Quest guide / GRAIN ROT
Quill investigation
For Quill's later Ancient investigation, cross the surface to the Radio Tower, enter the Ancient Facility below it, interact with all 10 clues, then return to Quill. The earlier Forgotten Pages stage is separate and not fully documented here.
Do not merge the two objectives
Searches for Forgotten Pages and Quill's investigation overlap, but the evidence points to separate quest stages. The later objective is Find Clues About the Ancients and uses a 10-step counter. This guide does not invent the trigger, page count, or locations for the earlier Forgotten Pages stage because current evidence for that part is incomplete.
Prepare for the surface route
The documented Ancient investigation sends you toward the old Radio Tower across the scorched surface, not back into an ordinary Deep Layers run. Community routes recommend bringing an Umbrella or enough health, stamina, and recovery to survive the crossing. Reported Umbrella prices conflict, so check the current shop instead of budgeting around a fixed number.
Find the Ancient Facility
At the Radio Tower, look around and below the base for the entrance to the Ancient Facility. Reaching the visible tower is not the completion condition, and the vault-looking structure can make players assume they are at a dead end. Search the base systematically before returning to the Outpost.
Reach 10 out of 10 clues
Inside the facility, interact with the readable records and watch the quest counter after each one. Community walkthroughs describe the interior as a loop with side rooms, which makes it easy to pass a record while believing the area is complete. Do not leave until the objective changes from collecting clues to returning to Dr. Quill.
If the counter is stuck at 9/10
A current Steam thread shows that 9/10 is a real player failure point. Recheck side rooms, wall edges, radios, notes, and branches near areas you already crossed; entering a room is not the same as interacting with its record. Use the counter, not visual familiarity with the map, as the completion test.
If the bunker door will not open
Patch 1.03 officially fixed a case where clients could not open a bunker door in the Ancient Facilities. Players still reported door trouble after the fix, so confirm the host and client are on the same current build and retry with the host interacting first. Treat a persistent failure as a version or save issue rather than inventing another quest requirement.
Return to Quill and keep evidence separate
After the counter reaches 10/10, return to Dr. Quill and confirm the objective updates. Patch 1.06 also fixed Quill catching fire on his Outpost patrol route, which explains some older reports but does not define quest progression. Screenshots of the Forgotten Pages objective are still required before that earlier stage can be published as a full walkthrough.
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