll see a faint blue footprint marker 100 meters west of the hub. As you do follow their traces in The First Descendant, you’ll notice the markers get harder to spot the deeper you go into the desert. They fade after 30 seconds if you don’t get within 10 meters of them, so don’t stop to fight every random mob you see along the way.
The first hidden marker is behind the broken water tower 200 meters west of the quest start point, and most players miss it because it’s half-buried under sand. You’ll know you found it when you get a small pop-up with an audio log clip from the missing research team you’re tracking. After you collect the third trace, a pack of 6 sand wolves will ambush you from the dunes to your left. They’re weak to fire damage, so switch to your flame rifle if you have one equipped to take them out in seconds.
I tried rushing through this part once and missed a hidden cache behind a rock that had a rare legendary mod, so take 10 extra seconds to scan your surroundings every time you pick up a trace. The scout drone you brought will also ping nearby traces if you deploy it, which saves you a lot of time wandering around looking for faded footprints.
Step 2: Unlock the Hidden Bunker to Access Final Traces
After you collect 8 total traces, you’ll get a vague quest prompt telling you to “find the research team’s shelter.” Most players get stuck here for 20 minutes or more because the bunker entrance is completely hidden under a movable sand dune. The default map marker is also off by 50 meters, so don’t just follow the dot on your screen.
You have to stand on the cracked stone plate 50 meters north of the last trace marker for 3 seconds to make the bunker entrance appear. I only figured this out by accident when I stopped to catch my breath after fighting a random mob, so don’t feel silly if you spent ages wandering around this area before. Once the entrance opens, head inside and watch for tripwire traps that trigger explosive rounds if you step on them.
Inside the bunker, you’ll find 3 more traces, plus the miniboss Desert Warden waiting for you at the end of the hallway. Its weak point is the glowing orange core on its chest, so aim for that instead of wasting ammo on its thick armor plating. If you die here, you don’t have to restart the whole quest, you respawn right outside the bunker, which is a huge relief. I learned that after dying twice my first run. Once you beat the Warden, you’ll get the final trace to complete the quest, plus rewards including a 5-star elemental damage mod and the exclusive Desert Scout skin for Pathfinder.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Completing This Quest
Even if you follow all the steps above, there are a few small mistakes that can make this quest way more frustrating than it needs to be. I’ve run this quest 7 times now for different alt characters, so I’ve made almost all of these mistakes myself at least once.
First, don’t use fast travel at any point during the quest, it resets your trace progress and you have to start over from the beginning. I made that mistake once when I needed to restock ammo, and it cost me 40 minutes of progress. Don’t ignore the small glowing blue dust particles floating in the air either—they lead you to the next trace marker even when the footprints aren’t visible, which is a huge help if you lose the trail.
Second, don’t sell the quest-specific “Trace Tracker” mod you get halfway through the quest. It lets you see hidden traces for all future side quests, which is a huge quality of life boost that will save you hours of time later. If you’re playing co-op, only the party leader can interact with trace markers, so make sure everyone knows to follow their lead instead of wandering off to fight random mobs. It’s also 2x faster to run this quest with a partner, since you can split up to look for traces and cover more ground at once.
This quest feels far more complicated than it actually is once you know what to look for, and the rewards are more than worth the 30 to 45 minutes it takes to complete. Once you know how to do follow their traces in The First Descendant, you can run it on alt characters to farm the exclusive mod and skin for all your playable characters. If you still get stuck on any part, take a minute to scan your surroundings slowly—more often than not, the next marker is hidden just out of your direct line of sight. Happy hunting, Descendant.