You’ll take on “Hazard a Gas” quest in The Outer Worlds 2 on the Golden Ridge region of Dorado — a sunbaked wasteland where Auntie’s Choice sends its most disposable workers (which includes you). The quest starts once you meet Sr. Contract Medicalist Cormier at Outpost Opportunity, a small camp in the northern part of the map. Cormier is trying to fix the camp’s AutoDocs, but the machines are useless without compression coils, which are delicate medical parts scattered after a drop-pod crash.
You can start Hazard a Gas in one of two ways:
- Talk to Cormier directly at Outpost Opportunity.
- Find any AutoDoc compression coil in the wild and pick one up to automatically start the quest in your journal.
Either way, Cormier will ask you to retrieve 15 compression coils scattered across the region, though your map won’t mark all of them (at least not at first). You can, however, buy or hack your way into getting partial drop pod data later, more on that below.
Mark Drop Pods on the Map
Before you go coil-hunting, you can make your life a lot easier. Head to the northern watchtower at Fort Endurance. Inside, you’ll find a soldier manning a terminal related to Auntie’s scouting network. If your Hack skill is high enough, you can use the terminal to flag most of the drop pod crash sites. If not, the soldier will happily sell you that info for money – humanitarian aid is a billable service in this galaxy.
This will mark roughly 13 of the 15 AutoDoc compression coils. The final two are completely unmarked, so you’ll still have to rely on your explorer’s instinct (and this guide).
All AutoDoc Compression Coil Locations in The Outer Worlds 2
There are 15 coils total, usually packed inside green Auntie’s Choice drop pods from the canyons near Matriarch’s Mercy to the zyranium-choked fields west of Fort Endurance. Most pods hold 1–3 coils each. Here’s how to track them all down.
1. South of Matriarch’s Mercy
The compression coil can be found southwest of Matriarch’s Mercy, a major landmark you’ll visit for the main questline. Look along the southern cliffs, and you’ll spot a green pod beside the cliffs where you will find two coils.
2. West of Alexandra Station
From the landing tram station where you first set foot on Golden Ridge, loop around the northeast cliffside. There’s a narrow ledge that snakes up to a spider den. Clear them out and check the pod at the back of the cave for three coils. If you’re squeamish, enable Arachnophobia Mode before going in. It helps.
3. On the Tram Platform East of the Extraction Center
From the Decommissioned Autonomous Extractorium, follow the tram tracks east all the way up to reach the higher plateau. You’ll need double-jump boots (the P.A.L.E. ones from “A Final Death for Gravity”) to make the jumps between rail sections. Jump left onto the cliffs from the rail track once at the higher level and follow the path through rocks until you come across a ruined platform that holds a pod guarded by a Mega Mantisaur. Rush in, loot the two coils, and jet — you don’t need to win that fight.
4. Near the Scrapper’s Den
This one’s right northwest of the Scrapper’s Den fast travel point. Easy to miss because it mixes with the rusted junk piles. Crack open the green pod here for one coil.
5. West of the Extraction Center
One AutoDoc compression coil is located at the westernmost part of Golden Ridge. Move through the rocky trail to come across a pod half-sunk in the dirt beside some broken machinery. It’s unguarded and single coil for your collection.
6. Verachnid Cave West of Fort Endurance
Located in the northwestern section of the map. Move west from the Fort Endurance, there’s a cave network infested with Verachnids just beyond the ridge, where you’ll find a pod with two coils inside, along with a corpse with a third compression coil beside it.
7. Fort Endurance East Cliffside (Zyranium Field)
Head down the slope east-north of Fort Endurance until your Geiger counter starts hissing. This area is drenched in toxic Zyranium gas. Equip the Gas-Energy Deflection Apparatus and sprint to the pod sitting in the haze. You’ll find two coils inside before your lungs start to melt.
8. Near Science Outpost
In the northeastern part of the map, move north from the trenches by climbing through the rocky cliffs until you come across a ledge with the pod. Climb up the slope and open it for one last coil. Beware the stray Mantisaurs that usually nap there.
Return to Medicalist Cormier
Once you’ve collected all 15 AutoDoc compression coils, return to Medicalist Cormier at Outpost Opportunity. You can hand in the coils all at once or in batches of five (each batch helps repair an AutoDoc for the camp).
Cormier will reward you with:
- Around 1,400–1,500 XP
- ~500–1,500 Bits (depends on delivery count)
- Trauma Kit
- Light Pistol Plasma Barrel Mod and crafting blueprint
- Sentience Armor (unique) — restores health equal to 30% of damage taken
- AC Adreno Infusion Starter Plus, a unique primer
- +3 Reputation with Auntie’s Choice
There’s also a hidden perk — Inhalent Scavenger, which levels up all drug inhaler effects by +20%.
