Icarus Missions Guide: Mission Types, Prospect Details, Rewards, & More

Also called prospects, Icarus open-world missions are objectives players must complete to progress. These tasks can range from fetching items to recovering downed satellites. So, if you’re stuck in one (or a few) of the missions in Icarus, we’re here to help you complete it!

How to Unlock Missions in Icarus

It’s important to mention that each prospect is part of a mission tree in Icarus. So, a player must clear a prerequisite prospect before they can unlock the next mission. Thankfully, progress for the missions is saved and account-bound. That means the mission progress is shared for the entire account instead of one character, reducing the grind. Additionally, each mission or prospect is classified by geographic region. However, you don’t need to complete all missions in a particular region to unlock the prospects in other locations. Note that each mission has a recommended level at which to complete it. Nonetheless, this recommendation isn't a requirement, and you're free to take on the prospect regardless of your current level.

Mission Types

Missions in Icarus generally fall under 11 categories, which are the following:

• Construction
• Delivery
• Expedition
• Extermination
• Extraction
• Survey
• Recon
• Recovery
• Research
• Scan
• Stockpile

Each prospect category has various missions underneath it. Below, you’ll find each mission available in Icarus, along with its details and rewards.

Construction Missions

As its name implies, construction missions in Icarus generally require players to build structures at specific locations. Note that some of these regions and the way to get to those areas can be dangerous. So, ensure proper preparation for the travel and the task at hand.

Pyramid

• Objectives: From the forest, reach the construction location in the northern desert to establish a Hunting Outpost.
• Required Items: Wood Rag Torch, Bone Knife, Wood Bow, and Bone Arrows
• Required Workstation Blueprints: Skinning Bench, Trophy Bench, Textiles Bench, and Rain Reservoir
• Difficulty: Hard
• Recommended Level: 15
• Rewards: 175 Rocketbucks

Sandbox

• Objectives: Reach the building location in the desert biome and construct a Forge area, including its required workstations.
• Required Workstation Blueprints: Biofuel Generator, Electric Furnace, Directional Worklamp, Electric Dehumidifier, and Machining Bench
• Difficulty: Hard
• Recommended Level: 30
• Rewards: 600 Rocketbucks

Influx

• Objectives: Build small barracks in the Arctic, along with the required workstations, for the Uniao faction.
• Required Workstation Blueprints: Bedroll, Pot Belly Stove, Cooking Station, and Oxidizer
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 275 Rocketbucks

Life Line

• Objectives: Reach the prospect location and prepare medical facilities, along with their required workstations, for the ACS faction.
• Required Workstation Blueprints: Bedroll, Herbalism Bench, Crop Plot, Kitchen Bench, and Biofuel Stove
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 20
• Rewards: 350 Rocketbucks

Delivery Missions

Unlike the construction missions, only one delivery prospect exists in Icarus at the time of writing. As the mission category implies, players must deliver an item to a specific location while going through unique challenges.

Fire Walk

• Objectives: Retrieve the flechette from a deadly terraforming satellite from its crash site and return it to your dropship before it decays in 25 minutes.
• Required Items: Pickaxe, Axe, Knife, Basic Bow, and Stone Arrows
• Difficulty: Moderate to Hard
• Recommended Level: 15
• Rewards: 250 Rocketbucks

Expedition Missions

Icarus missions under the expedition category typically require Prospectors to enter hazardous locations to complete specific objectives. These tasks can range from recovering items to setting up equipment.

Icestorm

• Objectives: Help the Lagos faction in recovering three device components. Then, assemble the Disruptor at an above-ground location in the Glacier Arctic region while ensuring the machine is sheltered.
• Difficulty: Normal
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 125 Rocketbucks

Waterfall

• Objectives: Search for a route to the Riverlands boundary, collect the beacon from the dropship, and construct a path to the rock barrier to reach the transmission zone. Then, deploy the beacon in the transmission zone.
• Difficulty: Hard
• Recommended Level: 15
• Rewards: 175 Rocketbucks

Dry Run

• Objectives: Prospectors must find and retrieve pieces of equipment for drilling and fueling for the Lagos Group. Then, find the cave entrance and drill through two cave-ins.
• Difficulty: Hard
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 125 Rocketbucks

El Camino

• Objectives: Find the crash sites that the Lagos faction sent but met an untimely demise. Also, defeat the Sandworm from one of those locations.
• Difficulty: Hard
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 250 Rocketbucks

Avalanche

• Objectives: The Lagos Group requests Prospectors to reach the Arctic Pass while navigating through an avalanche. Players must scout the area once they arrive.
• Difficulty: Hard
• Recommended Level: 30
• Rewards: 600 Rocketbucks

Tip: Use mounts to quickly travel to the designated locations.

Extermination Missions

Extermination prospects typically require Prospectors to “dispatch” a specific yet challenging boss-style predator. Apart from the money received from completing the mission, a successful extermination prospect also grants the victor a unique medal.

Kill List

• Objectives: Search and defeat the Alpha Wolf in the Forest Biome.
• Difficulty: Normal
• Recommended Level: 13
• Rewards: 125 Rocketbucks

Wet Work

• Objectives: Search, lure, and defeat the Jaguar in the Forest Biome.
• Difficulty: Hard
• Recommended Level: 13
• Rewards: 250 Rocketbucks

Clean Up

• Objectives: Search the Mammoth in the Arctic biome. Then, skin the animal to collect its tusk and return the prize to your dropship.
• Difficulty: Hard
• Recommended Level: 15
• Rewards: 300 Rocketbucks

Dust Up

• Objectives: Find and lure the Sandworm in the Desert biome. Then, defeat the boss-like creature and return to your dropship.
• Difficulty: Moderate
• Recommended Level: 15
• Rewards: 400 Rocketbucks

Extraction Missions

Missions under the extraction category typically require Prospectors to mine special resources. Completing these prospects also unlocks the type of Exotic source found on those missions.

Deep Vein

• Objectives: Search and mine Exotics in the Arctic biome. Then, deliver the extracted minerals to your dropship’s storage.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 150 Rocketbucks and up to 64 Exotics (if all Exotic nodes are found)

Payday

• Objectives: Craft a Radar and Extractor. Then, use the Radar to find and mine Exotics in the Arctic biome.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 30
• Rewards: 400 Rocketbucks

Survey Missions

Prospectors must typically set up multiple Geo-Stations around a specified area in survey missions. However, setting up these stations can also attract predators, which means players must also be ready for fights.

Headstone

• Objectives: Survey three Geo-Stations at the forest valley for the Uniao faction. Then, deploy an Uplink at the final point and defend it.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 5
• Rewards: 75 Rocketbucks

Spirit Level

• Objectives: Retrieve Survey Beacons from a specified Supply Pod. Then, gather survey data for the Sinotai faction. Deploy the Survey Beacon and defend it from predators.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 150 Rocketbucks

Clustered

• Objectives: Find the device drop location and deploy four sheltered devices.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 15 to 30
• Rewards: 300 Rocketbucks

Station to Station

• Objectives: The Uniao faction requests Predators to travel to the Arctic biome to survey the area.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 30
• Rewards: 300 Rocketbucks

Recon Missions

The Recon mission in Icarus teaches a new Prospector the game's essential features and systems. New players must generally go through this mission to understand how the game works.

Beachhead

• Objectives: Complete basic tasks (e.g., hunt, gather, craft, and build a shelter)
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 0
• Rewards: N/A

Note: Beachhead is Icarus’ tutorial mission.

Recovery Missions

Recovery missions in Icarus typically involve repairing or retrieving items. Some prospects under this category also require Prospectors to repair damaged objects before recovering them.

Voyager

• Objectives: Search for the ship at a crash site and repair it. Then, charge its internal battery and track the creature that stole its Cargo. Retrieve the stolen Cargo and refuel the ship.
• Difficulty: Medium to Hard
• Recommended Level: 30
• Rewards: 650 Rocketbucks and 200 Exotics

Broken Arrow

• Objectives: The UDA requests Prospectors to recover the Bio-warhead from three specified locations.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 5
• Rewards: 150 Rocketbucks

Snowcrash

• Objectives: Recover the supply equipment for the ACS faction. Prospectors can find the missing items at three locations. Then, assemble the device.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 300 Rocketbucks

Field Test

• Objectives: Search three Crash Sites in the Desert biome and then assemble the device.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 15
• Rewards: 150 Rocketbucks

Concealment

• Objectives: Help Sinotai harvest and prepare catalytic materials for two containment units. Then, activate the containment units to the east and north of the Desert Canyon. Destroy the experiment after each successful activation attempt.
• Difficulty: Hard
• Recommended Level: 25
• Rewards: 400 Rocketbucks

Research Missions

Prospectors may consider research missions in Icarus to be the core of the game’s gameplay loop. Tasks under these prospects generally require Prospectors and their teams to venture out into specific locations. Once arrived, players must complete additional tasks, including (but not limited to) gathering resources and analyzing florae.

Strange Harvest

• Objectives: Help the Sinotai faction find and collect bio-samples in three different locations in the Forest biome.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 5
• Rewards: 50 Rocketbucks

Resurgence

• Objectives: Help the Sinotai faction find and collect bio-samples in three different locations in the Forest and Arctic biomes.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 150 Rocketbucks

Uplift

• Objectives: Help Group 15 collect two non-Earth-origin biodata in the Forest biome.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 200 Rocketbucks

Nightwatch

• Objectives: Help the Sinotai faction find and analyze unusual rock formations in two different locations at the Forest and Desert biomes.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 50 Rocketbucks

Unearth

• Objectives: Help the UDA analyze caveworm remains. Prospectors must first find the sample analyzer and construct a base near it. Supply the camp with power and water afterward. Then, acquire 50x Caveworm Scales and 15x Poison Sacks. Initiate the analyzer and defend it from the predators before testing the new cave worm equipment blueprints.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 35
• Rewards: 600 Rocketbucks and 200 Exotics

Cryogenic

• Objectives: Help the Sinotai complete multiple investigation, recovery, and assembly requests.
• Difficulty: Medium to Hard
• Recommended Level: 25
• Rewards: 650 Rocketbucks and 200 Exotics

Scan Missions

As the mission category suggests, scan prospects generally require Prospectors to use scanners to gather data at designated points. These missions are typically easier to complete compared to other prospects.

Livewire

• Objectives: Collect a Radar from the Supply Crate. Then, use the tool to help the Lagos Unit scan for new drop sights in three different locations on Icarus.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 5
• Rewards: 100 Rocketbucks

Searchlight

• Objectives: Aid the Lagos faction in surveying the Arctic biome using a collected Radar from a supply pod.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 150 Rocketbucks

Incursion

• Objectives: The Lagos unit requests help from able Prospectors to use a Radar from a supply pod to discover new drop zones in the Forest biome.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 200 Rocketbucks

Seven Pillars

• Objectives: Survey the desert biome for the Lagos unit using a Radar from a supply pod.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 10
• Rewards: 200 Rocketbucks

Snowblind

• Objectives: The Lagos unit requests assistance from Prospectors to use a Radar from a supply pod to locate new drop zones in the Arctic biome.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 15
• Rewards: 250 Rocketbucks

Death Ray

• Objectives: Deploy a Radar acquired from a supply pod to scan three different locations in the desert biome. Prospectors must also protect the device from predators as it scans these areas.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Recommended Level: 15
• Rewards: 150 Rocketbucks

Stockpile Missions

Stockpile missions in Icarus typically require Prospectors to gather specific resources. However, these tasks should be completed within the specified time limits.

Advanced Order

• Objectives: Deposit a list of munitions and consumables for the Sinotai faction.
• Difficulty: Hard
• Recommended Level: 25
• Rewards: 650 Rocketbucks

Solid Metal

• Objectives: Travel to the specified locations and deposit a list of resources for the ACS faction.
• Difficulty: Medium to Hard
• Recommended Level: 25
• Rewards: 350 Rocketbucks

Ramp Up

• Objectives: Travel to two different map locations and provide supplies for the ACS faction.
• Difficulty: Hard
• Recommended Level: 20
• Rewards: 600 Rocketbucks

Agriculture

• Objectives: Travel to two different map locations and provide supplies for the Sinotai faction.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 15
• Rewards: 250 Rocketbucks

Hydroponics

• Objectives: Build and furnish a greenhouse for the ACS faction.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Recommended Level: 25
• Rewards: 250 Rocketbucks