Shani's "With a View" isn't hard because the enemies are tougher. It's hard because the map just won't cooperate. You drop into Stella Montis thinking you'll knock it out in one clean run, then you spend twenty minutes opening boxes that are basically full of air. If you want to speed it up, treat it like a loot route, not a mission, and keep an eye on what can actually spawn in higher-tier containers. I ended up checking ARC Raiders Items between runs just to sanity-check what I was chasing and whether I was wasting my time.

Step 1: Getting the Rotary Encoder

You can't do the real objective until you've got a Rotary Encoder, and that's where the mission starts to mess with you. There isn't a reliable "go here, pick it up" spot. It's RNG, plain and simple. Your best bet is to hit areas that tend to cough up Exodus-tier loot: Assembly, Business Center, and Medical Research. I've seen one turn up in the Lobby too, but I wouldn't build a route around it. If you're on a dead run and your first few clusters are empty, don't get stubborn. Extract or reset and take a fresh drop; you'll usually net more Encoders over time that way.

Step 2: The Control Room Switch (Don't Skip the Terminal)

Once the Encoder finally lands, don't leave the raid thinking you're "done." You need to burn it at the Assembly Line. Look for the indoor Control Rooms around the workshops, then hunt for the yellow server switch. It stands out when you're close. Interact with it to consume the Encoder, then do the part people keep forgetting: use the computer terminal nearby. Folks flip the switch, hear the noise, and sprint out like it's a heist movie. Then they wonder why the mission didn't move. Stay two extra seconds and confirm the terminal interaction actually ticks the objective.

Step 3: Ion Sputter Runs and Playing It Safe

After that, you're back to the loot grind for an Ion Sputter, and yeah, it feels even rarer. You might go three or four deployments before you see one. So don't play hero. Prioritise secure pockets the moment it drops, because getting jumped on the way to extraction is how people lose an hour. If you're running with friends, call it out immediately and decide who needs it. Don't do the awkward "wait, who picked it up?" argument while you're being third-partied.

Turning It In and Why It's Worth the Hassle

When you do make it back to Speranza, hand the Sputter to Shani and collect the payoff: Steel Springs, Wires, and that Rare Tactical MK.2 Augment that actually feels like a mid-game power bump. The mission's still a pain, but it gets less miserable once you stop trying to force it in one perfect run and start treating each deployment like a quick, targeted sweep. If you're short on crafting parts or want to keep your build moving without living in Stella Montis all night, it can also help to top up through U4GM so you're not stuck stalling progress while the loot tables refuse to cooperate.