WithAct 1 of Episode Heresyalready in full force,Destiny 2has released a new Exotic weapon: Barrow-Dyad,a Strand SMG that looks like a frisbee and shoots Taken blights.
But in order to get the Barrow-Dyad and the associated Exotic mission, you must first complete theExotic quest The Taken Path.Once you’ve completed it, you’ll be able to access Derealize.
Destiny 2: The Nether Guide
We’re back to ransack Oryx’s Throne World yet again.
This Exotic mission features many puzzles and boss fights with dizzying mechanics. This guide will help you understand what you’ll need to do and where to go, all the while avoiding being driven mad by the eldritch horrors that inhabit the Dreadnaught.
Since the quest and mission are still time-gated at the time of writing, we will only be focusing on the basic objectives of this Exotic mission.
How To Access The Derealize Exotic Mission
You’ll find the node to access the Exotic Mission in The Last City destination on your director.
You’ll load into the pit in the Mausoleum where you would normally fight the Taken Ogre boss in the Nether.
You’ll see that the Taken infestation has taken hold of the Dreadnaught, along with those giant, terrifying floating eyeballs that give you a debuff called “Suffocating Terror,“which stacks up to 20 before you die from a heart attack (really).
The best way to avoid dying from those eyeballs is by not looking at them. Make sure no part of the eyeball is on your screen to slowly decrease the Suffocating Terror stacks.
After defeating some adds, a Subjugator boss called Vrhiisk, Seeker of Power will engage you in battle. Damage her enough and she’ll retreat, spawning another Strand Subjugator called the Follower of Power.
Once that’s done, a portal will appear.Jump through it.
Vrhiisk, Seeker Of Power Boss Fight
On the other side of the portal, you’ll arrive at the Trenchway, with Vrhiisk waiting for you where the Tormentor boss used to be.
Fight Vrhiisk as you do, and once you whittle down one-third of her health bar, she’ll gain an immunity shield.
Two Taken Ogres will spawn, and killing them will drop a Taken Relic.
Pick up the Taken Relic and start blasting. Eventually, accumulating enough kills will make you Torn Between Dimensions like in theKing’s Fall raid,revealing hidden platforms you’ll have to navigate.
Dunk the Taken Relic onto the highlighted Taken Blight,and there should be another one in real space.
After you destroy two Taken Blights, Vrhiisk will be vulnerable again.Repeat the same process until she reaches a third of her health bar.
The situation will get a little scary as the eyeballs reappear. You’ll then teleport to a pocket dimension, where you’ll have a final showdown with Vrhiisk.
Defeat Vrhiisk, and you’ll be trapped ina pocket dimension that can only be escaped via a puzzle.
Puzzle And Navigation
Much like the first steps of The Taken Path exotic quest, you’ll need tostand on a plate to reveal a symbol on the panel in front of you.
You’ll see four symbols, which we’ll be calling (from left to right)Hamburger, Letter A, Vex head, and Turret (see the above image for reference).One of the four symbols will appear on the panel when you stand on the plate.
Unlike what some YouTubers or other guides might tell you, youdon’t have to shoot the panelfor the symbol to appear–Just wait a couple of seconds.
On the objective tab on your screen, you’ll see the message “NO ESCAPE” and a timer labeled “Reality Tears.”
You’ll need tomatch the symbols with the panel in left to right order to escape.If the symbols match, step off the plate in the direction that it points you to.
If the symbols don’t match,stand still on the plate, and you’ll be teleported to another room to repeat the cycle.
Once you’ve done all four symbols correctly, you’ll be teleported to the inner section of the Trenchway, where you’ll be doing some platforming. Keep jumping until you reach a hole in the wall, andjump down into a dark pit.
There’s another pit.Don’t jump in there, as you’ll fall to your death. Instead,jump up along the walls.
As you continue upwards, you’ll eventually arrive at a hole in the wall.Watch out for thespears that can shoot out and push you to your death.
There are alsoTaken geysers that’ll knock you off your feet,so make sure to time your jumps.
Try baiting the spears out and making your move when they’re shrinking back into the holes.
You’ll arrive at a wide chasm with strange floating Hive architecture that looks like a giant Shrieker in the middle, populated by some Knights.
The chasm is also divided by what seems to be a Taken forcefield, which you cannavigate by going to the dark gaps between the walls.
Once you get to the second Shrieker, your goal is tofind and shoot Hive crystals in the dark areas.As far as we can tell, there are aboutthree crystalsyou’ll have to destroy.
Take your time in navigating the area and shooting the crystals.
Once the last crystal is broken, you’ll see the text “The seal is broken!“which will allow you to proceed upwards. Follow the path on the right wall of the second Shrieker.
Exit the wall, and you’ll arrive at the final Shrieker. Jump off to the right from there, and you’ll land on a tentacle.
There are several ways to navigate your way up–some jump on the bulbs on the walls and others in the holes.
You’ll arrive at an entrance with a rally point. Place your banner and put on your best loadout for an intense boss fight.
Xir-Kuur Boss Fight
To start the fight, you must walk up to the desk where you’ll find the Barrow-Dyad. Taking it will give you the SMG and two items called Coalescence of the [Knife] and Coalescence of Sorrow.
Some Taken Blights will spawn.Destroy them and a Hive Knight boss, Xir-Kuur, Not-Taken, will appear, along with some Void-shielded Taken Acolytes.
After a third of his health bar has been depleted, you’ll get theTorn Between Dimensionsstatus again,and you’ll face off against Xir-Kuur, Taken, a separate boss with slightly different abilities.
Compared to The Nether, this is a relatively easy boss fight. Make sure to pack Void weapons to quickly take out the Acolytes' shields and any strong DPS options you may have.
Do this until you kill the Not-Taken version of the boss, which will create a giant Blight, and the bosses will merge into a colossal form.
You cannot fight this boss, soescape the room and converge on the plate in front of the doorto seal it.
Post-Exotic Mission
Completing Derealize Exotic Mission for the first timewill not only reward you with the Barrow-Dyad, but the Dyadic Ascension quest, which helps youunlock Intrinsic perks and Catalysts.
As of 03-06-2025, this quest is still time-gated at Step 5.
Your first step is to unlock Steel Your Nerves, which is an upgrade you acquire when you reach Rank 5 on the Shaping Slab.
Then,return to The Nether and find six Osseous Fragments for each step.You don’t need to do anything other than pay attention to your mini-map, as it will point you to the nearest fragment.
Just explore the Dreadnaught and you should be able to find all the fragments you need from a single run.
Finding six fragments will unlock an Intrinsic Perk upgrade, currently up to Panic Response III. Eventually, you’ll be able to upgrade your Barrow-Dyad all the way to Panic Response V.
Destiny 2: Sundered Doctrine Guide
Delve into Rhulk’s pyramid again and drive back the Dread.
WHERE TO PLAY
Destiny 2 is a sci-fi epic looter shooter mmo that takes Guardians across the solar system and through alternate dimensions in the pursuit of defeating the enemies of Light.
