The Arrival

The Arrival
Information
Rewards

The Arrival is the opening Mission of The Witch Queen expansion in Destiny 2, released on February 22, 2022. It marks the beginning of the campaign against Savathûn, the Witch Queen and takes place on the mysteriously returned planet Mars.

Overview

The Arrival serves as both an introduction to The Witch Queen campaign and a shocking reintroduction to Mars, which had been removed from the game during the Beyond Light content vault. Players discover that Mars has been caught in a temporal anomaly created by Savathûn, containing Golden Age technology frozen in time.

Mission Walkthrough

Mars Surface

Players spawn in Agri Sector 24-A on Mars, immediately noticing the strange temporal effects. The landscape shows signs of being caught in a causal loop, with Golden Age structures preserved in pristine condition. Cabal forces are encountered setting up a massive cannon aimed at Savathûn's ship.

Cabal Encounter

Fighting through Cabal forces, Guardians must:

• Clear exterior Cabal positions
• Investigate signals from Savathûn's lair
• Defeat Cabal reinforcements attempting to stop the investigation
• Navigate through temporal anomalies affecting the area

The Cannon

Players discover and commandeer a Cabal siege cannon to:

• Aim at Savathûn's ship, The Lure
• Launch themselves aboard the vessel
• Experience the first glimpse of Hive wielding the Light

Aboard The Lure

Inside Savathûn's ship, players face:

• Five Tribute Bearers in three waves
• Lucent Brood forces demonstrating Light abilities
• Environmental puzzles utilizing Deepsight
• The first encounter with Hive Ghosts

Boss Fight

The mission culminates with:

• Mor'ak, Lightstealer: A Lightbearer Knight boss
• Demonstration of Hive resurrection mechanics
• Introduction to crushing Hive Ghosts

Difficulty Options

Normal Mode

• Standard difficulty for all players
• Recommended Power: 1350
• Matchmaking available
• Standard enemy density

Legendary Mode

• Increased difficulty with modifiers:
  • Chaff (no radar)
  • Acolytes spawn fire pools on death
  • Increased enemy aggression
• Better rewards including upgrade modules
• No matchmaking

Master Difficulty

• Highest difficulty tier featuring:
  • Champions (Unstoppable and Barrier)
  • Match Game modifier (matching shield elements required)
  • All shield types present
  • Significantly increased enemy health
• Pinnacle rewards
• Requires pre-made fireteam

Story Significance

The Arrival establishes crucial narrative elements:

• Mars's return through Savathûn's temporal manipulation
• First confirmation of Hive wielding the Light
• Introduction of the Lucent Brood
• Setup for the broader Witch Queen campaign
• Mystery of how Savathûn obtained the Light

Rewards

First Completion

• Campaign progress
• The Witch Queen armor set piece
• Legendary weapons
• Experience and Glimmer

Legendary Rewards

• Double chest rewards
• Upgrade materials
• Higher stat armor
• Exclusive emblem (full campaign completion)

Master Rewards

• Pinnacle gear
• Enhancement Cores
• Exotic chances
• Triumph score

Known Issues

• Mission may not auto-launch for some players
• Solution: Check Throne World map in Director
• Free-to-play access allows mission replay without DLC
• Some dialogue may not trigger properly on repeat playthroughs

Dialogue and Lore

Key story beats include:

• Ikora Rey's shock at Mars's return
• Ghost's analysis of temporal anomalies
• First hints at Savathûn's true plan
• Cabal communications about the situation

Trivia

• The mission title has double meaning: player's arrival and Savathûn's arrival as a Lightbearer
• Contains callbacks to Destiny 2 vanilla campaign Mars missions
• Features redesigned Mars areas from original game
• First mission to feature Hive using Guardian abilities

List of appearances

• Destiny 2
  • The Witch Queen Template:1st

References

• Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
• Bungie mission walkthroughs
• In-game dialogue transcripts
• Community guides and strategies