From depths beyond reason a Voice had spoken, and its echoes would not be denied. No longer fully concealed by the ever-shifting Void, the Zariman now rests between worlds. A haunting song resounds across the System. It is time for an overdue confrontation with the past….
Previous story quest: The New War
Intro cutscene
The Angels of the Zariman quest can be started in the Codex. Upon beginning the quest, a short cutscene will play.
[In the star-studded expanse of the outer Origin System, a cloud of inky blackness unfolds, tinged at the edges with tendrils of the Void's blue energy. Suddenly, an arc of bright light coruscates in the midst of the darkness, a tear in reality, and washes across the face of it like a scrap of paper burning away. In its wake is revealed the massive Zariman 10-0 colony ship, bursting forth from the Void yet still entangled with it, the stern of the great ship still embedded in a glowing chasm of unreality. Swirls of cyan mist unfold around the Zariman, leaking through and past it, illuminating the emptiness of space. As the ship enters reality, it begins to sound a haunting keen. The view transitions to the Lotus' chamber, where she discusses this development with the Tenno.]
Note: This quest takes place after The New War. Depending on the player's choices in that quest and afterward, the Tenno may be represented by either the Operator or the Drifter, and their guide may use the name of either Natah, Margulis, or the Lotus. Some dialogue lines are different depending on the selected persona; choices which do not differ are denoted as simply "Lotus" or "Tenno".
Lotus: "The Zariman. There is no life aboard. And yet, all the System can hear it sing."
Tenno: "What does it mean?"
Lotus (Lotus): "The Zariman has returned to the Origin System for the final time, Tenno. She is your rightful home, but she is beset by the nightmares of the Void. It will be a daunting task, but if you are ever to reclaim her, it must be now."
Lotus (Natah): "The Zariman cries out, and I must let you answer. The pride of the golden makers now lies Void-ridden, derelict. So arm yourself, child. Return to your lost home. Reclaim your birthright."
Lotus (Margulis): "My child. I saw the chaos with my own eyes and brought many like you out of that hell. Now… I must send you back there. You are a child no longer, and you have a legacy to protect. Be swift. The Zariman awaits."
Tenno (Operator): "There's nothing left on that wreck but bad memories. But… if I can keep it from hurting anyone else… I'll go."
Tenno (Drifter): "Always knew that mess was going to come back and haunt me."
First Mission: Find the Song’s Source (Everview Arc, Zariman)
The Zariman now appears on the Starchart as a navigable location. One single node is available – the quest mission.
The Tenno's Landing Craft drops them off in a cargo dock on the edge of the ship. The landing platforms are occupied by Grineer Firbolgs and Ogmas bearing the red colours of the Kuva Fortress. Grineer equipment and banners have been set up at the site, though no soldiers are present.
Tenno (Operator): "Grineer. They heard the song too."
Tenno (Drifter): "There's that familiar smell. Looks like the Grineer beat us here."
Lotus (moderate static interference): "Tenno? The song is crowding me out. You must find its source alone."
Tenno (Operator): "And when I find it? Then what?"
Tenno (Drifter): "So what happens after that?"
Lotus (moderate static interference): "You will know. You are a child of the Void."
The Tenno is waypointed to explore deeper within the ship. As they do, they will encounter Kuva Grineer troops, along with additional Grineer equipment such as Kuva Siphons (not actively harvesting). The Zariman ship interior is as it was during the New War quest: clean Tenno architecture with some golden artistic motifs befitting Orokin taste, all of it faded and corroded from age, and bearing the signs of great upheaval, with wall panelling torn down and furniture assembled into makeshift blockades. Vegetation grows wild from the many decorative planters. Disturbing images are painted onto the walls with a variety of improvised media. In places, a black substance has accumulated, its surface swirling and rippling with unsettling motion, coalescing into curves and swirls, sometimes even taking the shape of large humanoid figures.
The Tenno, fighting past the Grineer forces, soon reaches a large elevator, with two Kuva Siphons hovering before it.
Tenno (Operator): "[scoff] The Worm Queen wants the Zariman for herself. I lost my family here. I'd sooner destroy it than see it in Grineer hands."
Tenno (Drifter): "Going to have to scuttle the Zariman. Kuva hounds are dug in like ticks. Can't take any risks with this hellish place."
The elevator door will automatically open as the Tenno approaches, and after they enter, the elevator will begin descending. As it does, the Tenno can look out the window into a massive transport shaft, capable of carrying many elevator platforms around its edge, that presumably runs the length of the ship. A beam of blue energy shoots up the centre of the shaft, illuminating it. The elevator stops on a lower level, and the Tenno is directed to proceed. Soon, they will come to a doorway littered with Grineer corpses. As they approach, a wave of red energy will ripple out from the room beyond.
Tenno: "Unnh… that surge came from the Reliquary Drive! What are they doing down there?"
The surge of energy creates a red field covering the doorway, which will force the Tenno out of their warframe when they cross it. As the Tenno enters the room, a cutscene will play.
[The Tenno enters the room cautiously, Amp at the ready. In the centre of the chamber, a large buildup of Void corruption on the ceiling reaches down to the floor like a stalactite. One of the swirls within it starts moving, curling and uncurling until it resolves into a humanoid figure. The figure screeches, causing the Tenno to wince. It jumps out, flying as if on wings to land before the Tenno, and begins to scream. The view goes black.]
After a short loading screen, another cutscene will play.
[The Tenno wakes up on a bed, wincing in pain as they rise. Their vision is blurry at the edges but soon resolves. They are within one of the habitation rooms of the Zariman, this one seemingly untouched by violence and corruption. The Tenno notices four other people in the room, and bolts upright to speak to them. The others are adults, wearing Zariman garb. The skin of their faces is covered in patches of silvery material, with a swirling pattern similar to the Void corruption.]
Tenno: "What happened? Am I…"
[Quinn]: "Dead? No… not you. This is not the homecoming we would have wished for you, but welcome home, all the same. Call me Quinn. We 'Holdfasts' are the last remaining crew of the Zariman."
Tenno: "You can't be. The crew all died!"
Quinn: "Mmm. The Void creates. Death is merely a blank canvas. We numbered five, not long ago. Poor Kira. The song broke down her resistance, she raised her voice in answer, and now she is one of them."
Tenno: "Wait. Are you saying that thing I just saw…"
Quinn: "…was Kira, yes. That form is what awaits us, should we fail to hold fast. The others were all like us, once. But in time they all drank from that bleak Reliquary, and now they scream in chorus to the Void. The Zariman must be saved."
Tenno (Operator): "Saved? It's a graveyard!"
Tenno (Drifter): "Do you have any idea how dangerous this ship is?"
Quinn: "The Zariman has suffered. But she can still be a barricade against what is yet to come if you stand with us. Help us keep her out of the hands of invaders like these Grineer. When you are ready, come to the lower decks. A Void Cascade is already breaking down what you accept as… reality."
The four Holdfasts will disappear in a flash of golden light as the cutscene ends. As the Tenno exits the bedroom, they will emerge into a kitchen or dining room area – the same room seen during the New War quest, revealing that this is the Tenno's own assigned Dormizone. Their warframe will be kneeling in the kitchen, and the Tenno can use Transference to pilot it again. Outside the kitchen is the corridor to the elevator. As the Tenno approaches the elevator, one of the Holdfasts will contact them.
Hombask (transmission): "Listen, kid. Hombask here. Quinn means well, but… there ain't no stopping this. We're hungry. Just like Kira was. Only a matter of time. Sooner Quinn admits that to himself, the better."
The elevator will take the Tenno up to the Chrysalith, though it will be empty. The Tenno is directed to use the adjacent elevator to go to the next mission. Only one option is available on the Zariman Navigation: Tuvul Commons.
Second Mission: Stop the Void Cascade (Tuvul Commons, Zariman)
(upon starting elevator) Quinn: "When the Grineer restarted the damaged Reliquary Drive, they unleashed a cascade of Void contamination. Void manifestations from beyond the Membrane. We've come to know them as 'Thrax'. They will attack and possess our Exolisers, making the units spread Void contamination instead of cleansing it."
The mission is a new game mode called Void Cascade. The Tenno is waypointed to an Exoliser, which is a deployed device to reduce Void contamination. A swirl of Void corruption has grown on the Exoliser, and small tears in reality are emitting streams of Void energy that envelop the unit. The Exoliser is surrounded by a bubble that forces the Tenno out of their warframe, like an Orphix field.
(upon being ejected from their warframe) Tenno: "[grunt] Contamination's messing with Transference."
Quinn: "Damn it. The Void is taking this Exoliser. It's making the contamination worse. You wield the Void – try to purge it."
The Tenno must use their Amp to destroy the Void tears. Upon doing so, the Void energy surrounding the Exoliser will turn red, and a ghostly, skeletal figure can be seen hovering above it. This "Void manifestation" must also be shot with the Amp. Once its health is depleted, the Exoliser will be free from Void corruption and will glow yellow as it cleanses the nearby environment of contamination, and the Transference-blocking field will collapse. The Void manifestation will resolve into a physical unit – a Thrax Centurion, a strange but intimidating warrior reminiscent of the Grineer. It will attack the Tenno. Kuva Grineer will also arrive and attack the Tenno.
Quinn: "These interlopers have barely set foot aboard the Zariman. Yet, the Void has seen something like them before. These half-made manifestations mirror them… but a different them."
Tenno (Operator): "They look… older. Bigger. Like ancestors, maybe? But how?"
Tenno (Drifter): "Same old story. Grineer ghosts on my trail, no matter where I go."
Once the Thrax Centurion is killed, it will resume its spectral form. The spectral form must be destroyed with the Tenno's Amp, or it will seek out a Grineer soldier and harvest their essence to become physical again.
A meter will appear on the HUD, showing the level of Void Cascade as a red bar. The cleansed Exoliser will be shown as a yellow diamond on the right of the meter, generating a yellow bar that will push forth from the right side, shrinking the red bar and indicating that the Cascade is weakening. A timer will indicate when a new Exoliser will be deployed. New Exolisers spawn already possessed, and are shown as red diamonds on the left of the Cascade meter. As new possessed Exolisers spawn, they must be cleansed in the same manner as the first, using the Tenno's Amp. If there are more possessed Exolisers than cleansed Exolisers, the red bar will grow and the Cascade will intensify. If there are equal numbers of cleansed and possessed Exolisers, the meter will not move.
Cleansed Exolisers have a lifespan, and it will tick down, shown on the HUD and the Exoliser's waypoint. Killing Grineer enemies near the Exoliser (the area visualised as a bubble of yellow energy) will allow the Exoliser to harvest their essence and speed up its work. Once a cleansed Exoliser has expired, it will disappear from the map and from the Cascade meter, and will no longer contribute towards minimising the Cascade. The HUD will track how many Exolisers have successfully completed their work.
New Thrax units (including a different type, a Thrax Legatus) can also appear, and they will head towards cleansed Exolisers. When nearby, they will attempt to possess it again. They must be distracted or killed to prevent Exolisers from being possessed and keep the Cascade meter low.
(upon cleansing the second Exoliser) Quinn: "We all bear the trauma of what happened on this ship, but do you remember her promise? To build a new world, without strife, violence, or poverty?"
Tenno (shouting): "We can talk about it some time when I'm not fighting for my life, okay?"
Quinn: "Remember that first harvest festival? Children laughing in the agro biomes? I weep for what could have been."
Tenno: "Yeah. I remember the singing. Picking fruit under those warm lights. Hands stained purple with Lofler berry juice. You really think things could have been different?"
Quinn: "I—"
Quinn will be surrounded in red Void energy, and will end the transmission abruptly.
Operator: "Quinn? What's happening?"
Drifter: "Quinn? What is happening?"
Quinn's transmission shows the red Void energy subsiding.
Quinn: "[gasps, resumes normal breathing] The contamination… it amplifies the song. We're running out of time."
The Tenno must cleanse four Exolisers and allow them to expire. Although Void Cascade is normally an endless mission type, only four Exolisers will spawn during the quest mission.
(when the last Exoliser is done) Quinn: "Cascade subsiding. I no longer detect new Void manifestations. It is safe to stand down. Please, return to the Crysalith."
The Tenno will be waypointed back to the elevator, which will take them back to the Chrysalith.
[in Chrysalith]
The Chrysalith is a large public forum space, with a central fountain and many benches, statues, and planters. A giant dome of glass covers the area, providing a view of the swirling mists of the Void. The Tenno is waypointed to talk to Quinn, who is standing near a statue at the far end of the concourse.
Quinn: "You must understand: the Zariman is yours now. You inherited it, along with the duty to protect it."
Tenno (Operator): "I'm not afraid of responsibility. But this is where everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Once we're done here, I'm done here."
Tenno (Drifter): "I reckon she can fend for herself. I'll help with whatever crisis you've got going on here, but that's all. I'm not looking for another prison."
Quinn's datapad, held in his right hand, will start beeping.
Quinn: "Wait. Listen."
Angel screams can be heard in the distance, and the Chrysalith will be suffused with an intense blue light.
Quinn: "Void Flood! Get to floor Sigma D-7. Archimedian Yonta will direct you from there."
The Tenno will be waypointed back to the elevator.
Archimedian Yonta (transmission): "Aren't you a fascinating anomaly. Anomalies? Right! Explanations. When consciousness and Void come together, it makes a thing. For example, me! Not nearly as fascinating as you, though."
Tenno: "Yeah, we covered Conceptual Embodiment in T.A."
As before, the Zariman Navigation console in the elevator will only have one option, this time being Everview Arc.
Third Mission: Stop the Void Flood (Everview Arc, Zariman)
(upon starting elevator) Quinn: "Kira called them 'Angels'. But then, what does that make us? We gestated in the belly of the Zariman beast, same as them, woke when we heard those words call us, same as them. But we aren't like them. And I'll be damned if we don't go down fighting. Right?"
Archimedian Yonta: "The Angels are tearing through the Albrecht Membrane. Void is flooding in through the ruptures they've created."
Archimedian Yonta: "The Zariman's Automatic Vitoplast system is damaged and overwhelmed. Seems its designer, me, neglected to envision a situation like this. We need to resort to manual application. Gather up nearby Vitoplast and stuff it in the ruptures."
The mission is a new game mode called Void Flood. A meter on the HUD will show the level of the Flood as it gradually increases from 0% to 100%. A Rupture will be marked on the map, appearing as a pair of Void Angel arms emerging from the floor. Globes of blue-green material called Vitoplast will be scattered all around the map, usually high in the air. Rare, massive orbs of Vitoplast will also move on their own throughout the environment. The Tenno must gather up Vitoplast, which will be collected and stored by a small drone that floats beside the Tenno (whether in waframe or Tenno form). Kuva Grineer enemies will also be present, and will drop a small amount of Vitoplast when killed. Vitoplast collected by the drone can be brought to a Rupture, and the drone will feed Vitoplast into the Rupture. Once the Rupture has absorbed enough Vitoplast, it will seal, and stop contributing to the Void Flood increasing. Sealing a Rupture will also reduce the Void Flood meter by 33%. Two more Ruptures will appear over time, and must be dealt with in the same manner. If the Void Flood meter gets too high, the Void will either apply a buff to the Grineer or a debuff to the Tenno (at 40%, 70%, and 100%); bringing the Void Flood meter back under the threshold by sealing Ruptures will clear the effect again.
(when the Flood meter gets to 40%) Archimedian Yonta: "The Void can get creative in some pretty unpleasant ways. The deeper the Void Flood gets, the weirder it'll be for you. Sorry!"
(upon sealing the first Rupture) Archimedian Yonta: "Do that enough times, and you'll keep the Zariman high and dry."
(upon sealing the second Rupture) Quinn: "Yonta, I know you two never saw eye to eye, but Kira was right. This ship stood for something, once. Oh, the Orokin draped her in all their hollow pride and pomposity, but to the ordinary families, she meant hope. Earth was ruined, Mars arid, Lua fractured… Tau would have been a chance to begin again. 'We shall not fear to take the leap, Across the gulf to fare….'"
Tenno: "'Though all betwixt is dark and deep, A home awaits us there.' Yeah. We really thought we'd make it."
An Angel scream can be heard in the distance.
Quinn: "This is about as bad as it could be. It's Kira… she's mutating. Heading straight for the Reliquary Drive. We won't be able to resist her song. She… knows us too well."
Tenno: "You can hold out. I know you can."
After the third Rupture is closed, a Thrax Centurion will spawn, and it must be killed. Afterward, the round will be complete, and the Tenno is waypointed back to the Chrysalith.
[in Chrysalith]
Quinn: "We've lost too much time. Those idiotic Grineer are cracking the shield on the Reliquary Drive. The Angels are heading there to feed."
Tenno: "I'll stop the Grineer. And Kira too."
Quinn: "You're really going to try, huh? Okay. Cavalero can show you how to use the old deployable defences. You'll need them."
The Tenno will be waypointed back to the elevator.
Quinn (transmission): "This can only end one of two ways. We die, or we change. Promise me after we're gone, you'll take care of the Zariman."
Tenno (Operator): "I'll do right by the Zariman, just like you did. I promise."
Tenno (Drifter): "I promise. Don't worry, Quinn. I won't let you suffer."
As before, the Zariman Navigation console in the elevator will only have one option, this time being Oro Works.
Fourth Mission: Protect the Reliquary Drive (Oro Works, Zariman)
Cavalero: "The Orokin only wanted ceremonial weapons on the Zariman, but for something as important as the Reliquary Drive, they built in two little security guarantees: auto-fabricating Armaments and Exodampers. Exodampers suppress enemy combat ability. We need to defend our Exodampers and our Reliquary with Armaments. Got that?"
The mission is a new game mode called Void Armageddon. Three locations are marked on the map: the Reliquary Drive (labelled "Eternal Relic") and two Exodampers, A and B.
(when the Tenno approaches the Eternal Relic) Cavalero: "Hey, Yonta, how many of those big finger-relics are out there, d'you think?"
Archimedian Yonta: "Well… fewer than there used to be. So long as the originals are still safely sealed away, of course."
A large crate of Argozene will appear on the map near the Eternal Relic. Standing near it for 5 seconds will collect the Argozene and add it to the Tenno's inventory. The amount of Argozene the Tenno is carrying is indicated in the HUD.
(upon delivering Argozene drop) Cavalero: "We use Argozene to build the Armaments. I marked an Argozene drop on your radar. Think you can manage to find it?"
(upon collecting Argozene drop) Cavalero: "You're a natural. Now, I'm sure you want to go crazy building armaments all over, but you cannot do that. You need to use sockets. Go find the socket that appeals to you most – your socket, the socket that was meant for you – and build something dangerous in it."
All over the map, but primarily near the Exodampers and Reliquary, are small sockets in the ground. The Tenno can interact with them to build turrets that will last for 2 minutes each. Each turret costs Argozene to place.
(upon constructing an Armament) Cavalero: "Oh, mercy me! I do believe you've got the hang of this, Grubber. One more thing. Enemies coming through Oro Works are always helping themselves to our Argozene, so feel free to take it from their cold dead hands."
The HUD will inform the Tenno that enemies are attacking Exodamper A. Kuva Grineer troops will flood the area and attempt to destroy the Exodamper. The Tenno must fight off the Grineer, constructing Armaments as desired to help defend. Three waves of Grineer will assault the Exodampers, one Exodamper at a time, with the Exodamper under attack changing between waves. If the targeted Exodamper is destroyed, the Grineer will attack the Eternal Relic itself. After clearing the last wave, a Void Angel will appear on the map, highlighted with a red waypoint.
Quinn: "She's here. Our Kira. You… you have to stop her. You have to try."
The Tenno has to fight Kira. Her health bar has two segments. After depleting the first half of her health, she will collapse to the floor and become invulnerable, while a large golden orb appears above her.
(upon depleting half of Kira's health) Cavalero: "Don't bother trying to hurt Kira's Angel form now. She's pulled her essence back into the Void. You're gonna have to follow her in there."
The Tenno must enter the golden orb, which will transport their Tenno form (without warframe) to a pocket of the Void. They will arrive on a ring of platforms created from black Void corruption, surrounding the giant, floating form of the Angel. The Tenno must deplete a new health bar using their Amp. Kira has a new set of energy attacks, some of which can damage the Tenno through Void Mode. A green meter underneath her health bar slowly regenerates. If it reaches completion, Kira will exit the Void (taking the Tenno with her) and return to reality, fully healed.
(upon arriving in the Void) Cavalero: "That's her. The real Kira. If you don't take her out here, she'll heal."
If the Tenno dies or falls off the platform, they will appear back in the real world (Transference static will not apply) and have to re-enter the Void to engage Kira. When Kira's ethereal form has taken a significant amount of damage, she will summon two golden orbs that rotate around her. Kira will be invulnerable to the Tenno's damage while the orbs are up. The Tenno must Void Sling through them to destroy them.
(when Kira generates protective orbs) Cavalero: "Those orbs will redirect any damage you can do! Try throwing yourself through them."
(when Kira's regeneration meter reaches 50%) Cavalero: "Kira's almost recovered. You need to put her down."
(if Kira regenerates completely) Cavalero: "You weren't fast enough. Now it's healed."
If the Tenno manages to deplete the health of Kira' ethereal form, she will return to the physical world, with the Tenno, with the first segment of her health bar now permanently depleted.
Quinn: "It's over for us. Fight on, and remember who we once were. [Quinn becomes possessed by red energy] 'We shall not fear to take the leap….'"
Tenno: "Quinn? Quinn!"
The Tenno must deplete the other half of her health as normal, after which she will freeze in place, petrified as a statue again.
(upon defeating Kira) Tenno: "Quinn? Anybody…? Damn it."
Lotus: "Tenno? The song has… quieted. I am no longer reading Void distortion. What have you found on the Zariman?"
Tenno: "Just… ghosts. I think we all lost today."
The elevator to the Chrysalith will be waypointed.
[in Chrysalith]
The Tenno is directed to retrieve Quinn's tablet, but upon arriving in the Chrysalith, they will discover that Quinn and the other Holdfasts are very much alive. The Tenno must speak with Quinn.
Tenno: "Quinn! You're still… you!"
Quinn: "We changed. Oh, we drew power, but from a very different source. You have noticed it's not just the Reliquary that can work miracles with the Void, yes? I wonder… do you even know just how brightly you shine?"
Tenno: "You say that. But this place… I can't forget what it's put me through. Everyone through."
Quinn: "So remember, like we remember Kira. There was a place in this park where she used to love to sit. I think perhaps it would suit a memorial."
A quiet location near Quinn is waypointed. When the Tenno goes there, a short cutscene will play.
[A small altar-like table, draped in cloth, sits before a semicircle of shelves. The shelves are dotted with small personal items. Upon the memorial table is a portrait of the Tenno's parents, two globelights, and some flowers. Other bundles of flowers have been placed carefully around the memorial and on the shelves. The Tenno steps forward, their warframe kneeling in the background. The Tenno places their globelight on the table, and all three lights ignite, illuminating the memorial. The Tenno kneels before the memorial, pensively remembering all the lost souls of the Zariman, then looks up and smiles.]
The quest will be marked complete. The new description for the quest now reads:
The legacy of the Zariman is secure. Watched over by the Holdfasts, she is now both dam and bridge… and a fortress against what is yet to come.
A Voidplume Pinion is awarded for completing the quest. When the Tenno returns to their Orbiter, they will receive an inbox message from Hombask, containing a full set of Voidshell clothing options for both the Operator and the Drifter.
Inbox message:
Some advice, and something to wearHombask (video message): "Kid, when someone's gone, the part nobody talks about is that you have to choose how you're gonna remember them. There were people on this ship who loved you. You're never gonna forget what happened here. But you owe it to them, and yourself, to remember all the other days, too. Protect those memories. Protect the Zariman. When you're ready to start making this place a home, come see me."
We got a lot here to protect, kid. Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work.
—Hombask
After completing the quest, the Tenno has full access to the Zariman as a navigable "planet" in the Starchart, as well as the Holdfasts syndicate in the Chrysalith, and the Dormizone as a personal quarters (though it cannot be used as a base of operations like the Drifter's Camp can).
Next story quest: Whispers in the Walls
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