After dealing with your business on Rykad you’ll end up warp jumping to Furibundus, the home of Footfall, where new contacts, opportunities and dangers await you and your crew. During the chatter that occurs in the gray area between Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, Argenta will mention one Reverend Hieronymus Doloroso. He’ll be expecting a visit from her when she reaches Footfall, and may wish to speak to the Rogue Trader, as well. Merely beginning Chapter 2 with Argenta around should be sufficient to start the companion quest Astray, and this page will provide a full walkthrough.
Meet Hieronymus Doloroso¶
Starting the quest is more or less automatic, and you’ll need to head to Footfall during the main questline anyways. In fact, after completing the obligatory space battle at the start of Chapter 2 you’ll pretty much be forced to visit. Defeat the unexpected welcoming party (whether you announce yourself or appear incognito doesn’t matter) then head to the eastern edge of the area and exit out to the Atrium. Once here you’ll want to seek out Reverend Hieronymus Doloroso, who can be found along the south-central edge of the area, on a balcony overlooking a statue, although you’ll encounter Hieronymus Doloroso earlier at a scripted event involving some mutant refugees.
Deal with the mutants however you wish, then seek Hieronymus Doloroso out at his perch and chat with him. Respond however you feel appropriate at the start of the conversation, where he obtusely tests the depth of your faith and eventually Argenta will request to remain with you. Once that’s sorted, he’ll ask you to investigate some suspected cultist activity down in the Shadow Quarters, which is the ultimate objective of this quest.
Find the Cultist Hideout¶
Find an area transition (heading back the way you came works) and travel to the Shadow Quarters. When you arrive, Argenta will chat with you a bit and divulge some more backstory, after which you’ll be able to commence the investigation. To find the cult hideout you’re supposed to look on the ground for blue and gold suns - the gold sunbursts point you in the right direction… or you could avoid the meandering sun signs and instead just follow our directions to get right to your destination. From where you enter the Shadow Quarters, head north then northwest across a scrap bridge and follow the linear path ahead north until going down two flights of stairs. Immediately head around the stairs to the north to find a quarantine zone - ignore it for now and head north from the gate to the quarantine zone to find (hopefully passing an [Awareness] check) a door leading into some buildings to the left (west). Clicking on this door will reveal the “To the cultist’s lair” transition.
Defeat the Cultists and the Pink Horror¶
Once inside the cultist’s hideout, make your way forward, being wary of traps as you go. Find a door to the left, which will lead to a chamber where a decidedly heretical ritual is taking place. After a cutscene you’ll be facing eight Cultists (three Cultist Sorcerers, one Cultist Leader and four generic Cultists that are just there to get in your way) and their pet Pink Horror. While the Pink Horror has a decent Armor score, the cultists are generally more Dodge-heavy, so AoEs will prove particularly useful here (Flamers, Plasma weapons, even burst-fire). On top of that the left side of the battlefield is more stacked with dangerous enemies, including two Cultist Sorcerers and the Cultist Leader, so you should focus your firepower there, first. While it sounds dangerous, the Pink Horror should be ignored at the start of the fight. If you can catch it in AoEs, great, but its large Wound pool isn’t going to get depleted quickly, and your odds will improve if you cull the cultists, build Momentum, limit the number of enemies on the field, then when the cultists are defeated, concentrate fire on the Pink Horror. When downed, the Pink Horror will split into two weaker Blue Horrors, which, in the absence of cultists to support them, are just cleanup work.
After the fight Argenta and the Cultist Leader will have some words, after which she’ll ask to speak with you later on the voidship. Before you leave, loot the bodies to find a Plasma Pistol, a Cultist Hood and a bunch of standard gear. The Cultist Hood is… interesting, in that it can be worn by Heretical companions of Adherent rank, and if worn has a 50/50 chance of either restoring 2 AP or dealing 10 damage to the wearer whenever they use a psychic power. If your main character is a heretical pysker, this could be interesting, depending on your build, but if you’re just dragging Idira along, it’s probably more downside than upside. Go into a side room to the east and loot a locked chest. Pass a [Tech-Use] check to open it and you’ll score some Sororitas Boots along with other nondescript loot. This footwear raises your momentum to 175 if you manage to kill five enemies in a single turn - no easy feat, and kind of redundant considering the best chance most characters have of accomplishing this is during a Heroic Act. Still, they’re better off with you than moldering in some cultist hideout.
Before you return to your voidship (you’ll need to meet with the Liege before you can leave Footfall), return to Hieronymus Doloroso and tell him you’ve completed his request to earn some XP and +200 Reputation: Drusians, a nice boon you could otherwise neglect. Once done, return to your voidship and when you’re free on the bridge, talk to Argenta to advance her storyline and finish this quest.
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