Hope (Exotic Mission)

Hope (Exotic Mission)
Information
Season	23.5
Type	Exotic Mission
Number	1
Quest	Destined Heroes
Starting NPC	Ghost
Start	The Lost City, Pale Heart
Location	The Sacrarium, Pale Heart, The Traveler
Recommended Power	1900
Description	Return to the Sacrarium where you faced the Witness earlier to claim a gift left by the Traveler.
Friendly NPCs	Commander Zavala, Ikora Rey, Cayde-6, The Crow
Enemy Types	Ambient Taken, Dread
Prerequisite	Complete Lost in Light and Found in the Dark subquests, and Make Your Own Fate step
Previous	Queens
Next	Dual Destiny
Rewards
Equipment	Ergo Sum

See also: Hope

Hope is an Exotic Mission available within the Destined Heroes Quest introduced in The Final Shape expansion. Unlocked after the main Destined Heroes quest, along with Lost in Light and Found in the Dark subquests, the Guardian must return to the Sacrarium where they faced the Witness earlier to claim a gift left by the Traveler. Unlike typical Exotic Missions that feature challenging combat and puzzles, Hope is a brief narrative-driven experience designed to ensure every Guardian receives the Ergo Sum Exotic Sword.

Overview

The Hope Exotic Mission is a short but significant mission that serves as the conclusion to the Destined Heroes questline, rewarding the Guardian with the exotic weapon Ergo Sum. Unlike most Exotic Missions which feature combat encounters, puzzles, or platforming sections like The Whisper or Presage, Hope is a brief ceremonial mission centered around claiming the Traveler's gift. The mission's internal activity mode is listed as **Story (Epilogue)** in patch 8.0.0.1, not as an Adventure or Strike.

Prerequisites

To access the Hope Exotic Mission, Guardians must:

• Complete The Final Shape campaign
• Speak with Ghost in the Lost Tower and accept the Destined Heroes quest
• Complete the "Queens, Part 1" adventure
• Complete both the "Lost in Light" and "Found in the Dark" subquests
• Finish the "Make Your Own Fate" step in Destined Heroes
• Collect the Dyadic Prism from Ghost in the Lost City Tower

Walkthrough

The mission is accessible via the Sacrarium node on the Pale Heart map, in either Normal or Legendary difficulty. The walkthrough consists of the following steps:

1. Spawn at the Sacrarium landing zone created by the Dyadic Prism
2. The Guardian transmats into the Sacrarium, where the Light of the Traveler is radiating all around
3. Ghosts consecrate around the center Veiled Statue where Light erupts beneath the terraformed ground with Ergo Sum lodged in the statue
4. Approach the veiled statue encased in Light
5. Interact to channel the Prism; the statue shatters, revealing Ergo Sum
6. The Guardian takes the sword and makes their own fate
7. A cut-scene plays featuring key Vanguard characters
8. The mission completes automatically and returns the fireteam to orbit

Legendary Modifiers

When played on Legendary difficulty, the following modifiers apply:

• Power Enabled 2005 – enemy damage and health are scaled to end-game levels
• No Revive Tokens – players may be revived an unlimited number of times
• Match Game disabled – no elemental shield penalties

Dialogue Transcript

As the Guardian approaches the statue, they will hear encouraging words from various Vanguard members:

Commander Zavala: "We stand together, on the precipice of annihilation. All our battles and all our losses have led to this moment. One final battle, against the architect of the Collapse. One last step, together... into the end."

Ikora Rey: "In spite of all the power the Witness has, we stand undefeated. We have endured endless tragedies, endless losses — but we could come back fighting. Today is no different."

Cayde-6: "It's just a god of Darkness. We got this, right?"

The Crow: "Together... we do."

Claiming Ergo Sum

Upon approaching the Veiled Statue, the Guardian will be prompted to hold the interact button to infuse their Dyadic Prism with the Light. This action will grant the Guardian their first copy of the Ergo Sum exotic sword.

Rewards

The completion of the Hope Exotic Mission grants the following rewards:

• Ergo Sum - Exotic Special Ammo Sword (fixed roll for first acquisition)
• 15,000 XP
• Unlocks the Dual Destiny Exotic mission

Ergo Sum

Ergo Sum is a unique exotic sword that is the first-ever special ammo sword in Destiny 2. Unlike other exotic weapons, Ergo Sum features random rolls with varying perks, frames, and elemental damage types. This makes each copy of the weapon potentially different.

Notable Features

• The first special ammo sword in Destiny 2
• Can roll with Arc, Solar, or Void damage types
• Features randomly rolled sword frames, blades, and guards
• Has random exotic intrinsic perks borrowed from other exotic weapons
• Always includes the Transcendent Duelist perk, which improves Transcendence and makes the sword more powerful during Transcendence

Possible Exotic Traits

Ergo Sum can roll with one of the following exotic perks, each inspired by an existing exotic weapon:

• Gathering Light - Final blows grant stacks that improve guard stats and lunge range; stowing consumes stacks to grant ability energy (inspired by Traveler's Chosen)
• Wolfpack Rounds - Powered heavy attacks cause nearby sword-wielders to emit tracking missiles (inspired by Gjallarhorn)
• Sacred Flame - Powered heavy attacks mark targets to explode on death; striking marked targets detonates them (inspired by Ticuu's Divination)
• The Perfect Fifth - Every five hits attach a delayed Solar explosive that scorches targets (inspired by Polaris Lance)
• Arc Conductor - Taking Arc damage increases weapon damage and enables chain lightning (inspired by Riskrunner)
• Stormbringer - Precision final blows create lightning strikes (inspired by Cloudstrike)
• Unplanned Reprieve - Final blows occasionally spawn Void projectiles that track and implode (inspired by Telesto)
• Insectoid Robot Grenades - Final blows create insectoid robots that seek out and damage enemies (inspired by Khvostov)

Catalyst

The Ergo Sum catalyst can be acquired by completing the Grandmaster difficulty version of the Excision mission. When unlocked, it adds the Transcendent Steel perk:

• Dealing damage with a Transcendent grenade grants Ergo Sum ammo
• Requires 500 weapon kills to complete

Additional Copies

After obtaining the initial Ergo Sum through the Hope mission, Guardians can farm for additional rolls with different perks through:

• Pale Heart Pathfinder - Up to two guaranteed Ergo Sum drops per weekly reset
• Overthrow activity in the daily featured threat zone - Random chance to drop
• Grandmaster Excision - Guaranteed drop upon completion

Comparison to Other Exotic Missions

Unlike other Exotic Missions, such as Vox Obscura or Operation: Seraph's Shield, which feature combat, puzzles, and bosses, "Hope" is unique in its simplicity and focus on story. Below is a comparison:

Mission	Expansion/Season	Combat	Bosses	Reward
Hope	The Final Shape	None	None	Ergo Sum
The Whisper	Warmind	Yes	Multiple Aspects	Whisper of the Worm
Presage	Season of the Chosen	Yes	Locus of Communion	Dead Man's Tale
Starcrossed	Season of the Wish	Yes	Akardon, Pitiless Mind	Wish-Keeper

This table highlights Hope's distinct narrative focus, making it accessible to players of all skill levels but potentially less replayable compared to combat-heavy missions.

Trivia

• The name "Ergo Sum" is the latter half of the Latin phrase "Cogito, ergo sum" (I think, therefore I am), famously attributed to René Descartes
• The complete phrase is "Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum" (I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am)
• The Dubito, Ergo Cogito ornament for Ergo Sum references the first half of this phrase
• In a video released by Bungie, it was revealed that Ergo Sum is the same sword present on the Guardian's coffin in the Timelost Vault
• Hope is one of the shortest Exotic Missions in Destiny 2, taking approximately one minute to complete
• Bungie confirmed in TWID (13 Jun 2024) that its brevity was intentional to ensure every Guardian received Ergo Sum before entering the seasonal grind
• Because the activity has no combat timer, players often use it to test shader combinations on swords, capture screenshots, or demonstrate armor ornaments