Black Tusk Kill Squads and completed Retaliations can roll rare Exotic crafting blueprints, including Raid and Dark Zone exclusives.
PC / Global, Year 8 Season 3: Red Horizon (Update Y8S3.2)
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Where to farm
Retaliation activities across Washington, D.C. and Manhattan, triggered through faction activity and the Agitation Meter.
Retaliations are faction responses triggered by building agitation through combat and related activities. Black Tusk versions can happen in Washington, D.C. and Warlords of New York. Kill Squad and full-event blueprint rewards are chances, not guaranteed drops.
A build able to handle faction waves and potentially a Black Tusk Kill Squad.
Check the event panel and global difficulty before triggering or matchmaking.
Fight faction enemies and complete related activities to raise the relevant Agitation Meter.
Watch the meter and Retaliation indicators; Black Tusk agitation can also advance while fighting other factions, more slowly.
When a Retaliation is available, trigger it and follow the event marker to the combat area.
Clear the faction waves while watching for the optional Black Tusk Maneuver objective, which can add time when completed.
Identify and defeat any Kill Squad that appears; an Elite squad, BTSU Team 9, is rarer and more dangerous.
Complete the Retaliation and collect the enemy drops, including any DIAMOND Transceivers.
Inspect rewards and inventory for blueprint unlocks; full Retaliations and Kill Squad defeats have separate chance-based blueprint pools.
Farming tips
The Black Tusk Kill Squad can appear during other factions’ Retaliations, so a Black Tusk-specific trigger is not the only opportunity.
Current patch rules permit up to three back-to-back triggers when agitation is filled past thresholds; check the meter and event UI.
Repeat, collect and use
Repeat by rebuilding agitation and triggering further events. Retaliations are permanent; BTSU Team 9 availability was described as limited to the Rise Up season, so verify its current availability.
Common mistakes
Assuming every Retaliation produces an Exotic blueprint; these are chance rewards.
Ignoring the Maneuver objective; completing it adds time and can help preserve the event run.
Entering a high-pressure fight without accounting for Kill Squad strength; adjust global difficulty or group up.
When to stop or switch
Stop after obtaining the blueprint you want or when the squad’s difficulty makes further attempts inefficient; return when your build or group is stronger.
