The Fallout 76 Heart of the Enemy drop quest is the second of three which can be found in the Forest region. By comparison, however, Ecological Balance is a lot easier to undertake. Indeed, while the Forest is a relatively low-level area, you may wish to reach higher level before attempting this quest. Where drop quests differ from standard side quests is that some element of the quest can spawn in a random location. In this case, it’s that you need to source something in Cranberry Bog.
How to Complete the Fallout 76 Heart of the Enemy Drop Quest
To start the Fallout 76 Heart of the Enemy drop quest, you’ll need to get inside Fort Defiance. This means that you will need to have completed the quest “Recruitment Blues,” as you cannot access the upper floors until you’ve done so. Once you have access to the fourth floor, find the terminal which belongs to Senior Knight Wilson. In the desk below the terminal is a note called “Mission 099-01 Orders”; collecting this note will start the quest.
The first place you need to go to is Vault-Tec University. Inside, follow the map directions to the Automated Research Terminal, and once you get there, select its “Execute Automated Test,” option. As you will quickly discover, the terminal needs more power in order to do that, so you need to give it that. Make your way north through the building until you find a hole in the floor. Here, you can drop down into a chamber containing power generators and a terminal. You’ll need to hack the Power Terminal, then choose the “Allocate Power to Automated Research Lab,” option. This will allow you to run the Automated Test on the Research Terminal.
Now here comes the tricky part. You now need to harvest Scorchbeast DNA. The best place to go for this is the Cranberry Bog, as Scorchbeasts spawn more frequently here. However, you can harvest the DNA from any dead Scorchbeast, regardless of location. You don’t necessarily have to kill the beast yourself, so perhaps you can enlist the aid of higher-level players, or seize the opportunity to salvage some DNA during a Fissure Site raid. Otherwise, you’ll have to kill one of the beasts yourself.
Once you have the DNA, return to the university and put it into an Automated Centrifuge. Use the nearby terminal and choose the “Execute Automated Test,” once more. This will complete the quest. As a reward, you’ll earn random weapons, ammo, aid items, and either a plan, armour piece, mod, or weapon. There is also a chance you could get a gatling laser or a random legendary weapon or armour piece.