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Smoke Signals: Shut Them Down is an optional mission in Borderlands given by Helena Pierce.

Background[]

"Steele has made good on her earlier threats. The Crimson Lance now consider you as much an enemy as any bandit. If they're going to be killing indiscriminately, you need to defuse their little trap before New Haven residents get hurt. Fight your way through Old Haven and put out their smoke signals. I'll reward you well once the job is done."

Walkthrough[]

Objectives[]

Shut down the four smoke signals in Old Haven, then return to Helena Pierce.
  • Apartment District
  • Canal District
  • Junkyard
  • Rooftops

Strategy[]

This mission is unique in that it is the only storyline mission in which no indicators appear on the HUD compass to mark the location of the mission objectives. Instead, each objective is marked by a rising column of smoke. At the base of each smoke signal is a burning pile of tires and debris, and activating a lever close to each pile lowers a lid to extinguish them. The smoke signals are arranged around the periphery of Old Haven and are most easily accessed by traversing the area in a clockwise circuit; north-east (Apartment District), south-east (Canal District), south-west (Junkyard) and north-west (Rooftops).

Also on the clockwise path are objectives for the mission Bandit Treasure: Three Corpses, Three Keys, the first being a trio of bandit corpses to the north where the mission is obtained. This mission can be done in conjunction with shutting down the smoke signals with the various keys found spaced between smoke signal locations.

Old Haven can be a tough area for the unprepared, as it is garrisoned by a large contingent of Crimson Lance. Movement through the town is best carried out using urban combat techniques, such as the judicious use of cover and elevation, use of grenades and long-range weapons, and the tactic of clearing one area before continuing to the next. The use of corrosive weapons is recommended. In addition to the Lance soldiers an elevated pair of Gatling Turrets cover the Apartment District and another well-guarded pair cover the Canal District, making an open-ground approach difficult.

Completion[]

"Thank you, here's the reward I promised. By the way, I contacted Steele. Without mentioning your name, I told her there was an attack on 'New Haven residents.' She tells me her men were acting on their own. My ass. I know she wants to turn New Haven into another Lance fiefdom, just like Sanctuary. We'll see about that."

Trivia[]

  • Even after shutting down the smoke signals, the columns of smoke will still be visible from The Rust Commons East.
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