The Echoes episode for Destiny 2 sends players on a mission to find out what's going on with the Vex on Nessus, and to do so, they'll need to gather enough data with the help of Failsafe, an old friend from way back in the Red War campaign.
One of the early quests Failsafe gives Guardians called Specimen ID: NES001 involves finding and activating Planetary Assimilation Pistons. Unfortunately, the AI doesn't give players much of a clue about what they are. If you want to get on with the story or collect more of Destiny 2's Echoes weapons, here's how to complete this quest.
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How To Find And Activate Planetary Assimilation Pistons in Destiny 2
After you complete the first steps of Destiny 2's Echoes episode, Failsafe will tell you to find and deposit some samples into the Radiolite Bay aboard the HELM. Then, she'll give you the Specimen ID: NES001 quest, which will ask you to collect data from the Breach Executable activity and trigger a Planetary Assimilation Piston somewhere in Nessus. The former is easy enough to do, but the latter has some players scratching their heads.
Planetary Assimilation Pistons are interactable objects that players can find while playing Breach Executable. They appear as pillars of Vex data rising from a metallic bronze base. Unfortunately, these appear at random during a Breach Executable run, and the game won't highlight their location until you're very close to them. To activate it, simply walk up to it and hold the interact button. This will require a charge from your Piston Hammer, the item Failsafe gives you before starting Specimen ID: NES001.
Piston Hammer charges refresh daily. However, you can get extra charges by completing Breach Executable or the Enigma Protocol Activity as you play Destiny 2. Interacting with a Planetary Assimilation Piston will reveal nearby Radiolite samples. Collect and donate samples to Failsafe at the HELM or at the end of the mission to get even more loot.
Luckily, you don't need to smack a Planetary Assimilation Piston yourself to make progress with the quest. As long as one other member of the fireteam can interact with one, you'll get quest credit as well. This also applies to the Radiolite samples you get — all of them are shared between fireteam members, so there's no need to butt heads with each other over who gets to claim samples.
