Exotic Missions
- See also: Missions and Story Missions
Exotic Missions in Destiny 2 are unique, story-driven activities that challenge Guardians with intricate puzzles, challenging combat encounters, and platforming sequences, ultimately rewarding them with powerful Exotic weapons and sometimes armor. These missions are often considered some of the most memorable and engaging content in the game, blending unique mechanics with compelling narratives. Many Exotic missions also feature hidden secrets, such as Sparrows, Ships, or Ghost Shells. Historically, some of these missions were released as secrets for the community to discover.
Contents
Characteristics of Exotic Missions
Exotic Missions typically distinguish themselves from standard Strikes or Story Missions through several key features:
- Unique Exotic Rewards: The primary incentive for completing these missions is a specific Exotic weapon, often with a unique questline associated with it.
- Complex Encounters: They usually involve more complex mechanics than typical missions, requiring coordination and problem-solving skills, especially in fireteams.
- Platforming and Puzzles: Navigational challenges and environmental puzzles are common elements.
- Narrative Focus: Many Exotic missions delve deeper into Destiny's lore, offering rich storytelling experiences.
- Replayability: Often, these missions offer reasons to replay them, such as earning an Exotic weapon catalyst, unlocking additional perks for craftable Exotics, or finding collectibles.
- Difficulty Levels: Most feature Normal and a more challenging Legendary (or formerly Master) difficulty, with better rewards for the latter.
- Timed Challenges: Some classic and reprised Exotic Missions feature a time limit, adding to the challenge.
Accessing Exotic Missions
Originally, Exotic missions were accessed in various ways, including finding secret entrances, completing prerequisite quests, or as part of seasonal storylines. More recently, access methods include:
- Direct integration into expansion campaigns or post-campaign questlines (e.g., missions in The Final Shape).
- The Exotic Mission Rotator for legacy missions.
- Dedicated nodes in the Director for reprised classic missions (e.g., via the "Legends" or Into the Light tabs).
Exotic Mission Rotator
Introduced in Season of the Witch (Season 22), the Exotic Mission Rotator brings back a selection of previously vaulted Exotic missions, allowing players to experience them and earn their associated craftable Exotic weapons and other rewards. This playlist features one mission per week, accessible from the "Legends" tab in the Director.
The rotator typically includes missions such as:
- Presage: Rewarding the Dead Man's Tale Exotic Scout Rifle.
- Vox Obscura: Rewarding the Dead Messenger Exotic Grenade Launcher.
- Operation: Seraph's Shield: Rewarding the Revision Zero Exotic Pulse Rifle.
Rewards from the rotator include:
- A guaranteed Deepsight version of the mission's Exotic weapon on the first weekly completion (Normal or Legendary) until the pattern is unlocked.
- Intrinsic upgrades for crafting the Exotic weapon with each completion.
- The Exotic Catalyst upgrade for the crafted weapon upon Legendary completion.
- Legendary weapons and armor sets from the mission's original associated season.
- Pinnacle Gear for completing the weekly challenge.
- Bonus progress for the Xenology quest from Xûr.
Bungie has stated they are looking into bringing other fan-favorite missions, like Harbinger, back through this system.
Into the Light Reprised Missions
As part of the Into the Light free update in April-May 2024, preceding The Final Shape expansion, two classic Exotic missions, The Whisper and Zero Hour, were brought back with updated mechanics, new secrets, and craftable versions of their respective Exotic weapons. These are accessible at all times via the "Legends" tab in the Director after completing a short introductory quest from Eris Morn for each.
List of Notable Exotic Missions
Below is a list of some of the most notable Exotic missions released throughout Destiny 2's history. Note that availability may change with new seasons or updates.
| Mission Name | Exotic Reward(s) | Original Release | Original Location / Access | Description | Current Availability / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Whisper | Whisper of the Worm (Exotic Sniper Rifle) | Warmind (Season 3) - July 2018 (Reprised April 2024) | Secretly accessed via a Taken Anomaly public event on Io. Reprised version via Eris Morn quest "Whispers of the Past". | A timed mission involving extensive platforming and combat against the Taken. Set deep within Io, exploring Vex machinery. | Available (Reprised in Into the Light update, accessible from "Legends" tab). Craftable weapon. Normal (40 min timer), Legend (20 min timer). |
| Zero Hour | Outbreak Perfected (Exotic Pulse Rifle) | Season of the Drifter (Season 6) - May 2019 (Reprised May 2024) | Secretly accessed after completing a quest involving a Fallen transponder and interacting with Mithrax in the Farm's basement. Reprised version via Eris Morn quest. | A timed mission set in the Old Tower of the Last City, featuring intricate jumping puzzles, a deadly maze with TR3-VR, and challenging Fallen combat. | Available (Reprised in Into the Light update, accessible from "Legends" tab). Craftable weapon. Normal (40 min timer), Legend (20 min timer). |
| Harbinger | Hawkmoon (Exotic Hand Cannon - random rolls) and its Catalyst. | Season of the Hunt (Season 12) - November 2020 (Catalyst/random rolls mission in Jan 2021) | Accessed via a quest "As the Crow Flies" from The Spider, then finding a secret entrance in the European Dead Zone (EDZ) by shooting a specific fireplace with Hawkmoon equipped. | A mission to hunt Emissaries of Savathûn within the EDZ, involving platforming and combat against Taken. | Currently Vaulted. Hawkmoon is available from Xûr. Bungie has mentioned considering it for the Exotic Mission Rotator. |
| Presage | Dead Man's Tale (Exotic Scout Rifle) | Season of the Chosen (Season 13) - February 2021 | Accessed via the "The Voice on the Other Side" quest, initiated by finding a distress signal in The Arms Dealer Nightfall strike and speaking to Zavala. | A horror-themed mission exploring the derelict Cabal ship, the Glykon Volatus, filled with Scorn and environmental puzzles. Not timed on Normal difficulty. The mission unravels the story of Guardian Katabasis and Emperor Calus's attempts to commune with the Darkness. | Available in the Exotic Mission Rotator. Craftable weapon. |
| Vox Obscura | Dead Messenger (Exotic Grenade Launcher) | Season of the Risen (Season 16) - February 2022 | Accessed after progressing the Season of the Risen questline, "Operation Elbrus", and receiving the "Kill the Messenger" quest from Caiatl at the H.E.L.M.. | A timed mission on Mars where players storm a Cabal bunker to stop a propaganda broadcast, featuring vehicle combat and intense firefights. | Available in the Exotic Mission Rotator. Craftable weapon. |
| Operation: Seraph's Shield | Revision Zero (Exotic Pulse Rifle) | Season of the Seraph (Season 19) - December 2022 | Accessed via "The More The Merrier" quest (originally "The Final Shape" quest) during the Season of the Seraph storyline, launched from the H.E.L.M.. | Guardians infiltrate a Braytech facility (Seraph Station) orbiting Earth to upload a virus, battling Hive, Scorn, and Fallen. Features puzzles involving Augments (Scanner, Operator, Suppressor). Unlike its original run, lasers now instantly kill if Seraph upgrades are not present. | Available in the Exotic Mission Rotator. Craftable weapon. |
| NODE.OVRD.AVALON | Vexcalibur (Exotic Glaive) | Season of Defiance (Season 20) - March 2023 | Secret mission unlocked by finding six hidden Vex data nodes in The Gulch, EDZ, which reveals a cave entrance leading to the mission start ("The Variable" quest). | Delve into the Vex Network to investigate a signal from Asher Mir. Features Vex enemies, platforming, and unique data-collection/puzzle mechanics. Contains hidden chests for Vexcalibur upgrades. | Available via its introductory quest "The Variable". Craftable weapon. Not currently in the Exotic Mission Rotator. |
| Starcrossed | Wish-Keeper (Exotic Bow) | Season of the Wish (Season 23) - December 2023 | Part of the Season of the Wish storyline quest "Wishing All the Best". | A mission involving Taken and Vex enemies within the Black Garden, featuring unique mechanics related to Riven and the Dreaming City. | Available via its introductory quest. Craftable weapon. Added to Exotic Mission Rotator in Episode: Echoes. |
| Wild Card | Still Hunt (Exotic Sniper Rifle) | The Final Shape - June 2024 | Post-campaign quest acquired from Cayde-6 in the Lost City within the Pale Heart. | A narrative-focused mission featuring Cayde-6 and Crow investigating Dark Ether and Scorn activity, culminating in a significant story moment for the Hunter Vanguard title. | Available via its questline post-The Final Shape campaign. |
| Dual Destiny | Component for Exotic Class Items | The Final Shape - June 2024 | Secret mission unlocked after completing The Final Shape campaign, Micah-10's questline ("Convalescence: Budding"), and specific Overthrow activities in the Pale Heart. | A unique timed Exotic Mission that strictly requires a fireteam of two Guardians and features coordination-based mechanics throughout. Cannot be completed solo. | Available via its unlock requirements post-The Final Shape campaign. Rewards progress/components for the Exotic Class Item quest. |
Design Philosophy
Bungie, the developers of Destiny 2, have often utilized Exotic Missions as a space for experimentation with new gameplay mechanics, puzzles, and encounter designs, some of which later appear or are refined in larger activities like Dungeons and Raids. Initially, many Exotic Missions were released as limited-time secrets or part of seasonal content. Over time, this led to community desire for these unique experiences to remain accessible. The introduction of the Exotic Mission Rotator was a direct response to this, aiming to keep marquee PvE content playable and its rewards obtainable, while also managing the overall game size and installed footprint by rotating content rather than having it all permanently available.
Legacy and Vaulted Missions
Over time, some Exotic missions have been moved to the Destiny Content Vault (DCV) and are no longer accessible in their original form. However, Bungie has shown a willingness to bring back popular missions, such as through the Exotic Mission Rotator or special events like the Into the Light update. This means that even if a mission is currently unavailable, it may return in the future. Other missions that rewarded Exotics but may not fit the "secret mission" or "rotator" mold include "The Other Side" for Bad Juju, "A Hollow Coronation" for Ager's Scepter, "Parasitic Pilgrimage" for Parasite, and "What Remains" for Deterministic Chaos. Some of these were more akin to end-of-campaign reward missions or simpler exotic quests rather than standalone replayable Exotic challenges with unique environments and mechanics.
| Exotic Missions (Dynamic List) | Season | Equipment Reward | Location | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Whisper | 3 | Whisper of the Worm | Grove of Ulan-Tan Lost Oasis Io | |
| The Other Side | 7 | Bad Juju | Ascendant Leviathan | Venture into an Ascendant version of the Leviathan to claim the essence of Bad Juju. |
| Harbinger | 12 | Hawkmoon | The Reservoir EDZ, Earth | "Embody the will of the Traveler and hunt those who would serve the Darkness." |
| A Hollow Coronation | 15 | Ager's Scepter | Dreaming City Caliburn Gatehouse | Recover the lost weapon of the Awoken prince, Uldren Sov. |
| Parasitic Pilgrimage | 16 | Parasite | Court of Thorns Temple of the Wrathful Savathûn's Throne World | Carry Savathûn's dying Worm through her fortress, gather stabilizing energies, and assist Mara Sov in a ritual to transform it into the Parasite weapon. |
| Operation: Seraph's Shield | 19 | Revision Zero | Seraph Station Earth Orbit | Infiltrate Seraph Station in Earth's orbit to plant a virus in the Warsat network before Eramis and Xivu Arath can seize control. |
| What Remains | 20 | Deterministic Chaos | Black Garden | Enter the Black Garden to track down the Conceptual Mind and retrieve its memory core for Nimbus and Osiris. |
| Node.ovrd.AVALON | 20 | Vexcalibur | Vex Network | Enter the mysterious AVALON node of the Vex Network. |
| Wild Card | 23 | Still Hunt | The Pale Heart The Landing The Traveler | Investigate an unknown threat with Cayde and Crow. |
| Hope (Exotic Mission) | 23.5 | Ergo Sum | The Sacrarium Pale Heart The Traveler | Return to the Sacrarium where you faced the Witness earlier to claim a gift left by the Traveler. |
| Encore | 24 | Choir of One | Nessus | Find a path to the core of Nessus to put a stop to Maya Sundaresh's plans. |
| Dual Destiny | 24 | Solipsism Relativism Stoicism | The Refraction The Pale Heart | Two Guardians enter the depths of the Pale Heart in search for power… A secret mission for two Guardians that rewards an Exotic Class Item. |
| Derealize | 26 | Barrow-Dyad | The Dreadnaught | Venture deep into the Dreadnaught to claim the hidden Exotic SMG, Barrow-Dyad. |
