A reliable source for Pseudo is needed to break into the meth game in Schedule 1, but it doesn't outwardly present itself to players. Connections are the name of the game, and you'll have to prove yourself to others before they'll pass your name up the totem pole.

Schedule 1 drops players into the shoes of an up-and-coming drug dealer. Fresh in a new town and without product or clientele, players must literally grow an empire from nothing. The game starts you out with various strains of marijuana to bag, mix, and sell. But to move into the harder stuff, players will have to seek it out. That's easier said than done, as players will not only have to rub elbows with the right crowd but also earn the trust of those around town by being the best drug dealer they can be.

Have friends will travel

The key to unlocking Pseudo in Schedule 1 is to get in the good graces of certain characters. Specifically, you'll want to target Meg Cooley or Jerry Montero. Both reside in the Westville area of the map, and both NPCs can be unlocked as customers by seeking them out and offering a free sample of weed they'll enjoy. Meg prefers bud that's Sneaky or Slippery while Jerry likes the Smelly or Gingeritis traits. Both also favor weed that's Thought-Provoking.

Once either or both are customers, you'll want to prioritize their business. So long as players don't miss any calls for weed, they'll eventually become friendly with Meg or Jerry. Of course, you can speed up the process by offering drugs with the effects they like and by making speedy deliveries, which will also net you a nice little cash bonus.

After enough business has transacted between players and either Jerry or Meg, they'll stop you after a delivery to tell you about their friend, Shirley Watts. The new contact will get in touch with you ASAP and offer her services for your "nasty cough."

Dealing with Shirley Watts

After Shirley is unlocked as a supplier, players can order Pseudo via text. Like how you order dead drops of weed from Albert Hoover, Shirley will leave parcels to collect at various locations throughout town. Of course, the Pseudo isn't free. Players will have to drop money off at a drop box on the water-facing side of the Warehouse.

What do you use Pseudo for?

Pseudo is the main ingredient used for the production of meth in Schedule 1. But before players can turn the resource into something they can sell, there are a few more hoops to jump through. Once Pseudo is on the menu, the next objective for players will be to gain access to the Warehouse. In the Warehouse, players can find vendors that are otherwise unavailable throughout the rest of the game. One such vendor, Oscar, will offer equipment that players can use to start building their own meth empire.

To start manufacturing meth, players will need a Lab Oven and a Chemistry Station, offered by Oscar. The Warehouse vendor will also offer the other ingredients needed for the concoction, Acid and Phosphorus. Both the Lab Oven and the Chemistry Station cost a cool $1000 (cash only), but the Acid and Phosphorus ingredients are only $40 a piece.

With everything together, players can set up shop wherever they have the room and use the Chemistry Station to add the ingredients together and begin the process. After eight hours the mixture will become Meth (Liquid) and be ready for a round in the Lab Oven. Six more hours are required to turn that liquid into crystal meth, which can then be shattered, bagged, and sold.

The post How to find Pseudo in Schedule 1 appeared first on Destructoid.

The Path of Ambition may only have arrived in Destiny 2 with the second Act of Heresy, but it's quickly proving essential to the whole Episode. Once Guardians have access, they'll want to level it up as fast as possible.

Episode: Heresy has introduced a lot to Destiny 2 in its short time, including the player-approved Nether activity and now Act II's Court of Blades. Unlike other Episodes, Heresy even has two reputation reward tracks: one called Path of Resolve and another known as Path of Ambition. The latter Path is the key to certain rewards and milestones, like earning the second Barrow-Dyad Exotic Catalyst or the Elemental Siphon Boost Engraving on the Tome of Want. But it can feel like an uphill battle starting over with a new reputation track.

Thankfully for players, there are some ways to make the Path of Ambition easier to walk. There are a few tricks Guardians can lean on to earn all of the Path of Ambition reputation they need, and some methods will even work if you still need to rank up the Path of Resolve.

Reputation Gains

The activity loop to grind Path of Ambition rep

Based on how reputation is doled out, players can plan the order in which they do activities to maximize earnings. For example, it might make sense just to defeat the first boss and open its chest during a Nether run on Expert. Doing this a few times in a row, you'll net more rep than doing a complete run in the same amount of time. Thankfully, plenty of Essence of Desire will be dropping from defeated foes. So as long as players are keeping an eye out, they'll earn a nice little bonus every so often.

Afterward, once players have amassed a stack of 20 or 30 Metastasized Essentia, running a Court of Blades will reward an extra 175 XP and allow players to deposit the Metastasized Essentia at the end. Of course, Guardians can also take Metastasized Essentia to Eris' Flat in The Last City, but we're trying to optimize our time spent.

Don't count the story out

If players have the option, another great way to fast-track rep gains is by going through the Episode: Heresy story with a different character. Another Guardian will earn rep XP towards whatever Path is set in Eris' Flat. Assuming that's the Path of Ambition, catching an alternate character up to your others can help hasten the reputation grind. That said, before embarking on these one-time narrative missions, you should still check the Flat to ensure the right Path is set.

Another good thing to keep in mind is that characters retreading the story will already have access to Court of Blades. So the same loop as described above can also work to maximize the rep earned. After all, the Heresy story will frequently send players into The Nether, and there are plenty of Metastasized Essentia to pick up while in there.

It will definitely take some time and concerted effort, but so long as Guardians keep up with Heresy activities, they'll eventually master the Path of Ambition. If you want to speed things up a bit, it's all about optimizing the activities you're running.

The post Destiny 2: How to farm rep for Path of Ambition appeared first on Destructoid.

Destiny 2's Barrow-Dyad Exotic submachine gun has already proven itself fearsome in the short time it has been available. And it's only getting stronger as additional Exotic Catalysts are released that maximize the tool. The second Catalyst is straightforward to earn, but it might take Guardians a bit of time.

Many Exotic weapons in Destiny 2 have Exotic Catalysts, offering a bit of a boost to the gun's functionality. Craftable Exotics, on the other hand, offers a selection ofthem. Don't get it twisted, though; you have to go out and earn the right to use that Catalyst, and those requirements aren't often described to players.

Once Guardians complete the Derealize Exotic mission and earn the weapon, they can start working towards the first Barrow-Dyad Catalyst and others. While the requirements to earn the second Catalyst aren't particularly complex, it may take some players a lot of time, depending on how hard they play Destiny 2.

Earning Coalescence of Sorrow

Before players can start the Quest to earn the second Barrow-Dyad Catalyst in earnest, they'll need to unlock it first. To do so, Guardians must complete the first mission of Episode: Heresy's Act II. From there, players must interact with three secrets in The Nether: one in the Trenchway, another in the Mausoleum, and a final one in the Hall of Souls.

These three secrets are hidden mini-events in each area, and you may have already completed them while scouring The Nether.

• Lead "The Ravenous" Thrall to Hive worms in the Hall of Souls; it will first grow into an Acolyte and then into a Knight with the second set. Eliminate the Knight and loot the chest that appears.
• Light three braziers in the Trenchway. One is against the wall leading out of the zone (where the large divide and invisible platforms are), and the other two are on the round platform opposite the first. Once all three are lit, an Ogre will appear for Guardians to slay. Loot the chest that appears.
• Destroy four Blights on tentacles by the boss area in the Mausoleum. Each Blight will spawn a Taken Centurian, and a chest will appear when the last is defeated.

Getting another Osseous Spine

Each of the hidden objectives rewards a Coalesence of Sorrow. Once Guardians have all three, during a Nether run on any difficulty, head to the hidden room in the Trenchway navigated by revealing platforms with your Ghost (the one with an Essence of Desire chest). An interactable panel sits on the left side of the room. Typically, the interface tells players that they are "not worthy." However, Guardians can now interact with the panel to open a Taken portal in the room. The portal leads to a small alcove with two more chests. Both contain rewards, but one holds the Heavy Osseus Spine, allowing players to start the "A Hammer's Path" Quest.

An important piece of information is that some players have reported mixed success with being deemed "worthy" to open the portal. Some have speculated you must have max rank for Path of Ambition, but that was not my experience. I was Reputation Rank 6 when I accessed the portal. Once opened, Fireteam members with me could also enter the portal and nab the Heavy Osseus Spine, even if they didn't already have Barrow-Dyad.

A Hammer's Path

The requirements to complete the first step of the A Hammer's Path Quest are straightforward: Guardians must hit milestones concerning the Path of Ambition. There are three milestones to hit within the Quest, with the final being Rank 12 or max Rank. Essentially, players will want to prioritize farming Path of Ambition rep if they focus on earning the Catalyst as fast as possible.

Considering the Path of Ambition has only been accessible for a little over a week, it may take some players time to push through the ranks. Once players get there, the next part of the Quest will test those who aren't used to Expert difficulty. To complete A Hammer's Path, Guardians must finish a run of The Nether on Expert difficulty using specific weapons. Here's what's allowed:

• The Barrow-Dyad submachine gun
• Any shotgun
• Any glaive
• Any sword

While it makes sense to expect the Barrow-Dyad as a part of that loadout requirement, the melee-centric equipment will make The Nether even more dangerous on Expert. Players can take a few approaches to this, with options significantly opening up if you have a Fireteam to tag along. Bringing in some Exotic Class glaives and Legendary swords with one player using a good roll of Ergo Sum could be fun. Either way, once the task is complete, players will gain access to the Hatchling Perk on Barrow-Dyad.

The Catalyst will still need to be applied to the weapon via The Enclave on Savathun's Throne World. However, once that's done, Hatchling will spawn Threadlings when players get a precision kill or three kills within three seconds and the effect can occur every three seconds. It can make for a pretty spicy combo, along with the Artifact's Unraveling Orbs and Horde Shuttle options.

The post How to get Catalyst 2 for Barrow-Dyad in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

The Keraunios is a new trace rifle that arrived in Destiny 2 as part of 2025's Guardian Games event. While players have had no shortage of Arc trace rifles over the last few months, this one has some particularly interesting rolls for PvE players, especially given the current Artifact.

Destiny 2 is always adding new weapons and loot to the game, and there's no better time than during a holiday or event. The Guardian Games have started back up, and along with a new boss rush activity, the Keraunios trace rifle is up for grabs. It's one that PvE-minded players will want to spend some time hunting, as the gun can drop with some of the best Arc Perks currently in the game. But what exactly are you looking for as you sort through the pile of trace rifles after some Rushdown or Supremacy games?

God Rolls for the Keraunios trace rifle

The Keraunios has some pretty solid Perk options across the board, with several viable options to run the weapon, depending on what Guardians want it to do. Though there are a few notable rolls to hunt down, players may notice that the trace rifle leans more towards the side of PvE content. Plenty of other great trace rifles are out there for PvP, including the recent Warlord's Spear from Iron Banner.

If you want something to trigger Arc Jolt...

The roll I imagine most Guardians will be hunting is for Overflow and Jolting Feedback. Jolting Feedback has been a favorite this Episode, causing the Arc Jolt effect with sustained damage. Overflow is a natural pairing, doubling magazine size when players collect Special or Heavy ammo. With that in mind, we'll want to prioritize magazine size and our potential to land hits. Backup Mag allows using a Magazine Mod that doesn't exclusively focus on adding ammo.

If you want something to do lots of area damage...

If you want something that can take out groups of enemies at a time, look for the Detonator Beam Perk. It causes explosions at targets after they've suffered sustained damage from the weapon. And what better Perk to help support sustained Damage than the magazine increasing Overflow. In this case, we'll want Freehand Grip to make the weapon easier to use without aiming down the sights, so Ionized Battery helps get our magazine back up to max.

If you want something for PvP...

If Guardians missed their chance to grab a Warlord's Spear the last time Iron Banner was around, Keraunios can do in a pinch. It's not as tailor-made for PvP as Saladin's offering, so it might take a little more hunting before you're lucky enough to get the few Crucible-minded perks to appear. Depending on whether you trust your lethality and want some ability regain or some improved sustained fire, Recycled Energy or Dynamic Sway Reduction do well in the first Perk slot. For the second, there are not many options, so Closing Time will often be the best choice. Similarly, players can alter their Weapon Mod based on the Barrel and Magazine Mods they get.

If you want something unique...

One roll I'll be keeping an eye out for is Recycled Energy and Rolling Storm. While it's not particularly powerful on its own, this Perk combination has some serious potential. Rolling Storm is new for this Episode, generating Bolt Charge on final blows. It's great for Arc players, but it could be even more useful to Guardians using another Subclass that wants in on the electrifying action. Recycled Energy restores energy to the lowest ability when reloading after a kill. That's good on its own, but coupled with the Origin Trait, Classy Contender, it takes on a new light.

Classy Contender restores Class ability energy whenever you defeat an enemy with that weapon. If Guardians are frequently getting Class ability energy, it's unlikely that Recycled Energy gain will go to your Class ability, which means it'll become either grenade or melee energy. That is to say, running Keraunios with Recycled Energy (and getting kills) should restore a ton of ability energy across the board.

Especially after Episode: Heresy, once the current Artifact Perks have gone away, and it's harder to trigger Bolt Charge, this Perk combo could offer some wild builds with the right setup.

The post Best perks and god roll for Keraunios in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

The spirit of competition ignites again as the Guardian Games event returns to Destiny 2. The celebration may be an annual occurrence, but the 2025 Guardian Games will be different. Of course, there are new rewards, but there's also a boss rush activity as the main course.

The Guardian Games is an event in Destiny 2 where each player class competes against one another to see which can prove themselves the mightiest Guardians of the year. Traditionally, the event has featured a mix of PvP and Strike activities, but this year, there's a new offering: Rushdown.

Guardians can still test their grit in the PvP Supremacy mode, but Rushdown is the flagship offering for this Guardian Games. While Guardian Games is active, participating players can try the activity or jump into Supremacy to rack up Medallions and earn some new loot from the event. It's practically a win-win.

How to start the 2025 Guardian Games

As of March 11, players logging into Destiny 2 will be greeted with a message announcing that the Guardian Games event is live. To kick things off, you only need to head to The Tower and talk to everyone's favorite event vendor, Eva Levante. She'll provide an event Class item and offer an introductory Quest: "Best In Class."

The eight-step Quest starts simple enough, asking players to get familiar with the Contender Cards and Medallions offered by Eva throughout the event. Once players purchase one, the event curator will ask Guardians to equip their new Class item and complete an activity. After a quick detour into an activity and a check-in with Eva afterward, she'll instruct you to deposit your earned Medallion at the podiums in the center of The Tower, behind Eva.

Returning to the event coordinator, she'll want players to check out the Event Challenges offered through herself or the Quests tab in the Director. One Challenge has already been completed, so claim that to progress Best In Class. The next step is to visit Commander Zavala in The Tower, and he'll offer another Quest, "Shoot to Score." After that, Shaxx is the next target, and he provides the "Vying for Supremacy" Quest.

The last part of Best In Class is returning to Eva for a new Keraunios trace rifle. That said, the real prize is access to the Vying for Supremacy and Shoot to Score Quests. Both offer Guardian Games rewards for participating players who reach certain score milestones in Guardian Games activities.

Contender Cards and Medallions

One part of Guardian Games is participating in Rushdown and Supremacy to earn enough score for Shoot to Score and Vying for Supremacy rewards, but the other part of the event revolves around Contender Cards and Medallions.

Medallions are a currency only used for the Guardian Games event, representing a Class's participation when dunked at the podiums in The Tower. Players can earn Medallions in various ways, including activities while wearing a Guardian Games Class item and Contender Cards that reward specific Medallions. The Contender Cards are available for purchase through Eva Levante, appearing in the Director's Quests tab alongside Bounties once claimed.

There are different varieties of both Contender Cards and Medallions, with higher-difficulty Contender Cards rewarding higher-quality Medallions. Medallions are tracked in the Medallion Case, appearing in the Director's Quest tab. That said, it's important to note that there are caps for how many Medallions of a certain variety you can hold at a given time.

Shoot to Score and Vying for Supremacy

Players earn access to the Shoot to Score and Vying for Supremacy Quests by completing the introductory Guardian Games Quest, Best In Class. The Quests are repeatable each week that Guardian Games runs and can provide a sizable cache of rewards if players consistently participate.

Shoot to Score and Vying for Supremacy are both score-based Quests. Once players reach specific score thresholds, they can access rewards in The Tower. The score requirements for each threshold rank are as follows:

Once players reach each score threshold, a platform will materialize behind the podiums in The Tower. After Guardians land on a platform, they can interact with the unlit torch to earn the rewards associated with that score threshold. As players reach new score milestones, a hologram on either shoulder will display the current thresholds conquered for the current week. The Supremacy (PvP) hologram is displayed on a player's left shoulder, while the Rushdown (PvE) version is shown on the right side.

What is Rushdown?

Rushdown is the new featured activity for Guardian Games, launchable from The Tower map. As opposed to tackling a rotating list of Strikes like previous years, this year's Rushdown throws Fireteams into a gauntlet of five boss encounters from throughout Destiny 2's extensive catalog of narrative-related missions. Most interestingly, it even includes vaulted content. Players might find themselves against a foe from one of Europa's Empire Hunts or even the mighty Savathûn at the end of The Witch Queen campaign.

The Rushdown encounter lineup changes with the daily reset, so if players want to see every activity variation, they must participate in the event daily. That said, if you just want to get in and reach your weekly score threshold, that's doable any day of the week, resetting with Tuesday's general weekly reset.

The score for Rushdown comes from completing each boss encounter as quickly as possible and avoiding Fireteam deaths. The faster and more efficient players are, the better they'll score throughout the activity. There are also three different difficulties for Rushdown: Rushdown Warm-Up, Rushdown, and Expert Rushdown. Thankfully, all three modes offer matchmaking.

What is Supremacy?

Supremacy is a limited-time PvP mode, launchable from The Tower map. This Crucible alteration pits teams of the same Class against one another to see who fares better in a fight. The mode works like a "Kill Confirmed" mode in other shooters. 

Guardians drop a crest after they're defeated, and opposing players can collect the crest to score points. Alternatively, if you collect a fallen teammate's crest, you'll deny a potential score to the opposing side. 

The Guardian Games PvP mode is 6v6 and features a modifier called Shaxx's Training Weights that increases all ability cooldowns. Player Power is disabled, and matches go on until one team reaches a score of 150.

Guardian Games Event Card and Event Challenges

As with the other events and holidays in Destiny 2, Guardian Games gets an Event Card that accompanies the festivities. The standard Event Card is free, but players can opt into a premium Event Card to earn some exclusive cosmetics. 

The main draw of the Event Card is the Event Challenges and the rewards they offer. There are 16 Event Challenges for the 2025 Guardian Games; the names, descriptions, and rewards are as follows:

Guardian Games 2025 rewards

In addition to what's earnable through the Event Challenges, players can earn rewards directly through Guardian Games participation. Dunking a Bronze Medallion doesn't offer any prizes, but higher-quality Medallions can reward Guardian Games weapons when dunked. Otherwise, players will run Guardian Games activities and complete milestones for Shoot to Score and Vying for Supremacy.

Guardian Games 2025 Eververse offerings

If players want more swag from this year's Guardian Games, the Eververse Store has you covered. There are plenty of event-specific offerings, including the coveted 2025 Guardian Games armor set cosmetics. This year, the theme is gladiators, and each appearance looks fearsome. Outside of the armor being spotlighted, here's what else is available through Eververse while Guardian Games lasts.

When does Guardian Games 2025 End?

The 2025 Guardian Games event is three weeks long. The event began on Tuesday, March 11, and will end after reset on Tuesday, April 1, or April Fool's Day.

That leaves plenty of time for players to try the new Rushdown activity and hunt down any desired rewards from the event. As always, a winning Class will be decided once the Guardian Games ends, and a commemorative trophy will be set up in The Tower until the next Guardian Games.

The post Destiny 2: Guardian Games 2025 event guide appeared first on Destructoid.

Pests can be more than just a nuisance in Abiotic Factor. If players put their minds to it, they can turn the little critters into a resource and even start their journey down the wonderful path of pet ownership. That said, taming a Pest is easier said than done.

Abiotic Factor is a survival crafter that takes a lot of cues from Half-Life. Players are stranded in a scientific facility on their first work day, quickly becoming overrun with interdimensional travelers. Using whatever resources they can scrounge up, players must manufacture supplies and solutions to any obstacles that might present themselves.

One of those potential solutions is turning the enemy Pests into something you can actually use, but it's not exactly straightforward. Before players can tame Pests, they'll need to reach certain milestones and have access to specific crafting recipes. And that's not to mention all the nachos.

When can you start taming Pests?

Technically, players can attempt to tame Pests as soon as they stumble upon a reliable source of Nachos. Nachos are the key to taming Pests, as you need them to craft Pest Traps. It's not a particularly daunting task, as you can readily find the resource early in a playthrough in the Security Office or Flathill.

It's likely that once you find Nachos, you'll get an idea for the crafting recipe that creates the Pest Trap. If not, players should hunt down the rest of the materials required to craft the item.

Where to get Pest Traps?

The Pest Trap item cannot be found within Abiotic Factor, at least for now. It's exclusively an item obtained through crafting. As such, players must gather the required materials and guess the correct recipe. A Stapler, Nachos, and 2 Ductape make a Pest Trap.

Once it's in your inventory, it'll work like other deployable items. Simply set it down in a location of your choice and wait for the magic to happen. An important consideration is that a creature must walk into the Pest Trap to be captured; the Trap won't generate Pests on its own. So, don't leave it in an area with nothing to capture.

What do you do after you catch a Pest?

The task is only half complete once you notice you've caught a Pest. To fully tame the Pest, you must earn its trust by feeding it. It's easier said than done, however. The Pests and other creatures can have quite a picky palate, and only specific food will keep them happy.

Regardless of what's inside the Pest Trap, the creatures will only be happy with Nachos or Anteverse Wheat. Earlier in a playthrough, Anteverse Wheat is the more plentiful resource, especially if players bring some back from Far Garden to grow.

It takes 3 Anteverse Wheat or 3 Nachos to tame a Pest. Once the creature is satisfied, players can name it and open the Pest Trap without fear of attack. 

What can you do with a tamed Pest?

Once players tame a Pest, it will attack anything hostile to players. The pet can be ordered to follow a player if a helping claw is desired. Alternatively, you can let it patrol like a junkyard dog or send it back to the Pest Trap.

If you want to put the Pest to non-violent use, consider crafting some Pest Wheels. These items become researchable once players get their hands on the Pest Traps, but they also require a Power Cell. Depending on your progress, a Power Cell might be a tall order, but eventually, it's a trivial cost. A Pest Wheel allows players to send a tamed Pest back to the Wheel instead of the Pest Trap. There, the creature will run like a hamster on a wheel, generating electricity for whatever else you'd like to power.

Later in the game, players will encounter an enemy type called Skinks. These are also Pest Trap candidates, and they're unique in that once tamed, they can be used as a crafting resource and converted into a weapon. 

What creatures work with Pest Traps and Pest Wheels?

Thankfully, it's not too difficult to keep track of what can be tamed through the use of a Pest Trap. The item only works on Pests, Electro-Pests, Volatile Pests, and Skinks. The same is true for Pest Wheels.

Of course, Abiotic Factor is still in Early Access, and Pest taming wasn't even an option when the game first became playable. It's entirely possible that more creatures will be tamable over time, and players may even see the feature expand in functionality and depth. Only time will tell.

The post How to tame Pests in Abiotic Factor appeared first on Destructoid.

You may know the Warhammer 40,000 universe from tabletop miniatures or video games, but what about the novels? The Black Library is vast, with decades of inspired heroism and gut-wrenching horror. And the real beauty of 40K books is that there are limitless starting points based on whatever factions interest you.

While it's easy to assume that most 40K books are about Space Marines, that's not the case. Games Workshop's publishing division, the Black Library, constantly works to expand every inch of the narrative. That means humanity isn't the only perspective shown. It leads to some of the most interesting reads centering around the ruffian Orks, ancient Necron overlords, or even scheming servants of the Chaos gods.

The selections I've gone with represent some of the best stories across the various forces in Warhammer 40,000. This is not a list of the best 40K books overall. Regardless of the faction you like, one of these novels should help you spark your journey into this expansive narrative.

Horus Rising, False Gods, Galaxy in Flames

Believe it or not, humanity wasn't always worshipping a corpse on a throne and committing heinous acts in the name of religious fervor. The story of that decline is told throughout the entire 63-book Horus Heresy series, and the whole ordeal serves as a bit of a prequel to 40K as a whole. While a 63-book series is a tall ask for any reader, it's fair to say that those interested in reading about the universe's history should at least check out the first three books in the series.

Horus Rising, False Gods, and Galaxy in Flames is a tight trilogy that starts the Horus Heresy series off, briefly introducing readers to what things were like before the seed of corruption was planted in the titular Primarch Horus and the proverbial shit hit the fan. The narrative is told through the eyes of Gavriel Loken, a loyal Captain of Horus' Luna Wolves Space Marine Legion. Over the trilogy, his resolve is tested as he watches the man he considers a father and his closest brothers descend into something unthinkable.

The Infinite and the Divine

The Necrons are an interesting faction in 40K. Initially an enigmatic and almost eldritch force, Games Workshop has shaped the species into a fearsome fallen empire in recent years. The Necrons gave up their organic bodies for immortality long ago, with the majority of the race being copies of rudimentary, servile consciousness implanted into robotic bodies. Only some of the more powerfully-willed leaders retained independent sentience, and the long passage of time often gives way to eccentricities and fixations. Necron novels are at their best when they examine the themes of immortality and how time shapes all things, and this recommendation stands as one of the most beloved Warhammerbooks, period. 

The Infinite and the Divine is a novel that chronicles the rivalry between two iconic Necron characters: Trazyn the Infinite and Orikan the Diviner. Trazyn is like a more deranged version of the Collector from Marvel, single-minded in his desire to expand his exhibition of historical relics and pieces of import. Orikan, on the other hand, has serious aims to transcend reality itself to seize the power he seeks. Unfortunately, the two formidable Necrons have set their sights on the same object, the Astrarium Mysterious. Their clash over the item sparks the feud, but time hones it into a bitter obsession.

Brutal Kunnin'

The Orks in Warhammer 40K are generally a fun faction to learn about. They all speak with a bastardization of an English Cockney accent and want nothing more than to get into a good fight with their scrap metal equipment and stolen, retrofitted tech from other species. Though a little more simple-minded than other players in the 40K universe, Orks still have plenty of good stories that paint a proper picture of what it's like to be one of the meanest and the greenest. A perfect place for any aspiring greenskin to start is with Mike Brooks' Ork books, specifically with the first novel in the series, Brutal Kunnin'.

Brutal Kunnin' splits its time between Ufthak Blackhawk, an Ork in the service to "Da Biggest Big Mek" and citizens of an Adeptus Mechanicus Forge World. Ufthak and his boys are chomping at the bit for an opportunity to fight and loot the planet, but a rival group of Orks led by Kaptin Badrukk wants to weasel their way into a share of the spoils. The feud turns into a game of showboating as the two groups temporarily agree to put differences aside to squash a mounting resistance scrambled together by the denizens of the Forge World.

The House of Night and Chain

If you're more of a horror fan, 40K has plenty to sate your desire for things that go bump in the night. The Black Library even has a subdivision called Warhammer Horror. Depending on what tickles your fancy, Warhammer has a lot of different types of horror to offer. Want a mystery thriller? There's Bloodlines from the Warhammer Crime subfamily of the Black Library. How about a monster story? Easy, check out Dan Abnett's short story The Curiosity or Alec Worley's audio drama The Watcher in the Rain. My recommendation for horror fans is a good old-fashioned haunted house story. 

The House of Night and Chain is a Warhammer Horror novel that's terrifying not because it shows some unknowable cosmic threat or body horror alien monster but because the book keeps everything relatable and human. Astra Militarum colonel Maeson Strock returns from conflict a broken man. Set to take up the role of Governor and straighten out his planet, Maeson struggles to reconcile with his children, uncover the truth behind his wife's mysterious death, and discover whether a malevolent force is behind the odd occurrences at the House of Malveil.

Eisenhorn: Xenos

If you want to get into 40K books but find some titles too dry or steeped in exposition, the Inquisition books might be just the solution. The Inquisition is kind of like the Imperium's secret police, with authority above nearly all others. These titles have a pace much more akin to detective or adventure flicks. The obvious starting point would be with the Eisenhorn series, primarily following the titular Inquisitor Gregor Eisenhorn.

Readers are introduced to the Puritan Inquisitor in Eisenhorn: Xenos. The book starts simple enough, with Eisenhorn pursuing an old adversary. However, after the Inquisitor claims revenge, he is quickly swept up into a conspiracy plot that drags up the name of a heretic believed long dead. The hunt for the truth leads Eisenhorn into a race against mysterious Xenos and the forces of Chaos as they vie for an artifact of dark power. The novel is packed with twists and turns, and it's only the first entry in a trio of trilogies.

Valedor

The Aeldari are something of a tragic species in 40K. The space elves inherited the galaxy after the Necrons toppled their own gods, well before humanity started its writhing existence. The Aeldari had no opposition, and so a golden age became an age of unchecked pursuits into pleasure and self-fulfillment. The whole ordeal birthed the Chaos god Slaanesh, cursed the Aeldari to have their souls consumed by the entity upon death, and fractured their whole society. 

By the time we reach the actual 41st millennium, the Aeldari are a dwindling people cast adrift in the cosmos. Slaanesh has claimed many, and even more fell to Chaos' call and became the Drukhari, taking up residence in the once great city of Commorragh. Other internal factions, like the Harlequins or the Ynnari, further splinter the species. But what if these distant kindred had to band together to stop an all-consuming horde from growing even stronger?

Valedor is a novel where the protagonists are faced with a simple task: damage control. While Tyranid forces of Hive Fleet Leviathan rip through the system, Prince Yriel realizes that an even more serious threat is coming. In a previous engagement, a portion of another Tyranid menace, Hive Fleet Kraken, was spirited off into the Warp to delay disaster. Now, it's on a collision course with Hive Fleet Leviathan, and when the two meet, even more deadly Tyranids will be made. Yriel must make a last-ditch effort to stop this apocalyptic scenario, even working alongside Drukhari and other Aeldari adversaries.

Dark Imperium

If you want to be caught up on what's currently going down in 40K, it can be challenging to parse out exactly where to start. The Warhammer 40K universe has never really had the same kind of reset or hiatus that most other franchises experience, so there are literally decades of lore that continue to be built upon. While it's all fascinating stuff, readers need to start somewhere. What better place to start with the modern 40K  narrative than the novels that set up the current state of the galaxy?

Dark Imperium is vital to the ongoing setting in 40K, establishing much of what is currently taken for granted. Mortarion's Death Guard has returned, alongside the planet Cadia's fall and the Cicatrix Maledictum's formation, a great Warp rift severing the galaxy in twain. To meet these dark times, the Primarch of the Ultramarines, Roboute Guilliman, is revived, and Primaris Space Marines become an integral part of the Imperium. With the Death Guard's sights set on his Ultramar, Guilliman must summon the strength to defend his people in these uncertain times.

The Lords of Silence

For the heretics out there who want to get a better understanding of what's going on under the helmet of a Choas Space Marine, there are options. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the excellent Fulgrim or The First Heretic, the fifth and 14th books in the Horus Heresy series, respectively. However, that's hardly representative of Chaos in the current setting, and things get so much more enjoyable after these Asartes have had 10,000 years or so to develop some kind of fixation or quirk. That's doubly so for those prominent Heretic Astartes directly aligned with one of the four Chaos gods, like the Emperor's Children, Death Guard, Thousand Sons, or World Eaters.

The Lords of Silence follows a Death Guard warband by the same name, coloring the faction with some character over tales of exploits. While all of the standard chaotic debauchery and defilement are present, the book also offers an intriguing take on the philosophy of these blighted warriors. Even more interesting, readers get to see the undying gifts of Grandfather Nurgle take root and blossom in a hapless Guardsman who becomes a new member of the troupe.

Fire Warrior

There isn't exactly an overwhelming amount of Tau content from the Black Library. The Tau are often depicted as either vastly more advanced or prepared than their enemies and economical in how they wage war. Couple that with the species' main philosophy of "The Greater Good," an idea that every action should do the best for the most Tau, and you don't necessarily end up with riveting stories encapsulating the same kind of action or tension as other 40K factions. Thankfully, something we did get for the species makes up for all of the missteps that have dogged the Tau's narrative endeavors. 

Fire Warrior is a novel adaptation of a PlayStation 2 game by the same name. While everything about that last sentence should indicate that readers ought to stay away from Fire Warrior, the opposite is actually true. The story nails the Tau perspective, and it does this by providing readers with a relatable character. The protagonist, Kais, is a Tau Fire Warrior who attempts a near-suicide mission behind enemy lines. The goal? To save a crash-landed Ethereal, a Tau leader.

Lion, Son of the Forest

While Dark Imperium helps readers get a general idea of what the setting is like in the current era of Warhammer 40K, it's not the most recent occurrence of a loyalist Primarch returning to the story. Lion El'Jonson is the Primarch of the Dark Angels, and he was thought lost after his home planet of Caliban was destroyed following the Horus Heresy. In truth, the Primarch slept under vigil by the enigmatic robed Watchers until the day of his return came.

Lion, Son of the Forest details the return of Lion El'Jonson to the setting. The Primarch awakens to find himself older, no more wiser, and on the wrong side of the Great Rift. Separated from his Dark Angels, The Lion struggles to find his place in the hostile shadow of the Imperium he knew. It's not long before the Primarch comes across something he is familiar with: the Dark Angels who fought against him during Caliban's destruction, The Fallen. However, The Fallen have been waiting for their lost father to return to make amends and clear their names.

The post 10 Warhammer 40K novels that will pull you into the setting appeared first on Destructoid.

Moments of Triumph has started again in Destiny 2, and it's time to look back at 2024. The celebration happens toward the end of an expansion and rewards Guardians' time with both in-game and real-life rewards. That said, players will want to earn whatever they can before it ends.

Destiny 2 uses the Moments of Triumph event to celebrate all the cool things players accomplish in-game. Featuring a Title, Triumphs, and earnable rewards, Moments of Triumph highlights consistent and commendable engagement with the game. The collection of Triumph challenges covers a huge range of content from throughout 2024, including Episodic activities, Raids, Dungeons, and even the story. Thankfully, it seems that Guardians will have some time to tackle what they want for 2024's Moments of Triumph.

Moments of Triumph Title challenges

Many Guardians may log in to find that they've already completed a sizable portion of 2024's Moments of Triumph challenges. After all, as long as players have been engaging with the game's major beats throughout the year, it shouldn't take too much work to earn the 26 out of 33 completed challenges to nab the MMXXIV Title.

While many Moments of Triumph challenges are readily visible to players, some still show up as "SECRET." These challenges are likely related to content that hasn't been released yet, like Episode: Heresy's Court of Blades or the 2025 Guardian Games. As such, these entries will remain a mystery until more information is offered.

What rewards can you earn from Moments of Triumph 2024?

There are a slew of both tangible and digital rewards that players can earn by participating in Moments of Triumph. In-game players can earn:

• The Technoprotection Ghost shell after completing 14 related challenges
• The Flagbearer Sparrow after completing 21 related challenges
• The MMXXIV Title after completing 26 related challenges

There are also other digital rewards tied to the challenges for Moments of Triumph, but these aren't unique to the event, and players would earn them regardless the first time the Triumph is completed and redeemed. These rewards include:

• Organic Specimen (Episode: Echoes material)
• The Victorious Oddment Emblem for completing The Final Shape campaign on Legendary
• The Edification Emblem for completing the Salvation's Edge Raid
• The Anomalous Emblem for completing the Vesper's Host Dungeon
• The Unsounded Depths Emblem for completing the Sundered Doctrine Dungeon

Finally, there are several rewards that players can take with them after they log off the game. Bungie typically offers some kind of clothing item or collectible to celebrate events, and this Moments of Triumph is no different. The physical rewards Guardians can earn are:

• A Moments of Triumph 2024 T-shirt for completing five related challenges
• A Moments of Triumph 2024 MMXXIV pin
• A Light and Darkness pin for completing Salvation's Edge, Vesper's Host, and Sundered Doctrine

When does Moments of Triumph 2024 end?

Moments of Triumph 2024 is set to run in-game until the reset on Tuesday, May 6. That said, this is just the cutoff for when players can complete Moments of Triumph challenges. Players may still purchase available rewards from the Bungie store until June 10.

With about two months, that should give most Guardians plenty of time to hunt down any lingering challenges you want to complete before the event ends.

The post Destiny 2 Moments of Triumph 2024 challenges, rewards, and end date appeared first on Destructoid.

As a surprise treat, Guardians will get the chance to take a swing at a repurposed Strike from the original Destiny. The Sunless Cell will come to Destiny 2, getting a facelift in the process: it won't be what you remember from The Taken King.

The Sunless Cell was initially a Strike for The Taken King expansion in the original Destiny. With the Dreadnaught and Oryx returning for Episode: Heresy, it's a timely and welcome addition to the game. Bungie doesn't usually add new strikes to Destiny 2 beyond what comes with a given expansion, often opting for Episodic Battlegrounds instead. Though the content is similar, Battlegrounds have proven to be a bit more of a hit-or-miss. With that in mind, it's probably best that Bungie is reintroducing Guardians to an old haunt. The real question is, when will the Sunless Cell be playable in Destiny 2?

When is the Sunless Cell Strike coming to Destiny 2?

During a developer stream previewing what was to come in Act II and beyond of Episode: Heresy, Bungie teased the return of the Sunless Cell Strike. Though the studio did not give any specific dates for when the Strike would be playable, it's possible to infer some conclusions based on how the team talked about Sunless Cell.

Bungie confirmed that the Sunless Cell would return in Act III of Episode: Heresy, pinned as the "featured activity" for the Act. We know that Act II starts on Tuesday, March 11, and that it will run for three weeks. So, based on that information, it's fair to say that the earliest players should expect the Sunless Cell Strike... on April Fool's Day.

While there's no certainty that the studio will release the Strike the day Act III starts, it wouldn't make a lot of sense for the featured activity of an Act to be absent from launch, even odder if it wasn't there after a week or two. So, with that said, I'd wager on the Sunless Cell Strike appearing on April 1 or within the following reset.

Thankfully, it seems like there will be plenty to do in the three short weeks between Act II and Act III. During the same stream, Bungie showed off some of the returning Guardian Games event, complete with a new mini boss-rush activity and the new Artifact Perks coming in Act II.

The Sunless Cell won't be how you remember it

Though the Sunless Cell is technically a returning Strike from Destiny, the Destiny 2 iteration will have some key differences. In the original, Guardians descended into the Dreadnaught after Oryx's destruction to stop Alak-Hul, The Darkblade, from commandeering The Taken King's vacant throne.

With Alak-Hul now known as The Lightblade and in service to Savathun's Lucent Brood, Bungie confirmed you wouldn't see the same antagonist in the Sunless Cell. The team didn't share any specifics about what we'd find in the Strike now, but given that the Dreadnaught is currently infested with Dread and Dire Taken, my money is on one or a combination of those forces.

The post What is the release date of The Taken King’s Sunless Cell Strike in Destiny 2? appeared first on Destructoid.

Bungie has already shown what new Perks will be coming to the Artifact in Destiny 2's second Act of Heresy. The game is about to get great for trace rifle fans, and the weapons should even work well with existing Arc setups, thanks to all those great Arc trace rifles.

Each Destiny 2 Episode (like Seasons before) gives players an Artifact to level throughout the content stretch. While the Artifacts typically have some narrative significance to what's happening during the Episode, the more direct benefit of these items is the assortment of Artifact Perks offered. Each Artifact starts with five columns and five rows of Perks, with players working their way from the left to right side. As the Episode progresses, new rows of Perks are added, giving even more variety.

The Artifact Perks players started Heresy with were Arc-dominant with some options for Void and Strand as well. Now, trace rifles will get some time in the sun, which might influence what you decide to bring into your next Raid or Dungeon.

All in on trace rifles

The Artifact Perks are mostly centered around Trace rifles, making a compelling case for anyone looking to use the new Lodestar Exotic to get the best of both worlds between the first Act's Arc Perks and the upcoming trace rifle Perks. The new Perks are also strong enough to make Microcosm a serious consideration for boss damage, as it oddly benefits from being a Kinetic weapon.

How do these Artifact Perks shake up the meta?

As previously mentioned, these new Artifact Perks can mix quite well with many of the Arc Perks from the first Act. Specifically, if players want to stick with an Arc build, the second column of Artifact Perks only offers Overclock and Load. In Act II, Beam Medic will supplement the column nicely, allowing an Arc trace rifle like Lodestar or the new Guardian Games reward to shine.

The same can be said for the fourth column, where Arc builds are only benefitting from Flashover. Harsh Refraction can help pick up some slack on damage, especially if Guardians weren't making use of Horde Shuttle or Maligned Harvest. That said, even if players don't want to run Arc, Harsh Refraction seems like a no-brainer regardless of the Subclass you're running, so long as you're using a trace rifle matching the element of your Super.

If a trace rifle can become an integral part of nearly any elemental build, and reap benefits from Artifact Perks that not only heal players but increase damage, why not swap out that heavy machine gun for Overload Trace Rifles, too? After all, the Artifact Perks only stick around until the end of an Episode, and alongside all of those other buffs, it sounds like some traces will be able to make short work of Champions. Plus, have a little fun playing laser tag while it lasts, who knows when trace rifles will get this much attention again.

The post New Artifact Perks coming to Destiny 2’s Act 2 of Heresy appeared first on Destructoid.

Bungie revealed that the Guardian Games were returning to Destiny 2 on March 11, alongside the start of the second Act of Episode: Heresy. While the team promised that more info would come before its arrival, the devs teased a "bite-sized" boss rush activity inbound for the event.

Every year, the Guardian Games return to Destiny 2, pitting the three player Classes against each other to determine whether Hunters, Warlocks, or Titans reign supreme. Typically, Guardian Games is centered around participating in Class vs Class PvP matches and specific highlighted PvE content. For 2025, it sounds like the event might be changing itself up a bit, opting for something a bit more in the vein of Into the Light's well-received Pantheon activity.

Smaller than Pantheon

While Bungie devs were coy in regards to exactly what players can expect during this year's Guardian Games, a few tantalizing hints were dropped. Most significantly, the event will feature some form of a boss rush activity. The team was quick to clarify that it won't be on the same scale as Into the Light's Pantheon, but it seems like the fairest direct comparison.

Global Community Lead Dylan Gafner noted, "We have a, you put it best, bite-sized boss rush mode. So, it's not going to be like a Court [of Blades], it's not going to be like a Pantheon. But now we have a challenge of, 'Hey go in, burn down some bosses, get as many points as you can, and then you can get some new rewards.'"

What's on the table?

As far as the referenced rewards, Bungie highlighted a new trace rifle shipping alongside returning and refreshed Guardian Games weapons. As opposed to the recent Arc PvP-focused trace rifle from Iron Banner, this one is built more for PvE players. It can roll with some spicy PvE Perks like Overflow, Triple Tap, Detonator Beam, Rolling Storm, and Jolting Feedback, with options for the gun to drop with double Perk rolls.

Of course, there is also a set of cosmetic armor available through Eververse for Silver or Bright Dust. The armor's theme for 2025 moves away from sports and general athletic competition aesthetic of previous years for something more akin to a sci-fi gladiator. If you want to extend that drip beyond the in-game world, Guardian Games participants can also take home a themed jersey as 2025's unlockable-to-purchase Bungie reward.

The post Destiny 2’s Guardian Games return with a “bite-sized” boss rush mode appeared first on Destructoid.

A free event is coming to Destiny 2 for the third Act of Episode: Heresy. Much like the beloved event that preceded The Final Shape expansion, the upcoming Rite of the Nine adds coveted holofoil variant weapons, a new social space, and a fresh breath of life into the game.

Just before The Final Shape, all Guardians got to experience Into the Light. The Into the Light event added the Onslaught horde mode to Destiny 2 and first introduced the concept of holofoil, or shiny, weapon variants. The event was a big success, and now it looks like Bungie is trying to recapture some of that energy for Rite of the Nine.

A focus on Dungeons

Rite of the Nine will put players' focus on three Dungeons from Destiny 2's past: Prophecy, Spire of the Watcher, and Ghosts of the Deep. Bungie described how the event would allow Guardians to experience these Dungeons on their own terms, opting for a safer Explorer mode or ramping it up to the Contest Mode-like Ultimatum mode.

Players will also get access to a returning social space, a repurposed The Third Spire locale from the Trials of the Nine. There, you'll be able to visit the Emissary for the Quests, Bounties, and rewards associated with the event. You can also see whatever Dungeon is currently featured while at The Third Spire, appearing off in the unreachable distance. The team indicated that one of the Dungeons would be featured each week, cycling through all after three weeks. 

The Third Spire is also where Guardians will go to attune to specific Dungeon weapons revamped for Rite of the Nine. Four armaments were selected from each Dungeon, getting a full Perk rework and retuning. This equipment can come in holofoil variants, harkening back to the shiny weapons from Into the Light or even the more recent Heretical weapons from The Nether. Bungie clarified that the Adept/holofoil variants of these Rite of the Nine weapons would only be earnable through Ultimatum mode, providing a little more incentive for players to go out and challenge themselves.

While the team wasn't ready to share any definitive dates for Rite of the Nine, players can expect more information to come from Bungie as we get closer to the event. For now, players still have the second Act of Episode: Heresy on the immediate horizon.

The post Destiny 2’s free Rite of the Nine event brings back the best parts of Into the Light for Dungeons during Heresy Act 3 appeared first on Destructoid.

While it feels like it has been more or less known already, NetEase formally confirmed the arrival of The Thing and Human Torch for Marvel Rivals. Alongside the new characters, the team also showed off a beautiful new map where players can duke it out to end Dracula's Eternal Night.

After nixing a controversial mid-season rank reset, Marvel Rivals is poised to earn even more goodwill with another two new characters and a map that seemingly concludes the ongoing narrative. Of course, all of these changes come alongside a slew of balance changes that help bring some characters back in line while buffing other underperformers. You won't have to wait too long, as the latest batch of content is due out on Friday, February 21.

They are only Fantastic when they are together

The missing members of the Fantastic Four are finally coming to Marvel Rivals. While players have already had some time to spend with Reed Richards and Sue Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm have been awol until now. To no one's surprise, The Thing will take up the role of a Vanguard, while Human Torch is something of a Duelist himself.

Human Torch looks like he plays a lot like Storm, able to remain airborne and ranged while fighting. The Thing, on the other hand, looks like a living wrecking ball, barreling into foes and shielding himself. Both characters look like they'll be a blast to play.

Storm Dracula's Castle in Central Park

The Central Park map looks like a gothic playground. Dracula's Castle has taken residence in the area, gnarling and corrupting the scenery. The castle itself looks to take up a good portion of the map, featuring winding stairways, ominous statues, and ritual chambers.

At the heart of the castle, Dracula himself is wielding his dark magic against Ratatoskr, steeping New York in his Eternal Night. It seems like this map will house the narrative conclusion to this season, likely ending with our assembled heroes dethroning Dracula in his own castle.

If you want to polish up your Marvel Rivals skills ahead of the second half of Season 1, check out this guide on Vanguard characters to prepare for The Thing or a Season 1 Duelist tier list if you want to get ready for Human Torch.

The post Marvel Rivals finally confirms The Thing and Human Torch alongside a new map appeared first on Destructoid.

The third week of Episode: Heresy continues to build more intrigue in Destiny 2, adding a trio of Quests centered around the Hive on the Moon. All Guardians must do is eliminate three Wizards, but the foes can be trickier to encounter than you might initially imagine.

Episode: Heresy acts as the finale to The Final Shape expansion for Destiny 2, and it hasn't pulled punches in regards to content. Three weeks in, and players already have a new Dungeon, the Derealize Exotic mission, and a new player-favorite activity, The Nether. Week three continues the story in Heresy, but a hurdle presents itself as three MacGuffins from Wizards scattered around the Moon. These foes aren't immediately apparent, and it'll require a bit of work from players before they make themselves known.

Mission Dossier: Hive Hacking

When Guardians reach Step 17 of the "Act I: Echoed Warnings" Quest, they'll be prompted to complete three objectives before additional progress can be made. The Quests are available from a second page on the Shaping Slab in Eris' Flat in The Last City, and each takes players to the Moon. The three variations are Lightsinger's Limb, Blade Navigator's Head, and Cultist's Limb.

Blade Navigator's Head

The easiest to accomplish is the Blade Navigator's Head Quest, as Guardians can find the objective marker only a short distance away from the landing zone in Sorrow's Harbor. Players will notice a Hive ritual circle by the stairs leading up into The Scarlet Keep. Initially, the circle may not yield any foes. However, some should appear after Guardians partake in a bit of the Altars of Sorrow public event.

It's unclear if Altars of Sorrow progress is required to make the target appear, but the Wizard spawned shortly after I completed a round myself. When Sarûk ur-Omni appears, it won't take much effort to beat the foe. Afterward, players will automatically collect the Head of Sarûk ur-Omni.

Cultist's Limb

Next up, players can start to move towards the Catacombs in search of the Wizard Iyx ur-Anûkru. If Guardians are having trouble locating the Catacombs, they can make their way through the relatively linear path to the Circle of Bones in the Hellmouth. From there, the Catacombs can be accessed from the final passage on the right side.

Descending down the dark stairway, players will actually see Iyx ur-Anûkru, but a shield initially protects the Wizard. To make the foe damageable, Guardians must locate and shoot three Hive runes scattered around the area. One is on the right side of the room, immediately visible after walking down a set of stairs. Another is on the left side of the room, a bit further towards the back. The last Rune is stuck on the middle door at the rear of the chamber.

Once all three Runes are activated, the shield protecting Iyx ur-Anûkru will dissipate. Players can make short work of the Wizard, and they'll automatically collect the Hand of Iyx ur-Anûkru.

Lightsinger's Limb

Heading back into the Hive's turf, Guardians can make their way towards the Summoning Pits to search for the next Wizard, Yor ur-Halaku. After arriving at the door leading into the Summoning Pits proper, players will be prompted to unlock the chamber. Inside, a brawl is breaking out between an Overload Champion Vex Minotaur and a sizable Hive force.

After working through the Hive foot troops and air-bound Shriekers, Guardians can take care of the Minotaur and any lingering enemies. Once enough Hive go down, Yor ur-Halaku will appear at the ritual circle. Much like the other Wizards, this one shouldn't prove much of an issue. The Hand of Yor ur-Halaku is collected automatically when the enemy is defeated.

With all three Wizard parts, Guardians can head back to the Shaping Slab for rewards and Quest progress. Each Hive Hacking Quest rewards two Essence of Desire and a reprised weapon. In addition to the tangible rewards, players will also progress the Act I Quest, opening up the Kludge mission.

The post Where to find Wizards for Destiny 2’s Hive Hacking missions appeared first on Destructoid.

Destiny 2 has a unique new Exotic weapon for Episode: Heresy: the Barrow-Dyad. The circular sub-machine gun certainly has a fun look, but beyond that, it's a force to be reckoned with. Guardians will want to hunt down the Barrow-Dyad for themselves, but they'll need to know how first.

While Destiny 2 players may be a bit spoiled after the ease of obtaining the Lodestar Exotic in this Episode, Barrow Dyad will take a bit more work. A multi-part Exotic Quest will take players across the system, into The Nether, and beyond to earn the chic new gun. However, before Guardians start worrying about how to get the new Exotic weapon, the first question should be how to gain access to its Exotic Quest.

Unlocking The Taken Path Quest

To gain access to the Barrow-Dyad, players must first obtain the Quest: "The Taken Path." However, it won't just make itself known to Guardians; players will have to seek out the new Quest. To get things started, players must head into the player-approved Nether activity and try to find a new Taken Blight. 

The large globe appears in the Trenchway in The Nether, a bit off the ground and with glowing Hive runes engraved on a pillar beside it. The Blight can be found during the Anchored Thrones story mission, but it's still available if missed. Personally, I missed it during the mission and saw it during an Expert run of The Nether.

Once players touch the Blight, they'll be teleported to a new area mostly bathed in white. A large wall divides the room in half, with a Hive Rune plate positioned on the wall. If Guardians stand in front of the plate for a few seconds, a Rune will appear, and text will note that "Something whispers to the right." If players actually move to the right, they'll get teleported to the other side of the wall.

Once the mini-puzzle is complete, Guardians can head to the only object of interest on the other side of the wall: a bowl. In it lies a Taken Osseous Fragment. Collect the Fragment and head out through the portal. With the Fragment in hand, players should ensure they are caught up in the Episode: Heresy Act I: Echoed Warnings Quest. Guardians must complete step 14, which will lead back to the Shaping Slab in Eris' Flat. There, you'll find The Taken Path Quest.

Walking The Taken Path

The Taken Path Quest has six steps; the first is pretty straightforward. All players must do is unlock and equip the Scotopic Rune through the Runic Enhancement Menu at the Shaping Slab or an altar in The Nether. The only thing that might get in Guardians' way is their Nether Enhancement Level. The Level corresponds with reputation rank, so players must have a little time in the Episode to equip the Tier 2 Rune. Once equipped, the next step of the Quest is to head to the Moon and locate something concealed by the Hive in Sorrow's Harbor. 

The path forward actually leads through the K1 Revelation Lost Sector, where players will encounter a Taken dome shield blocking another Hive Rune plate. Standing in front of the plate, Guardians will be alerted that something whispers behind them. Walk backward to teleport back into the Lost Sector, but this time filled with Taken enemies. After players tear their way through the foes, a Taken Ogre will appear as a boss, and defeating it rewards another Taken Osseous Fragment.

To the Forgotten Shore

The next step of The Taken Path Quest requires yet another Taken Osseous Fragment, but this time it's in the Cosmodrome. The Veles Labyrinth Lost Sector is the destination, hiding another Rune Plate within. After completing the first plate by moving forward, players will teleport to another, which requires a move to the left. A third plate awaits, asking for movement backward.

The third puzzle will teleport players back into the Lost Sector filled with Taken enemies. Fighting through the horde, both a Taken Ogre and a Taken Centurian will harass players. But a third Taken Osseous Fragment will appear after the formidable foes are slain. Guardians will be directed back to the Shaping Slab in the Last City. Three Quests will be rewarded for the efforts: Curse of Endurance, Curse of Urgency, and Curse of Revenge.

Breaking the Curses

Each Quest specifies a locale: Sorrow's Harbor on the Moon for Endurance, the Hallowed Grove Lost Sector in the EDZ for Urgency, and Nightmare Hunt: Pride for Revenge. At these locations, Guardians will find large Taken Blights and a swirling mass of Taken energy around a Taken Relic that can be interacted with. Interacting with the Relic accepts one of the aforementioned Curses and starts a simple combat trial.

Guardians must use the Relic to eliminate enemies until it becomes charged and then dunk the Relic back near where it was initially collected. The Quest in Sorrow's Harbor is the most straightforward, allowing players to nab the Relic, eliminate foes in the Altars of Sorrow event, and then dunk with ease. Heading into the Nightmare Hunt, Guardians will find that the Relic does not charge until after the Nightmare of Fikrul is defeated. Finally, in the Hallowed Grove, players will charge the Relic before it can be dunked at the end of the Lost Sector once the boss is defeated.

Calling to power

Each Quest has a final step that requires players to venture back into The Nether. In the activity, Guardians will be on the lookout for Hive statues with which they can interact. Each will summon a miniboss and will reward another Taken Osseous Fragment back at the statue once the foe is downed. 

• The statue for the Curse of Endurance Quest can be found in the Hall of Souls. It is between the entrance and a passageway on the right-hand side after appearing in the area. 
• The statue for the Curse of Urgency is in the Trenchway, in the large section with hidden platforms. It's tucked against the wall between the middle and left passages.
• The statue for the Curse of Revenge is in The Mausoleum. Players can find it in the lower area of the zone, just before the boss area. The statue is in a nook behind one of the big tentacles, so search thoroughly.

Once all three Quests are complete, Guardians will get an update on The Taken Path. The Exotic Quest will instruct players to head into the new Derealize Exotic mission, obtain one more Taken Osseous Fragment, and acquire the Barrow-Dyad.

The weapon itself will be found at the end of the Exotic mission. Once The Taken Path Quest is complete, players will get an unnamed Quest in its place. The Quest informs Guardians to head back to Eris' flat in The Last City and visit the Shaping Slab. There, players will earn the Dyadic Ascension Quest, which allows players to enhance the Exotic weapon further.

The post How to get the Barrow-Dyad Exotic in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

A new Exotic mission is hitting Destiny 2 a bit sooner than most players expected. The Derealize Exotic mission is here, arriving after only a week into Episode: Heresy. But the mission won't give up its secrets or rewards easily -- and opening its doors is a whole other matter.

Destiny 2 has fallen into some comfortable habits, but it's refreshing to see Episode: Heresy shake some of those up. Exotic missions typically launch toward the end of a Season or Episode, as seen with Encore in Episode: Echo and the Kell's Fall Exotic mission in Episode: Revenant. 

That's not the case with Drealize, as players won't have to wait to jump into the new outing. That said, Guardians must accomplish some steps and prerequisites before the Exotic mission becomes available.

How to unlock the Derealize Exotic mission

Before players can attempt the Exotic mission for Episode: Heresy, they'll have to unlock it first. The process is a bit involved, requiring most of the completion of the Quest that unlocks the Barrow-Dyad Exotic SMG. Guardians must complete several tasks that will send them to the Moon, Earth, and into The Nether.

First and foremost, players must complete Step 14 of the Episode: Heresy narrative Quest: "Act I: Echoed Warnings." Once at that milestone, players can begin the process to unlock an Exotic Quest called "The Taken Path." This Quest is the key to earning the Barrow-Dyad and details the steps required to open access to the Derealize Exotic mission.

Into the Dreadnaught

Immediately after starting the Exotic mission, players will find themselves in The Mausoleum portion of the Dreadnaught, in front of a group of Dread led by a Subjugator. Moving forward will cause the Subjugator to flee and prompt the Dread enemies to attack. Simultaneously, Taken Blights in the area will turn into large eyes that debuff players with Suffocating Terror. After the first wave of foes is defeated, another wave accompanied by a Tormenter will appear.

After taking out the Tormenter and Dread backup, the Fireteam can advance up the hills ahead, minding the eyeball in the sky. There is another Tormenter awaiting players at the top of the hill, so it's best to lure it back down to the area players first appeared in. Once that other Tormenter is dealt with, players can fully advance up the hill to encounter a considerable force of Dread.

This is a good place for the Fireteam to use any roaming Supers or other tricks they have up their sleeve. Bolt Charge and Ionic Trace Arc builds can really cut through the crowd here. Once enough Dread fall, a Strand Subjugator will appear as a boss for this opening section. Blast it down with Supers and heavy weapons, and then clean up any lingering forces. A portal will take players forward.

Vrhiisk, Seeker of Power

The Taken portal players ventured through leads to that area of The Nether containing portals that weave together the Dreadnaught. The one players are looking for is across the way, leading to the Trenchway. Venturing into the area, Guardians will stumble upon the Taken and Dread fighting each other. Heading into the fight, players can mop up both sides and then press forward.

The first major boss encounter is ahead against Vrhiisk, Seeker of Power. The Stasis Subjugator will throw up a shield almost immediately. Guardians must destroy the Blights littering the battlefield to get the shield down, which requires jumping through a few hoops. First, Vrhiisk will summon six Taken Blight Sentinels that must be dealt with. They typically stay toward the back of the arena but can move around. 

Once the Sentinels are eliminated, Taken Conduit Ogres will start appearing. Once these minibosses go down, they drop a Taken Relic that can be charged by destroying Taken enemies. After enough Taken are fed to the Relic, Guardians will get a notification that it is charged, and the debuff timer at the top of the screen will disappear. The Relic can now be taken to the top of a marked Blight to destroy it. 

After a Blight is destroyed, Guardians will become Torn Between Dimensions, like during the Oryx fight in the King's Fall Raid. The screen will become black and white, so there's no mistaking when it happens. Now, players need to collect another Taken Relic and recharge it to similarly destroy another Blight just like the previous one. The only difference is that players will use the ethereal platforms littering the arena to reach the higher Blight.

With both Blights destroyed on the left side, the boss will become vulnerable again. Players can lean into it with everything before it raises its shield again at half health. From there, things will play out exactly as they just did for the left Blights but for the right side of the arena. When both right-side Blights are similarly destroyed, the boss will flee, but it's taking players with it.

Guardians will find themselves in a small, circular arena somewhat reminiscent of the room where the first Taken Osseous Fragment was found. From here, it's a cage match against Vrhiisk and some Taken cronies. If you still have any Supers or Heavy ammo, now is the time to use it. 

The final Fragment

Once the boss is defeated, a Hive Rune plate on the wall provides an exit. Or at least it should, but this plate is a bit more complicated to work than the previous ones encountered. Guardians will have to move in the direction indicated by the arrow on the ground in front of the plate after a symbol appears on it. A timer at work also ensures players are shifted to a new area every few seconds, making it easy to enter incorrect inputs.

The movements players will have to do in order are right, up, down, and left, but inputs are only accepted if Guardians are standing on a plate asking for that input. To avoid wrong inputs, which will reset the sequence, players simply remain still on the plate. A timer will shift Guardians to a new area and a new plate every ten seconds, so it's just a matter of patience.

A short platforming segment will take players high up into the peeling chiton of the Dreadnaught. After a jump to the other side of the massive area, the final Taken Osseous Fragment will be claimed. A nearby Blight is destroyed after grabbing the Fragment, and players can head down into the previously blocked hole in the column of the ship.

Find the artifact

Following a long drop, Guardians will emerge in an orange-tinged area. Platforming is required to maneuver directly vertically and then in a linear path while avoiding explosions of Taken energy. Eventually, players will arrive in an area with a couple of enemies and several Hive tunnels in the walls. Start with a tunnel opposite the side from which you entered the area and head as far down as possible until a dead end is reached. Exit the tunnels and clear the enemies out of the following structure in the middle.

A shield blocks the actual way ahead, so first, the Fireteam will need to take a quick detour back to the left side but accessed from a tunnel as close to the next shield as possible. At the bottom of the chasm here, a purple Hive crystal is waiting to be broken. Two more crystals are waiting on the other side. One is below one of the lowest accessible platforms by a spike trap, and another is about level with the Hive shield wall halfway down the passage.

Ahead is a bit more platforming through Taken explosions and spike traps, but that's nothing new at this point. A vast cable will lead players forward, and then Taken Blight balls can be used as platforms to continue venturing upward. A Hive ritual circle stands before an open door at the top of the area, but it can't be interacted with just yet. Head through the doors for a Rally Flag location and the final encounter.

Xir-Kuur, both Taken and Not-Taken

Entering the arena, Guardians will find the Barrow-Dyad on a table across the room. As soon as the weapon is collected, the Fireteam will become Torn Between Dimensions. Taken Blights will appear in the arena, but no enemies yet. So, players can take their time eliminating each Blight that spawned. Once that happens, the boss, Xir-Kuur, will appear both as a Taken and Not-Taken variant.

Only one version of the boss will be damageable at a time, and it is always easy to tell. If those giant eyes show up debuffing with Suffocating Terror, players must attack the Not-Taken boss. Alternatively, when players get the Torn Between Dimensions debuff and their screens turn black and white, it's time to attack Xir-Kuur, Taken. Guardians won't have to deal with Suffocating Terror while they are Torn, but they will have to destroy three Blights before the debuff is lost and Xir-Kuur, Not-Taken becomes vulnerable.

After going back and forth between the two bosses, the Fireteam will eventually defeat Xir-Kuur, Not-Taken first. When this happens, players will be alerted over comms that they must evacuate the room and activate the Hive ritual circle on the other side of the door. Doing so will seal the remaining boss in the chamber, acting as a prison. So, the remainder of the fight is a desperate attempt to close off the area before the boss can charge through.

When the door seals shut, the encounter and the Exotic mission come to a close. A chest will appear to reward players for their efforts, and The Taken Path Quest will reach its conclusion.

The post How to complete the Derealize Exotic mission in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Destiny 2 had its latest Dungeon race, but PlayStation players, in particular, got the short end of the stick. Unexpected PSN outages plagued the experience, leading to instances where some players couldn't attempt Contest mode at all. Bungie has addressed the situation, announcing that Contest mode will return another weekend.

The Sundered Doctrine Dungeon was released on Friday, February 7, kicking off Destiny 2's second-ever Dungeon race. Like a Raid race, the last two Dungeons have been released with a Contest mode, massively increasing difficulty and offering some sweet rewards to the brave Fireteams who overcome its challenge. However, PlayStation players didn't have as easy of an experience, with lengthy interruptions draining away precious time.

Bungie offers another Contest mode weekend

Just taking a look at the comments on social media and sites like Reddit, it was clear that players weren't happy about the PSN outage. On the day of the Dungeon release, one Redditor commented, "Multiple people have been told by customer support that this "maintenance" which wasn't scheduled, could last anywhere from 24-48 hours, justice for the psn community[.]" 

The commenter wasn't the only one, with many PlayStation players sharing similar sentiments. Thankfully, it didn't take long for Bungie to acknowledge the situation. One day after the Sundered Doctrine release, Bungie posted on Bluesky, saying, "Due to issues affecting PlayStation players' ability to sign in to Destiny 2, we are planning an additional Sundered Doctrine Contest Mode weekend for all platforms. Specific dates and times will be announced at a later date."

The studio clarified that the race itself would be unaffected but that players would simply have another chance to take a crack at Contest mode. That means, if players want, they can attempt a clear for the coveted Emblem and a guaranteed Dungeon Exotic, Finality's Auger.

The post PSN outages lead to another Contest weekend for Destiny 2’s Sundered Doctrine Dungeon appeared first on Destructoid.

Sigil Shards are among the new resources added to Destiny 2 for Episode: Heresy, helping to make delves into The Nether more manageable and control potential rewards. However, Sigil Shards aren't explained very well to players, and you'll want to know how to make the most out of the currency.

Destiny 2 will often feature specific resources or currencies tied to an Episode or Season. For Episode: Heresy, that has been Metastasized Essentia scattered around the Dreadnaught, Essence of Desire, best earned from refining Metastasized Essentia, and Sigil Shards. However, after earning the resources themselves, even more important is that players know what to do with them.

Where do Sigil Shards come from?

Guardians can earn Sigil Shards just by playing the game during Episode: Heresy, but there are some strategies that are proving more fruitful than others. There is always the chance that a defeated enemy will drop a black Taken orb. If players destroy it, three pickups will spring forth, each rewarding two or three Sigil Shards.

Thankfully, it's easy to earn Sigil Shards while tackling other Heresy tasks. The Nether, for example, provides Sigil Shards from all chests. Players can earn even more if they get the Rune that rewards Sigil Shards from Metastasized Essentia nodes encountered during the activity. Of course, that's all in addition to the Sigil Shard orbs occasionally dropped by enemies.

Sigil Shard farming

As of this writing, there is an incredibly easy way to farm Sigil Shards. Best of all, it doesn't require an unreasonable time investment. That said, it's unclear if this is an intended interaction in-game or if it's a bug that Guardians can take advantage of while active.

If players head to the enemy-rich Altars of Sorrow Public Event on the Moon, there should be no problem amassing piles of Sigil Shards. So long as Guardians are using a weapon with good AOE potential, like an Indebted Kindness with Voltshot, or even some ability spam with a new Bolt Charge Arc build, there will be no shortage of Sigil Shard orbs littering the battlefield. After the phase or event ends, players can go around shooting the orbs and collecting all of the Shards.

The only downside to this method is that players can only carry 300 Sigil Shards at a given time. In the grand scheme of things, a stack of 300 isn't that much. So, Guardians must spend the resource almost as quickly as they amass it.

What are Sigil Stones for?

Whenever Guardians collect Sigil Stones, it translates to XP gains for Mastery of Resolve reputation ranks. In addition to vendor XP, players can also use Sigil Stones for Runic Enhancement and the Tome of Want.

Runic Enhancement allows you to spend Sigil Stones on Runes that can be equipped through the Shaping Slab or via altars at the start of The Nether runs. The costs of Runes can vary, with the selections increasing in price from right to left. While these Runes only work in The Nether, each offers worthwhile buffs, like the Tier 3 Healing Rune, making Healing Orbs more effective. That can be pretty handy in the new activity with limited healing options.

Alternatively, players can use Sigil Shards to focus specific rewards through the Tome of Want. As players participate in Episode: Heresy, they'll occasionally collect items called Crumbing Scriptures to be used in the Tome of Want. These Scriptures allow players to choose a specific reward through the Tome, but finding Scriptures isn't guaranteed. After Guardians complete the "Tome of Want: A Primer" Quest, 100 Sigil Shards can be used if a Crumbling Scripture isn't available.

The post How to get Sigil Shards and what to do with them in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Destiny 2's economy of resources and collectibles is never-ending, changing in an instant with the release of new content. That's proven the case for Episode: Heresy, with many new resources added for Guardians to balance. Essence of Desire is one of those newcomers, but it requires some effort to earn lots.

With each new Episode (or Season), Destiny 2 often adds novel gameplay mechanics and progression systems to keep the game feeling fresh. With Heresy, that comes in the form of the Tome of Want and forrays into an activity players seem to like, The Nether. However, to use the Tome of Want and to open those locked chests in The Nether, Guardians will need plenty of Essence of Desire.

Where does Essence of Desire come from?

Thankfully, Essence of Desire isn't too hard to come by on its own. Players can earn Essence of Desire while participating in activities on The Nether, but the drip feed can be painfully slow. That said, there is another way to earn Essence of Desire, and you'll get a lot more for your troubles.

In Eris' Flat in The Last City, Guardians will find a Taken Altar just to the left of the entryway. You can only interact with the Altar if you hold ten or more Metastasized Essentia, and doing so will consume the resources. In return, players will get a bunch of loot, including 10 Essence of Desire.

The Taken Altar is the most lucrative way to earn Essence of Desire, but that also means you'll have to spend a lot of time in The Nether to accrue the 10 Metastasized Essentia needed per interaction. At least, in addition to the Essence of Desire, you'll also get some reprised Season of Arrivals weapons and some upgrade materials with each pull.

What is Essence of Desire used for?

As mentioned earlier, Essence of Desire is the key to several rewards in Episode: Heresy. Most notably, each time Guardians activate a ritual using the Tome of Want, it costs two Essence of Desire. The Tome helps you narrow potential rewards down, allowing the ability to focus specific weapons, armor, or resources.

In addition to the Tome, Essence also comes up whenever players find locked chests while exploring The Nether. Each of these locked chests similarly costs two Essence of Desire to unlock. Inside, Guardians will be rewarded with Sigil Shards and a guaranteed weapon drop.

While there's no requirement for players to stock up on Essence of Desire, they certainly help make The Nether all the more rewarding. Plus, if you're already engaging with Episode: Heresy anyway, you'll undoubtedly end up with some Essence of Desire to spend.

The post How to get Essence of Desire in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

If there's one thing Destiny 2 players are familiar with, it's collecting new resources as they enter the game. Episode: Heresy adds a trove of new currencies and collectibles to fret over. However, only one requires as much labor to earn as its name is difficult to pronounce: Metastisized Essentia.

Destiny 2 is always getting new forms of currencies and resources. Many of these items are specific to a Season (or Episode), acting as the grease between the gears of new activities or whatever pursuit Guardians are currently chasing. Metastisized Essentia is one of the new Heresy currencies, similar to the Radiolite resource from Episode: Echoes. While Metastisized Essentia can lead to even greater rewards during Heresy, Guardians must first set aside a tidy supply.

Where to find Metastisized Essentia

If players want to go out and farm a solid stack of Metastisized Essentia, the place to head is into The player-approved Nether activity. The new activity is a great way to earn rewards throughout this Episode, including new Heretical weapons, Sigil Stones, and, of course, Metastisized Essentia. Not to mention the Tome of Want, allowing players to direct their loot whilst in The Nether. Metastisized Essentia is strewn throughout the Dreadnaught while engaged in the activity and marked as a resource node by Ghosts if you use a Detector mod on your Ghost Shell.

Visually, Metastisized Essentia is a spiked white ball sitting atop black tentacles. Looking a little closer at the resource, you can see it's both riddled with eyes and apparently breathing. Interacting with the resource, Guardians will receive one or two Fleeting Metastisized Essentia and some Sigil Stones.

After collecting Fleeting Metastisized Essentia, it's technically still not in the player's possession. The resource must be refined into regular Metastisized Essentia by looting the final chest in each zone. Of course, that chest is guarded by a boss who appears after Guardians clear three minor objectives.

In addition to the Metastisized Essentia readily available in The Nether, players can also get a supply of the resource from Eris' flat in The Last City. On one side of the room is the Shaping Slab, the Episode's main reputation vendor. Metastisized Essentia is a reward available on that reputation reward track.

How to use Metastisized Essentia

Metastisized Essentia is only valuable to players in clusters of 10, as that's how the resource is exchanged back at Eris' flat. Opposite the Shaping Slab, right near the doorway, there's a Taken Altar hungry for Metastisized Essentia. 

For every 10 of the resources turned into the Altar, Guardians will get a trove of rewards. 

• Essence of Desire x 10
• Enhancement Cores
• Enhancement Prisms
• Reprised Season of Arrivals weapons
• Episode: Heresy reputation

While it doesn't appear that Metastisized Essentia is used for any Heresy systems itself, it is worth depositing what's had in between runs through The Nether. Guardians will assuredly be amassing the resource as they interact with the Episode, so it's worth converting it into some potential usable rewards.

The post How to get Metastisized Essentia in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

It's been a while since there was a reason for players to get excited about a trace rifle in Destiny 2. However, the new Lodestar Exotic trace rifle from Episode: Heresy might be just the thing to rekindle that old love with the weapon type.

Destiny 2's trace rifles had a bit of a heyday up into the Lightfall era. Back then, it was much easier to generate heavy ammo bricks when using two special ammo weapons. Trace rifles fit nicely as the "primary" special weapon, featuring large reserves. Those days wouldn't stick around forever, though, and the guns fell by the wayside when Bungie retuned heavy ammo drops. Now, with a primary ammo trace rifle on the table, it might harken back to those old times.

Where does the Lodestar come from?

The Lodestar Exotic trace rifle is a reward that's exclusive to Episode: Heresy's Season Pass. That said, players don't necessarily need to purchase the Episode itself to access the new weapon; it's available on the free reward track at Rank 40. So, as long as you're participating in Destiny 2 during Episode: Heresy, you shouldn't have a problem acquiring the weapon.

If players did shell out for Episode: Heresy or bought the annual pass version of The Final Shape, the Lodestar will be available to claim immediately from the Season Pass. Further into the premium track, the Artificial Sun Ornament is also available once Guardians reach Rank 100.

Once Heresy is over, the Lodestar will likely be available for purchase through the Monument to Lost Lights in The Tower. While Bungie hasn't explicitly confirmed this, it has happened to countless other Exotic weapons earned through the Season Pass.

What does the Lodestar do?

The Lodestar is very different from the trace rifles players are familiar with. On the surface, one reason is that the gun uses primary ammo, essentially making it infinite. Looking deeper, the Exotic also has some peculiar behaviors that might take a little getting used to.

When Guardians aim down the sights of the Lodestar, instead of emitting a solid beam like other trace rifles, it will behave more like a pulse rifle. The bursts of energy have their place, though, as they increase damage and detonate Blinding explosions on Arc-debuffed enemies. Additionally, once players deal enough Arc damage while using the Lodestar, they can perform an alternate reload to imbue the weapon with Jolt while firing from the hip.

The Lodestar should work nicely with any number of Arc builds in this Episode, especially with the Artifact Perks that rely on Arc debuffs like Jolt. Lodestar may be hitting far above its weight class during Heresy because of its Arc focus, but even after, it'll still allow players to relive the glory days of running double special weapons.

The post How to get the Lodestar exotic in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Episode: Heresy has set itself up to offer one of the best experiences for Destiny 2's Arc Subclasses. With sweeping buffs across the Subclass, new Aspects, and a new keyword, Bolt Charge, to play with, it looks like Arc may be the strongest it has ever been for Heresy.

Of course, an individual Guardian's experience may vary, which typically depends on the quality of a player's build. If you know how to craft a setup that leans into what's currently hot, you'll have no problem playing with all of Destiny 2's new Arc Subclass toys. If not, well, that's what I'm here for.

Start strong with the Artifact

For Episode: Heresy, Guardians can access the Tablet of Ruin as an Artifact. While the Tablet of Ruin isn't as singularly focused as the Stasis-centric Artifact from Episode: Revenant, there are quite a few options that benefit Arc players. With the, quite frankly, wild changes to the Arc Subclass and a number of its features, the Heresy Artifact ensures players can have a blast while riding the lightning.

In particular, Overclock And Load is available in the second column, offering bonus Handling and Reload Speed stats to any Arc weapons wielded while you're Amplified or have Bolt Charge active. This proves especially nice as a compliment to the reworked Amplified state, now granting damage resistance and making enemies less accurate.

The third column has two Artifact Perks of note, Dielectric and Photonic Flare. Dielectric ensures that players gain a stack of Bolt Charge whenever they defeat an enemy with an Arc debuff (Blind or Jolt). On the other hand, Photonic Flare creates a Blinding explosion whenever an Exhausted or Severed enemy is defeated with Arc damage. Sever is easy enough to apply with Strand weapons, and Exhausted comes from Overload weapons or those with specific Origin Traits.

There's only one Arc Artifact Perk in the fourth column, but it's absolutely worth having. Flashover massively interacts with the new Bolt Charge keyword, increasing its lightning bolt damage and making Guardians Amplified when they reach max stacks of Bolt Charge. With Amplified as good as it is, you'll want to be in that state as often as possible.

Finally, the last column of the Artifact has Defibrillating Blast. Still, depending on the final build setup, you may get more mileage out of Particle Reconstruction or Heavy Ordnance Regeneration. Defibrillating Blast grants max stacks of Bolt Charge when players stun a Champion. The Arc bolt heals the wielder and Jolts nearby enemies.

Of course, with alternatives like Volatile Marksman, Horde Shuttle, and Particle Reconstruction, you may be tempted toward another elemental affinity. The good news is, there's some wiggle room for these alternatives, even if players go for all of the Arc options. So, feel free to throw on that Strand Support Frame auto rifle to heal in The Nether.

Warlock

Players can choose between two main Arc build styles within the Warlock Class. Guardians can either go all in on support with Ionic Traces to ensure god-like ability regeneration for themselves and allies or opt to maximize damage. Either build can work wonders; it's just a matter of the content players intend to tackle and what kind of gameplay they want.

Ionic Trace farmer Warlock

Ionic Traces are great. The Arc-exclusive pickups restore ability energy on their own, and they can be buffed with all manner of Aspects, Fragments, and Exotics to do some truly remarkable things. For instance, with the right setup, Warlocks can become an Ionic Trace-generating machine and gain stacks of Bolt Charge in the process. Not only do those Ionic Traces restore energy to all of your abilities, but whenever an Ionic Trace tracks to you, allies benefit, too.

This build starts with the Subclass, where Warlocks will want to play with some new Aspects and Fragments. For regular abilities, Healing Rift, Chain Lightning, and Flashbang Grenade offer additional support, allowing for healing, Jolt, and Blind, respectively. Super choice can be up to players, but I've enjoyed having Chaos Reach for some big damage whenever needed.

Arc Aspects for this support-focused build are Ionic Sentry and Electrostatic Mind. Ionic Sentry is a new Aspect that gives Warlocks easy access to Bolt Charge stacks. As players eliminate foes with Arc weapons or abilities (or Kinetic weapons), they build progress toward an Ionic Sentry turret. When activated, it Blinds enemies on impact and chains Arc damage to nearby foes. Electrostatic Mind helps add to the near-constant flow of Ionic Traces Guardians will create, spawning one whenever enemies are defeated with Arc abilities or if they're affected by Jolt or Blind. Electrostatic Mind also refreshes Amplify whenever an Ionic Trace is nabbed.

Fragments are where players have a bit of wiggle room. A few, like Spark of Resistance, are an auto-include because damage resistance is so important, but others are more dependent on play style. Spark of Discharge is also worth using, ensuring all those Ionic Traces grant stacks of Bolt Charge and offering a chance to create more Ionic Traces when using Arc weapons. From there, the other two Fragments aren't set in stone. Personally, I like Spark of Frequency and Spark of Beacons. The two Fragments help strengthen other aspects of the build, spreading the Blind debuff and improving Amplified.

Moving to gear, the piece that makes this build come alive is the Fallen Sunstar Exotic helmet. The Exotic improves Ionic Traces, making the pickups track to you faster and granting bonus ability energy. Taking things to the next level, nearby Fireteam members also get ability energy back whenever you do. Complimenting the Exotic helm is an Arc fusion rifle from Season of the Plunder: Delicate Tomb. The Exotic fusion rifle now benefits from massive buffs, including Particle Reconstruction. It also generates Ionic Traces and Jolts enemies, playing into everything else we have going on.

Stat-wise Guardians will want to ensure they're hardy enough by capping Resilience at 100. From there, this build wants ability energy for frequent Flashbang grenades, so Discipline comes next, followed by Recovery.

Electric friends Warlock

If Warlocks want to focus on pumping out as much damage as possible instead of supporting the Fireteam, Arc still has plenty to offer. Arc Warlocks always had the option to take along an Arc Soul, shooting at anything foolish enough to get in your way. Well, now that Arc Buddy can be accompanied by the new Ionic Sentry turret, leading to destructive displays of friendship and power. Part of the allure of this build is its simplicity and flexibility. It can be used with any number of Exotics or heavy weapons to accommodate demanding Raid encounters or other high-difficulty activities.

The build starts in the Subclass menu, where players will want to opt for Healing Rift, Chain Lightning, and Flashbang Grenade, just like the previous build. The Aspects are also the same options, Electrostatic Mind and Ionic Sentry. The reasons are different; however, with Electrostatic Mind only in the build to ensure Ionic Traces make us Amplified. Ionic Sentry is more in the spotlight in this build, as we'll use it as fast as possible.

Fragments are also similar to those chosen for the support build. Guardians still want Spark of Discharge for Bolt Charge access and Spark of Resistance for hardiness. To that end, Spark of Beacons will almost always be active, and the Blind effect helps ensure Arc Artifact Perks trigger. Finally, as this build will be played more aggressively and with more emphasis on Bolt Charge, Spark of Frequency offers a better Amplified effect and makes Bolt Charge stacks count for more.

While much of the Subclass setup is similar, the build comes into its own with the Exotic choice. The Getaway Artist Exotic gauntlets allow Warlocks to consume their Arc grenade to become Amplified and gain an empowered Arc Soul instantly. With Flashbang Grenade's low cooldown and a few Ionic Traces, players will find that they have their grenade recharged before their Arc Soul fizzles out. 

There isn't any one specific Exotic weapon that makes this build function, and that's okay. Players can use whatever heavy and primary weapons they want, but it is worth having an Arc special weapon equipped to make use of Spark of Beacons. With Piercing Sidearms in the Artifact this Episode, Indebted Kindness fits the bill nicely -- especially if players managed to earn a roll with Voltshot.

Warlocks should be ripping across the battlefield like a bolt of lightning. Start encounters by consuming your grenade to create an Arc Soul, and then start decimating foes with Arc weapons. It shouldn't be long before players have an Ionic Sentry available. Then it's just a matter of keeping the two Arc buddies going while triggering Bolt Charge lightning strikes and plugging away with whatever else Guardians want to use. Like the other Warlock build, Resilience and Discipline are king. Once both are at 100, Guardians can dump the rest of their stats into Recovery.

Hunters

Though Hunters may not have gotten a whole new Arc Aspect, the Class did get some substantial Subclass changes. As such, there are now some notable options if Hunters are looking for a shocking new build. With Bolt Charge on the table, players can incorporate it into a well-rounded Arc setup or build completely into the new effect to get as much out of it as possible.

Hive Boomer Hunter

If Guardians ever wanted to know what it felt like to play as the Hive in Destiny 2, this Hunter build is probably as close as we'll ever get. The setup allows players to wield an iconic Hive weapon and reap benefits that even the Lightbearing Hive doesn't have access to. Hunters will become a thunderous wrecking ball powered by Hive magic and electricity.

Getting the build rolling, Hunters will want to equip Gambler's Dodge, Disorienting Blow, and any grenade players wish. We're taking Gambler's Dodge to ignore the long cooldown on Disorienting Blow, and we're taking that so we can become Amplified whenever we strike an enemy with the melee ability. It also grants Bolt Charge stacks and blinds the target. For a Super, Gathering Storm is an all-around solid choice, but there's no harm if you really want to use another.

Aspect-wise, Ascension got a bit of a glow-up since its initial arrival, now offering more Fragment Slots and the ability to Amplify allies. It also Jolts enemies within range, too. The other Aspect of choice is Flow State, refreshing Amplified whenever Hunters defeat a Jolted enemy. For Fragments, Spark of Resistance offers that nice damage resistance, and Spark of Frequency makes Amplified and Bolt Charge even better. 

Spark of Ions works alongside Flow State, creating an Ionic Trace when Jolted enemies go down. Those Ionic Traces benefit from Spark of Discharge, granting more total Bolt Charge stacks. It's up to players for the last Fragment, but Spark of Amplitude can be nice for some free Orbs of Power.

The thing that makes this entire build work is the combination of two Exotics: the Mothkeeper's Wraps and the Ex Diris grenade launcher. The Mothkeeper's Wraps Exotic changes grenades to two charges of a new ability. This new grenade releases moths that target enemies, Blinding them on detonation. If they find an ally instead, they grant Void Overshields. Ex Diris also works with moths, creating them on direct or final blows. However, when the two are combined, Ex Diris can create multiple moths when its effect occurs, and the same happens when you toss a moth grenade.

To make the most out of this build, players will need to ensure special ammo is plentiful. To that end, getting the armor mods section of this setup is extra important. For stats, Guardians will want to hit 100 Resilience first before pouring as much as possible into Discipline, then Mobility.

Lightning strike Hunter

If Hunters want more flexibility in their weapon choice, the next build offers plenty of opportunities for Bolt Charge. It even incorporates the weapons that inspired the feature to double down on lightning strikes on priority targets. Guardians can bring a storm's wrath anywhere they like on the battlefield and reposition to another target in the blink of an eye.

For Subclass setup, players can take Marksman's Dodge and Combination Blow if they need to lay into bosses during a prolonged damage phase. Otherwise, Hunters should opt for Disorienting Blow and Gambler's Dodge more generally for the Bolt Charge stacks, the primary means of getting the Amplified buff, and the Blind debuff on enemies. The grenade choice should be Pulse. For Supers, if boss damage is a concern, Gathering Storm is the way to go. Otherwise, Storm's Edge offers impressive clearing capabilities and acts as an emergency eject button.

We're looking to get the most functionality out of our Exotic armor choice, so for Aspects, we'll be taking Tempest Strike and Ascension. Tempest Strike lets Hunters use a powered melee while sliding to unleash an Arc uppercut projectile that Jolts anything it hits. The Aspect also grants Bolt Charge stacks when defeating enemies. Ascension also functions based on movement, allowing players to activate while airborne to travel upwards, Jolting enemies with Arc damage and Amplifying allies.

In the realm of Fragments, Hunters want to maximize all their effects in play. As such, Spark of Shock and Spark of Magnitude will improve Pulse grenades, increasing duration and making them Jolt targets. Working with that, along with all of our other sources of Jolt, Spark of Ions generates ability energy-restoring Ionic Traces. Finally, Spark of Frequency and Spark of Resistance make Hunters hardier, boosting Amplified effects, increasing Bolt Charge stacks gained, and increasing damage resistance.

For gear, Hunters are looking at the Gifted Conviction Exotic. This chest armor ensures that a volley of bouncing Arc explosives also Jolts nearby enemies whenever Ascension or Tempest Strike is activated. If the effect Jolts enemies, Hunters additionally gain bonus damage resistance. We'll take either the Thunderlord Exotic machine gun or the Cloudstrike Exotic sniper to make that setup all the sweeter. Either choice creates the same lightning strike effect that inspired Bolt Charge with repeated damage.

After everything is put together, players can use Ascension, Tempest Strike, or even Storm's Edge to maneuver around the battlefield. As players use their abilities and movement tech, they'll be Jolting enemies and becoming Amplified on a near-constant basis. All the while, ability energy and Bolt Charge will be plentiful, which can lead to back-to-back big hits between the Pulse grenade, Ascension, Tempest Strike, Bolt Charge, and whichever Exotic weapon players choose. Stat priorities are much like most other Hunter builds, 100 Resilience first, then stack Discipline and Mobility.

Titan

The Titan Class has seen a lot of changes over the last two Episodes, both to Subclass functionality and general performance. Arc is looking pretty spicy for Heresy, with great build options to let players become a never-ending Bolt Charge amplifier or an unkillable vanguard breaking through the front lines.

Lightning Rod Titan

The first Titan build leans into the new Bolt Charge feature, allowing the whole Fireteam to seamlessly build stacks and discharge the feature passively through weapon damage. Titans will be holding the line, dropping a recently improved Barricade and unloading on foes with Arc weapons and abilities to unleash lightning strike after lightning strike of Bolt Charge.

Starting with Subclass selection, Titans want to take Rally Barricade for its short cooldown, as it will heavily play into Aspects. Thunderclap generally works pretty well for a powered melee, even if players can't charge it all the way. If you're confident in your Ballistic Slam abilities, it was buffed to grant Bolt Charge and deal more potential damage. Pulse grenade is also on the menu, similarly working with a chosen Aspect. For Super, Titans can take Thundercrash for massive damage whenever it's up.

In the world of Aspects, Titans are going for Touch of Thunder and Storm's Keep. Touch of Thunder improves several grenade options, including Pulse grenades, increasing its damage over time and generating Ionic Traces. Storm's Keep is the new Aspect, rewarding multiple stacks of Bolt Charge to the user and nearby allies whenever a Barricade is deployed. Guardians behind the Barricade gain additional stacks of Bolt Charge, and weapon damage can discharge the effect.

Fragments are straightforward, improving grenades, buffing Amplified, and making Bolt Charge stacks count for more. Titans will want to take Spark of Shock, Spark of Magnitude, Spark of Resistance, and Spark of Frequency. Together, these should make Titans and their Barricade a solid rally point.

The Exotic armor piece that helps bring this setup to life is an old favorite: Heart of Inmost Light. The Exotic chest armor is perfect for a build using Barricades as often as possible, as using one ability empowers the other two with faster regeneration and increased damage. Titans can drop a Barricade and immediately gain enhanced Pulse grenades (which are already benefitting from several buffs) and a beefier Thunderclap. Of course, the Barricade and Storm's Keep are interacting to provide Bolt Charge, not only to you but also to the whole Fireteam.

Guardians can finish the build with an Exotic weapon like Thunderlord to double down on Arc lightning Strikes. And that machine gun can be made all the better with the Heavy Ordnance Regeneration Artifact Perk. To make the most out of this setup, Titans will want to prioritize Resilience above all else, as it's also the stat used for its Class abilities. That ensures Barricade uptime is as optimal as can be, and additional stats can go into Discipline and then Recovery.

Amplified Berserker

The alternate Titan build is for Guardians who want to be a menace to the enemy force, running headlong into swarms and obliterating swathes of foes. Players will have ample protection and heal while they take out their rage in melee combat.

Titans will want their Arc Subclass tuned, including important Aspect and ability choices, to get this build rolling. For Class ability, this build uses Thruster because we're not building into Barricade interactions, and it has the shortest cooldown out of the available options. Our melee ability will be Thunderclap, and it will be a cornerstone of the build. Flashbang works great as a grenade choice, offering a fantastic opener or a way to escape a sticky situation. As for the Super, Either Fists of Havoc or Thundercrash both work well, depending on what the content calls for.

Aspect-wise, this Titan build uses Juggernaut and Knockout. Juggernaut provides a front-facing shield when sprinting with a charged Class ability. If enemies damage the shield, Titans gain a stack of Bolt Charge. Being Amplified increases the strength of the shield. Knockout allows us to become Amplified when we defeat enemies with melee attacks and heals us in the process. The Aspect also buffs regular melee attacks with Arc, increasing range and damage.

Fragment choices are self-explanatory, feeding into the Juggernaut Aspect and the types of gameplay the build best supports. The mainstay choices are Spark of Resistance and Spark of Frequency, increasing protections, and the Amplified buff, respectively. Spark of Frequency also benefits from all the melee Titans will be doing, increasing weapon Reload Speed and Stability after landing a melee hit. Spark of Haste also increases Resilience, Recovery, and Mobility while players sprint (which they'll be doing quite a bit). Finally, Spark of Feedback is spicy, increasing outgoing melee damage after players receive melee damage.

For Exotic armor, this build excels with An Insurmountable Skullfort. The Exotic helmet fully restores melee ability energy and a chuck of health with each powered melee kill. Considering the sheer power of Thunderclap, even if it's completely uncharged, that's no problem when facing down Minor enemies and even some Majors. Even if the Thunderclap doesn't land a kill, melee energy is restored based on the number of melee hits from the ability.

For weapons, the Monte Carlo Exotic auto rifle completes the build. The Exotic restores melee energy on auto rifle hits, so a whiffed Thunderclap isn't as big a deal as you might imagine. Even better, if players have the Catalyst, its "melee" attack triggers An Insurmountable Skullfort's healing and melee regeneration effects. If players want to go the extra mile, they can add a sword to decimate big targets that refuse to go down. Players will want to ensure they max their Resilience at 100 before moving to focus on Discipline and Recovery next. Strength would normally be a consideration, but Monte Carlo's effect allows us to ignore the stat.

The post Destiny 2: Best Arc builds to amplify Episode: Heresy appeared first on Destructoid.

As with most content drops for Destiny 2, Episode: Heresy adds a new activity in the form of The Nether. While Guardians will largely be slaying out foes and handling mini-objectives in The Nether, the activity throws a twist into the mix: players can't heal themselves through traditional means.

This no-doubt throws Destiny 2's healing-capable Warlocks into disarray, but it also means that players can't just hang around and wait for health to regenerate on any Class. Instead, if players want the ability to heal themselves and the rest of the Fireteam, they'll need to make some conscious decisions about their loadout.

Living on the edge

The Nether isn't the first time Destiny 2 has limited the healing capabilities of our Guardians. Even as recently as the last Episode, a combat modifier called Brawn increased player health while restricting healing. What Guardians encounter in The Nether is much of the same. Within the activity, players' health increased by 300, and shields increased by 75, but at the cost of regeneration capabilities.

You'll have to find new ways to stay alive when partaking in The Nether, and that's the point. During the developer livestream showcasing Heresy before its launch, Bungie explained that it wanted health to become a resource in the activity, encouraging more methodical play. The idea certainly has some merit, as The Nether seems to have been balanced to make the lack of self-healing very difficult to ignore, especially towards the end of a run.

Healing options in The Nether

Despite The Nether being specifically designed so that the image of the unstoppable, invincible Guardian is shattered, there are still some consistent ways to stay alive. Mostly, that will mean either taking some equipment built to heal other players or scrounging around The Nether looking for scraps of health and ammo. There are also some opportunities to get around The Nether's curse with buildcrafting.

While one method isn't necessarily superior to the other, relying on the pickups you find within the activity can be perilous if luck isn't on your side. Though it might mean sacrificing something else that can help bring some pain to your enemies, opting for healing through either equipment or your build means that the Fireteam will always have a way to regain health, even in dire predicaments.

Support Frame auto rifles

The most obvious way to directly oppose the lack of self-healing in The Nether is by having each member of the Fireteam use a Support Frame auto rifle. These weapons work like normal auto rifles when you aim down the sights, but instead, shoot healing bullets when firing from the hip. Currently, there are two of these weapons in the game, one from The Final Shape's weapon pool and another arriving for Heresy.

Most Guardians likely have a No Hesitation auto rifle or two lying around if they've completed The Final Shape's campaign. If you're lucky, you have already unlocked the ability to craft the solar weapon and can customize it to your liking. No Hesitation uniquely can benefit from a damage buff after rapidly healing allies, and it additionally provides Restoration to those healed.

The new Adamantite auto rifle is not craftable, but it works a little differently. Instead of increasing its own damage, Adamantite increases healed allies' damage and starts creating Unravel projectiles on that person. Depending on the weapon's roll, you might still even be able to reap similar benefits to No Hesitation. The Circle Of Life Perk also allows Adamantite a damage buff after healing allies.

Alternatively, if players don't want to use an auto rifle at all, Red Death Reformed, Crimson, and Lumina are also on the table. The Exotic pulse rifle, Red Death Reformed, allows Guardians to heal themselves when they defeat enemies and nearby allies when reloading after kills. Lumina is an Exotic hand cannon that can shoot healing shots to heal allies, and Crimson is an Exotic hand cannon that can be used to heal the wielder.

Collecting health from pots

Aside from what players are taking into The Nether, the activity can provide some respite within its own walls. Throughout the activity, Guardians will come across pots and urns strewn about the Dreadnaught. If players spot one, destroying it can yield some kind of resource, whether it be health, ammo, or even something as odd as a Strand Tangle.

Generally, the pots can help in a pinch, but they're not to be relied upon. There's no telling what you'll find when you break one open, and on the off chance it's not health, you'll find yourself still hurting. That said, pots can be handy as a quick in-the-moment way to find additional resources.

Orbs of Power and Recuperation

Though you can't heal yourself via standard means like a Solar Healing Grenade or a Warlocks Healing Rift, there are some ways to build into healing in The Nether. Specifically, if players incorporate an armor mod on their legs, they'll be able to reclaim a bit of vitality each time an Orb of Power is collected.

The armor mod powering this interaction is called Recuperation, and it only costs one energy to equip. It's well worth swapping out an elemental Surge or a Holster mod in favor of a little extra health every time one of those juicy Orbs appears on the field.

Boons

In addition to everything Guardians can do to prepare for The Nether ahead of time, there are some powerful in-activity buffs that exist to help things along further. These buffs are called Boons, and they're separated into three different categories of power: Minor, Major, and Corrupted.

The Minor Boon Paracausal Health is one to keep an eye out for, as it makes each health pickup found in pots count for that much more. This Boon can also be stacked up to 10 times, making it something worth grabbing if staying alive proves an issue.

As for Major Boons, I've had some good times with both Finishing Heal and Classical Healing. Finishing Heal provides a bump of healing each time players use a Finisher to defeat an enemy and it can be coupled with other Boons that also function off of Finishers. Classical Healing, on the other hand, rewards a big chunk of health every time Guardians use their Class ability. This Boon can itself be enhanced by another Minor Boon that increases Class ability regeneration.

One option likely won't cut it

Though the above options all work to heal players in The Nether, it's probably wise for the vast majority of players to double up on healing possibilities. The Nether is a revive-based activity, so the run is over when the Fireteam runs out of revives. You want to do everything you can to prevent a run of The Nether from being cut short so you can earn as many rewards as possible.

To this end, it's worth planning ventures into The Nether, especially if you bring a full Fireteam of friends. If possible, I'drecommend at least two players with a weapon with healing capabilities. I'd also suggest everyone in the Fireteam use the Recuperation mod on their leg armor. From there, the Boons and luck of the pots will take players the rest of the way.

The post How to heal in the The Nether: Explore mode in Destiny 2 appeared first on Destructoid.

Stop me if you've heard this one before. It's launch day for some new Destiny 2 content, but irrepressible error codes and server instability make the title impossible to access. That's what's playing out right now for Episode: Heresy, with the final Episode stumbling right out of the gates.

Destiny 2 really needs a win right about now. The live-service game hasn't had a good year, with mediocre, bug-filled Episodes replacing the old Seasonal model. The hope was that Bungie was saving the best for last, that Heresy would re-inspire some faith in players after months of negative press and controversies. However, the launch of Episode: Heresy did not inspire confidence, coming online with a slurry of error codes preventing most players from doing much more than reaching Orbit.

Server maintenance has been extended

While it doesn't seem like the vast majority of players can access the new content Episode: Heresy brings us, or remain in-game to do much else, Bungie is aware of the situation. Almost immediately after the Episode went live, the studio initially commented on X via its Bungie Help account, noting, "We're currently investigating stability issues and a rise in various error codes, including PLUM. More information will be provided when available."

It seems that in addition to the instability brought alongside the Heresy update, some other aspects of the game might have been broken, too. The team accidentally turned back on elemental surges in Raids, which had been a previous controversy side-stepped by disabling the modifiers. As of now, it appears as though elemental surges are enabled in most Raids but not all. Unfortunately, a fix will have to go by the wayside while Bungie irons out the stability issues miring Episode: Heresy.

"Note, today's server and stability issues are our top priority to fix," the studio explained. "We appreciate your patience while we continue our investigation." From there, it wasn't too much longer before Bungie officially extended official Destiny 2 downtime. Hopefully, this immediate snafu isn't the first taste of what players can expect from the new Episode. 

Destiny 2 is certainly no stranger to server issues or extended downtime, especially surrounding the launch of new content, but this was not the time to fall back into old habits. Either way, Heresy did not create the best first impressions right out of the gate.

The post Excitement for Destiny 2 Episode: Heresy drains following immediate server woes appeared first on Destructoid.

Destiny 2's Arc Subclass is about to improve in the upcoming Episode: Heresy. Bungie has started sharing some details about the next bout of in-game content, including how each Class' abilities will change.

The spotlight here is on a new Arc keyword, Bolt Charge, that lets you repeatedly target foes with lightning strikes. Of course, that's not all from the finale Episode of The Final Shape, as new Aspects are also inbound to help shake up the gameplay sandbox.

While these tweaks and additions don't come with every Tuesday reset in Destiny 2, they often appear in significant updates. With three Episodes for The Final Shape, the structure allowed Bungie a well-defined period of four or so months before changing things up when a new Episode arrived. Now, it looks like some of the biggest shakeups of The Final Shape era were saved for Episode: Heresy.

Introducing Bolt Charge

Bungie highlighted what players could expect from Subclasses heading into the new Episode. While Arc will have a lot going for it in Episode: Heresy, one of the spotlight items is the new keyword: Bolt Charge. It is an Arc feature that allows Guardians to call down a surge of electricity to damage foes. It works differently from other keywords, potentially requiring a bit more planning.

"While you have one or more stacks, from any source — Aspects, Fragments, weapon perks, etc.  — dealing damage with any weapon increases your Bolt Charge stack count. Each time a stack is gained, you gain a chunk of melee energy. At 10 stacks, your Bolt Charge is ready and any ability damage — Arc or otherwise — summons a powerful Arc bolt, dealing roughly the same amount of damage as a Solar Ignition with a smaller area of effect. Different from Ignition though, Bolt Charge is tuned to have more consistent and predictable uptime," the studio said.

It sounds like the key to making the new feature work is getting that first stack of Bolt Charge. From there, additional stacks seem easy to gain, as any weapon damage contributes. Bungie did mention that players wouldn't just be limited to pure Arc builds to use the new keyword. Prismatic Subclasses will also have access to Bolt Charge through various options.

After watching the short gameplay clip of a Titan player using the new Arc Aspect to trigger Bolt Charge on the first encounter in the Vesper's Host Dungeon, the feature looks incredibly powerful. In that clip, it appears the lightning strike knocks a respectable 15 percent or so of health off the Brig.

New Aspects

Warlocks have a new tool to play with in the form of Ionic Sentry. This Arc Aspect allows Guardians to create their own Tesla tower that chains electricity to any foes unfortunate enough to be within range. As a bonus, the Ionic Sentry deploys with a Blinding effect and builds stacks of Bolt Charge as it slays enemies. Using the Ionic Sentry is as simple as charging the feature up by getting Arc kills and then activating it by tossing out a grenade.

Bungie commented on the new Aspect's design, "Stormcallers are masterful at channeling Arc energy, reshaping and redeploying it to cause mayhem on the battlefield. With Ionic Sentry, Stormcallers have harnessed Arc energy and coalesced it into a perfect orb of hurricane and harmony. Once it is charged up through Arc ability and weapon kills, you gain access to Ionic Sentry as a special grenade throw, similar to how Gunpowder Gamble works for Gunslingers."

While Hunters did not get an Arc Aspect to coincide with Bolt Charge, Guardians will have a new Void Aspect to play around with. It is called On The Prowl, allowing Hunters to defeat marked priority targets. When defeated, those priority targets create a weakening smoke cloud that Hunters and allies can use to become invisible again, gaining ability energy in the process.

Titans are also getting a fancy new Arc Aspect: Storm's Keep. Whenever Titans use their Class ability, they'll bestow a "moderate" number of Bolt Charge stacks to themselves and nearby allies. If Titans take one of the Barricade abilities, friendly players (including the casting Titan) will gain Bolt Charge stacks while behind it and can also discharge the lightning strike with weapon damage instead of only ability damage.

"We wanted to do a few things with this Aspect for Strikers," the studio noted. "We wanted to create an opportunity for Barricade to be used offensively and we wanted to capitalize on what Bolt Charge can provide. We envision Strikers pushing forward on the battlefield and using their class abilities to cement themselves as the tip of the spear in any fireteam."

Arc Subclass updates

Several updates are coming to the Arc Subclass aimed at making it more viable and forgiving in endgame content. Most importantly, PvE enemies will now be less accurate against Amplified players, and Guardians themselves will gain 15% PvE damage resistance when under the effect.

Many Fragments are also seeing tweaks to support the Arc-focused Episode. Spark of Discharge will grant a stack of Bolt Charge whenever an Ionic Trace is collected, and Spark of Momentum gets the new effect of getting a Bolt Charge stack after sliding over ammo bricks. It's also easier to trigger the Fragment, but the melee energy bonus has disappeared.

Spark of Frequency will have the added benefit of providing an extra Bolt Charge stack whenever players gain Bolt Charge from any source. That is joined by Spark of Volts, which also adds Bolt Charge stacks when Guardians get Finishers on top of the Amplified buff. Finally, Spark of Ions will additionally reward Ionic Traces whenever players defeat enemies with Bolt Charge.

Hunters

While Hunters may not have a flashy Arc Aspect to use in Episode: Heresy, plenty of updates are coming to the Subclass itself. The Tempest Strike melee ability is getting its damage increased by 57% in PvE. Additionally, players gain a stack of Bolt Charge if it is used to kill a Jolt-affected target.

The Disorienting Blow melee is also seeing a change, offering a "moderate" amount of Bolt Charge stacks whenever dealing damage with the ability. It will also deal AoE damage around the target, and its Blind effect has increased from six meters to a little over nine and a half meters. And for Arc Staff Super enjoyers, there's now a good reason to ensure you're reflecting blows, as it will offer a stack of Bolt Charge. 

Any of these retuned abilities will work well with the touched-up Ascension Aspect. The Aspect now provides three Fragment slots when running an Arc Subclass (already available on Prismatic). Activating the Aspect's effect, an upward Arc Staff twirl, now procs the effects from several other Hunter Class abilities. Bungie noted that Gambler's Dodge, Marksman's Dodge, Empowering Dodge, and Threaded Specter would be included for now, but more options could come in the future.

Titans

Alongside the new Aspect, Titans have a slew of quality-of-life tweaks coming their way. First and foremost, and most important for Storm's Keep, are a few changes to Barricades. Overall, Guardians will be more resilient when behind a Barricade, with splash damage resistance jumping from 60% to 80%. On top of this, the Taunt effect is changing a bit, no longer losing potency and range over time.

The Juggernaut Aspect is also getting a glow-up. The Juggernaut shield effect now offers 60% splash damage resistance in PvE and 10% in PvP. Additionally, you have an extra 10% flat damage reduction in PvE when the shield is up. Finally, when the shield successfully blocks damage, Titans gain a stack of Bolt Charge.

Titan's Ballistic Slam melee ability is also seeing some significant updates. It allows Titans to deal AoE damage with a ground slam after sprinting and while airborne. In Heresy, you won't have to sprint for long before the ability is ready, and damage will scale based on the distance Guardians travel. If that didn't get your attention, overall PvE damage has been bumped by 30%, and a stack of Bolt Charge is earned for each enemy damaged by the melee.

Warlocks

Warlocks have the least of tweaks to their Arc Subclass, but they already had a powerful setup with Arc Soul and Supers like Chaos Reach. Speaking of Chaos Reach, its damage will increase by 15% against non-Champion targets in PvE. The Stormtrance Super is similarly getting a damage boost, jumping by an additional 20% against non-Champion PvE foes.

The Lightning Surge Aspect is getting some tweaks, too. When Guardians use its effect, Amplified will be consumed. Damage is also getting reduced in PvP, from 20 per projectile to 15. That said, a payout is getting easier to predict with a two-meter width and a one-meter height increase of its cone.

The post Destiny 2’s Episode: Heresy is about to make Arc Subclasses extremely powerful appeared first on Destructoid.

Believe it or not, Oryx, the Taken King, is returning to Destiny 2. Bungie confirmed as much in a Developer Livestream for Episode: Heresy, but there's obviously a lot of information the studio has yet to give us. We know we'll be venturing back into the Dreadnaught, and the Taken and Hive will be involved, but we lack the finer details. The stream did, however, provide players with an idea of what the bones of Heresy will look like.

Oryx, the Taken King, is a major villain from Destiny's past. Once a Hive god and a significant force to be reckoned with, Guardians would eventually topple the monarch in the original Destiny's The Taken King expansion. To do so, we boarded Oryx's Throne World spacecraft hybrid, the Dreadnaught. While the King's Fall Raid is currently available in Destiny 2, Episode: Heresy will be the first time Guardians can explore the Dreadnaught in the sequel. 

The return of the King

Following a trend established in the Episodes of The Final Shape, it seems Episode: Heresy also plans to bring back a major villain. While Echoes brought Maya Sundaresh back into conversations, and Revenant offered a finale for Fikrul, Oryx definitely has the most star power as an Episode's headlining villain. That said, the revival of Oryx doesn't appear as simple as what was attempted in the Ghosts of the Deep Dungeon.

In some key art shared during the livestream, a ghostly visage of Oryx is shown peering over the Dreadnaught. The blue-spectered foe doesn't appear to be haunting us in the flesh, perhaps much in the same way that the Ahamkara Riven came back for Season of the Wish. That said, Bungie did hint at a flesh-and-blood enemy at the root of Heresy's conflict: an as-of-now unnamed Dread character.

Of course, with the prospect of Oryx's return on the horizon, Guardians will need to call in the specialists to deal with the combined Dread, Hive, and Taken threat. Naturally, that means Eris Morn, the Ghost-less Moon Guardian who briefly became a Hive god during the Season of the Witch. Joining the Hive expert is her more-than-just-friends ally, The Drifter, and Commander Sloan from Titan, who'd become afflicted by Taken corruption during Season of the Deep.

Are we getting the power to Take?

During the stream, there were some coy hints and references that Episode: Heresy may finally let players do something they've been asking for since the Taken were encountered: Gain the power to Take. The power of the Taken is intrinsically tied to Oryx, as he originated the ability. While control of the mindless faction has drifted since Oryx's fall, who knows what's bound to happen when the King himself returns? 

If persistent rumors suggesting that we're going to use the Dreadnaught to leave the solar system pan out, then it stands to reason we might need to master the same powers as its former steward. Bungie's Narrative Architect, Nikko Stevens, said, "[Sloan] has been afflicted with this Taken corruption that we saw back in Season of the Deep, and she's learned how to sort of hold it back but also utilize it to make her stronger. So she is going to be teaching us some of that." Adding some fuel to the fire, Senior Social Media Manager Andy Salisbury noted, "We're going 'Beyond,' once again."

Stevens added another piece of context later on when asked about the Path of Resolve in Heresy. "There is 'an event' that happens at the beginning of the Episode," Stevens noted. "This 'REDACTED' event sort of kicks off Sloan's motivation for teaching us about the Taken power that she has been holding back. So, that is the Path of Resolve, she's going to be teaching us how to fight fire with fire." 

The Narrative Architect continued, explaining how the Path of Resolve would factor into gameplay on the Dreadnaught. "We're going to be going into the Dreadnaught, taking some control of that Taken energy, taking some control of those old Hive Magiks, and wielding them using our Light and using our Paracausaility," Stevens said.

Into The Nether

Launching with the first Act of Episode: Heresy is a new activity called The Nether. The studio explained that The Nether would take players back through the old patrol zones of the Dreadnaught as Guardians rot out recent incursions by Dread, Taken, and Hive foes. As Senior Designer Ryan Harris notes, the activity was designed to be highly replayable.

"Baseline, the Patrol Zones are randomized and varied. The encounters inside are varied and randomized as well. So, time over time, when you launch into the activity, it's going to be a different starting bubble, different encounters, and different events and objectives for you to engage with," Harris explained.

The Nether may have some familiar trappings, but the activity will take on a wholly different vibe. Guardians will not regenerate health on their own, so a dedicated healer might be needed to conquer more serious difficulties. To compensate, Bungie is increasing player health by 300 and shields by 75 while in The Nether. "We really want to make your health a resource," Harris noted.

Ammo will also appear at a more limited capacity in The Nether, but the developers explained that there are ways to earn both health and ammo drops throughout the activity. Finally, as Guardians progress through The Nether, they will acquire Boons, which are buffs that will remain present for the rest of the run. Destination materials, chests, and destructible environmental objects like pots were described, acting as potential resource caches.

The Nether will have variable instances, with one mode that caters to solo players. "For players who are wanting that explorative aspect, we've seperated out the modes a little bit. People can go in and they can explore the Dreadnaught, but people who are just looking to bust through the activity and get loot, they have a different matchmade mode," Stevens noted. In addition to the solo and regular matchmade mode, there's also an Expert difficulty option.

The post Somehow, Oryx returns for Destiny 2’s Episode: Heresy appeared first on Destructoid.

While Destiny 2's Episode: Revenant is in its waning weeks, Bungie has a few tricks up its sleeve to see the content off, as several balance changes have hit the game ahead of the new Past is Prologue event.

Oddly, the tweaks to general gameplay are pretty significant for the end of an Episode. Of course, these alterations will likely set the pace for the upcoming Episode: Heresy, but you can start taking advantage now.

Every once in a while, Bungie changes how things feel in Destiny 2. The studio usually tackles one or two topics at a time, such as Exotic armor or ability tuning. For Episode: Revenant's final Act, both Exotic weapons and armor are seeing some changes and general tuning for many of the weapon archetypes available in-game.

Exotic Armor updates

In a post detailing update 8.1.5.3, Bungie covered how the game would change for the final Act of Revenant, starting with Exotic armor. One of the most significant pieces of news is that the Ballidorse Wrathweavers Exotic for Warlocks is now functional once more.

The studio had previously deactivated it near the start of Episode: Revenant after Guardians found a way to one-shot bosses with Stasis explosions. Naturally, that didn't attract the best attention in the Stasis-focused Episode, but at least players now have a few weeks to play around with it and all of the Stasis Artifact Perks for some wild combinations.

Warlocks also saw another boon to Exotic armor in Bungie correcting another functionality issue. The Stormdancer's Brace Exotic is supposed to refund Super energy and grant a damage buff for each enemy slain with Stormtrance. Players weren't getting the Super energy gains if they activated the Prismatic Subclass's Transcendence ability. This bug has been resolved and now functions correctly.

The next positive change was more general, as it affected multiple Exotics. For Exotic armor effects that reward an elemental Surge damage bonus, like Mantle of Battle Harmony, Foetracer, or Path of Burning Steps, the Solar Surge x4 wasn't applying to anything other than Two-Tailed Fox. Bungie has corrected this so players can enjoy the full force of a Solar Surge.

The additional Exotic armor tweaks aren't strictly positive. Many are fixes for bugs but end up decreasing current effectiveness. First up are Hunters with the Celestial Nighthawk Exotic. It inadvertently benefited from the roaming Super buff in Episode: Revenant, recharging Golden Gun much faster than intended. This has been adjusted so the Super charges normally.

For Titans, Bungie took a swing at the Crest of Alpha Lupi Exotic and its Spirit of Alpha Lupi effect on the Titan Exotic Class Item. It appears the studio feels that the healing offered was a bit too generous for Thruster enjoyers, so it has been reduced across the board. The full Exotic now only restores 60HP with its healing pulse when using the Thruster Class ability. Similarly, the Spirit of Alpha Lupi on Stoicism has its healing capability reduced to a mere 30HP while using Thruster.

Warlocks didn't escape without a nerf of their own, another instance of Bungie fixing something that wasn't working correctly. Before the third Act of Episode: Revenant, Warlocks could extend the Song of Flame Super by activating the unique effect of the Mantle of Battle Harmony Exotic. The studio has corrected this oversight so the already-powerful Super doesn't get out of hand.

Exotic weapon updates

There weren't nearly as many changes to Exotic weapons as there were to the armor, as mentioned above. That said, all of these tweaks are worth noting, as they're all for popular weapons. Kicking things off for PvP players is the ever-popular Ace of Spades. Depending on how you look at it, this could be either a buff or a nerf, but the weapon now does Solar damage with its Firefly explosions. Those booms were previously Kinetic damage.

The Whisper of the Worm Exotic sniper has been reliably popular even before its reintroduction through the remade Whisper Exotic mission. Now, it's a force to be reckoned with, bolstering multiple Catalysts and build options. As the gun is about landing multiple precision hits to refund ammo, Crucible fans should know that the flinch against other players has been reduced by 50 percent.

Finally, Graviton Lance has been a favorite of Guardians looking for a long-range, reliable Void weapon. It's not getting diminished in terms of the direct damage it does, but it is getting a slap on the wrist with a return to its previous RPM. Graviton Lance is now back to 300 RPM, down from 325 RPM.

Weapon archetype and Perk updates

For weapons in general, some are rising up for Episode: Heresy, while others have seen their time in the sun and are getting a bit of a nerf. Sidearm fans can start to break out their favorite Heavy Burst archetype, as the category has received an overall damage increase. Body shot damage has been bumped from 30 to 33, and precision damage has jumped from 48 to 52.8, making these weapons incredibly dangerous at a range where reliable precision damage isn't an issue.

Submachine guns are also getting some love, seeing a general magazine increase across the board. It seems, based on the vague wording of the buff, that all submachine guns are included in this boon, including Exotics. Bungie specified that the magazine increase would be anywhere between 10 and 15 percent, depending on the specific weapon. For Lightweight pulse rifles, general damage went from 17 to 20.4 and 31.45 to 31.6 for precision damage. Auto rifles got a small but needed bump to damage as well. The Rapid Fire archetype specifically went from 13.5 to 13.6 damage and 23 to 23.1 for precision damage.

Lightweight scout rifles are getting inched up in effectiveness. The Lightweight archetype's damage receives a nudge from 32 to 38 and precision damage from 64 to 64.6. Alternatively, High-Impact pulse rifles are getting tuned down a bit, with Bungie noting that it now takes six precision hits to eliminate a player with a Resilience score above 10. High-Impact archetypes now deal 21.5 damage per shot, down from 22. Additionally, precision damage dropped to 38.7 from 39.6, and the damage falloff for aiming down sights has been reduced.

Outside of general damage tweaks, hand cannons have a new Intrinsic Trait for the Precision archetype. The guns now reduce the aim down sight movement penalty by 10 percent. On the opposite end of the range spectrum, sniper rifles across the board now have 20 percent less camera roll flinch against players. Topping weapon changes off, Bungie reduced the self-damage done to players using heavy grenade launchers by 50 percent.

Looking at the individual Perks that can appear on weapons, Bungie made two changes for Act Three. The most substantial is that the Iron Banner Origin Trait, Skulking Wolf, now works in PvE and makes enemies less accurate when they're shooting you. Also, the studio noted that it rolled back the changes to how the Target Lock Perk works on submachine guns. Those alterations were made in Update 7.3.5, forcing the Perk to trigger when Guardians went through 20 percent of their clip rather than 12.5 percent.

The post Destiny 2 Episode: Revenant Act 3 balance changes appeared first on Destructoid.

Just like the Riven's Wishes event from Season of the Wish, Destiny 2 is currently running a limited-time event with some notable rewards on offer. The Past is Prologue event will take players back to old familiar haunts across the system as they do what they can to kindle the will-they, won't-they energy between Eris Morn and The Drifter. Thankfully, there are also plenty of prizes on the table for helping the two out, including the return of a coveted Shader from the original Destiny.

The Past is Prologue event is a lot like the Riven's Wishes event from last year. Guardians are given relatively basic tasks, like participating in Gambit matches or slaying Hive on the Moon, that reward Bento Tokens upon completion. Each of these Tokens can be exchanged for powerful rewards, and that returning Shader is a complimentary gift after players complete five tasks.

How to start the Past is Prologue event

The Past is Prologue event is available to all players, even those enjoying Destiny 2 on a strictly free-to-play basis. To kick things off, players will need to journey to The Tower and pay a visit to that snarky Gambit vendor, The Drifter. Ol' Drifter now has a new tab to interact with, labeled Limited-Time Event. In there, players will find four event Quests and one master Quest tracking progress toward the Shader reward.

Once players have each Quests, they should immediately complete the first step, as it simply requires discussing the Quest and Eris Morn with The Drifter. Guardians can tackle the tasks in any order they see fit, but if players plan accordingly, they can knock multiple objectives out simultaneously. 

As players complete Past is Prologue Quests, they'll be rewarded with Bento Tokens. It seems that some Quests can reward more Bento Tokens than others, depending on the complexity of the task. These Bento Tokens can be exchanged with Eris Morn for desirable rewards on the Moon.

Past is Prologue rewards

Resources and Mementos

Weapons

Artifice Armor

What's worth getting from the Past is Prologue event?

Much like The Drifter, Eris Morn has a Limited-Time Event tab for Past is Prologue. This menu is where Guardians can exchange their earned Bento Tokens for the fabulous prizes on offer. While the usual event offerings of Mementos or Exotic currencies like Ascendant Shards and Exotic Ciphers are available, the real prize for Past is Prologue are the Adept weapons and Artifice armor.

While the Artifice armor outright costs double compared to everything else, it may be the easiest way for a player to guarantee themselves a piece of the coveted gear with some decent stats. That said, only some of the Artifice armor up for offer has a roll worth nabbing, with many appearing with mediocre (at best) stat scores or distribution. That said, the gloves, gauntlets, and grips actually have decent distribution, and Class Items won't ever drop with stats anyway. As for the Adept weapons, players should get any they don't already have, so long as they'll actually use them. The Cataphract GL3 with the PvE god roll won't be helping any Crucible mains, and the same goes for Igneous Hammer for those that don't engage with PvP.

After players spend five Bento Tokens with Eris, they'll complete the Packed Lunch Quest and earn the returning Chatterwhite Shader. That said, the fun doesn't stop after the first five Bento Tokens, as the studio previously detailed that players would earn a total of eight Bento Tokens. It appears that more Quests rewarding the Tokens will make their way to the game, and there is a note on the Packed Lunch Quest that says, "Additional 'Past is Prologue' Quests will unlock next week, or can be obtained from Xur this weekend." Either way, Guardians will have a few more rewards coming their way, so long as they keep up with the event.

When does Past is Prologue end?

The Past is Prologue event is a limited-time and optional endeavor Guardians can undertake, but the potential rewards are great. Bungie has noted that the event will only run for two weeks and implied that players won't be able to spend their Bento Tokens after the start of Episode: Heresy. In a This Week in Destiny communication, Bungie explained, "The Past Is Prologue event will only be around for two weeks. So don't waste any time and make sure you spend all your Bento Tokens before the start of Heresy."

So, if Guardians are in desperate need of an Artifice Class Item or want to snag themself a fancy Adept Igneous Hammer, they absolutely shouldn't miss out on the Past is Prologue event. While Adept weapons are always hard to pass up, if players already have the most tantalizing rewards, at least there are still some free Mementos and Exotic currencies up for grabs.

The post Destiny 2’s Past is Prologue event offers an exclusive Shader and more for a limited time appeared first on Destructoid.

While a current focal point of Destiny 2's Episode: Revenant is a Tonic system that didn't initially work as intended, the third Act offers players a reliable way to brew Exotic Tonics. While it was possible for Guardians to create an Exotic Tonic before, there weren't recipes for the concoction until recently. Of course, as with many things in Destiny, players aren't just given the means to produce these valuable Tonics. First, Guardians must uncover the Tonic recipes for themselves; otherwise, strike it lucky on a never-ending treadmill of chance.

The Tonic system in Destiny 2 is a feature of Episode: Revenant that served as a way for players to influence gameplay and rewards. The idea is that players earn Tonic ingredients by defeating enemies and completing certain activities. Those ingredients can then be distilled into either a Volatile Tonic that boosts a specific effect or an Enriching Tonic that augments rewards. Of course, before Guardians can brew a Tonic, they'll need its ingredients and the required recipe. That's where Exotic Tonics become a bit more tricky than Rare or Legendary counterparts.

What are Exotic Tonics?

Episode: Revenant Tonics come in different rarities. Players start with the ability to create Uncommon, green Tonics and learn new recipes as Fieldwork is completed and more Tonics are brewed. Typically, players create somewhere between four and six Uncommon Tonics to earn a recipe for a Rare Tonic, and the same is true going from Rare to Legendary. However, Exotic Tonics are a bit different, and not just in how players earn them.

Exotic Tonics are only available for one category of Tonics: Resource. As such, each helps players earn a specific Exotic currency. There are three Exotic Tonics in-game: a Tonic of Exotic Ciphers, a Tonic of Ascendant Shards, and a Tonic of Ascendant Alloys. In addition to offering a chance to earn more of the specified resource from activities and kills, each Exotic Tonic lasts for 112 minutes or nearly two hours.

How to earn Exotic Tonic recipes

With enough time and effort, Guardians can learn all of the Uncommon, Rare, and Legendary Tonic recipes just by continuing to craft Tonics. Exotic Tonics require a specific course of actions to earn, with two taking players into the Kell's Fall Exotic mission and another being up to lady luck. As players hunt down the Intrinsic Trait upgrades for the Slayer's Fang Exotic shotgun in Kell's Fall, they'll earn two Exotic Tonic recipes, the Tonic of Ascendant Shards and the Tonic of Ascendant Alloys.

It doesn't matter the order in which players obtain the Intrinsic upgrades, as the Tonic recipes aren't tied to specific pickups. Instead, players need to locate and collect the Intrinsic upgrades in any order to open up more Exotic Tonic recipes. Alternatively, the final Exotic Tonic has been in the game since the start of Revenant, but it might be the hardest to make. That's because there's no recipe; players must get lucky while brewing other Tonics.

The Tonic of Exotic Ciphers can technically be made after players have started creating Legendary Enriching Tonics. There's a slim chance that while brewing any Legendary Enriching Tonic, a Tonic of Exotic Ciphers will also be created. Guardians can tilt the odds in their favor by earning the Extraordinary Tonics upgrade from Eido through Major Fieldwork from the first Act. It increases players' chance to create higher-tier Tonics while brewing, which helps but still leaves a lot to chance.

How to create each Exotic Tonic

After players have earned the recipes for the Tonic of Ascendant Shards and the Tonic of Ascendant Alloys, they can start producing as many beverages as resources allow. Technically, the same is true for the Tonic of Exotic Ciphers, but without a specific recipe, Guardians are at the mercy of whatever reagents are plentiful or trivial to farm. Here are the ingredients required to brew the Exotic Tonics from Episode: Revenant:

Tonic of Ascendant Alloys

• Enriching Nugget (2)
• Enriching Flake (2)
• Tomb Flake (2)
• Reflective Flake (2)
• Enriching Powder (6)
• Reclaimed Vitality (60)

Tonic of Ascendant Shards

• Enriching Nugget (2)
• Enriching Flake (2)
• Tomb Flake (2)
• Reflective Flake (2)
• Enriching Powder (6)
• Reclaimed Vitality (60)

Tonic of Exotic Ciphers

As mentioned previously, the Tonic of Exotic Ciphers can be a bit of an enigma for reliable farming. Ideally, players will luck into a few as they progress Tonic recipes and Fieldwork. If not, some tips and tricks can at least help Guardians spend their ingredients wisely. One important first note is that the Tonic of Exotic Ciphers only appears when brewing Enriching Tonics. Don't waste your time or resources with Volatile Tonics, at least in the pursuit of a Tonic of Exotic Ciphers. 

Another worthwhile consideration is the cost of each Legendary Tonic in the hunt for Tonics of Exotic Ciphers. Specifically, the World Gear category of Tonics offers the cheapest cost per Legendary Tonic. Each Legendary World Gear Tonic requires Enriching Nugget (2), Enriching Powder (3), and Reclaimed Vitality (20). Each ingredient is readily available when playing almost anything in-game, with even more significant payouts for Episode: Revenant content.

If Guardians want to eek a bit more feasible use out of the Tonics made in pursuit of some Exotic Cipher juice, they can brew from the Onslaught, Tomb of Elders, or Kell's Fall categories instead. However, those Tonics all require an additional reagent earned from the activity with the same namesake. It costs an additional Enriching Flake for Onslaught Tonics, a Tomb Flake for Tomb of Elders Tonics, and a Reflective Flake for the Kell's Fall Tonics. 

Going the route of weapon Tonics is a bit more work, as it demands players to frequent the activity from which they're hunting weapons. That said, there's no question that the rewards stand to offer a lot more than Glimmer and upgrade materials earned from dismantling set after set of Shadestalker armor.

The post Destiny 2: How to brew Exotic Tonics appeared first on Destructoid.

Guardians diving into Destiny 2's new Exotic mission, Kell's Fall, will encounter an odd sight toward the start of the endeavor: an organ. Those musically inclined players hoping that the instrument is a part of some elaborate puzzle or gameplay mechanic are in luck, as the organ is the key to most secrets within Kell's Fall. Thankfully, players don't need to do all the work required to piece together each melody, as any will work if you know which order the notes go in.

The Kell's Fall Exotic mission has its share of secrets tucked within, including Exotic Catalyst Quests and intrinsic upgrades for the Slayer's Fang Exotic shotgun. Many of these optional pursuits are accessed via the organ found within the mission. However, players must know what tunes to play to get what they want. Guardians can spend some time hunting down all the hidden melodies scattered throughout the Exotic mission, but that time-consuming work can be skipped thanks to the efforts of the Destiny community.

How to use the organ in Kell's Fall

Shortly after players first encounter The Trickster, they'll enter a building with the organ against the back wall. The organ is connected to a series of pipes, which are, in turn, connected to switches with symbols on them. Each symbol can be shot to play a particular note on the organ, and a series of symbols can be shot to put together a melody.

Not all of the switches will be available on the first run of Kell's Fall. However, more organ switches will become available in subsequent runs, with all accessible by the third completion. That said, it appears that most, if not all, melodies can be played on the organ with the switches available during the second run through the Exotic mission. 

When Guardians are ready to input a melody, they'll need to stand on the circular plate directly in front of the organ. From left to right, the switches can be numbered through 13, so players don't have to try to remember each switch symbol. As long as the switches needed are present, players can orchestrate as many melodies as they want, even all of the known combinations in a single run.

Known Kell's Fall organ melodies

As mentioned earlier, it's primarily thanks to the Destiny community that it's this easy to enter each of Kell's Fall organ melodies. Throughout the Exotic mission, eagle-eyed Guardians may spot a string of glowing symbols written on a wall or a wayward symbol tucked out of sight behind some rubble. These symbols correspond with the symbols on the organ switches, and in the correct order, these are the melodies players are looking for. Some are easier to find than others, and some are downright cryptic with the placement and orientation symbols that appear.

While there's a Triumph in the Secret category of Episode: Revenant for playing six melodies on the organ, eight have been discovered by the community. It's certainly possible that there are more melodies that players have yet to learn of; the community has banded together to share what's already known. These are all of Kell's Fall organ melodies confirmed to work, and here's what they do:

Slayer's Fang Intrinsic Upgrade #1

The code to open the door to the first Intrinsic Upgrade is 2, 11, 1, 10, 7, 6. If players enter the sequence correctly, they'll see the text, "Ancient gears grinding deep within the fortress."

Slayer's Fang Intrinsic Upgrade #2

The code to open the door to the second Intrinsic Upgrade is 1, 4, 11, 1, 4, 10. Once the melody is correctly entered, players will see text that says, "Barrier giving way."

Slayer's Fang Intrinsic Upgrade #3

The code to open the door to the third Intrinsic Upgrade is 1, 8, 1, 6. Once the melody's code is correctly entered, players will see a line of text saying, "Air stirring in a forgotten passage."

The Scorned Organist

The code to access the secret Kell's Fall boss is 10, 4, 6, 1, 11, 4, 8, 1. After Guardians enter the sequence, the Fireteam will be teleported to an arena to fight the Scorned Organist.

Uldren's Shrine

The code to open the door to Uldren's secret shrine is 1, 8, 4, 11, 1, 6, 4, 10. Players can confirm they entered the melody correctly if they see text that reads, "The melody sounds like a child, yearning for his father." The secret shrine is tucked away in the Undercroft section of Kell's Fall, in one of the red dome buildings, on the platform just before dropping down into the next area. 

The Trickster and The Mad Bomber

The code 1, 8, 1, 9 allows The Trickster to appear during the fight against Kaniiks, The Mad Bomber. Players will know they've entered the sequence correctly if they see text that says, "The melody twists your stomach in knots. You've made a terrible mistake." The added boss can be hurt during the encounter and will turn invisible to escape after taking enough damage.

The Trickster and The Mindbender

The code 1, 8, 1, 11, 9 sends The Trickster to the fight against Hiraks, The Mindbender. If the code was entered correctly, players will see text that says, "The melody sends a chill down your spine. What have you done?" As with the previous code, The Trickster will appear in another fight. The added boss is similarly damageable and will also pull another disappearing act once hurt enough. 

Savathûn is still watching us

The code 4, 7, 9, 6, 2, 6, 7, 1 is a bit of an oddity, as all it seems to do is award a cackle from Savathûn that echoes over the room. Players will, of course, know they've correctly entered the sequence if they hear the antagonist from The Witch Queen laugh over the comms. While there are suspicions that there could be more to this melody, no one has been able to identify anything else happening after activating the switches.

The post Destiny 2: All known melodies for the Kell’s Fall organ appeared first on Destructoid.