The Purge

The subject of this article is from the Interceptor update.
The information from this article is up-to-date as of 6 June, 2023.

The Purge
Mission type	Primary
Mission series	Artemis Path
Preceded by:	16 / 16
Followed by:	New Beginnings
Starting point:	Holo-Terminus
Requires:	N/A
Implemented	Atlas Rises
Description	Reset the Simulation Final mission of the Artemis Path proper

The Purge is a primary mission.

Summary

The Purge is the final story mission of the Artemis Path, starting immediately upon the conclusion of 16 / 16. The mission tasks the player with finding a way to the final Atlas Interface at the centre of the galaxy.

Full Outline

• Progress towards the Galaxy Centre
• Locate and Enter the Final Portal

Walkthrough

Race to the Core

I have faced the Atlas once more. I do not know how to process what I have learned. The Atlas is everywhere because we are all part of the Atlas. It is a machine, a simulation. We have no meaning beyond it.
But the machine is being destroyed. Something is happening to the Atlas. I can feel it pulling me towards the centre of the galaxy, to some great cleansing...

The player will be tasked with making their way to the final Atlas Interface. Each time the player uses their starship's Hyperdrive to warp to another system, they will permanently acquire a Glyph. Additionally, special events will occur after specific warps.

If the player has not already addressed the mission update for The Space Anomaly near the end of 16 / 16, they may instead summon and board the Space Anomaly during this mission, before the player warps to the final interface.

If you warp again fast enough you will not advance to the next glyph and thusly be able to get closer to the physical galactic core.

0th Warp

Before the player has a chance to perform their first warp, they must decide whether to pursue The Atlas Path, explore the galaxy, or head for the final interface. This decision has no effect on the mission's progress --- it merely alters the player's tracked mission. That being said, The Atlas Path may disappear from the player's log if they choose to explore the galaxy. Player can bring the mission back in the log by warping to an Atlas Station.

1st Warp

The player will receive a mysterious transmission, starting the mission Dreams of the Deep.

3rd Warp

The player will receive a transmission from Apollo in which they will give their thoughts on the end of the Atlas. If the player refused them the portal glyphs earlier, they will reveal their decision to go into a portal without the glyphs.

6th Warp

The player will receive a transmission from Artemis if their soul was uploaded into the Korvax simulation aboard the Space Anomaly. In the conversation the player may realize that what they had considered to be interference before was actually a symptom of the prolonged death of the Atlas.

9th Warp

The player will receive a transmission from -null- which will advise the player against continuing toward the final Atlas Interface. However, the player must ignore the advice of -null- and continue onward.

The Final Interface

An exotic planet opened during the Final Interface set of the mission

Once the player has received the last glyph (granted after the 16th warp), they must charge and use the marked Portal. Entering the portal commits the player to finishing out The Purge, with the only alternative being to load the last restore point. As with the first mandated Portal use in the Artemis Path, the player will end up on an exotic planet, likely with extreme sentinels, and will have a chance to wander around briefly before the countdown falls to 1/16 and they are taken to the final Atlas Interface. The player must use the interface to speak with the Atlas one last time. Although the interactions with Atlas offer a "Leave" option, leaving the conversation is futile, because without a starship and with no ability to summon one, there's no way out except for reloading the restore point.

The player must cry out six times in a row in order to start the conversation in earnest; once this is done, the player will be unable to leave the conversation until they have chosen one of two options: Reset Simulation or Refuse the Atlas.

Regardless of which option is chosen, the player will gain the Remembrance blueprint after they make their choice; as well, the mission The Space Anomaly will update one last time, allowing the player to reunite with Nada and Polo.

Reset Simulation

If the player chooses to reset the simulation, they will be given a choice of what kind of galaxy will be created next. The four options are Lush galaxy (green), Harsh galaxy (red), Empty galaxy (blue) and Normal galaxy (teal). They will also gain the title "The Last".

Once the galaxy type has been chosen, the simulation reset will occur, teleporting the player and their current starship to a random planet in the new galaxy and damaging all Technology in the player's Multi-tool and those in the primary (but not cargo) inventories of the player's Exosuit and starship. The player will need to board their starship after arrival in the new galaxy in order to conclude the mission.

Players can use the Space Anomaly's Interstellar Terminus to travel to previously visited galaxies if they have a base there; alternately, they may join another player in a multiplayer session. Space stations in another galaxy will be accessible for a while until they drop off from the bottom of the list.

Refuse the Atlas

If the player chooses to refuse the Atlas, they and their starship will be teleported back to the exotic planet reached via the final interface portal, with the starship located around 500 units away, and the mission will conclude immediately. Unlike in previous encounters with the Atlas, the starship's Launch Thruster will remain in working condition, allowing the player to take off immediately. In fact, it is possible to simply summon the player's starship and/or freighter as soon as they have loaded in.

Although the game says the player can change their mind after refusing the Atlas, that's untrue. The questline is ended and there is no way to return and choose to reset the simulation. After refusing, traveling to other galaxies can only be done by more conventional means: jumping through the galaxy core, multi-player with someone in another galaxy, or teleporting to a station in another galaxy. The player does have the option to reload their restore point, taking them back to before they entered the final interface portal, but that option only exists until they create a new restore point by exiting their starship, creating a base computer, activating a save point or save beacon, or other less likely means.

Rewards

Map of the Atlas interface encountered during the mission

• Remembrance blueprint

Additional information

• The player can warp repeatedly into the system they are currently in, which still counts towards the mission progress.
• In the reset route, as with other methods of galaxy travel, various active technologies will be damaged. To avoid this, switch to a spare unused multitool and/or ship first. Exosuit technology can be protected by using the “Store” option to temporarily stash them as items.
• If the player chooses to reset the simulation close to the core (~3500 LY), their spawn in a new galaxy will also be close to the core.
• The Final Interface Portal will be located by the system where last glyph is received.
• Warping with the Freighter will count toward warps done and will still provide glyphs, but the player may miss out on some story transmissions.

Release history

• Atlas Rises - Added to the game as a primary mission
• Beyond -
  • The Space Anomaly no longer appears on its own
  • Added a The Space Anomaly mission update trigger
  • Dreams of the Deep now triggers during this mission
    • Formerly, it began automatically during Patterns in Time
  • Choosing to reset the simulation now counts as reaching the centre of the galaxy for the purposes of triggering Take a Deep Breath and To Live Forever
    • Formerly, only conventional travel to the centre would trigger these trophies/achievements