Heist Battleground: Moon

Heist Battleground: Moon
Information
Location	Moon
Players	1-3
Power	1550 (Heist Battlegrounds playlist) 1580 (Legend Heist Battlegrounds) Current Vanguard Ops levels
Expansion	Season of the Seraph
Enemies	Hive, Scorn
Boss	Once-Phyris, the Exhumed Tether (Raider)
Description	Infiltrate the Seraph bunker tucked under the dust of the Moon to reclaim fragments of the submind Malahayati's code.

Heist Battleground: Moon is an Arena activity introduced in the Season of the Seraph. It was part of the Heist Battlegrounds playlist, and could be launched as a mission from the Moon map, originating near the entrance to the K1 Logistics Lost Sector.

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.

Modifiers

Heist Battlegrounds Playlist (Season 19)

• 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.

Legend Heist Battlegrounds (Season 19)

Infiltrate a legendary Seraph bunker tucked under the dust of the Moon to reclaim fragments of the submind Malahayati's code.

• 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.
• Raider Shield: Scorn Raiders now have Void 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.

Vanguard Ops Playlist (Post-Lightfall)

• Standard Vanguard Ops modifiers apply, including rotating Surges, Threats, Overcharged weapons, and Champion types based on the current playlist configuration.

Walkthrough

Breach the Bunker

Guardians arrive on the Moon near Archer's Line, close to the entrance of the K1 Logistics Lost Sector, which serves as the entryway to the hidden Seraph bunker. The initial objective is to breach the bunker entrance, which is sealed by Hive magic. Players must fight off waves of Hive defenders, including Acolytes, Knights, and potentially a Barrier Knight. Destroy the three Hive seals near the entrance using weapons or abilities to open the way forward.

Descend into the Bunker

Upon entering, Guardians descend into the bunker depths. The first major encounter involves disabling a Hive barrier. Players must stand on three separate Hive rune plates located around the room while fending off waves of Hive enemies. Standing on a plate long enough activates it. Once all three plates are activated simultaneously, the barrier lowers, allowing progress. More Hive, including another Barrier Knight, will spawn during this phase.

Navigate the Laser Grid

Further into the bunker, Guardians must traverse a corridor protected by a lethal laser grid. These lasers activate and deactivate in patterns. Players can either time their movements to pass through safely or shoot the small, glowing emitters on the walls to temporarily disable sections of the grid. Scorn enemies, including Stalkers and Ravagers, begin appearing in this section and the subsequent areas.

Repel the Invaders

The next large chamber requires Guardians to repel Hive and Scorn forces attempting to access Seraph technology. The main objective is to collect Cryptoglyphs. These are dropped by specific yellow-bar enemies (often Scorn Chieftains or Hive Wizards/Knights) that spawn periodically. Players must pick up these Cryptoglyphs and deposit them at a central console. Depositing requires holding the interact button for a short duration, leaving the player vulnerable. Numerous enemies, including Hive, Scorn, Unstoppable Ogres or Abominations, and Barrier Champions (Knights or Servitors), will continuously spawn throughout this encounter, making defense and coordination crucial. Once enough Cryptoglyphs are deposited, the way to the final boss arena opens.

Defeat Once-Phyris, the Exhumed Tether

The final encounter pits the Guardians against Once-Phyris, the Exhumed Tether, a powerful Scorn Raider. The boss utilizes a long-range sniper rifle and can deploy Ether Tether traps that slow and suppress Guardians caught within their radius.

• Damage Phase: Initially, players can damage Once-Phyris directly.
• Immunity Phase: After taking a certain amount of damage, the boss becomes immune and teleports. To break the immunity shield, players must locate and destroy several floating Ether Tethers (glowing Scorn devices) scattered around the arena.
• Adds: Throughout the fight, waves of Scorn reinforcements, including Wraiths, Ravagers, Raiders, and potentially Champions (Unstoppable Abominations), will spawn to harass the players.
• Repeat: Players must repeat the cycle of damaging the boss and destroying the Ether Tethers until Once-Phyris is defeated.

Upon the boss's defeat, the mission concludes, and a reward chest appears.