Dive into the shadowy depths of Destiny 2’s Dreadnaught with “The Taken Path” exotic quest, where uncovering hidden Taken blights and solving cryptic rune puzzles lead you to the powerful Barrow-Dyad SMG. This intricate journey, part of the Heresy expansion, challenges Guardians to navigate lost sectors, defeat formidable bosses, and unlock secret missions – all while unraveling the Hive’s dark secrets. Ready to tread the path few dare to walk? Your quest for one of Destiny 2’s most coveted exotic weapons begins now.
To start your journey to get Barrow-Dyad, you’ll first need to collect “The Taken Path” quest, which comes from a secret Blight hidden inside The Nether activity.
In this Destiny 2 guide, we’ll give you a full walkthrough of “The Taken Path” Exotic quest, including all of its steps, so you can finally collect your Barrow-Dyad Exotic submachine gun.
’The Taken Path’ Exotic quest steps in Destiny 2
The Taken Path exotic quest in Destiny 2 begins by finding a hidden Taken Blight during the Nether activity on the Dreadnaught, which transports you to an ascendant plane where you solve a rune-based puzzle to collect a Taken Osseous Fragment. Afterward, you return to Eris Morn’s apartment to officially start the quest. The quest involves unlocking and equipping the Scotopic Rune from the Shaping Slab, then progressing through a series of steps that include exploring Lost Sectors like K1 Revelation and Veles Labyrinth, solving similar rune puzzles, and defeating Taken enemies and bosses to collect additional fragments. Completing these steps unlocks the Exotic mission “Derealize,” where you ultimately earn the Barrow-Dyad exotic SMG as your reward.
Finding the secret Blight in the Dreadnaught is a bit tricky, but you need to do it in order to start “The Taken Path.” You can read all about to find the Taken Blight and start the quest in our guide on how to get Barrow-Dyad, but the gist is that you need to A) get lucky enough to spawn into an instance of The Nether with a secret Taken Blight, B) get sucked into that Taken Blight by getting close to it, and C) solve a puzzle inside the Blight.
Once you’ve collected your first Taken Osseous Fragment from solving the secret Taken Blight puzzle, return to the Shaping Slab in Eris’ apartment to get “The Taken Path.”
There are several steps to completing this quest:
- Unlock and equip the Scotopic Rune
- Complete the puzzle in the K1 Revelation Lost Sector
- Complete the puzzle in the Veles Labyrinth Lost Sector
- Return to the Shaping Slab
- Break the Taken Curses by using and destroying the Taken relic in Altars of Sorrow, the Hallowed Grove Lost Sector, and Nightmare Hunt: Pride
- Acquire Taken Osseous Fragments from Thrall statues in The Nether
- Complete the Derealize Exotic mission
How to equip the Scotopic Rune
To equip the Scotopic Rune in Destiny 2’s “The Taken Path” exotic quest, first head to the Shaping Slab in Eris Morn’s quarters. Open the Runic Enhancements menu and purchase the Scotopic Rune for 150 Sigil Shards, which requires reaching at least rank 4 reputation with the vendor by completing activities in The Nether. If you encounter a message stating the rune “exceeds your current mastery level,” you’ll need to increase your enhancement rank by doing more Nether runs. After unlocking it, slot the Scotopic Rune by deselecting other runes if necessary to free up space. Once equipped, the rune enables you to see through the Hive’s hidden secrets and progress further in the quest.
Before you’re able to do anything with this quest, you first need to unlock and equip the Scotopic Rune, which is a tier 2 Runic Enhancement. This means you’ll need to level up your reputation with the Shaping Slab enough to have access to enough power to slot in a tier 2 rune, as well as purchase the Scotopic Rune with 150 Sigil Shards.
If you need reputation, Sigil Shards, or both, just play a few rounds of The Nether.
Reveal the secret in Sorrow’s Harbor
In the “Reveal the secret in Sorrow’s Harbor” step of the “The Taken Path” Exotic quest in Destiny 2, players must head to the K1 Revelation Lost Sector located within Sorrow’s Harbor on the Moon. Inside this Lost Sector, they will find a small Taken Blight floating above a dome. Destroying this Blight infects the area with Taken energy, triggering a puzzle involving a plate and a rune. Standing on the plate and following the rune’s instructions-specifically walking backward while facing the rune-teleports the player and causes the Lost Sector to fill with Taken enemies. Defeating these foes, including a Taken Ogre boss, reveals the Taken Osseous Fragment needed to progress in the quest. This step is crucial for advancing toward acquiring the Barrow-Dyad Exotic SMG.
Once you’ve unlocked and equipped the Scotopic Rune, head to Sorrow’s Harbor and enter the K1 Revelation Lost Sector. Once inside, all of the enemies will despawn. Proceed until you find a bubble of Taken Energy.
Destroy the Blight on top of it to reveal another rune and plate puzzle, similar to the one you had to complete to get the quest in the first place. Stand on the plate, look at the rune for a symbol to appear, and then walk backward. This will restart the Lost Sector with Taken enemies. Kill them all and collect the Taken Osseous Fragment that the boss drops.
Reveal the Secret in the Forgotten Shore
The Forgotten Shore holds a hidden secret crucial to progressing in “The Taken Path” exotic quest in Destiny 2. Players must venture into the Veles Labyrinth Lost Sector located in the Forgotten Shore area of the Cosmodrome. Here, they will encounter a Taken Blight and a puzzle involving Hive runes and directional platforms. By carefully following the rune’s guidance and defeating the ensuing Taken enemies, including a challenging boss, players can uncover a concealed Taken Osseous Fragment. This fragment is a vital piece in unraveling the mysteries of the quest and advancing toward the ultimate reward, the Barrow-Dyad exotic SMG.
Fly to the Cosmodrome and start the Veles Labyrinth Lost Sector in the Forgotten Shore. Go into the Thrall maze and you’ll find another Taken Blight rune puzzle. Repeat what you did in K1 Revelation, but this time walk forward when you see the symbol.
This will teleport you to another rune puzzle later in the Lost Sector. Stand on the plate, look at the rune and walk left. You’ll get teleported again to yet another puzzle. This time walk back and you’ll be sent to the end of the Lost Sector. Do the Lost Sector backward – looking for different paths through the Thrall maze – until you kill yet another powerful Taken and pick up another Taken Osseous Fragment.
Break the Taken Curses
To break the Taken curses in “The Taken Path” exotic quest, players must interact with specific Hive runes and platforms found within Taken Blights scattered across key locations like Sorrow’s Harbor and the Forgotten Shore. By stepping on these platforms and following directional whispers while maintaining focus on the runes, players are teleported through hidden areas where they face waves of Taken enemies, including powerful bosses. Defeating these foes and collecting the Taken Osseous Fragments gradually lifts the protective curses placed by the Hive, allowing progression through the quest and ultimately unlocking the Barrow-Dyad exotic SMG.
Once you’ve cleared the two Lost Sector parts of the quest, return to the Whispering Slab in Eris’ apartment. Here you’ll be told to break several Taken Curses and get three corresponding quests to complete: the Curse of Endurance, Curse of Urgency, and Curse of Revenge.
Curse of Endurance
For this curse, head back to Sorrow’s Harbor. Grab the Taken relic from the middle of the map and use it to kill Hive in the Altars of Sorrow activity. Once it’s fully charged – it’ll inform you that it now has increased power and you’ll get a map icon pointing you toward a Taken Blight – dunk it into the orb in the middle of the map to destroy it.
Curse of Urgency
Head to the Hallowed Grove Lost Sector in the EDZ, in The Sludge area. Pick up the Taken relic inside, kill enemies with it, and dunk it into the orb at the end of the Lost Sector once you have enough kills.
Curse of Revenge
Complete the “Nightmare Hunt: Pride” mission on the Moon and get to the boss fight at the end. Pick up the Taken relic and use it to kill the boss and the enemies in the arena. Once it’s charged up, dunk it into the orb in the corner to destroy it.
Find three Taken Osseous Fragments in The Nether
To find three Taken Osseous Fragments in The Nether for the “The Taken Path” exotic quest in Destiny 2, focus on the Trenchway and Mausoleum areas, as these zones each contain several fragments. For example, in the Trenchway, one fragment is located right at the start by dropping onto a sloped platform near the portal exit, while others can be found near the Taken Witch encounter and the Subjugator area inside the Dreadnaught. In the Mausoleum, fragments are placed on platforms, near dormant portals, and atop broken pillars in the center. Use your radar to spot the glowing fragments and explore carefully around key landmarks such as tentacles, rocks, and boss arenas to collect them efficiently.
After you’ve completed the first steps of all three curse quests, head into a private “explore” lobby of The Nether. Here, you’ll need to find three Thrall statues in the three main areas of the map: Trenchway, Hall of Souls, and the Mausoleum. Just play through a normal Nether and you should hit all three. If you get the rare fourth area, simply reload a new Nether until you get the area you’re missing.
Once you interact with each statue, a powerful Taken enemy will spawn nearby. Kill it and return to the Thrall statue to pick up another Taken Osseous Fragment. After you’ve gotten the fragment from all three Thrall statues, you’ll be able to launch the Derealize Exotic mission.
Here’s how to find the Thrall statue in each area:
Hall of Souls
Head to the main arena where you fight the boss Subjugator. Go up the steps to the portal area, under the Blight. Jump out and left. Land on the platforms and look ahead. You should see a gate with Taken Energy covering it. To the left of the gate, on a nearby platform, you’ll find the Thrall statue.
Interact with it to “Call to Power.” Kill the Taken Wizard that spawns behind you and pick up the Taken Osseous Fragment.
Trenchway
From the inside of the Trenchway, look toward the doors that will lead you to the outer area. Head down the path toward where you’ll eventually fight the Tormentor, but hang on the left side of the inner area. In the darkness, you’ll find a Thrall statue.
Interact with it to “Call to Power.” Kill the Taken Wizard that spawns behind you and pick up the Taken Osseous Fragment.
The Mausoleum
Head down to the blue tentacle trench inside the Mausoleum, but stick close to the main area, not the boss zone. You’ll find the Thrall statue tucked behind the large tentacle on the left.
What secrets does the Dreadnaught hold in the ‘The Taken Path’ quest
The Dreadnaught in “The Taken Path” quest holds several hidden secrets that are key to unlocking the exotic Barrow-Dyad SMG. One of the primary secrets is a concealed Taken Blight within the activity called The Nether on the Dreadnaught, which players must find and enter to start the quest. Inside this Blight, Guardians face a puzzle that involves navigating rune plates and defeating waves of Taken enemies.
Additionally, the Dreadnaught features maze-like lost sectors such as the Veles Labyrinth, where players must locate Taken Osseous Fragments by following rune instructions and clearing out Taken enemies to progress further in the quest. The ship itself is full of hidden chests, invisible platforms, and secret pathways, including areas above the Court of Oryx where players can find rare loot.
The quest also reveals dormant Hive structures and piston traps scattered throughout the Dreadnaught, requiring careful navigation through gaps and breaking Hive crystals to disable forcefields blocking progress. Ultimately, players confront a pair of Hive Knights in a boss arena, where strategic DPS and managing Taken energy hazards are crucial to securing the exotic weapon.
In summary, the Dreadnaught’s secrets in “The Taken Path” quest revolve around uncovering hidden Taken Blights, solving rune-based puzzles, exploring lost sectors, and battling powerful Hive and Taken enemies, all woven into the ship’s dark and labyrinthine environment.
What hidden areas or puzzles are revealed on the Dreadnaught during the quest
During “The Taken Path” quest on the Dreadnaught, players uncover numerous hidden areas and intricate puzzles that enrich the exploration experience:
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Invisible Platform Puzzles: In several locations like the Hall of Souls and the Trenchway, Guardians must navigate a series of invisible platforms suspended in midair to reach secret chests and hidden areas, requiring careful movement and Ghost assistance to reveal platform outlines.
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Hive Glyph Wall Puzzle: In the Founts area, a wall covered with Hive symbols conceals a secret. Shooting the correct sequence of glyphs on a nearby pedestal unlocks a hidden chest behind a sealed door. Failing to shoot the symbols in order spawns cursed enemies, adding a risk-reward element.
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Taken Blights and Mini-Bosses: Each of the Nether activity’s four zones on the Dreadnaught contains Taken Blights that must be destroyed to progress or access chests. These areas often feature powerful mini-bosses like Vorok, Excise Eternal, and Ascendant Ogres, which drop valuable loot upon defeat.
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Toland, the Shattered: A mysterious floating orb representing Toland appears throughout the Dreadnaught’s zones. Following and interacting with Toland multiple times rewards players with hidden chests, encouraging thorough exploration.
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Secret Cave Systems and Hidden Corridors: Some puzzles, such as the Hive glyph wall, open secret cave systems that connect different floors of the Dreadnaught, offering shortcuts and additional loot. These areas also contain cursed enemies and unique rewards like paracausal health orbs.
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Court of Oryx Invisible Platforms: Above the blight ball at the center of the Court of Oryx, invisible platforms lead to a secret chest perched on cables, a subtle but rewarding discovery for observant players.
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Fire Pillars and Rituals: Lighting braziers in specific locations summons powerful enemies like Vorok or Ogre Ascendant, which upon defeat grant access to chests and minor boons, adding a ritualistic puzzle element to combat encounters.
These hidden areas and puzzles combine platforming challenges, combat encounters, and lore-rich interactions, making the Dreadnaught a complex and secret-filled environment during “The Taken Path” quest.
