PsiOps Battleground: EDZ

PsiOps Battleground: EDZ
Information
Location	EDZ
Players	1-3
Power	1350 (mission) 1400 (PsiOps Battlegrounds playlist) 1580 (Legend PsiOps Battlegrounds)
Expansion	Season of the Risen
Enemies	Hive
Boss	Mor'ak, Lightstealer (Lightbearer Wizard)
Description	Guardians have recently gone missing in the EDZ. Investigate their disappearances and hunt down the Lucent Hive responsible.

PsiOps Battleground: EDZ is an Arena activity introduced in the Season of the Risen. It was part of the PsiOps Battlegrounds playlist, and could also be launched as a mission from the EDZ map.

With the release of Lightfall, most Year 5 seasonal content was removed from the game and added to the Destiny Content Vault. The PsiOps 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

PsiOps Battlegrounds Playlist

• One of the following:
  • Arc Singe: Arc damage increases slightly from all sources.
  • Solar Singe: Solar damage increases slightly from all sources.
  • Void Singe: Void damage increases slightly from all sources.
• One of the following:
  • Grenadier: Grenade abilities deal more damage and recharge much faster.
  • Brawler: Melee abilities deal more damage and recharge much faster.
  • Heavyweight: Power weapons deal more damage, and more ammo is available.
  • Stasis Singe: Stasis damage increases slightly from all sources.
• Champion Foes: You will face Barrier and Unstoppable Champions.

Legend PsiOps Battlegrounds

• 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.
• Equipment Locked: You will not be able to change your equipment after this activity starts.
• Match Game: Enemy shields are highly resistant to all unmatched elemental damage.
• Shielded Foes: You will face combatants with Arc, Solar, and Void Shields.

Walkthrough

The Sludge

Guardians deploy in The Sludge, an industrial area in the EDZ, and immediately engage a Lucent Hive hunting party. The objective is to break the Hive position by clearing three waves of enemies, including Thrall, Acolytes, and Knights, some wielding Light-based abilities (for example Solar grenades). Barrier or Unstoppable Champions may spawn in the playlist version, requiring appropriate mods (for example Anti-Barrier Auto Rifle, Anti-Unstoppable Pulse Rifle). Use area-of-effect abilities to manage dense enemy waves. After clearing the area, follow the waypoint up a creek toward the Dark Forest, using a Sparrow to cover the distance quickly.

The Dark Forest

In the Dark Forest, players pursue the Hive through a series of portals guarded by shielded Lightbearer Wizards or Lightbearer Knights. Each portal requires clearing two to three waves of Hive enemies, including Acolytes, Thralls, and additional Champions. After the waves, a Lucent Reliquist (a powerful Hive Knight) spawns. Defeat it to obtain a Hive Sword, then use the sword to break the Lightbearer’s shield. Destroy the Lightbearer’s Ghost to activate the portal. This process repeats for three portals, with increasing enemy density and occasional extra Lightbearers or Champions. Coordination is key to avoid being overwhelmed by fast-moving Thralls or ranged Wizard attacks. After the third portal, players enter the Mindscape.

The Mindscape

The final encounter takes place in the Mindscape, a psionic realm where players confront Mor'ak, Lightstealer, a Lightbearer Wizard. Damage Mor’ak until she reaches two-thirds health, at which point she becomes invulnerable, disappears, and summons an Aspect of Savathûn (a yellow-bar enemy). Pick up a Synaptic Spear (spawning on central steps, marked by a waypoint) and throw it to destroy the Aspect, allowing Mor’ak to reappear for a damage phase. At one-third health, Mor’ak summons two Aspects of Savathûn, with spears spawning in the left cave and on right rubble. Destroy both Aspects to resume damaging Mor’ak.

Mechanics

Mor’ak uses a Blade Barrage ability (signaled by red spinning blades above her head), dealing heavy damage. Take cover to avoid it.

Waves of Hive adds (Thralls, Acolytes) spawn throughout, requiring crowd control with grenades or heavy weapons.

In the playlist or Legend difficulty, Barrier and Unstoppable Champions may spawn during damage phases, complicating the fight.

Strategy

Prioritize add control to maintain space, and use Synaptic Spears quickly to minimize downtime. High-damage Supers (for example Nova Bomb) and Power weapons (for example Linear Fusion Rifles) are effective for Mor’ak, but ensure Champion mods are equipped. Avoid standing in open areas during Blade Barrage.

Completion

Deplete Mor’ak’s health and destroy her Ghost. Two Imperial Optus Psions trap her mind, teleporting players back to the material plane to complete the mission.

Notes

During Season of the Risen, completing PsiOps Battleground: EDZ progressed the Operation Elbrus quest and seasonal challenges, rewarding Psychogenic Intel and Risen Umbral Energy for focusing Umbral Engrams at the War Table. A Runic Chest (requiring 500 Psychogenic Intel) offered additional seasonal gear, but this is unavailable in the Vanguard Ops version. The activity originally required completing the first two missions of The Witch Queen campaign and the Rising Tensions quest to unlock the PsiOps Battlegrounds playlist. The Dark Forest portals feature a unique mechanic where the Hive Sword is used to break Lightbearer shields, distinguishing this activity from other Battlegrounds like Battleground: Foothold or Battleground: Oracle. Players reported a bug in the Dark Forest where enemies occasionally failed to spawn, halting progress. This was addressed in Patch 4.0.1 but may still occur rarely. The Synaptic Spear mechanic, used to destroy Aspects of Savathûn, adds a layer of coordination not present in earlier Battlegrounds, though some players found the spear spawns inconsistent in hectic fights.

Patch History

• 4.0.0.1
  • Added PsiOps Battleground: EDZ as part of the PsiOps Battlegrounds playlist on February 22, 2022.
• 4.0.1
  • Fixed an issue where enemies sometimes didn't spawn after entering the Dark Forest area.
• 4.1.0
  • Introduced Legend difficulty for PsiOps Battlegrounds on March 22, 2022, with increased Power Level (1580) and additional modifiers.
• 6.0.0
  • Moved PsiOps Battleground: EDZ to the Vanguard Ops strike playlist with Lightfall on February 28, 2023, removing direct launch and Runic Chest rewards.
• 6.3.0.5
  • Fixed an issue where revives did not award points for scoring in PsiOps Battlegrounds activities.