Destiny 2: Lightfall Vexcalibur Exotic Mission - How To Unlock And Why The Reward Is Worth It
It wouldn't be a "Destiny" expansion without some hidden secrets for players to find — like the Exo dog that loves pets in Season of the Seraph. And in "Lightfall," there's an unsuspecting cipher in one of the Patrol Zones that leads to a powerful new Exotic weapon. But, of course, it's never as simple as hiking to one area and back. This task will ferry players across several locales and even into the Vex Net on a multi-part Quest.
While some players might be biding their time until they can dive into the Root of Nightmares Raid, Guardians shouldn't wait to begin this quest and claim its powerful reward. After all, once players have completed the entire Quest line, they'll earn the right to craft a new Vex-themed glaive, and it can even be powered up with any choice of three unique Exotic Catalysts.
Here's how players can start the Vexcalibur Exotic Mission and how to complete each of its steps to earn the new Exotic glaive.
EDZ: Locate six Vex cubes in The Gulch
While there are no markers or indicators to point Guardians in the right direction, the first part of the secret Exotic Quest will have players revisit an old "Destiny 2" Patrol Zone: The EDZ. The destination will be The Gulch, and upon arrival, some might notice a few new additions to the area.
Scattered around The Gulch are now six Vex cubes. If players approach a cube, an audible tone will play, and text showing two numbers separated by dashes and question marks will appear where buffs are usually shown, albeit with a 30-second timer. Each Vex cube will add another two digits to the mysterious status and reset its timer. So, the player's goal is to make their way to each Vex cube before the buff diminishes.
If Guardians can manage this task, they'll see that the mysterious buff actually looks more like a code or coordinates, and they'll get a message pointing them toward a hidden cave in the area. The cave itself was tucked away and locked down by Vex securities before collecting the six cubes. Now, it's accessible via the southeast corner of The Gulch, just a little further up a dirt road near one of the Vex cubes. If players are having trouble finding the area, it's worth noting the entrance and its surrounding area are dotted with red LED light strips.
The bottom of the cave houses a Vex portal and access to the new //NODE.OVRD.AVALON/ repeatable Exotic Mission.
Brave the Vex Net and play Simon Says
Once in the mission, players can run forward and jump into the giant blue data stream to get things started. From there, players will endure a short Vex Milk-filled gauntlet with a few enemies popping up along the way. If ever at a point that feels like a dead end, green strips of neon light will mark the way forward. After squeezing into a wall crevice at the bottom of what looks like a Vex Milk draining system, Guardians will fall through another portal and come out in an area before a Rally Banner.
This is the first encounter of the mission, and it's a lot like a "Destiny 2" version of Simon Says. A large Vex pillar in the center of the platform will repeatedly spawn three Vex icons positioned randomly around it: a cube, a prism, and a diamond. These will only remain visible for a few seconds before disappearing again. Somewhere else on the platform — usually tucked behind a wall or cover — there will be a hologram depicting the order the Vex icons need to be destroyed. Players must follow the displayed order from top to bottom three times before access is granted, and they can continue. After a short enemy interlude, players will continue the same process with a second pillar on another platform.
With a second successful code entry, a last assault of Vex will try to stop Guardians, but once defeated, the encounter is over.
Survive Deletion Cycles and defeat the Data Nullifier
Another bit of platforming stands between Guardians and the subsequent encounter. Once overcome, players will find themselves before a spot to deploy a Rally Banner, with a gravity lift that leads to the next challenge.
In the next area, after clearing some starting enemies, a new mechanic called Deletion Cycle gives players only 40 seconds to destroy headless Goblin Vex and deposit the motes dropped into the Vex Conflux (white techy-looking pillar). Once enough motes have been deposited into the Conflux, a panel in the floor will open to reveal a chamber below the Conflux. Players can wait out the remainder of the Deletion Cycle here and avoid instant death. This process will repeat for a second time, and once over, the Data Nullifier boss will reveal itself.
This Vex Hydra can soak up damage, so Guardians shouldn't shy away from using heavy weapons or powerful Super abilities. Once players have taken it to almost half health, the Data Nullifier will take itself off the field and start the Deletion Cycle again. Like before, players must survive two Deletion Cycles by depositing motes and hiding under the Vex Conflux. With that accomplished, the Data Nullifier will return to the arena, and Guardians should do everything in their power to eliminate the boss as quickly as possible, as it'll cause the other foes to despawn once destroyed.
An old foe guards the Vexcalibur
There's only one final section to explore before players reach the last encounter in this Exotic mission. Players must travel deeper into the Vex Network, descending using various platforms. While this platforming section may initially seem confusing, projections of an old "Destiny 2" friend will flicker in and out of existence to guide Guardians.
Players will eventually find themselves in the chamber of the mission's final boss, Brakion. Once the finale of the Pyramidion Strike, the Vex now sports multiple phases to its encounter. Things start pretty simply, as Guardians only need to whittle down some of the boss' health and survive the additional enemies. Brakion will retreat via a nearby portal when enough damage has been dealt, and players can follow the boss inside.
On the other side, players will engage in a redux of the first encounter. However, this time, instead of locating the hologram instructions on walls, they'll be visible through transparent floor panels on the left and right sides of the arena. Once players enter each code sequence correctly, Brakion will become vulnerable again, and Guardians can resume damage. Unfortunately, the boss will attempt to escape again with only a third of its health remaining. Players shouldn't have any trouble chasing Brakion down and finishing it, as the final phase doesn't involve any mechanics.
With Brakion eliminated, Vexcalibur will appear, and Guardians can take it to the H.E.L.M. to unlock the ability to craft this powerful new Exotic glaive.