Heist Battleground: Europa

Heist Battleground: Europa
Information
Location	Europa
Players	1-3
Power	1550 (Heist Battlegrounds playlist) 1580 (Legend Heist Battlegrounds) 1830 (Master Nightfall) 2040 (Grandmaster Nightfall)
Expansion	Season of the Seraph
Enemies	Hive, Fallen, Scorn
Boss	Warwatcher, Eye of Xivu Arath (Shrieker)
Description	Brave the cold winds of Europa to reclaim fragments of a hidden submind's code from the depths of Bray Exoscience.

Heist Battleground: Europa is an Arena activity introduced in the Season of the Seraph. It was originally part of the Heist Battlegrounds playlist and could be launched as a mission from the Europa map during Season 19.

With the release of Lightfall, most Year 5 seasonal content was removed from the game and added to the Destiny Content Vault. The Heist Battlegrounds missions remained in the game, moving to the Vanguard Ops strike playlist. They cannot be launched as individual missions through the Director and can only be played when randomly chosen by the playlist. Heist Battleground: Europa also appears periodically as a Nightfall strike on Legend, Master, or Grandmaster difficulty, offering enhanced rewards.

Overview

Heist Battleground: Europa takes place in the Bray Exoscience facility on Europa, where Guardians work with Osiris, Ana Bray, Elisabeth Bray, Clovis Bray, Mara Sov, and Rasputin to retrieve fragments of Rasputin’s Submind Kernel before Xivu Arath’s forces can seize them. The activity involves navigating environmental hazards, defeating Fallen, Hive, and Scorn enemies, and securing the submind by defeating a powerful Shrieker boss, Warwatcher, Eye of Xivu Arath.

Modifiers

Heist Battlegrounds Playlist

• Playlist Rules: Power Level: All combatants in this activity will be at least 5 points over your current Power level.
• One of the following:
  • Empath: Enhanced radar. Take increased damage from melee.
  • Fire Pit: When defeated, Acolytes spawn fire pools that cause damage over time.
  • Martyr: Exploder units have more health.
• Champion Foes: You will face Barrier and Unstoppable Champions.
• Surge: Weekly rotating weapon type (for example Arc or Strand) deals bonus damage.

Legend Heist Battlegrounds

Brave the legendarily cold winds of Europa to repossess fragments of a hidden submind's code from the depths of Bray Exoscience.

• Legend Rules: Power Level: All combatants in this activity will be at least 10 points over your current Power level.
• One of the following:
  • Empath: Enhanced radar. Take increased damage from melee.
  • Fire Pit: When defeated, Acolytes spawn fire pools that cause damage over time.
  • Martyr: Exploder units have more health.
• Hot Knife: Shanks now have Solar shields.
• Champion Foes: You will face Barrier and Unstoppable Champions.
• Equipment Locked: You will not be able to change your equipment after this activity starts.
• Shielded Foes: You will face combatants with Arc, Solar, and Void Shields.
• Surge: Weekly rotating weapon type deals bonus damage.

Master Nightfall

• Master Rules: Power Level: Recommended 1830. Combatants are significantly stronger and have increased health.
• Empath: Enhanced radar. Take increased damage from melee.
• Fire Pit: When defeated, Acolytes spawn fire pools that cause damage over time.
• Martyr: Exploder units have more health.
• Hot Knife: Shanks now have Solar shields.
• Champion Foes: You will face Barrier and Unstoppable Champions.
• Equipment Locked: You will not be able to change your equipment after this activity starts.
• Shielded Foes: You will face combatants with Arc, Solar, and Void Shields.
• Extinguish: If your fireteam falls in a Restricted Zone, your team is returned to orbit.
• Limited Revives: Limited fireteam revives. Gain additional revives by defeating Champions.
• Surge: Weekly rotating weapon type deals bonus damage.
• Overcharged Weapon: Specific weapon type (for example Linear Fusion Rifle) gains bonus damage.

Grandmaster Nightfall

• Grandmaster Rules: Power Level: Recommended 2040. Combatants are extremely durable and deal massive damage.
• Empath: Enhanced radar. Take increased damage from melee.
• Fire Pit: When defeated, Acolytes spawn fire pools that cause damage over time.
• Martyr: Exploder units have more health.
• Hot Knife: Shanks now have Solar shields.
• Champion Foes: You will face Barrier and Unstoppable Champions.
• Equipment Locked: You will not be able to change your equipment after this activity starts.
• Shielded Foes: You will face combatants with Arc, Solar, and Void Shields.
• Extinguish: If your fireteam falls in a Restricted Zone, your team is returned to orbit.
• Limited Revives: Limited fireteam revives. Gain additional revives by defeating Champions.
• Chaff: Radar is disabled.
• Surge: Weekly rotating weapon type deals bonus damage.
• Overcharged Weapon: Specific weapon type gains bonus damage.

Walkthrough

Heist Battleground: Europa is a multi-stage activity requiring coordination, especially on higher difficulties. Below is a step-by-step guide to completing the mission.

1. Approach Bray Exoscience

Objective

Fight through Fallen and Hive enemies to reach the entrance of Bray Exoscience in Rathmore Chaos, Europa.

Mechanics

• Seraph Towers: Defensive towers scan the battlefield and lock onto players. A timer appears when targeted; if it reaches zero (15 seconds), the tower deals lethal damage. Break line-of-sight using cover (for example rocks or structures) to reset the timer.
• Enemies include Fallen Shanks, Dregs, and Vandals, alongside Hive Acolytes and Knights.
• No Champions spawn in this section, even on Grandmaster difficulty.

Tips

• Stay mobile to avoid tower scans and prioritize cover.
• Clear high-priority targets like Vandals and Knights to reduce incoming damage.
• Use long-range weapons (for example Scout Rifles) to safely engage enemies.

2. Navigate Bray Exoscience Interior

Objective

Progress through the facility to reach the Submind Vault, defeating waves of enemies and navigating environmental hazards.

Mechanics

• Fight a mix of Fallen (Shanks, Vandals, Servitors) and Hive (Acolytes, Knights, Wizards).
• Champions (Legend and above):
  • Initial rooms: Two Barrier Knights in the first sequence, followed by one Barrier Knight and a mini Fallen boss in the second sequence.
  • Jumping puzzle: Two Unstoppable Ogres.
• Laser Traps: Before the Submind Vault, navigate a field of lasers. Some are static, while others alternate on and off. Touching a laser causes instant death. (Note: Seasonal upgrades from the Exo Frame in Season of the Seraph could reduce laser damage, but this may not apply in current rotations.)

Tips

• Equip (for example Scout Rifles, Pulse Rifles) and (for example Hand Cannons, Glaives) mods. Recommended weapons include Outbreak Perfected, Indebted Kindness, or a Sniper Rifle.
• Time your movements through the laser traps, waiting for alternating lasers to deactivate.
• Use Void Hunter invisibility (for example with Omnioculus) to safely navigate or skip Champion encounters.
• Coordinate with your fireteam to stun Champions quickly and avoid being overwhelmed by adds.

3. Submind Vault (Clovis Bray AI Room)

Objectiv

Clear enemies and prepare to breach the security door to the Submind Vault.

Mechanics

• Fight a mix of Hive and Fallen, including a Deathtongue Chorister (a high-health Major Acolyte). Killing the Chorister prevents enemy buffs.
• On Legend and above, a Barrier Knight spawns if you wait for “Wrathborn Reinforcements” to arrive before breaching the security door. Defeating this Champion is critical for Platinum rewards.

Tips

• Prioritize the Deathtongue Chorister to prevent enemy buffs, then clear adds.
• Wait for the Wrathborn Reinforcements to spawn the Barrier Knight for Platinum rewards.
• Use area-of-effect abilities (for example grenades, Well of Radiance) to control enemy waves.

4. Breach Security Door

Objective

Destroy five Hive Runes locking the door to the boss room.

Mechanics

• Collect PDT Refraction Cores from marked enemies on the left and right sides of the area. Deposit these cores into the central device to destroy the Hive Runes.
• Waves of Hive and Fallen enemies, including Shanks and Knights, spawn during this phase.

Tips

• Assign roles: one player stays near the door to clear adds, while the other two collect cores.
• Use cover to avoid enemy fire while depositing cores.
• Save heavy ammo and abilities for the upcoming boss fight.

5. Boss Fight: Warwatcher, Eye of Xivu Arath

Objective

Defeat the Shrieker boss to secure the submind.

Mechanics

• Phase 1: Deal damage to the Shrieker until it reaches 50% health, at which point it becomes immune and gains a shield.
• Phase 2: Defeat Arc-charged Scorn enemies to collect Arc Charges. Deposit five charges into a central device to disable the Shrieker’s shield, allowing further damage.
• Enemies: Waves of Hive (Acolytes, Knights) and Scorn (Ravagers, Stalkers) spawn throughout the fight.
• Modifiers (Nightfall/Grandmaster):
  • Fire Pit: Acolyte deaths spawn fire pools that deal damage over time.
  • Shielded Foes: Enemies have (Knights), (Shanks, Wizards), and (Servitors) shields.

Tips

• Use Linear Fusion Rifles (for example Cataclysmic, Reed’s Regret) or Rocket Launchers for boss damage, especially with Overcharged mods.
• Recommended subclasses:
  • Void Hunter: Invisibility (for example Omnioculus) for safe Arc Charge deposits.
  • Solar Warlock: Well of Radiance with Phoenix Protocol for team survivability.
  • Prismatic Titan: Consecration for add-clear and Champion damage.
  • Solar Hunter: Celestial Nighthawk for high burst damage on the boss.
• Clear adds before depositing Arc Charges to avoid being overwhelmed.
• Save Supers and heavy ammo for the final damage phase after breaking the Shrieker’s shield.

6. Completion

Objective

Defeat the Shrieker to complete the mission.

Mechanics

• A Seraph Chest spawns in the playlist version, requiring 500 Seraph Key Codes to open. The chest drops seasonal weapons (for example IKELOS weapons) and armor, with a chance for red-bordered (Deepsight) variants.
• In Nightfall, defeating all Champions ensures Platinum rewards, increasing the chance of Nightfall weapon drops.

Tips

• Ensure all Champions are defeated for Platinum rewards, especially the Barrier Knight in the Clovis Bray AI room.
• Collect Resonant Coordinates from the activity to unlock hidden caches via the Resonance Amp for additional rewards.

Rewards

Playlist Rewards

• World Drop loot from the activity chest.
• Seraph Chest: Costs 500 Seraph Key Codes to open. Drops IKELOS weapons, seasonal armor, and a chance for red-bordered (Deepsight) weapons.
• Resonant Coordinates: Grants coordinates to unlock hidden caches via the Resonance Amp, yielding IKELOS weapons.

Nightfall Rewards

• Platinum Rewards: Defeating all Champions increases drop rates for Nightfall weapons, such as THE SWARM (Machine Gun) or The Slammer (Sword).
• Adept Weapons: Grandmaster completions can drop Adept versions of Nightfall weapons with enhanced stats and mod slots.
• Double Nightfall rewards (available during specific weeks) boost drop rates.

Other

• Security Drones: Destroying six drones per mission with the Revision Zero Exotic Pulse Rifle yields XP, Glimmer, and Seraphic Umbral Energy. Collecting all 50 drones across Heist Battlegrounds unlocks a triumph and a sparrow.
• Seasonal triumphs, such as Flawless Execution (solo flawless on Legend), grant additional rewards and progress.

Lore

Heist Battleground: Europa ties into the narrative of Season of the Seraph, where Guardians work to restore Rasputin, the Warmind, to combat Xivu Arath’s forces. The mission takes place in Bray Exoscience, a facility tied to Clovis Bray’s experiments with Exo technology and the Warmind project. The Submind Kernel fragments are critical data pieces needed to rebuild Rasputin’s network, which Xivu Arath seeks to corrupt for her own purposes. The presence of the Warwatcher, Eye of Xivu Arath, underscores the Hive God of War’s growing influence, setting the stage for conflicts in Lightfall and beyond.

Trivia

• Heist Battleground: Europa was one of three Heist Battlegrounds introduced in Season of the Seraph, alongside Heist Battleground: Moon and Heist Battleground: Mars.
• The activity’s laser traps were initially lethal but could be mitigated with seasonal upgrades from the Exo Frame during Season 19.
• Community feedback in 2023 highlighted issues with Champion spawns, particularly the Barrier Knight in the Clovis Bray AI room, which could prevent Platinum rewards if missed. This was addressed by waiting for Wrathborn Reinforcements.
• The activity is considered one of the longer Battlegrounds but is relatively manageable on Grandmaster difficulty due to finite enemy spawns, with optimized teams completing it in under 10 minutes.