The Specimen ID quests in Destiny 2: Episode Echoes have felt a little like filler missions to spread out activities and content between the weeks. However, Specimen ID: NES005 is absolutely perfect, and you’ll see why by the end of the quest.
To pick up and start Specimen ID: NES005, you need to play through A Rising Chorus: Act II all the way through week 2. You should be given the quest by Failsafe as you reach the mid-point of the second week’s worth of content. It revolves around a frog you found on Nessus, and the AI is obsessed with finding it a home. All that means is that you’ve got a tonne of work ahead of you, though.
How to complete Specimen ID: NES005 in Destiny 2
Below, I’ve outlined exactly how to complete the Specimen ID: NES005 quest in Destiny 2 in easy-to-follow steps. Read it through to find where you are and get some assistance because some of these steps are deceptive.
Step 1: Collect Bufo Bites
The first part of this quest asks you to collect 30 Bufo Bites. Don’t let the name confuse you. These are just Radiolite Samples from Episode Echoes activities. Specifically, it’s Iridescent Radiolite. This is harder to come by than standard samples, but it’s still more a matter of time than actual effort in finding a particular resources.
I managed to get all the Bufo Bites I needed by playing through three Breach Executable activities. Each one awards just under half of the Bufo Bites you need, so you must keep playing and clear out the time to work through the activity as much as is required.
Step 2: Collect flora from Nessus
Collecting flora from Nessus is also much easier than you might think. Track the quest in your Director so that you get a waypoint when you land. This will show you where to go to find all the flora you need. I landed at Exodus Black, but you’ll be much closer if you land at Watcher’s Grave.
You can harvest various plants around this area that count as flora. They all have a marker on them, so just run around, collect all the flora you need, and get ready for this quest’s second grind.
Step 3: Kill 100 Vex and be done
The next stage in this quest is to kill 100 Vex. It feels lazy, and honestly, it’s just filler. But I promise the payoff is worth it. This time isn’t wasted; it just doesn’t feel great to play through. I managed to find a tonne of Vex in Watcher’s Grave to kill but then moved back to Exodus Black to finish off the 100 I needed.
Once you’ve killed all the required Vex, head back to the H.E.L.M. and speak to Failsafe. They’ll congratulate you and warn you not to touch the frog, who is now named Captain Jacobson, too much because he’s pretty toxic.
The best part of this quest comes after, though. Now you’ve got to place a new terrarium for Captain Jacobson next to the holo communicator on the opposite side of the room to where all your other specimens have gone. This is a living specimen, and you can even pet him. In fact, you have to pet him to complete a seasonal challenge, so do it and feel the joy that the end of this quest brought me.
