Hunters and faction kill squads
Trigger Retaliations for rare Exotic blueprints
Black Tusk Kill Squads and completed Retaliations can roll rare Exotic crafting blueprints, including Raid and Dark Zone…
WHERE & HOW TO FARM
Trigger Retaliations for rare Exotic blueprints
Retaliation activities across Washington, D.C. and Manhattan, triggered through faction activity and the Agitation Meter.
Before you go
- Endgame access to Retaliation activities.
- 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.
Farming steps
- 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.
- 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.
Sources & fact checks
What you can get here
Open a guide to find other locations and see what the item is used for.