How to find and open Encrypted Vaults in The First Descendant

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Encrypted Vault locations and how to find them

How to open an Encrypted Vault

Encrypted Vault rewards

✓ At a glance

Encrypted Vaults are opened with Code Analyzers. Interact with them and clear the hacking minigame to get rewards.
Look for a square green hologram and listen to Ecive scan pings to find vaults.

It took me a couple of hours to stumble across my first Encrypted Vault in The First Descendant. While they can be a chore to find and open, they give you some neat resources for your trouble. Hunting for them involves using your Ecive ability to scout around areas marked by small holograms and opening them with Code Analyzers. Here’s what you need to know about finding and unlocking Encrypted Vaults in the game.

A player checks the Vespers map with highlighted vaults in The First Descendant. — Timberfall has loads of vaults. Image captured by VideoGamer.

Encrypted Vault locations and how to find them

Encrypted Vaults can be found via the Ecive scanner by pressing Tab on a PC or R3/RS on a PlayStation/Xbox controller. The Timberfall area in Vespers has many vaults so we’ve marked them in the map above. The Outposts Spawn in the Classified Area of the Sterile Land region is another good place to look. Here’s a step-by-step guide that covers how to find them in The First Descendant:

Look around for a small square green hologram, which indicates the presence of a nearby Encrypted Vault. Trigger your Ecive scanner and look around until you hear a ping sound.
Move in the direction from where you heard the ping and keep using your Ecive scanner to hear louder pings as you move closer. Be patient as this can take some time.
It can be tricky to find these vaults so look in dark areas and behind walls to find them. Once you find the sarcophagus-like robot floating in mid-air, it’s time to unlock it.

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How to open an Encrypted Vault

Opening an Encrypted Vault requires a Code Analyzer, earned from enemy drops. They come in basic, Precision, and Ultra-Precision rarities. The final type can only be earned in Hard mode. You’ll need to have the right one beforehand to open this chest in-game. Interact with the vault and you’ll enter a minigame where you hack into it. Simply press the right button when a line enters the highlighted zone on the screen to progress in the minigame. Do this a couple of times and you’ll open the vault but be wary of misclicks as this will make the timer drop faster.

A player checks out Negative Ion Particles in The First Descendant. — Earn this resource by opening vaults. Image captured by VideoGamer.

Encrypted Vault rewards

Earn resources like Negative Ion Particles and Mixed Energy Residue by opening Encrypted Vaults. This item is used for researching characters and weapons in The First Descendant. For example, you need 10 of them for the Ultimate Viessa Stabilizer and four for Valby’s Stabilizer. Some Ultra Encrypted vaults also drop skill modules that may be exclusive to characters, enhancing their abilities and passives. Opening two vaults will also let you complete the Magister’s Hidden Assets side mission for the Descendant Instructor’s questline.

About the Author

Antony Terence is a Guides Writer for VideoGamer. While he is particularly fond of city-builders, shooters, and strategy titles, he won’t turn down a good JRPG or a turn-based roguelike.