Destiny 2 The Nether Healing Tips Heresy Exploration and Dreadnaught Guide

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When Destiny 2’s The Nether strips away your trusty healing abilities and leaves your Fireteam stranded in Oryx’s Dreadnaught, survival becomes a desperate scramble for scraps of health and the right gear. With traditional healing methods disabled and only a handful of secret tricks and rare weapons offering salvation, mastering the art of staying alive in The Nether is a puzzle every Guardian must solve-or risk being lost to the darkness forever.

In this Destiny 2 guide, we’ll walk you through how to heal in The Nether so you and your fireteam can escape with your lives.

Update (Feb. 14): We’ve updated this guide to reflect that a recent patch has improved the healing system.

How healing works in The Nether

Healing in The Nether activity of Destiny 2 is intentionally limited, forcing players to adapt their strategies and rely on alternative methods beyond the usual passive health regeneration or ability-based healing. Traditional healing sources like Healing Grenades, Healing Rift, Devour, and even Support Frame auto rifles are either disabled or largely ineffective in this mode. Instead, players must seek out specific weapons, armor mods, and in-activity pickups to restore health.

Key healing options include breaking urns or pots scattered throughout the Dreadnaught to collect Health Orbs, which provide small bursts of healing. Equipping the Recuperation armor mod allows Guardians to regain health when picking up Orbs of Power. Certain Boons, such as Classic Healing (heals on class ability use), Finishing Heal (heals on finishing moves), and Paracausal Health (increases health gained from orbs), can further supplement survivability. For weapon-based healing, the Crimson Exotic hand cannon is highly effective for solo players, instantly restoring health on kills, while Lumina can heal allies with its Noble Rounds, and the Knockout Titan Aspect grants full healing on melee kills Destiny 2 – Gameplay – Bungie.net” target=”_blank” href=”https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/264571734?sort=0&page=0″>. However, most Solar-based healing effects-like Cure and Restoration-offer little to no benefit in this activity.

Overall, surviving The Nether requires careful loadout planning, teamwork, and making the most of the few reliable healing sources available within the activity.

When in The Nether – whether in the explore, normal, or expert modes – you have drastically increased health,but will not heal passively. Additionally, all of your healing Aspects, weapons, and items aren’t nearly as effective at healing you, meaning you’ll have to be a bit creative if you want to succeed.

Below, we’ll go into some of the best tools you have in your arsenal for healing in The Nether, but first, there are a few non-loadout ways to heal as well.

As you explore The Nether, you’ll come across urns that you can shoot and destroy. These pots drop special light orbs that will instantly restore your health. You can make these more powerful (or cause them to offer additional benefits, like recharging your abilities) by interacting with your Runes on the Shaping Slab in Eris’ apartment.

There are also several Major Boons that you can pick up in The Nether that will give you healing when using your class abilities or performing a finisher.

Best Destiny 2 healing items in The Nether (for now)

Healing in The Nether is extremely limited due to a deliberate restriction on most traditional healing sources, but a handful of weapons, perks, and class abilities still work reliably. The Crimson Exotic Hand Cannon stands out as the top choice for solo players, instantly restoring health on kills, though it only heals the user. For team support, the Lumina Exotic Hand Cannon can fully heal allies via its Noble Rounds after a kill, making it invaluable for Fireteams, but it does not heal the wielder. Titan mains should leverage the Knockout Aspect, which grants full health on powered melee kills, maintaining its effectiveness despite the Nether’s restrictions. Weapons with the Unrelenting perk are also highly recommended, as they consistently trigger health regeneration after rapid kills, bypassing most healing limitations in this activity. Other notable options include the Rat King (with catalyst), Suros Regime, and Le Monarque with Unrelenting, all of which provide varying degrees of self-healing on kills Destiny 2 – Gameplay – Bungie.net” target=”_blank” href=”https://www.bungie.net/en/Forums/Post/264571734?sort=0&page=0″>. For additional minor healing, players can collect Health Orbs from defeated enemies or urns scattered throughout the Dreadnaught, and activate healing Boons tied to class abilities or finishers. Until Bungie issues a balance patch, these items and strategies represent the best ways to stay alive in The Nether.

At the launch of of Destiny 2’s Heresy episode, most healing effects were bugged inside The Nether, and were healing drastically less than they were supposed to, while others were doing much more. So if you play now and notice a difference compared to launch, that’s why.

Even after the patch, however, weapons and Aspects that use keywords like Cure, Restoration, and Devour still aren’t healing for their full amounts. This is intended. With that in mind, there are a few things we recommend when it comes to healing in The Nether:

  • Support frame auto rifles (Adamantite and No Hesitation)
  • Warlock’s Speaker’s Sight Exotic helmet
  • Healing Grenades
  • The Edge of Intent Warlock Exotic glaive
  • Le Monarch with the Unrelenting Catalyst
  • Any weapon with Heal Clip
  • The Red Death Exotic pulse rifle

While all healing items in the game will provide some value for you, the above items really stand out.

Really, you’re looking for anything that’s free to use and has little to no risk. Warlock Rift, for example, doesn’t provide much healing at all, but it’s very simple to just pop a Warlock Rift and stand in it for a while between encounters. Knockout for Titans, on the other hand, is quite a bit riskier to rely on, as you have to be close to an enemy and get a kill to get it to proc.

If you’re running The Nether with a group of friends, consider having someone (preferably your Warlock, given all their healing options) act as a dedicated healer by equipping Healing Grenades, Red Death, a support frame auto rifle, etc. This frees up the other two members of the fireteam to run whatever high-damage builds they want. This is especially helpful in the expert difficulty version of The Nether, which is far more lethal.

What hidden healing methods can I use to survive The Nether’s glitches

Hidden Healing Methods to Survive The Nether’s Glitches

Despite The Nether’s severe restrictions and ongoing healing glitches, several hidden methods and workarounds can help you survive:

  • Crimson Exotic Hand Cannon: This weapon remains one of the most reliable healing tools in The Nether. Kills with Crimson heal the wielder, and precision kills refill the magazine, allowing for sustained self-healing even when other methods are glitched or disabled. However, Crimson only heals the user, not allies.

  • Lumina Exotic Hand Cannon: Lumina can fully heal teammates by firing Noble Rounds after a kill, making it invaluable for supporting your Fireteam. Note that Lumina does not heal the wielder when used solo.

  • Knockout Titan Aspect: For Titans, the Knockout Aspect enables full health restoration on melee kills, which is especially effective when combined with healing weapons.

  • Healing Orbs from Urns: Scattered urns throughout the Dreadnaught drop Healing Orbs when smashed. These orbs provide minor healing and can be a lifesaver when other methods fail.

  • Class Ability Boon: Occasionally, a Boon can be found that grants healing when you use your class ability. This is not always available but can offer a crucial edge if you find it.

  • Armor Synergies: Pairing Crimson with specific exotics, such as Loreley Splendor Helm for Titans, can create sunspots that provide additional survivability, though this does not directly heal your health bar-it can keep you alive longer by mitigating incoming damage.

  • Glitched Infinite Healing: Some players have discovered and shared infinite healing glitches using certain weapon and armor combinations, though these may be patched in future updates.

Important Note: Most Solar healing effects (like Cure and Restoration) and standard healing grenades are currently unreliable due to Nether-specific bugs and design choices. Bungie is working on balance fixes, but for now, the above methods are your best bet for survival.

“Suddenly, playing with healing weapons has become the new raid meta. leveraging unique mechanics is the key to victory in TheNether.

Use these hidden methods and adapt your build to maximize your chances of surviving The Nether’s unpredictable glitches.

What are the most effective glitch-based healing tricks in The Nether

Most Effective Glitch-Based Healing Tricks in The Nether

1. Shaping Slab Upgrades for Healing Orbs

  • Upgrading at the shaping slab to unlock “healing orbs grant overshield” and “healing orbs grant more health” is widely regarded as the most effective glitch-based healing method in The Nether. These upgrades significantly boost the effectiveness of healing orbs, which are otherwise nerfed in this zone.

  • Pairing these upgrades with a ghost mod that increases healing orb drop frequency can create a steady supply of healing and overshields, compensating for the severe healing debuffs.

2. Infinite Healing Glitch

  • There are currently active infinite healing glitches, showcased in community videos, that allow players to bypass the Nether’s healing restrictions entirely. These typically involve exploiting weapon/armor synergies or specific actions that reset the healing cooldown, but details are often patched quickly.

3. Devour and Class-Specific Builds

  • While most healing is reduced by about 70-80% in The Nether, abilities like Devour for Warlocks still function, albeit at a much lower rate. Prismatic Warlocks can chain Devour for continuous, if diminished, healing.

  • Titans can use Storm’s Keep with the 5th Column artifact perk, or Consecration for melee-based healing. Hunters can rely on invisibility to avoid damage rather than heal.

4. Healing Weapons and Perks

  • Weapons with healing perks (e.g., Crimson, Rat King) and armor mods like healing finisher can provide minor healing, but their effectiveness is greatly reduced. The only exception might be rare, unpatched interactions that temporarily restore more health than intended.

5. Community “Cheese” Strategies

  • The Destiny 2 community frequently discovers and shares new healing exploits, such as stacking certain buffs or using specific subclass interactions before they are nerfed. Staying updated with the latest community findings is key for maximizing survival.

“Suddenly, playing with healing weapons has become the new raid meta. leveraging unique mechanics is the key to victory in The Nether.”

Summary Table

Trick/Method Effectiveness in The Nether Notes
Shaping Slab Healing Orb Upgrades High Most reliable glitch-based method
Infinite Healing Glitch Very High (if unpatched) Community videos detail current methods
Devour/Prismatic Builds Moderate (heavily nerfed) Still viable for continuous healing
Healing Weapons (Crimson, etc.) Low-Moderate Greatly reduced, but still functional
Armor Mods (Healing Finisher) Low May provide minor benefit

Caution: Most glitch-based healing tricks are subject to rapid patching by Bungie, so always check current community sources for the latest effective methods.

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Andrew Heaton

He's a UK freelance writer specializing in video game news, with bylines at What Culture, Rock Paper Shotgun, and PCGamesN. In 2023, his love for gaming led him to buy an Xbox Series X, for no other reason than to play Starfield.

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