Old man Nosek

Old man Nosek
Sidequest
Quest information
Location	Panacea Lab Coretech Research Facility Talloski Manor
Given by	Azif
Rewards	5000 classic XP / 5 oddity XP 1000 Stygian Coin Huxkey Optional rewards: 300 or 500 Stygian Coin (Sophie's monster) 100-400 Stygian Coin (for repairing monitor)
Related quests
Previous: Meet Azif

Azif has a mission for you.

Objectives

• Locate former Biocorp researcher Wit Nosek, dead or alive, and find out what it was he discovered while working on 'The Ark' project.

Quick walkthrough

• Get document codes from Panacea Lab computers in Upper Underrail
• Learn Nosek's assistant's name from Research Facility computers in Core City
• Talk to Wit Nosek on the attic of Talloski Manor in Core City
• Return to Azif for your reward

Detailed walkthrough

Gathering clues

The computer in Panacea Lab.

Examining the Oculus database reveals Nosek was a researcher on a project that took place in Panacea Lab, in Upper Underrail. Head there to get started. The lab is in northwest Upper Underrail, outside any of the colored primary metro lines. Dig through the Lab's computers for some clues on Wit Nosek. Most computers and terminals are unresponsive, but there is a functional computer at the north side of the lab. There you will find out that Biocorp's facilities in Core City may hold more information, along with some useful document codes and Nosek's alias Thallo.

In Core City, make your way to the Coretech Research Facility that used to belong to Biocorp. If you haven't already done so, you will have to complete the main storyline up to the point where you get Coretech Research Facility Key Card. On one of the research facility's computer consoles, you can learn Nosek's assistant's name using the codes you found in Panacea Lab. It will prove useful. The Abandoned Biocorp Facility in Core City holds no relevant information.

Optionally, you can ask Jon the Beautiful for information on Wit Nosek, but he knows nothing. If you have learned Nosek's nickname Thallo, Jon will note that Talloski sounds similar, but it will only trigger Gene's conversation about Talloski family.

Getting into Talloski manor

There are several ways to enter Talloski Manor and find old man Nosek inside.

Invited by Talloski family members

Two young Talloskis in Core City can invite you into their manor, allowing social infiltration without need for stealth.

• Sophie at Hardcore City Bar wants a monster. A Captured Borer will do. She will invite you to the manor once you either sell or give it to her. She pays 300 charons (500 with 40 effective mercantile) for the monster.
• Maxim outside Arena office will invite you to the manor if you have progressed enough in arena fights to become a gladiator, or if you flirt with him as a female player character.

Although both of them will give you access to first floor and Sophie could give you extra cash, characters lacking stealth may want to avoid Sophie, because she will keep her view including one ventilation shaft that can lead you to first floor armory. You can follow Maxim's invite, get the loot from armory, then sell a captured borer to Sophie.

After you've entered the manor, ask one of the Talloskis about their grandfather. Return to Oculus and ask Twitch to help you monitor Talloski manor. Release Cybernetic Spawn inside the manor and return to Twitch to learn about a broken monitor.

Return to the manor and tell Vlatko you can repair the monitor. From now on, you can access second floor openly. Only the basement will remain a restricted area. You can fix the broken monitor with 65 Electronics. Vlatko will pay you 100 charons by default, or you can attempt a mercantile check for 200 with 0 skill, 300 with 35 skill or 400 with 60 effective skill.

Stealth entry

Trespassing into the manor without being seen. Two of the manor's three entrances are well suited for covert entry.

Balcony: Sneak past or use noise to lure the back entrance guard away. Then go to the back door and climb up the crates (8 Agility required). Move by ventilation shafts and pay careful attention to patrolling guards and workers. You will not need to avoid first floor or basement guards with this method.

Basement: Sneak past or use noise to lure the back entrance guard away. To open the back door you can either lift the keycard from him, or hack the electronic lock (75 hacking required). There is a worker walking around in the basement with the key to the pens, the easiest route to the south section of the ventilation system. Move by ventilation shafts and pay careful attention to patrolling guards and workers. Basement entry could fit characters low on stealth but good at pickpocketing or hacking and lockpicking, or characters not agile enough to climb to the balcony.

Front entrance: Sneak past the front gate guard and into the main entrance's stairs. There are two stationary guards in the entrance hall. This is the hardest way to sneak in and requires very high stealth skill.

Frontal assault

The brute force option. Get inside the manor and kill everyone standing in your way.

Throw a grenade far enough to lure front gate guard away. If the guard goes far enough, you don't need any stealth skill to enter through the front entrance and won't trigger any hostilities outside the manor. The manor interior has "Leave No Witnesses" Zone Control rule. To be sure you won't get into trouble with guards later on, do as it says and leave no witnesses. Kill everyone inside the manor except old man Nosek.

If your character can't get into the manor's attic with subtler methods (hacking to unlock the attic door, or lockpicking/strength to open vents, or pickpocketing to steal a keycard) killing everyone inside the manor is the only way to complete this quest.

Manor attic

Once inside the manor you need to get into the attic one way or another. Either hack the attic door (100 hacking required), open the vent just beside the ladder (force open needs 8 Strength) and get the Attic Key Card or pickpocket Vlatko's Keycard from Vlatko and open the door or kill everyone in the manor if all else fails.

Talk to old man Nosek in the attic. He is somewhat deranged and no information can be extracted from him unless you know about his assistant and claim you are Al.

Once you find out what you could from Nosek, return to Azif for your reward. The main reward for this mission is Huxkey, a skeleton key-like device that combines reusable lockpicks, high quality hacking device and omni-tool.