The Fadefields Vault walkthrough in Borderlands 4
The first primordial Vault you can explore in Borderlands 4 is the Fadefields Vault a.k.a. Vault of Inceptus.
Primordial Vaults are small dungeons where you find many treasures for you to claim if you have the skills — and the guns — to defeat the final boss. Unlocking a Vault requires you to find three key fragments and then locate the entrance. The process is considerably long, but completing Vaults is the only way to gain upgrades for your glide pack.
To help you out, in this Borderlands 4 guide, we explain where you can find the three Vault key fragments in the Fadefields region, where the Vault door is located, and all you need to know to defeat Primordial Guardian Inceptus.
Fadefields Vault key fragment locations
You need to find three Vault key fragments in the Fadefields region. To find them by yourself, you can unlock the Silos in The Howl, Coastal Bonescape, and Dissected Plateau for them to pinpoint the areas where you need to look for the fragments.
Below you find the maps and location of each fragment in case you want a straightforward answer.
Fragment #1 location
You find this fragment northeast of The Launchpad, the home to the Outbounders in The Howl area. You need to climb some rocks to find a small cave where the fragment is located.
Fragment #2 location
This second fragment is in the Idolator’s Noose region, southeast of the Someday Rise Safehouse. There are many enemies in the area, and you will need to use the grappling hook to access the room where the fragment is located.
Fragment #3 location
The last fragment is on the southwest side of Coastal Bonescape. Go to the Abandoned Post Safehouse and head southwest to find the Stillshore village.
To find this fragment, you need to follow the main corridor heading northwest and then turn left. You will need to glide to a small corridor behind one of the houses. The Vault key fragment is on top of a box.
Fadefields Vault door location
Once you have the three Vault key fragments, you can go after the Vault door, which is hidden in the Dissected Plateau region.
You will find the debris of the Arch of Inceptus and the console where you need to place the fragments at the top of the highest area southwest of the “Zadra’s Backup Plan” fast travel station.
Inside the Vault, there isn’t much you can do besides move forward and defeat all the enemies to unlock the next section. There are a few vending machines between the areas so you can replenish ammo and sell your loot.
How to defeat the Primordial Guardian Inceptus
The big baddie monster awaiting you at the end of the Fadefields Vault is called Primordial Guardian Inceptus.
This fight is considerably more difficult than the previous boss fights the game had thrown at you early on, because you will need to depend on using the grappling hook and your glide pack to survive. The boss is always two levels up on you, so regardless of when you explore this Vault, it will still be a challenge.
We were at level 14 when we fought Inceptus, and we had a tough time. If you’re better equipped, you might have less trouble.
The fight against the Primordial Guardian Inceptus can be split into two phases — the main phase and the cocoon phase — that will alternate during the encounter.
Primordial Guardian Inceptus main phase
The main phase is basically when Inceptus uses its primary attack rotation at you. It mostly tries to hit you with sweep tail attacks, which are well-telegraphed, so you can see when it is about to do it. To avoid most of them, use your glide pack to dodge by sidestepping or jumping and gliding above the area it is aiming at.
Smaller enemies spawn on the arena mostly to give you a chance to get a second wind if you fall, so don’t worry too much about them. You should, on the other hand, destroy the spores Inceptus releases, which will explode when closer to you.
During the main phase, you want to use your grappling hook to remove parts of the Inceptus’ armor. This will expose weak spots that you should focus on to deal more damage to it.
Another move the boss uses from time to time during this phase is an area-of-effect attack where it jumps onto the ceiling, shoots projectiles around the arena, and thrusts its tail at you. Do not stay too long in the same spot when it is on the ceiling, because the thrust attack is fast and hard to dodge.
Later in the fight, Inceptus starts to use a new attack where it sticks its two tails into the ground. As you might have guessed, the tips of the tails will eventually come from the underground and try to hit you. We started to experience this move only after the boss’s health bar was under 50%. The best strategy to avoid this attack is to keep moving around the arena and use the dash from your glide pack to dodge the attack.
Primordial Guardian Inceptus cocoon phase
We don’t know whether this phase is triggered because of specific conditions or if it is scripted. In our experience, we experienced it twice during the fight, and it’s a bit tricky.
The phase starts when Inceptus uses both of their tails to lift to the ceiling and becomes a giant cocoon. At the same time, the ground will be covered with a poisonous green liquid. To escape from it, you need to use the plants that are hanging from the ceiling.
Use your grappling hook to pull yourself up to one of the plants, which will momentarily work as a platform. The plant starts to get loose after you land on it and eventually falls, so you need to always change plants to stay safe from the poisonous goo.
Throughout this phase, the cocoon will also release poisonous spores that you can destroy or just avoid by moving to another plant.
While you’re jumping from one plant to another, you want to shoot the top part of the cocoon. If you destroy the cocoon by completely depleting its health bar, the boss will fall into the arena stunned for a short period, which is a great burst window. If you don’t destroy it, the boss returns to the main phase, attacking you again.
Survive the encounter and beat the boss to complete the Vault and receive cash, Eridium, and an upgrade to your glide pack, reducing the time it takes to regenerate its bar. If you want, you can repeat the fight like other boss fights in the game. At level 34, we had to pay $27,200 cash to enter the arena again.