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Look out for Destiny 2 Ascendant Mysteries as you go through the Shattered Realm, tracking clues and aligning the beacons to rescue Queen Mara’s Techeuns. Like the Trivial and Enigmatic Mysteries, these Ascendant Mysteries are some hidden chests that will require you to use Wayfinder’s Compass abilities to reach them. While you’ll be passing through barriers, revealing hidden platforms, and protecting yourself from slowing Fields of Strife in the Shattered Realm, Ascendant Mysteries present some extra puzzle or challenge that you need to overcome too. You can unlock these abilities by completing seasonal challenges and Wayfinder’s Voyage quests to rank up your compass in Destiny 2 Season of the Lost.
Each Ascendant Mystery you find and open has a chance to give you a piece of Season of the Lost gear, some Parallax Trajectory, and other resources like Glimmer and Destination Materials. Each one also has its own Triumph attached to it, and there’s a seasonal challenge that requires you to find a couple of these mysteries. The Shattered Realm holds plenty of collectibles, including Trivial and Enigmatic Mysteries, Illusory Barriers that can only be destroyed with the Ager’s Scepter Exotic Trace Rifle, and hidden data caches. It’s well worth exploring the Shattered Realm to see what secrets – and loot – you can unlock. Here’s how to find all the Destiny 2 Ascendant Mysteries across the three Shattered Realm variations.
Destiny 2 Tracing the Stars 1 | Destiny 2 Tracing the Stars 2 | Destiny 2 Tracing the Stars 3 | Destiny 2 Enigmatic Mysteries Shattered Realm | Destiny 2 Ager’s Scepter
How to find Destiny 2 Ascendant Mysteries
How to find Destiny 2 Ascendant Mysteries
Ascendant Mysteries a little trickier to find compared to the other two types of mystery as you’ll need to solve some sort of puzzle or other encounter to unlock it. The three Shattered Realm variations have two Ascendant Mysteries each, meaning there are six in total with each one being linked to a beacon that needs to be aligned.
Once you’ve defeated the invading enemies around the beacon and it has been aligned, you’ll be able to read an extra message in the text feed that acts as a clue for locating an Ascendant Mystery. Follow the clue to begin the challenge and eventually you’ll be rewarded with the mystery chest at the end. Some of these Ascendant Mystery challenges will also hide a few Trivial and Enigmatic Mysteries along the way, so keep an eye out for those too. This guide also refers to location names within each Shattered Realm variation which you can read under your motion tracker, so use this to help you get to the general area of each Ascendant Mystery.
Forest of Echoes
Destiny 2 Ascendant Mysteries in Forest of Echoes
The Forest of Echoes Shattered Realm is the one that looks like the EDZ, with the church and courtyard area from Trostland and some twisted trees like those found in the Dark Forest.
1. Hive Ritual at the Shrine Ascendant Mystery – The Dark Ritual Triumph
To get the first Ascendant Mystery in the Forest of Echoes, you need to have aligned the first beacon in the church area called the Abbey of Whispers. Once aligned, you’ll notice a message appear saying, “Hive Wizards gather for a ritual at the Shrine”. The Shrine it mentions is on a floating island away from the church.
To get to it, head out the back exit of the church near where the beacon is and turn left. You’ll spot a True Sight Wayfinder’s Compass device and the floating island way up in the sky which should have some Wizards moving about on it. Get True Sight and climb your way up the now visible platforms to the shrine.
Once you’re up there, defeat all the Hive enemies and an orb relic will spawn in front of a statue. You need to pick it up, refresh your True Sight ability, and carry the orb back to the main island across the floating platforms. There should be a mini Taken blight on the shrine near the orb and getting close to it will cause it to go to the next area. Use it to guide the way.
For the next obstacle, you need to use Barrier Breach to carry on down the path. You’ll be led down into a tunnel network which will have a few Taken Thrall in it. Keep going through the tunnel network, using the mini blight to guide you, and eventually you’ll find more True Sight and Barrier Breach devices next to a hole in the tunnel wall. Use the devices and exit through the hole in the wall to reach a series of platforms that lead to the right. Jump across them and you’ll get to The Crypt.
As soon as you’re in The Crypt area, take the relic orb to the Awoken statue in the right corner and dunk it in. This will spawn the Apocalyptic Blade boss and its minions. Defeat them and the Ascendant Mystery Chest will appear in front of the statue for you to loot.
2. The Well Ascendant Mystery – Born of Darkness Triumph
For the second Ascendant Mystery in the Forest of Echoes, you’ll be destroying a lot of Taken Blights. To get started, you need to have aligned the second beacon in the Harrowed Cliffs area. You’ll see another clue message saying, “Blights corrupt the Harrowed Cliffs”, at which point a big Taken Blight and some Taken enemies will spawn on top of the nearby cliff. Climb up the cliff and destroy the blight by going inside the dome and shooting the black orb. Two more blights will spawn back down towards the beacon. Destroy these as well.
Now head to the edge of the Harrowed Cliffs where the floating rocks are as if you were going to the exit portal to the boss fight. You’ll spot another blight below on one of the floating rocks which also needs to be destroyed.
Once you’ve destroyed that blight, you’ll see that the Ruins area opposite the exit portal is overrun with even more blights and Taken. Head over to the Ruins and destroy the blights. Now head down the brick well into a large cave and defeat the Taken Devoured Ogre to reveal the Destiny 2 Ascendant Mystery chest
Debris of Dreams
Destiny 2 Ascendant Mysteries in Debris of Dreams
The Debris of Dreams Shattered Realm is the one that looks a lot like the Tangled Shore with floating, craggy islands and large Eliksni facilities.
1. Industrial Facility Mystery – Refined Power Triumph
The first Destiny 2 Ascendant Mystery in the Debris of Dreams can be found after you’ve aligned the first beacon and received the message saying, ‘Scorn drilling operations commence…’.
Head back to the first main rock island called the Ruined Outpost and defeat the Drill Crew Scorn around the hovering Glimmer mining drill. Once defeated, the drill will drop an orb of Unrefined Ascendant Energy. A waypoint guiding you to the Industrial Facility should appear after you pick up the orb.
Follow the waypoint into a little room that requires Barrier Breach to enter. There will be a teleporter inside which will take you to a floating island that is otherwise inaccessible. You need to take the energy orb to a receiver on this island and deposit the Ascendant Energy. Now stand on the raised plate nearby to begin lowering it. Once it reaches the bottom, the receiver will drop the now refined orb of Ascendant Energy for you to collect.
To get back to the Industrial Facility and deposit the refined orb, use the True Sight compass device on the floating island to reveal a path that leads over to the facility. Follow the waypoint through a previously locked door to access the facility and deposit the orb to power up the area.
Doing so will activate a nearby console too. Toggle the console to reveal the Ascendant Mystery chest, and you can open it for your rewards.
2. Derelict Shipyard Mystery – The First Rule Triumph
For the second Ascendant Mystery in the Debris of Dreams, you need to visit the Scorn in the Encampment after aligning the second beacon and seeing the message, ‘Something stirs in the Encampment’, appear. From the second beacon, head up the into the Encampment area as though you were going towards the teleporter that leads to the final boss area.
However, once you jump up to the top of the steps, you’ll notice some Scorn standing around a door. Eliminate them and then follow the button prompt while standing next to the door lock to open it. Head through the door and you’ll emerge into an arena full of Scorn enemies, three of which are named bosses.
Kaaskis the Hungerer and Siirnak the Deepwalker will escape, but Akaskis the Listener will stay in the arena. Defeat it and you’ll notice you have an effect called ‘Scorn Cache Passcode’ on the left of your screen. In this arena room, you’ll find the Ascendant Mystery chest currently trapped within a blue forcefield dome with a Scorn brazier in front of it. Approach the brazier and ‘transmit the passcode’.
To fully unlock the Destiny 2 Ascendant Mystery chest, you need to defeat the other two Scorn bosses and get their passcodes. To get one of them, use the Barrier Breach compass device in the arena and head through the barrier blocking the doorway opposite the entrance. You’ll come into a corridor full of laser tripmines, so be careful.
Keep going through the corridor and you’ll eventually reach a section where you have to walk along a rocky cliff outside. There is a doorway at the end of this cliff that you need Barrier Breach to get through. It will lead into a room where you can defeat Kaaskis and retrieve its passcode. Head back the way you came into the arena room and transmit the second passcode.
For the final passcode, you need to head through the doorway on the raised ledge of the arena between the other two doors. Go down the corridor and jump through the hole in the floor to the cave below.
Follow the trail of Dark Ether to The Ruined Outpost island and jump through the rotating turbine in the floor to access a cave. Siirnak will be inside, so defeat him to get the passcode and head back to the arena in The Encampment. Transmit the final passcode and the dome around the Ascendant Mystery chest will deactivate, allowing you to unlock it.
Ruins of Wrath
Destiny 2 Ascendant Mysteries in Ruins of Wrath
The Ruins of Wrath Shattered Realm features a lot of Hive and Hive architecture, including a massive Hive Dreadship.
1. Warbringer’s Tower Ascendant Mystery – Lord of the Undercroft Triumph
You can get the first Ascendant Mystery in the Ruins of Wrath Shattered Realm after you’ve aligned the first beacon. Once you’ve done so, you’ll see a message saying, “A dormant plate comes to life”. You need to head to the right towards the tall Hive tower and spot a large plate covered in Hive symbols that needs to be activated.
Once activated, the tower doors will unlock, and you’ll be able to head inside and descend into the depths of the tower undercroft. After jumping down the first hole, you’ll have to invoke Barrier Breach, pass through a barrier, and jump down another hole which is full of spinning, spiky cylinders and swinging lanterns. Do your best to avoid these and the spikes on the floor to reach the undercroft and a Hive Knight boss called Scoroboth, Xivu Arath’s son.
You need to defeat him to unlock this Destiny 2 Ascendant Mystery, but he has an impenetrable shield that you need to bring down first. Get Barrier Breach from the compass device that’s in a little nook between a pillar and a doorway on the right in the first area where you meet Scoroboth.
With Barrier Breach active, head through that doorway and walk through the corridor full of Hive lanterns. Eventually, you’ll emerge into another room which holds a relic orb. There is also a Destiny 2 Enigmatic Mystery in this room too. Grab the relic orb, run back through the corridor to Scoroboth, and throw the orb at him to take down his shield. Once you’ve dealt enough damage, he will teleport away and a should return with a band of Hive enemies. Defeat the Hive and Scoroboth should teleport again, this time to a new area.
To get to this area, head to the far end of the room where you’ll see a floating circular platform above an open hole – there is a Trivial Mystery chest on top of this platform. You need to jump down the hole into a dark pit to face Scoroboth again, but his shield will need to be brought down. Around the perimeter of this pit is a corridor that holds another relic orb. Look for a mini Taken blight ball flickering in a corridor and this will lead the way to the relic. As before, grab the relic, throw it at Scoroboth, and begin damaging him.
Eventually, Scoroboth will teleport to the final area – a light room next to the pit that is covered in a slowing Field of Strife. To finish him off, get Safe Passage and Barrier Breach from the compass devices in this area, then head under the bridge to grab another relic orb. Throw the orb at Scoroboth to bring down his shield for the final time, defeat him, and then claim your rewards at the Ascendant Mystery chest that will appear. You can head back into the pit area and go through an exit portal to remerge by the Warbringer’s Tower.
3. Warbringer’s Tower Enigmatic Mystery in the Undercroft
The final Destiny 2 Ascendant Mystery in the Ruins of Wrath is quite complicated to get as you’ll have to enter a series of portals in a particular order that lead to almost every area of the Ruins of Wrath to reach the Ascendant Mystery chest. Start by aligning the second beacon, and you’ll see a message pop up saying, “A Hive ritual commences nearby”. From the second beacon, head back to the Debris Field and look for the glowing totem in the opposite area.
As you approach the totem, you’ll spot a Hive Wizard called a ‘Soulfire Exarch’ which you need to defeat. It’ll drop an object called ‘the flame’ which you need to pick up and carry inside the tunnel area nearby. There should be a waypoint to guide the way. You’ll reach a Hive brazier on the floor which you need to deposit the flame into to reveal five portals with symbols above them.
Out of these portals, only one is the correct way. Going through the correct portal will lead to a different area in the Ruins of Wrath with another Soulfire Exarch Wizard to defeat. Doing so causes the flame to reignite back at the starting area. You need to head back through the portal in the new area to get back to the starting area with the first five portals and grab the flame.
Carry the flame through the correct sequence of portals and then use it to ignite the Hive brazier in the area. This will cause another set of portals to appear with unique symbols above them, so you need to head through the correct one out of these to reach the next area. Rinse and repeat going through the correct portal, defeating the Exarch, grabbing the flame from the starting area, carrying it back through all the portals, and igniting the next brazier to reveal more portals until you ignite the final portal. If you enter the wrong portal at any point, you will teleport back to the first five portals to start again.
To save you brute forcing your way through, here is a list of the correct sequence of portals to go through and which symbols to look for to find this Ascendant Mystery:
- Portal 1 in The Debris Field (the starting area) – From left to right, it is the fourth portal along. The symbol is two curved lines with a horizontal straight line between them and it looks a bit like a burger
- Portal 2 in The Staging Ground – The middle portal and the symbol looks like an ‘A’
- Portal 3 in The Outer Islands – The portal on the right with a symbol that consists of a stack of three horizontal lines and three dots on top. (Like the ‘Y’ gesture in YMCA or, if you’ve played Dark Souls, imagine Solaire praising the Sun.)
- Portal 4 in The Warbringer’s Tower – The portal on the right, with a symbol made of a pair of horizontal lines both above and below a much bigger horizontal line, like the division (÷) symbol
- Portal 5 in The Field of Promised Ruin (where the second beacon is) – Take the flame from the Exarch in this area and carry it to the totem to activate the final portal. It is the only one in the area but it has a symbol that is often referred to as the ‘Droideka’ by the Destiny community
Once you’ve defeated the Exarch, carried its flame to the totem, and activated the final portal, head through and follow the winding bridge pathway all the way up to the end. You’ll eventually reach an area with Safe Passage and True Sight compass devices. Use both and follow the path of floating True Sight platforms across to another tower. Once you get there, you must defeat one final Exarch to reveal the Ascendant Mystery chest.
And that’s all six Destiny 2 Ascendant Mysteries in the Shattered Realm activity. Check off all the triumphs you’ve now unlocked to get up your score. You can reopen them all each week to potentially get more Season of the Lost gear rolls, Parallax Trajectory, and Destination Materials.
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