Since launch, casual runs have felt like a full-time job. You load in, hear Kettle Rifles cracking off in every direction, and you're already doing math on angles and exits. The holiday wave of cheaters didn't help, either. January's balance tweaks and ban sweeps have finally given the match pace a bit of breathing room, so I've been putting time into story tasks again—and yeah, I've been chasing Celeste's Journals while keeping an eye on progression like the ARC Raiders Battle pass so each deployment still feels worth it.
Why This Mission Trips People Up
If you've reached "Back On Top" after Apollo's early grind, you know what makes it mean: you must grab both journals in the same deployment. Not "eventually." Not "one now, one later." Both. If you die, or you extract with only one, it resets and you're back at zero. That rule changes how you move. You're not looking for a fair fight; you're trying to stay unseen, avoid the loudest lanes, and keep your stamina and ammo for the moments that actually matter.
First Stop: South Swamp Outpost
Most route advice pushes you through Dam Battlegrounds early, and it's a trap. With current sightlines, the middle is a shooting gallery. Start by dropping near the southern flood zones and work into South Swamp Outpost instead. The first journal sits on a bunk bed in the back room of the main swamp building. It sounds simple until the ARC patrols stack up and you're pinned by random noise. I take a suppressed SMG and play it boring. Slow door opens, quick checks, no hero peeks. You'll feel the difference right away.
The Tunnel That Changes Everything
After you've got the first journal, don't take the main road north. That's where squads post up, because they know desperate players have to rotate. There's a maintenance tunnel by the south generator: find the grated entrance, pop the lock, and drop in. It's grimy, cramped, and it saves runs. You come out much closer to North Ridge without crossing the central dam kill box. From there, the second journal is in an office tent, sitting on a desk. It's high ground, so assume someone's watching and move like you're already scoped.
Keeping It Consistent
Once you've got both journals, don't hang around to "see what happens." Rotate out clean and pick an evac that doesn't force a long ridge walk; West Evac is often the calmer choice if the lobby's heated. If you're low on stash supplies for attempts like this, it's tempting to go full scav mode, but that's how you get greedy and lose the reset. I'd rather leave with less and keep momentum. And if you're the type who wants to skip some of the grind for mats or blueprints so you can focus on questing, I get why people look at services like U4GM to buy game currency or items without burning another night on farming.
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