Parasitic Pilgrimage

Parasitic Pilgrimage
Information
Season	16
Type	Exotic Mission
Quest	Of Queens and Worms
Starting NPC	Fynch
Start	Selectable node in Florescent Canal, Savathûn's Throne World
Location	Court of Thorns, Temple of the Wrathful, Savathûn's Throne World
Recommended Power	1520
Description	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.
Friendly NPCs	Queen Mara Sov, Ghost
Enemy Types	Hive (Lucent Brood including Hive Lightbearers, Ogres, Acolytes, Knights, Wizards), Scorn (various types)
Bosses	No single named boss; includes multiple defense encounters against challenging enemies like Hive Lightbearers and waves of Scorn.
Prerequisite	Complete Step 16 of Of Queens and Worms (Speak with Fynch and receive the Hive Casing)
Previous	Of Queens and Worms
Rewards
Equipment	Parasite
Items	Hive Casing

Parasitic Pilgrimage is an Exotic Mission in Destiny 2, introduced with The Witch Queen expansion during Season of the Risen (Season 16). It serves as the seventeenth and final step of the Of Queens and Worms Exotic Quest, tasking Guardians with preventing Savathûn’s Worm from dying long enough for Queen Mara Sov to perform a ritual. This ritual stabilizes the Worm using Hive energies and ultimately reforges it within the Hive Casing into the Parasite Exotic Grenade Launcher.

Overview

Following the defeat of Savathûn, Queen Mara Sov assists the Guardian in dealing with the Witch Queen's dying Worm, which was entrusted to them along with its secrets. A curse enacted by Savathûn is killing the Worm, threatening the knowledge it holds about The Witness. Fynch, the Hive Ghost, provides a Hive Casing to potentially contain it. This mission involves navigating Savathûn's fortress in her Throne World, gathering different forms of Hive energy under Mara's guidance to stabilize the Worm and complete the binding ritual. The mission blends timed carrying mechanics, environmental puzzles using Deepsight, and intense combat encounters.

Objectives

• Carry Savathûn's Worm through the initial fortress areas.
• Collect 16 pools of Hive Energy within the time limit to temporarily sustain the Worm.
• Use Deepsight to navigate deeper into the fortress.
• Locate and collect three sources of Concentrated Hive Light, defeating defenders and destroying crystals.
• Reach the Temple of the Wrathful and begin the ritual.
• Defend the Worm during the initial ritual phase.
• Deliver the Worm to Mara Sov at the tower's summit.
• Protect Mara Sov during the final ritual phase while utilizing the newly acquired Parasite.

Walkthrough

Keep Savathûn's Worm Alive (Court of Thorns)

The mission begins launching directly from a node in the Florescent Canal. Guardians start inside Savathûn's fortress, tasked with carrying her Worm. Picking up the Worm initiates the "Worm's Hunger" debuff and a timer (initially 3 minutes). While carrying the Worm, Guardians cannot sprint or use weapons, but gain a special explosive melee attack using the Worm itself. Dropping the Worm (using aim/fire buttons) allows normal combat but pauses or resets progress depending on the mechanic.

The objective is to collect 16 pools of glowing Hive Energy scattered through the large initial chambers, primarily the Court of Thorns. Each well partially resets the timer/debuff, preventing death if the timer expires or the debuff maxes out. The path is fraught with Scorn and Hive enemies, including exploding units, and environmental hazards like spike traps. Due to the timer, it is highly recommended to focus on movement and ignore most enemies, letting fireteam members clear the path if playing in a group.

Locate and Steal Concentrated Hive Light

After successfully collecting all 16 energy wells, the timer stops, and a Deepsight node appears nearby. Activating it reveals a hidden passage leading to a portal, transporting the Guardian deeper into the fortress's Apothecary section. Mara Sov communicates that Concentrated Hive Light is now needed for the ritual.

The next task is to locate and steal three sources of this Hive Light, found in separate chambers branching off a large, multi-levelled central room. Approaching each source reveals it is protected by a barrier and guarded by Hive and Scorn. Defeating all enemies in the vicinity causes several destructible Hive crystals to appear. Shattering these crystals lowers the barrier, allowing the Guardian to collect the Concentrated Hive Light. This process is repeated three times. The final collection often triggers a significant wave of enemies, including powerful Hive Lightbearers and Ogres, that must be overcome to proceed.

Begin the Worm Ritual (Temple of the Wrathful)

Following the collection of Hive Light, another Deepsight node must be located and activated. This reveals the path forward, often through another portal, leading back towards the exterior areas of the fortress near the Temple of the Wrathful. Guardians emerge near a large outdoor ritual site with a prominent altar. Mara instructs the Guardian to place the Worm on the altar. Doing so initiates a defense phase: the Guardian must stand on the indicated plate near the altar to progress the ritual, while defending the location from waves of attacking Scorn.

Deliver Savathûn's Worm to Mara

Once the Scorn are repelled and the initial ritual phase completes, the Guardian must pick up the Worm again. The objective is to ascend the nearby tower structure, often involving platforming, to reach Mara Sov waiting at the summit.

Protect Mara

At the tower's peak, the Guardian places the Worm on a final altar. Mara Sov then performs the final binding, transforming the Worm into the Parasite Exotic Grenade Launcher, which she immediately entrusts to the Guardian. The final encounter begins instantly: the Guardian must protect Mara from relentless waves of attacking Scorn while she finishes sealing the ritual. A key mechanic in this phase involves pools of green Hive energy that periodically spawn around the arena. Standing within these pools grants unlimited Heavy Ammo specifically for the Parasite, enabling continuous use of its powerful projectiles against the attackers. Successfully defending Mara until all Scorn waves are defeated completes the ritual and the mission.

Mission Mechanics

• Carrying the Worm: Prevents sprinting and weapon use. Grants a unique, explosive Worm melee attack. Can be dropped to engage in standard combat.
• Worm's Hunger: A debuff/timer active during the initial energy collection phase. Requires collecting Hive Energy pools periodically to prevent detonation/death.
• Deepsight Nodes: Reveal hidden platforms, passages, or objects required for progression. Must be activated periodically throughout the mission.
• Concentrated Hive Light Collection: Requires defeating area defenders and then destroying specific Hive crystals to lower protective barriers.
• Ritual Defense: Requires standing within designated zones (plates) to progress the ritual while fighting off enemy waves.
• Heavy Ammo Generation: During the final defense phase, standing in spawned Hive energy pools grants unlimited Heavy Ammo for the Parasite only.

Enemies

Hive

• Acolyte
• Knight (including Hive Lightbearers)
• Wizard (including Hive Lightbearers)
• Ogre
• Thrall (including Cursed Thrall)

Scorn

• Raider
• Ravager
• Chieftain
• Abomination
• Stalker
• Screeb

Dialogue

• Savathûn's Worm (During energy collection): "Losing strength. Don't let me die... will kill you... [screams in pain]"
• Ghost (Responding to Worm): "[sighs] You're not going to die. Just... stay with us. Those Hive wells Fynch mentioned must be around here somewhere."
• Savathûn's Worm (If Guardian strays during ritual): "Ow! Dying here, Guardian! Stay close."
• Queen Mara Sov (Explaining Scorn attack): "They see the worm as an asset to the Witness. They will not relent until they have it. Take the weapon. Use it against them. I need to finish the ritual, or we risk our parasitic friend escaping."
• Savathûn's Worm (After being placed in the casing): "What is this? What have you done?"
• Queen Mara Sov (Responding to Worm): "What I said I'd do. Provide you with a host... though I guess this is really more of a fusing of Light. Not what we agreed."
• Queen Mara Sov (Concluding): "Consider the deal upheld... Keep [the weapon] safe and secret. We can't afford anyone else getting their hands on the information it holds."

Rewards

Upon completion of the mission for the first time as part of the quest:

	Parasite
	Grenade Launcher

• The Parasite Exotic Grenade Launcher features the intrinsic perk **Worm's Hunger: Fires Hive worms which explode on impact. Damage and explosion size scale with the number of enemies defeated just before firing.
• It also features the trait **Worm Byproduct: Taking damage from your own worm projectile detonation empowers your other equipped weapons for a short duration.

Tips and Strategies

• Team Coordination: If playing with a fireteam, designate one player to carry the Worm during timed sections while others focus on clearing enemies and hazards.
• Movement Focus: Prioritize speed and efficient pathing during the initial energy collection phase; avoid unnecessary combat.
• Deepsight Awareness: Be observant for Deepsight nodes, especially when progression seems blocked.
• Final Stand: Make effective use of the unlimited Heavy Ammo pools during the final defense. Continuously fire the Parasite, aiming for groups to maximize Worm's Hunger stacks before hitting priority targets.
• Enemy Prioritization: During defense phases, quickly eliminate high-threat targets like Hive Lightbearers (destroy their Ghosts!), Ogres, and Chieftains (destroy totems).

Secrets

Hidden Deepsight Path: A Deepsight node can sometimes be found in less obvious locations that may reveal optional paths or lore objects. One known path exists near the ritual areas that can sometimes help bypass obstacles or provide shortcuts.

Lore

This mission culminates Mara Sov's plan to handle Savathûn's Worm. By encasing it within the Grenade Launcher using a combination of Hive ritual and her own power, she simultaneously preserves the Worm (fulfilling her 'deal' in a twisted way by providing a 'host') and imprisons it, creating a weapon containing valuable intelligence about the Witness. The Guardian becomes the custodian of this dangerous secret.

Trivia

• This mission is required to obtain the Parasite Grenade Launcher, a key Exotic from The Witch Queen expansion.
• The mission launched with a recommended Power Level of 1520.
• Features direct dialogue interactions with Savathûn's Worm.
• Completion contributes to Triumphs required for the Gumshoe Seal associated with The Witch Queen.

Known Issues

• Historically, some players encountered issues where interaction prompts (like picking up or placing the Worm) wouldn't appear correctly, potentially halting progress. (Most major blockers were likely patched).