Destiny 2 The Variable: How to find and start Exotic Quest NODE.OVRD.AVAL.ON in the EDZ
Bungie is at it again, and this time it's added a brand new Exotic Quest to Destiny 2 in the form of The Variable. Does it lead to Vexcalibur? Let's find out.
Today, as of the start of Week 2 of Lightfall, Bungie has added a new Exoitc Quest to Destiny 2. The weekly reset appears to have introduced this new quest line into the game, and it's not the first time we've seen the developer sneak in new content during one of its weekly refreshes, but it's been a while. I believe the last mission like this was Zero Hour – which was released about four years ago!
There are still a few more details to be thrashed out about precisely how this mission works, but in an attempt to get everyone playing the game on the same page, we've thrown together a quick guide that will talk you through discovering, activating, and completeing the first few steps of the Destiny 2 Lightfall 'The Variable' Exotic quest in the EDZ.
Make sure to grab some bounties from Devrim when you land, then head to The Sludge quick travel loctation.
How to get 'The Variable Exotic' Quest in Destiny 2 Lightfall
You will need to collect six data points in order to access the mission proper. They can be collected in any order, but here's how I did it first.
Once in The Sludge, head to The Gulch (pretty much straight on from where you spawn, and keep an eye out for an area of high ground in the skinny bit of the path. Climb up here, then jump across to the other side where a small cache and antenna can be found. You will be able to hear radar pings that will guide you to its location.
You will be timed 30 seconds between collecting each data point. The second data point can be found directly behind you, under the bridge.
Head north, see a small cliff path and the data point is between the trees.
Now you'll need to look slightly up, and to the right – look for decaying roadsigns, and the data point will be near these.
Ignore any enemy spawns, and head to the center of the flooded area – where the tree stumps are. The fifth node is here.
The final node is slightly East of the Gulch area, behind some logs – and will sort-of guide you where you need to go next.
If you need help, there's a quick video guide from a Youtuber that may help you below.
Keep looking along the wall East of this last point, and you'll discover a newly-opened cave filled with Vex abberations. Continue on the one path through here, and you'll find a new firendly Harpy – seemingly just called Hapry – that'll get you started if you interact with it.
You'll notice that you'll start unlocking some of this week's secret Triumphs as you progress.
How to complete the NODE.OVRD.AVAL.ON mission
Once you have completed all the steps above, you will be able to talk to the newly-discovered friendly Harpy and instigate a new mission.
The recommended Power Level for this mission is 1800. You will be bumped up to Power Level 1790 if you're not already there.
The mission is fairly straightforward, though it is in keeping with the more recently ramped-up difficulty we've seen from Bungie in this expansion.
Two things to be aware of:
- Firstly, the boss is very similar to Brakion from the Pyramidion strike – just approach it like you did way back when and you won't have too much trouble. There are a few references back to that mission, actually, including an actual lake that Asher would assumedly be thrilled about.
- Secondly, there is a known crash in the boss encounter. Most players have reported it tends to happen quite close to the end. Be mindful of that and perhaps try to burn as hard as possible in the last phase of the fight to avoid this.
Here are some tips to help you with the mission:
- At the beginning, look for the sliding block at crouch height. This is your way in.
- When you need to break codes in the level, you need to look around the arena – you will always find them, glowing and purple, with shapes that correspond to the inputs on the pillars you need to shoot. Entering the code wrong will reset it.
- For the fight with the hole in the middle, you need to play a basic version of Gambit: collect the given number of keys within 30 seconds, and deliver them to the central pillar. Hide in the hole as the countdown reaches 0, otherwise it's an instant wipe. Prioritise the corrupted enemies – they drop the most keys.
- In the final boss fight – against Brakion – you will only have 30 seconds to enter the code before you will have to re-fight the waves, enter the code, and do it again.
- The code for this portion of the fight can be found under the left- and right-most platforms. Look for a Vex lattice, and the code will be below.
The last phase of the last fight will reset you to the beginning if you fail. Be cautious, and watch out for the edges.
Head to the HELM once you're done and you will recieve an Exotic weapon with an extractible pattern.
Good luck!