Destiny 2’s The Final Shape expansion introduced a compelling new challenge: the Dual Destiny Exotic mission. This unique activity is the key to unlocking the highly sought-after Exotic class items, offering a significant power boost to Guardians. However, accessing and completing Dual Destiny requires teamwork, communication, and a solid understanding of its mechanics. This guide will walk you through every step, ensuring you and your fireteam are well-prepared to earn your Exotic reward.
Unlocking Dual Destiny: Prepare for the Mission
Before you can dive into the Dual Destiny mission itself, you’ll need to unlock it within the Pale Heart destination. This process involves engaging with the new Overthrow activity and defeating specific enemies.
Complete Three Level 3 Overthrows and Defeat Savathun’s Envoys
To initiate the Dual Destiny mission, you must successfully complete three Level 3 Overthrow events in the Pale Heart. These Overthrows are located in each of the Pale Heart’s landing zones: the Impasse, the Blooming, and the Landing. It’s crucial to complete a Level 3 Overthrow in each of these areas.
Alt text: Guardians initiating a Level 3 Overthrow public event in the Blooming zone of Destiny 2’s Pale Heart.
After you and your fellow Guardians triumph over the final boss of each Level 3 Overthrow, pay close attention to the left side of your screen. A message will appear indicating: “A Secret-Keeper of the Witch Queen is near…” This signals the arrival of a special Wizard enemy, a Secret-Keeper of the Witch Queen, in the vicinity.
Alt text: A Secret-Keeper of the Witch Queen Wizard, a key enemy to defeat to unlock the Dual Destiny Exotic mission in Destiny 2.
You must locate and eliminate this Secret-Keeper Wizard after each of the three Overthrow completions. It’s essential to remain in the area after the Overthrow is finished to ensure the Wizard spawns.
Once you’ve defeated all three Secret-Keeper Wizards across the Impasse, Blooming, and Landing Overthrows, a striking green beam of light will pierce the sky. This beam acts as a guide, leading you towards the Refraction area, situated between the Landing and the Blooming.
Alt text: A prominent green beam of light in Destiny 2’s Pale Heart, signaling the path to the Dual Destiny Exotic mission after defeating Secret-Keepers.
Follow the green beam to the Refraction and venture into the blue crystal cave located at the rear. Inside, you’ll find a statue reminiscent of Savathun. Approaching the statue will grant you a timed buff called “Savathun’s Envoy.”
With the “Savathun’s Envoy” buff active, two Envoy enemies will be marked on your map. These Envoys are positioned beneath floating Pyramid structures where enemies are actively spawning. Your task is to defeat waves of enemies in these locations until a boss-level foe emerges. Upon defeating this boss, it will drop a Light or Dark energy ball.
Take the energy ball to the blue crystal cave and deposit it at the correctly aligned energy spot. A marker will appear, indicating whether you need to dunk the Light or Dark ball. Successfully banking the energy ball will finalize the unlock process.
Alt text: The mission launch flag for Destiny 2’s Dual Destiny Exotic mission, now available after completing the unlock steps.
A mission launch flag will now materialize directly next to Savathun’s statue in the blue crystal cave. Interact with this flag to launch the Dual Destiny Exotic mission. Remember, Dual Destiny is designed for two players, so ensure you have a teammate ready to embark on this challenging adventure.
How to Complete the Dual Destiny Exotic Mission: A Step-by-Step Guide
The Dual Destiny mission is a test of coordination and communication, relying heavily on Light and Darkness alignment mechanics. From the moment you launch, teamwork is paramount.
Opening the Two Doors in Refraction: Light and Darkness Alignment
Upon entering the mission, you and your teammate will be assigned either the “Light Aligned” or “Darkness Aligned” buff. This assignment might be subclass-dependent, but for Prismatic subclasses, it appears to be random. These buffs are the core mechanic of Dual Destiny, dictating which plates you can activate and which puzzles you can solve.
Alt text: The entrance to the Dual Destiny Exotic mission in Destiny 2, featuring Light and Darkness aligned plates.
The first puzzle is immediately apparent: to open the initial doorway, Darkness Aligned players must stand on the orange plate, while Light Aligned players must stand on the white plate. Stepping on the correct plates simultaneously will open the doorway, allowing you to proceed.
Continue through the Refraction patrol area, eliminating enemies as you progress. You’ll eventually reach a high ground overlooking another sealed doorway. This doorway operates on the same principle: Light and Darkness plates are required to open it.
The Darkness plate is positioned to the left, and the Light plate to the right. Ensure both players are on their respective plates at the same time to unlock the path forward. Keep an eye on the mission timer, displayed on screen. While generous, taking too long will lead to failure.
Proceed through the opened doorway and ascend into a small crystal cavern where a Taken Knight and other enemies will spawn. Defeat them all and proceed further into the cavern to find a rally flag – your checkpoint for the first major encounter.
Find Balance 1: Symbols – The First Symbol Puzzle
After rallying, Light and Dark plates will reappear. Stand on your designated plates to initiate the encounter. Waves of enemies will spawn, followed by two mini-bosses: a Dark enemy with an orange aura and a Light enemy with white wisps.
Crucially, you must defeat the mini-boss aligned with your buff. Defeating your corresponding mini-boss will drop a Mote of Light (for Light Aligned players) or a Mote of Darkness (for Darkness Aligned players). Collecting these motes is essential for progressing the puzzle.
Here’s where communication becomes vital. One player will see symbols appear on pedestals, while the other will see matching symbols floating in the environment, which can be shot.
The player seeing the pedestal symbols must call them out to their partner in the order they appear. This order is the exact sequence in which the other player must shoot the floating symbols.
Example:
- The Light player defeats their mini-boss and sees the symbols appear on pedestals in this order: Snake, then Witness.
- The Light player verbally communicates “Snake, Witness” to the Darkness player.
- The Darkness player then shoots the floating Snake symbol first, followed by the floating Witness symbol.
Successfully shooting the symbols in the correct order will teleport you to a larger arena. The core mechanic remains the same, but the complexity increases.
In this second phase, instead of two symbols, one player must now shoot three floating symbols, based on the sequence communicated by their partner who observes the pedestal symbols. Ensure you defeat three sets of mini-bosses and collect both Light and Darkness motes to unlock all symbol sets.
The third and final phase of this encounter takes place in an even larger arena, requiring you to decipher four symbols. The pedestals for the symbol-reading player are located on a round balcony, accessible via a ramp leading up from the enemy spawn area. Again, the symbol order on the pedestals (always left to right) dictates the shooting sequence for the other player. Successfully complete this four-symbol sequence to conclude the encounter.
First Jumping Puzzle: Aligned Platforms
Following the symbol encounter, you’ll be teleported to the start of the first jumping puzzle. This section requires coordinated movement and platforming based on your Light and Darkness alignment.
Alt text: The starting point of the first jumping puzzle in Destiny 2’s Dual Destiny mission, showing Light and Darkness activation plates.
Initially, you’ll progress together until you encounter two Taken Phalanxes guarding Light and Darkness plates. Step on your respective plates to activate platforms for the jumping section ahead.
The jumping puzzle requires you to split up, with Light Aligned players taking one path and Darkness Aligned players taking the other. Each path has alignment-specific plates that activate platforms, opening the way forward. Pay close attention, as the alignment sides switch towards the middle and end of the puzzle. Keep an eye out for your plate on the opposite side of the area.
At the end of the puzzle, you’ll reunite at a doorway. Once again, stand on the correct Light and Darkness plates to open it. Proceed through the doorway to reach the next rally flag, signaling the start of the second major encounter.
Find Balance 2: The Clock Face – The Second Puzzle
The second encounter, “Find Balance 2: The Clock Face,” demands even greater communication and observation. A clock-face mechanism will appear at the end of the room, featuring beams of light pointing to interactable buttons.
A Tormentor enemy will spawn. The player who delivers the final blow to the Tormentor will receive the “Harmonic Sundering” buff. This buff is crucial, as it allows that player to shoot the buttons on the clock face.
However, the puzzle lies in button selection. Each player sees a different set of illuminated buttons on their clock face. The player with the “Harmonic Sundering” buff can only shoot the buttons that are illuminated for both players. Through communication, you must identify the buttons you both see.
Example:
- Player 1 (with “Harmonic Sundering”) sees buttons: 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 illuminated.
- Player 2 sees buttons: 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 illuminated.
- By comparing, they determine the buttons illuminated for both are 2, 6, and 7.
- Player 1 (with “Harmonic Sundering”) then shoots buttons 2, 6, and 7 on their clock face.
This clock-face encounter is timed, and the “Harmonic Sundering” buff also has a timer. Speed and clear communication are key. This process is repeated three times with different button combinations to complete the encounter.
Second Jumping Puzzle: Rings of Alignment
The second jumping puzzle is less complex than the first. Light and Darkness plates are present to activate rings that propel players to the next floating island.
Alt text: The second jumping puzzle area in Destiny 2’s Dual Destiny mission, featuring Light and Darkness rings.
Initially, you will need to separate again, each taking an aligned path to floating islands. Eliminate the enemies on your respective islands and then stand on your alignment plate to activate the next ring, progressing further. On the final island, you’ll reunite. Defeat the two Tormentors that spawn there, and then use the Light and Darkness plates to activate the final ring, which will transport you to the climactic final encounter.
Mastery of Balance: The Final Boss Fight
The ultimate challenge of Dual Destiny is the final boss encounter: a dual fight against two Subjugator enemies. This encounter combines all the mechanics you’ve learned throughout the mission.
The fight begins with only one Subjugator active and damageable. Eventually, a white shield will encase the Subjugator. At this point, two mini-bosses will spawn on pedestals to the left and right of the Subjugator’s platform: a Darkness Aligned mini-boss and a Light Aligned mini-boss.
Again, it’s crucial to defeat the mini-boss that corresponds to your alignment.
After defeating the mini-bosses, one player will see three symbols appear in a vertical sequence (top to bottom). The other player must then shoot those symbols in the exact order they appeared, from top to bottom, on the Subjugator to break its shield and make it vulnerable again.
Once the Subjugator reaches its final health segment, it will teleport away behind an immune shield, and the second Subjugator will enter the arena. Repeat the same symbol mechanic process to damage this second Subjugator until it also reaches its last health segment.
To remove the large orange shields protecting both bosses in this final phase, you’ll need to revisit the clock-face mechanic.
Alt text: Guardians engaging with the clock-face mechanic during the final boss encounter of Destiny 2’s Dual Destiny mission.
Both players must position themselves on one side of the arena, facing their respective clock faces. This time, the button combination changes rapidly. For each combination, you must quickly identify one button that is common to both players’ clock faces and call it out. Then, both players must simultaneously shoot that shared button on their clock faces before the combination changes again. This must be done successfully three times to lower the barriers surrounding both Subjugators, allowing you to finally defeat them and claim your reward.
Claim Your Reward: Exotic Class Item and a Choice
With both Subjugators vanquished, proceed to the back of the arena to claim your well-earned reward: the Exotic class item.
Alt text: Guardians claiming their Exotic class item reward after completing the Dual Destiny mission in Destiny 2.
However, there’s a final, intriguing choice. Interacting with the reward pedestals will teleport each player into separate shielded prisons. Here, you must choose between “Prepare for Battle” and “Choose Peace.”
“Prepare for Battle” initiates a PvP duel between the two fireteam members. “Choose Peace” skips the duel and grants the reward. To avoid PvP and simply claim your Exotic class item, both players must select “Choose Peace.”
Congratulations, Guardian, you have successfully navigated the Dual Destiny Exotic mission and earned your powerful Exotic class item! This guide should equip you with the knowledge and strategies needed to conquer this challenging but rewarding Destiny 2 activity. Remember, communication and coordination are your greatest assets in Dual Destiny. Gather your fireteam, hone your skills, and claim your destiny!
