There’s a lot to discover in Forsaken, the new major expansion for Destiny 2. One of the most mysterious of these new activities is the Ascendant Challenge—a weekly activity in the Dreaming City that requires a bit of luck and a lot of exploration. So we’ve compiled a quick guide to tell you how to start one and where to finish it.
A word of warning, though: Ascendant Challenges come with a recommended level of 550. This one is totally doable at much, much lower levels than that. It just won’t be terribly easy. Not to mention the challenge is (generously) timed and you restart every time you die. Just keep it in mind!
1. Grab the Ascendant Challenge bounty.
It’s still week one in Forsaken, so this might not always be the case, but for the time being Petra asks you to seek out an Ascendant Challenge via a bounty. Like most of her weekly missions, completing it rewards you with a piece of powerful gear. So it’s well worth getting before you start.
2. Seek out chests in the Dreaming City.
Forsaken’s new endgame zone is littered with chests—just like every other public area in the game. They drop glimmer and the local upgrade material, just like normal chests, but sometimes provide an item called a Tincture of Queensfoil. You need this to even see your path to the Ascendant Challenge. So don’t go looking for it until you have one.
3. Return to Petra.
You don’t actually need to speak with her, but the entrance to week one’s Ascendant Challenge is nearby. It’s inside a Lost Sector just east of Petra’s perch; in a cave at the bottom of the plateau. Go inside and get ready to fight your way through like any other Lost Sector.
4. Drink the tincture.
Its effects last for 30 minutes and don’t disappear when you die. So wait until you’re actually inside the Lost Sector before taking a swig. Once you do, you’ll be able to see a massive Taken portal hanging in the air about halfway into the cave. That’s your next target. Hop on in.
5. Destroy the Taken Blights.
After you jump into the portal, you’ll travel to a dark dimension like the one you repeatedly entered during Forsaken’s campaign. Enemies will spawn and, naturally, try to kill you, but they’re not your main concern. They’re tough to see through the dark mists, but Taken Blights—the big, evil bubbles—are scattered around the room. Hop inside each one and destroy them just like you would in a Taken Public Event.
6. Destroy the crystals.
When the Blights are gone an on-screen message will say “A seal breaks. An opportunity.” That’s your cue to head back to the center of the room. The crystals floating there will now be vulnerable to damage. Go ahead and wax ‘em.
7. Collect your spoils.
Don’t forget to grab your loot! When the crystals are destroyed, a chest with a piece of powerful gear will spawn in their place. Congratulations! You’ve solved your first Ascendant Challenge.
