One of the most exciting additions to Destiny 2 is the Exotic class item, a highly sought-after reward obtainable through a unique Exotic mission known as Dual Destiny. Initiating this mission can be tricky as the process isn’t immediately obvious, and the activity itself demands strong teamwork and clear communication between two players. To succeed in Dual Destiny, it’s best to team up with a reliable friend, clanmate, or utilize Bungie’s Fireteam Finder to find a skilled Guardian.
Gaining Access to Dual Destiny
Step 1: Dominate Level 3 Overthrows and Eliminate Savathun’s Secret-Keepers
To unlock the Dual Destiny Exotic mission in Destiny 2, you must first prove your strength in the Pale Heart by completing three Level 3 Overthrow activities, one in each designated landing zone: The Impasse, The Blooming, and The Landing. It’s crucial to remain in the area after each Overthrow is completed.
After defeating the final boss in each Level 3 Overthrow, keep an eye on the left side of your screen for the message: “A Secret-Keeper of the Witch Queen is near…” This indicates the spawning of a hidden Wizard enemy within the Overthrow zone. Locate and eliminate this Secret-Keeper Wizard.
Once you have successfully defeated all three Secret-Keeper Wizards across the three Pale Heart zones, a prominent green beam of light will materialize in the sky. This beam acts as a guide, leading you to the Refraction area, situated between The Landing and The Blooming.
Follow the green beam to the Refraction and venture into the blue crystal cave located at the back. Inside, you will find a statue resembling Savathun. Approaching the statue will grant you a new buff called “Savathun’s Envoy,” accompanied by a timer.
Two Savathun’s Envoys, marked on your map, will appear beneath floating Pyramid structures where enemies are spawning. Engage and defeat all enemies in the area until a boss emerges. Upon defeating the boss, it will drop a Light or Dark energy ball. This ball must be deposited at the correctly aligned energy spot within the blue crystal cave. A marker will indicate the correct dunking location.
Destiny 2 Dual Destiny mission launch flag location near Savathun statue
With the Savathun’s Envoy challenge complete, a mission launch flag will appear directly next to Savathun’s statue. Interact with this flag to initiate the Dual Destiny Exotic mission.
Conquering the Dual Destiny Exotic Mission
Encounter 1: Opening the Refraction Doors
Upon launching Dual Destiny, each player will be assigned an alignment buff: either Light Aligned or Darkness Aligned. The assignment of these buffs can be subclass-dependent, but when both players are using the Prismatic subclass, the alignment appears to be random. These alignments are crucial as they dictate how you interact with the environment and solve puzzles throughout the mission.
The first mechanic you encounter is immediately apparent: Darkness Aligned players can only activate orange plates, while Light Aligned players must activate white plates. This synchronized plate activation is the key to opening doors and progressing through the mission. To open the initial doorway, both players must simultaneously stand on their corresponding plates.
Continue through the Refraction patrol zone, eliminating enemies as you proceed until you reach an elevated area with another sealed doorway. Here, you’ll encounter the plate mechanic again. Darkness Aligned players will find their plate on the left, and Light Aligned players on the right. Coordinate with your partner to activate your respective plates simultaneously to unlock the path forward.
Be mindful of the mission timer, which updates as you progress. Taking too long can add pressure. Once the doorway is open, proceed into the crystal cavern where a Taken Knight and other enemies will spawn. Defeat them and proceed further into the cavern to find a rally flag – your preparation point for the first main encounter of the Dual Destiny mission.
Encounter 2: Find Balance – The Symbol Puzzle
A Light plate and a Dark plate will appear to initiate the encounter. Both players must stand on their respective plates to begin, triggering enemy spawns. Clear the initial wave of enemies to spawn two mini-bosses: a Darkness-aligned enemy (slightly orange) and a Light-aligned enemy (with white wisps). It’s vital that each player eliminates the mini-boss that corresponds to their alignment. Defeating your aligned mini-boss will drop a Mote: a Mote of Light for the Light Aligned player, or a Mote of Darkness for the Darkness Aligned player.
After defeating the mini-bosses, one player will observe symbols appearing sequentially on pedestals in front of them. Simultaneously, the other player will see symbols floating in the environment, which multiply with each mini-boss defeated. The player observing the pedestals must communicate the symbols to their partner in the order they appear (left to right). The other player then must shoot the corresponding floating symbols in that exact order.
Example:
- The Light player defeats their mini-boss and sees the Snake symbol appear on the pedestal.
- The Light player defeats their second mini-boss and sees the Witness symbol appear next.
- The Darkness player then shoots the floating Snake symbol first, followed by the Witness symbol.
Successful completion of the first symbol phase teleports you to a larger arena. The core mechanic remains the same, but the complexity increases. Now, instead of two symbols, one player will need to identify and communicate three symbols, and their partner must shoot the corresponding three floating symbols in the correct sequence. Ensure you defeat three mini-bosses and collect both Light and Darkness motes to unlock all the necessary symbols. For the player reading the symbol order, the pedestals are located on the round balcony accessible via a ramp leading up from the enemy spawn point.
The third phase escalates further to an even larger arena, now requiring the deciphering of four symbols. One platform will house the pedestals displaying the symbols at the back, designated for the player reading the sequence. Again, note the order of symbol appearance on the pedestals (always left to right) and communicate this sequence to your partner, who will then shoot the correct floating symbols in the precise order. Completing this final four-symbol sequence concludes the encounter.
Jumping Puzzle 1: Aligned Platforms
Following the symbol encounter, you’ll be teleported to the beginning of the first jumping puzzle. This section is relatively straightforward, requiring both players to progress together until you reach two Taken Phalanxes guarding Light and Darkness plates. Here, stand on your respective plates to activate platforms that form the jumping path ahead.
This jumping section involves aligned platforms. More plates will appear on both the left and right sides, requiring players to split up based on their alignment to activate platforms and clear the path. Be aware that towards the middle and end of the puzzle, the plate alignment sides will switch, so remain vigilant and look for your plate on the opposite side.
At the end of the jumping puzzle, you’ll encounter another set of Light and Darkness plates. Simultaneously activate your respective plates to open the door and proceed. Continue past the large doorway to reach the next rally flag, preparing you for the next encounter.
Encounter 3: Find Balance – The Clock Face
This encounter demands even more precise communication as one player will perceive elements that are invisible to the other. At the end of the room, a clock-face mechanism will materialize, featuring beams extending to interactable buttons.
A Tormentor enemy will spawn. The player who delivers the final blow to the Tormentor will receive the buff called Harmonic Sundering. This buff allows that player to interact with the buttons on the clock face. However, the player with Harmonic Sundering can only see a subset of the buttons, and their partner sees a different subset. Crucially, there are three buttons that are visible to both players. The objective is for both players to communicate which buttons they can see, identify the three buttons they have in common, and then for the player with Harmonic Sundering to shoot only those three shared buttons.
Example:
- Player 1 (with Harmonic Sundering) sees buttons 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8.
- Player 2 sees buttons 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9.
- The shared buttons are 2, 6, and 7. Therefore, Player 1 (with Harmonic Sundering) must shoot buttons 2, 6, and 7.
Keep in mind that both the overall encounter and the Harmonic Sundering buff are timed. Swift and accurate communication is essential. This process of identifying shared buttons and shooting them is repeated three times to complete the encounter.
Jumping Puzzle 2: Ring Platforms
This second jumping puzzle is significantly simpler than the first. Begin by stepping on your respective Light and Darkness plates to activate the ring platforms that will propel you to the next island. Initially, players will need to separate, each navigating to their own floating island to eliminate enemies. After clearing the enemies on your individual islands, proceed to the next island by again using your aligned plates to activate the rings. On the final island, you will reunite. Defeat the two Tormentors that spawn, and then stand on the final set of plates to activate the ring that transports you to the final encounter of the Dual Destiny mission.
Final Encounter: Mastery of Balance – Subjugator Bosses
The ultimate challenge of Dual Destiny is a dual boss fight against two Subjugators. The encounter blends mechanics from throughout the mission. Initially, only one Subjugator will be active and vulnerable to damage. Eventually, a white shield will protect the active Subjugator, and two mini-bosses will spawn on pedestals to its left and right. One mini-boss will be Darkness Aligned, and the other Light Aligned. Ensure each player eliminates their respectively aligned mini-boss.
After defeating the mini-bosses, one player will observe three symbols appearing in a vertical sequence, from top to bottom. The other player must then shoot those symbols in the same top-to-bottom order. Successfully shooting the symbols will remove the Subjugator’s shield, allowing you to damage it again. When the first Subjugator reaches its final health threshold, it will teleport away within an immune shield, and the second Subjugator will enter the arena. Repeat the identical symbol mechanic process on the second Subjugator until only a sliver of health remains.
To remove the large orange shields that now protect both Subjugators, you will revisit the clock-face mechanic. Both players need to position themselves on one side of the arena, facing their individual clock faces to observe the button combinations. This time, the combination of illuminated buttons will change rapidly. For each combination, quickly identify and call out ONE button that you both see illuminated out of the four buttons displayed. Then, simultaneously shoot that shared button on your respective clock faces. This must be done three times to lower the barriers protecting both bosses, making them vulnerable to final defeat. Eliminate both Subjugators to complete the Dual Destiny Exotic mission.
Claiming Your Exotic Reward
Proceed to the back of the arena to claim your reward: the Exotic class item. However, there’s a final choice to make. 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 players. Choose Peace will skip the PVP element of the mission. To avoid engaging in PVP, both players must select Choose Peace. After both players have chosen, your Exotic class item reward will be granted.
[
