Finding the Research Station 57 Treasure: What Most Players Get Wrong

You've likely spent way too much time wandering around the frozen, metallic corridors of Research Station 57. It's one of those locations in The First Descendant that feels like it’s hiding a secret in every shadow, yet most players just blitz through the "Unknown Laboratory" mission without realizing they’re leaving loot on the table. Finding the Research Station 57 treasure isn't actually about a literal chest of gold—this isn't Uncharted. It’s about the Encrypted Vaults.

These vaults are the bane of every casual player’s existence. You hear that high-pitched "ping" while your Ecive is scanning, but you can't see anything. It’s frustrating. Honestly, it’s one of the more opaque mechanics in the game. If you're looking for that specific payout in the Sterile Land, you have to understand how the acoustics of the scan work and exactly which corners of the facility the developers decided to tuck these boxes into.

Most people think the "treasure" is a guaranteed drop. It isn't. It's a game of hide-and-seek with a RNG payout that can either give you the high-level materials you need for crafting or just a handful of kuiper shards that feel like a slap in the face.

Why Everyone Struggles with the Research Station 57 Treasure

The facility is vertical. That’s the problem. Most gamers are used to a 2D mini-map mentality where "X marks the spot," but in Station 57, the ping might be coming from a catwalk thirty feet above your head or a maintenance crawlspace beneath your boots.

When you’re hunting for the Research Station 57 treasure—specifically those Encrypted Vaults—you have to use the Ecive scan. If you hear a low-pitched thud, you’re looking in the wrong direction. If you hear a sharp, metallic "ding," you’re getting warmer. It’s basically a game of "hot or cold" but with sci-fi sound effects. It’s incredibly easy to miss these because the visual cues are subtle. Look for those small, coffin-shaped canisters with a holographic interface.

But here is the catch: you need Code Analyzers.

You can’t just walk up and open these. If you haven't been farming enough missions to drop Code Analyzers (or the more advanced Precise and Ultra-Precision variants), you’re going to find the vault and then just... stare at it. It sucks. There is nothing worse than finding the "treasure" and realizing you forgot your keys.

The Enzo Factor (The Secret Sauce)

If you are trying to loot the Research Station 57 treasure without using the character Enzo, you’re playing on hard mode for no reason. Enzo’s passive ability makes the vault-opening mini-game significantly easier. The timer moves slower. The success zones are bigger. Plus, he gets better rewards.

Seriously.

If you open an Encrypted Vault with Bunny or Ajax, you get the standard loot. If you open it with Enzo, the yield for rare materials like Negative Ion Particles or Mixed Energy Residue can be substantially higher. It’s the difference between needing ten runs to craft a part and needing two.

Locating the Specific Vault Points

The "Unknown Laboratory" area within the Research Station 57 complex is the primary hunting ground. Don't just follow the mission markers.

• The Lower Basement: Near the initial descent, there’s often a vault tucked behind the large cylindrical vats.
• The Server Rooms: Check the corners behind the humming server stacks. The game likes to hide them in the "U" turns where players usually just sprint past.
• The Final Boss Chamber: Before you trigger the final encounter, scan the perimeter. Sometimes a vault spawns right in the open, but players are too focused on the incoming mobs to notice the ping.

The rewards here are specifically geared toward endgame crafting. We are talking about the components for Ultimate Descendants. If you are wondering why you can’t find enough "Conductive Metallic Foil," it’s because you aren't looting these vaults.

Stop Making These Mistakes

Stop sprinting. I know, everyone wants to move fast. But the Ecive scan doesn't work well when you're grappling at 50 miles per hour. Slow down. Use the scan every ten meters.

Also, don't waste your Ultra-Precision Code Analyzers on "Normal" difficulty. Save the high-tier keys for "Hard" mode. The loot tables change. If you use a rare key on a low-level vault in Research Station 57, you’re basically burning money.

Another thing? The visual "hologram" that appears when you scan actually points toward the vault. It’s a tiny white diamond shape. Most people miss it because they’re looking for a chest, not a UI element. Keep your eyes on the center of your screen when you pulse the scan.

The Research Station 57 treasure isn't a myth, but it’s definitely tucked away by developers who clearly enjoy watching players get lost. The Sterile Land is a grindy place, but if you hit the vaults in the station, the grind becomes a lot more manageable.

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Actionable Steps for Your Next Run

1. Switch to Enzo. If you don't have him, start farming his parts. He is the king of vault hunting.
2. Check your inventory for Code Analyzers. You need at least five of each type before you go on a dedicated run.
3. Set your game to Private. There is nothing more annoying than a random teammate starting the mission and pulling you into the next room while you’re trying to crack a vault.
4. Focus on the audio. Put on headphones. The directional audio for the Ecive scan is actually decent and will tell you if the vault is above or below you.
5. Clear the mobs first. The vault mini-game has a timer, and if a random Vulgus shoots you, it can mess up your rhythm and waste your key.

Go to the Sterile Land, enter the Station 57 complex, and listen for the ping. The materials are there, you just have to stop running past them.