Marvel’s Avengers guide: SHIELD Cache locations and the Vault Onboarding mission

In Marvel’s Avengers, there are a few secret SHIELD Vaults hidden in missions. These vaults lead to SHIELD Caches, which lead to new missions. You’ll need to find one of these SHIELD Caches in order to complete the Vault Onboarding mission chain, and therefore the Reigning Supreme mission.

Here’s where you can find SHIELD Caches in Marvel’s Avengers.

Stark Realities – Priority Threat Sector

Grid View

• Follow the left path until you get the radar. Use it to find the switch Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix via Polygon
• Follow the left path until you get the radar. Use it to find the switch Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix via Polygon
• Follow the left path until you get the radar. Use it to find the switch Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix via Polygon
• Follow the left path until you get the radar. Use it to find the switch Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix via Polygon
• Follow the left path until you get the radar. Use it to find the switch Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix via Polygon

There’s a hidden SHIELD Vault in the “Stark Realities” mission on the War Table. The mission asks you to be Gear Score 35 to get in, but you can ignore all the combat and still get the Cache. You should be able to launch the mission if you’re around 10 Gear Score under the requirement. Note that there is nothing on the War Table that indicates this mission contains a Vault. Without this guide, you’d need to just stumble upon it.

Once you load in, stay to the left. Instead of going toward the objective, follow the river path to the left. Remain left until you reach a cliff. By now, you should have a small radar in the top left of your screen. If you’ve played the campaign, you’ll recognize this from the mission where Bruce and Kamala find the SHIELD Vault.

The radar tells you how far away you are from the SHIELD Vault — the closer you get, distance count will decrease. If you go the wrong way, the number grows. Follow the radar to an open glade. If you look closely, you’ll see a hidden door under the grass. This is the Vault you’re looking for.

If you’re a flying character, you should land, as it’s very hard to find the switch you need to hit in the air. Follow the radar until you reach zero. You’re looking for a small, cylindrical, white siren sticking out of the ground. Interact with it to open the Vault.

When the Vault door slides open, walk inside and grab the SHIELD Cache. You’ll get some coordinates and complete the first step of the mission — you can also safely return to the Quinjet without losing progress. Now you need to level up a little more before you can actually complete the Desert Vault mission you’ve unlocked.

Heart of the Monster – Hulk Iconic mission

Grid View

• Follow the radar to find the cave entrance Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix via Polygon
• Follow the radar to find the cave entrance Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix via Polygon
• Follow the radar to find the cave entrance Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix via Polygon
• Follow the radar to find the cave entrance Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix via Polygon
• Follow the radar to find the cave entrance Image: Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix via Polygon

In the second Hulk Iconic mission, “Heart of the Monster,” there’s a hidden SHIELD Cache. It requires a higher gear score than “Stark Realities,” which you can focus on if your level isn’t high enough. You’ll also need to unlock “Heart of the Monster” by doing the rest of Hulk’s Iconic mission chain.

In “Heart of the Monster,” play through the mission until you find yourself in the open town. You’ll get an objective to “Secure the Asset.” Ignore that for now. Orient yourself so the objective is on your right, and you’re looking forward at the central building in town. From here, start walking west.

When you get near some of the cliff face, you’ll see the SHIELD radar in the top left of your screen. Follow the radar, moving with it so the number gets progressively lower. If the distance reader turns red and the number goes up, it means you’re going in the wrong direction.

Between 30-100 meters, you’ll see some trucks and a more open area with a tan rock in the middle. Nearby, there’s a cave with some construction barricades blocking the entrance. Go into the cave, and follow the path down.

At the ground level, you’ll find a little robot poking up from the ground. (It’s greenish, despite being in an all-brown environment.) Interact with it to open the vault.

Wait for the ground to slide open and reveal the vault. Go inside, and you’ll find the SHIELD Cache sitting on the ground.

We’ll add more SHIELD Caches to this guide as we find them.