Destiny guide: Earth Cosmodrome story missions walkthough and guide
Destiny guide: Earth Cosmodrome story missions walkthrough and guide
Destiny begins on Earth, in the Cosmodrome of Old Russia. Here's our complete walkthrough of the story missions therein.
Earth Cosmodrome - Opening Mission and Tutorial
After the cinematic, you awaken on Old Earth with a Ghost to guide you. There is no harm in spending a little time looking around this first area, learning how to use emotes and exploring your inventory; despite your Ghost's warnings, nothing will come for you.
Follow your radar and the objective marker to enter The Breach, a series of twisting corridors through the heart of the Cosmodrome's exterior wall. Eventually, you'll find a weapon, and nearby, your first Dead Ghost.
You'll encounter your first enemies shortly thereafter - a small group of Dregs. This mission is mostly a tutorial of sorts, so you shouldn't have too much trouble.
Continue through the corridors, following your objective marker and fighting several groups of baddies. Shortly after you pass through a corridor lined with trip mines, you'll reach an arena-like area with a puddle on the floor, where you'll fight several enemies. Get ride of them all and claim your prize: there is a Dead Ghost here.
After a few more corridors you'll step out into The Divide, an exterior location. A Fallen drop ship will bring you a few enemies to dispatch, but before you rush out, get your bearings. Standing in the doorway to The Breach you should see a billboard stretched between two buildings directly opposite you. There's a Dead Ghost up there.
Before following your radar to the exit to this area, poke around in a section of pipe to find yet another Dead Ghost.
Follow the corridors a little further to find a Jump Ship. Before you can get to it, you'll ened to fight off the Fallen guards - including the first Captain you'll see. Captains use a shield which makes them immune to critical damage (headshots). You can wear it down pretty quickly with an automatic weapon and then make a few precision shots to finish him off, but this is most easily achieved after his friends are dead, or he may go into cover and regenerate his shield. You should have unlocked your grenade by now, so lob one into the little knot of enemies for best results.
First visit to the Tower
When you finish your first mission you'll be automatically transported to the Tower, the social and vendor hub. You can nab several Dead Ghosts while you're here.
As soon as you arrive on the tower, run to your left and look for a set of stairs leading up to a largely empty platform. Head around a pillar to find your first Dead Ghost
Return to ground level and pass through the corridor to the area called Tower North. On one side there's a large, spherical building with a greta view of the Traveller. Look around for another Dead Ghost.
Back in the Tower Plaza, you may have a green icon at the Post Office. If so, check in to collect any rewards you may have earned via beta participation or special offers.
Your next objective is to check in with your class mentor. Take the central stairs down to find all three Vanguard mentors gathered around a table. You'll receive a piece of armour, so don't forget to equip it. If you don't want the old piece - and why would you? hold down Square (PlayStation) or X (Xbox) to dismantle it for currency. You can't sell items.
After speaking to your mentor, check the desk to the left of the door as you face away from the table back the way you came. There's a Dead Ghost waiting for you.
Before you leave the tower, you need to speak to the gunsmith to receive a new weapon, and to the shipwright to unlock travel. After that, you're free to go to orbit.
There is one other Ghost in the Tower, but it's inaccessible except during Iron Banner matches.
Once you're in orbit, familiarise yourself with the map and incite a friend to join your fireteam if you like. There's only one mission available n ow, but more choices will open very soon. Note that you can change the difficulty of a mission after selecting it on the map as long as you haven't pressed "launch" yet. Difficulty in Destiny is strongly affected by your level and equipment, but if you're playing co-op or are pretty good at shooters, go ahead and crank it - you'll be fine.
Restoration: Level 2 Story Mission
Now that we have a ship, we need a Warp Drive so we can get off Earth. When you materialise on the surface, follow your radar to a downed ship, There's a small group of enemies here. Once dispatched, ghold down Square (PlayStation) or X (Xbox) to deploy your ghost, and wait until it's finished scanning.
Your next objective is pretty close by, in one of two sheds guarded by quite a large group of Dregs and Vandals. Take a look in the non-objective shed to find a Dead Ghost.
Head into the other shed and take the stairs down.
As you explore this area, keep an ear open for a jangling sound indicating spinmetal is nearby. You can harvest this silvery plant and trade it for various goodies on the Tower, You may also hear a more digital, electronic sound indicating the presence of a loot chest. Both spinmetal and loot chests spawn randomly in set locations, often tucked just out of sight, so learning to recognise the sound they make is super useful. You should find at least one chest inside this set of tunnels, as well as some spinmetal outside.
Below ground, you'll find a couple of dregs and a vandal; the small room makes a grenade very effective. Afterwards, deploy your Ghost at the terminal.
There's a very dark tunnel to one side here; don't go down there. This is far beyond your current level, and you will be slaughtered. Return to the entrance instead.
Watch out as you exit the tunnels through the shed; enemy reinforcements will drop regularly from ships in this area, so you may need to battle another group of enemies. When you're ready, head across the landscape, following your radar, to a long, shallow set of steps leading into the second floor of a crumbling building. You don't need to stop to kill nearby enemies, but it's fun. As you pass through these corridors, keep an eye out for the first Gold Chest.
You'll meet little resistance in this building, until suddenly you meet a lot! A small group of Vandals and Dregs isn't so bad, but moments later Riksis, Devil Archon will emerge from the walls.
This miniboss is a pushover on his own, but his minions make him a formidable foe. Make sure you clear out any Shanks you see, and take down the regularly spawning groups of Vandals, to avoid having them swarm you. Keep your distance from Riksis, and retreat back through the door you came in by to get your breath and funnel enemies into you firezone - but don't let yourself get pinned down in a narrow corridor by backing into the geometry.
When Riksis is isolated, concentrate your fire on headshots; they work wonders. You can easily avoid his powerful shotgun if you're not to close, simply by strafing a little as you fire. Watch out for his sudden dodges to one side, though; he's normally slow on his feet, but can zip around cover and flank you much faster than you'd expect.
Once everything is dead you will get a mission end timer; run around and pick up any loot that may have dropped. You'll see a cutscene set in the Tower but be returned directly to orbit thereafter.
From here you have a choice of two missions, and can return to the Tower to buy gear and decrypt Engrams if you like. We'll assume you continue to tackle story missions in order.
Next: The Dark Within and The Warmind full walkthrough, plus all relevant Dead Ghost and Gold Chest locations.
The Dark Within: Level 3 Story Mission
You start in the same spot as last mission, but are taking a different route this time. Follow the path, dispatching a Vandal and two Shanks, and pass through an underpass.
Pause here and check out the trench ahead of you - the ruins of an old canal. There's a Dead Ghost in ehre you should grab.
Once over the rise, you'll enter the Mothyards, a large open area peppered with fallen planes. You'll often encounter public events during Patrol Missions here. There are several knots of enemies scattered about, some of whom may be a bit too tough for you at this stage. There are no Dead Ghosts or Gold Chests to find among the planes, but there are usually a few loot chests and spinmetal clumps.
Follow your radar across this area, dispatching enemies as you meet them. When you're within sight of the cliffs leading up the Lunar Complex, look for a plane wing jutting out of the earth like a ramp. If you jump from the top of this you can access a small cave with a Dead Ghost - and a level 7 Captain. You might want to come back later.
Follow the path up the cliffs (or double jump your way up) until you reach the Lunar Complex. The door is guarded by two Vandals and a Captain. Keep on along the corridors and deploy your Ghost at the closed gate.
Head forward into the dark - I like to hug the right hand wall - until you are ambushed . or don't wait; at first sign of movement, lob a grenade and backpedal furiously. There are two kinds of enemy here, Thralls and Acolytes. Thralls will rush you in packs, and their numbers and agility make them dangerous. Don't let them swarm you, and if you have a shotgun, employ it.
The Acolytes will hang back by the exit to this room, so you can ignore them and dash away to take down the Thralls in peace. Then wander back and pick off the Avolytes, whsoe glowing heads make them easy to snipe.
Before you head through the door and up the stairs, find the Dead Ghost.
Up the stairs, you'll encounter the famous Wizard from the moon. Don't go rushing in; hang back behind cover and take out the Thralls and Acolytes who come for you. As usual, retreating a little into a corridor will funnel your enemies towards you, allowing you to pick them easily, and shootguns work wonders on Thralls. You won't be able to clear out all the minions that accompany Gotra Eir Spawn - reinforcements will keep arriving until he is dead - but you can thin them considerably.
Wizards fire heavy-hitting projectiles in rapid bursts, but this attack takes a moment to warm up so you can use this opening to get in some damage before ducking back into cover. It cna be hard to target Wizards because they levitate, but until you get the shield down there's no reason to try for headshots.
This fight is tough if you're alone and playing on hard, because Gotra will constantly retreat to cover, flanked by minions, to recharge his (or her?) shields. Moving some small way into this room as if you intended to charge him can sometimes lure him back out into the main area, where you can avoid the nasty crossfire zone of the doorway. Otherwise, just keep him on the hop so he can't recharge, and pop in headshots whenever you can.
After defeating Gotra you have a small opportunity to collect a Gold Chest, but the mission end timer makes it tricky. Don't worry, I'll bring you back here for it soon. Make sure you collect any loot that may have dropped during the fight.
After finishing this mission you'll receive a unique item that you can take back to the Tower, where your mentor will reward you with a piece of equipment. All your options will be rare, so check the descriptions carefully to see which upgrade perk suits your play style best.
You now have access to this Destination's Patrol and Strike missions, so you might want to check out those pages of the guide. Otherwise, it's on to the next story mission.
The Warmind: Level 4 Story Mission
Finally, it's time to get your sparrow. Follow the same path as during your last mission but this time head to your left after you cross the canal to visit a bit of high ground. Deploy your Ghost to be prompted to summon your Sparrow. You cna now access this speedy ground cruiser anytime you have enough space outside.
Follow the obvious path indicated by your radar, pausing to kill off baddies if you like, until you reach a narrow canyon or gorge. Follow this twisty enclosure past one obvious waterfall on your left, and then after one more big turn pause and spot two smaller waterfalls on the same side, some distance apart. There's a cave behind one of these with a Gold Chest.
Following the gorge to its exit, you will arrive at the Forgotten Shores. This area is littered with wrecked ships and small caves that often contain loot chests. There are several exits from this area and a couple of them are guarded by baddies far beyond your current abilities.
Your goal here is to visit two transmitters. The first is on a large ship crawling with baddies. There's no good way to approach this area without exposing yourself to attack from several sides, as the respawn rate is high, and there are two Captains waiting for you at the transmitter. I've had success popping up over the stern and working through that way.
Once you've deployed your Ghost, head to the second transmitter. The path leading up to it crosses over the broken spine of a boat; look in the cabin for a Dead Ghost.
The approach to this transmitter is much more linear, so you shouldn't have any trouble using cover to help you off the enemies as you approach. After grabbing the transmitter have a poke round; there’s almost always a random chest here somewhere, usually quite high up.
Before you leave again, look around this structure to find a set of stairs leading down to Bunker RAS-2. There are a couple of very dangerous Hive enemies down here, so it's better to come back later when you're less squishy, but if you dare to risk it you can pop in and grab a Dead Ghost #16. See the Dead Ghosts guide for more information.
Now we’re off to Skywatch, climbing the road by the sea. But before you go up, take a wander down at the beach to find the next Gold Chest.
Use your sparrow to zoom up the path to the Terrestrial Complex. Shortly after entering the darkness zone you’ll encounter a small group of Dregs. Don’t rush in! It’s a trap, and you’ll be ambushed by a number of Stealth Vandals in optical camouflage. They hit hard if they get close, but a well time melee can fob them off.
Once the Dregs and Vandals are down, a Captain and two Vandals will spawn. This might be a good time to try out your super, if you’ve unlocked it. Once the battle is over, look for a row of lockers before the roller door; there's a Dead Ghost waiting for you.
As you proceed to the next room, be aware that a Stealth Vandal sometimes spawns halfway up the stairs.
In the following area, you'll almost immediately be rushed by a large group of Stealth Vandals. As usual, back-pedalling and letting them funnel towards you is a big help. You may want to lob a grenade at them if you're struggling; although you'll face a Captain in a minute, there are worse foes ahead so you may as well get the cooldown timer ticking over as soon as possible.
Once you've taken down the Captain, take a breather to reload all your weapons, and maybe even reset all your cooldown timers: there's a big wave battle ahead. When you're ready, deploy your ghost.
As well as waves of vandals and dregs, you're going to face multiple Captains during this battle. They tend to stick to one spot unless you aggro them, so clear out the smaller baddies then focus on one at a time. The real danger here is Shanks, because they'll duck in behind you when you retreat into cover after taking a smacking. If your shields are depleted even one can quickly take you down, and in groups they're deadly.
Before you have completely defeated one wave, the next will begin. Later waves feature Servitors, large spheres that will heal and buff nearby Dregs. They're easy to take down if you aim for the "eye" in the centre, and their large, slow projectiles are easy to dodge.
If you struggle at any time during this fight, retreat back through the entrance and down the stairs - but be aware that you'll want to chuck a grenade out as you come back, because your enemies will be waiting.
Once everything is dead, run around and collect any dropped loot before shooting the glowing blue area of the server to destroy it and trigger the mission over timer.
Next: The Last Array full walkthrough, plus all relevant Dead Ghost and Gold Chest locations.
The Last Array: Level 5 Story Mission
The final Story Mission on Earth contains a doozy of a wave battle, so make sure you've been to the Tower to check out any Engrams you've found and ensure you've got the best gear. If you're playing alone and haven't stopped to do side activities or grind, you may find you're too low-levelled and under-equipped to handle this mission on the higher difficulty setting. However, if you've been visiting the tower to turn in unique items you should have a Heavy Weapon by now, which will be a big help.
Head up the path towards the Lunar Complex, the buildings where you fought the Wizard. The Fallen Captain is back but you should be much better equipped to deal with him this time. Head through the complex, and don’t worry - you won’t be ambushed by the Hive. They’re busy fighting the Fallen en massse in the Wizard battle room. Pick them all off, watching out for the Captain, Vandals and Dregs who await you once you mount the platform where Gotra was stationed.
Be sure to pick up Gold Chest #2 if you missed it the first time through.
Continue through the tunnels to Skywatch, another good spot to find Public Events during Patrol Missions.
The Fallen are engaged in a battle with the Hive up here, and it’s not wise to get too involved if you’re playing above your level. Stay on the fringes and pick them off, watching out for enemies with yellow health bars - they’re tough. Fight as long as you want; this battle is ever-spawning.
Your goal here is to kill several groups of Fallen and pick up the Ghosts they drop until you find a live one with the information you require, but there's a couple of other sights to see first.
See the helicopters here? Behind them is a cliff edge, where, if you look carefully, you’ll see a narrow ledge, accessible from near the wire fence. If you follow this path you’ll find a cave with a tough enemy who will probably instantly slaughter you. If you have a co-op buddy, have them lure the baddie away while you nip into the cave and grab the dead ghost. There’s usually a loot chest in here, too.
Another feature of this area is a path leading under a crashed ship and deep into the earth. It’s full of baddies much too tough for you, so avoid it. Instead, once you've found the Ghost you need, follow the radar into a building guarded by Fallen. Look around in here; there’s usually a chest hidden somewhere.
Follow the path till you reach the darkness zone. This is where the challenge begins; the enemies here are level seven, minimum, and hit much harder than your flimsy gear can handle. There's little room to manoeuvre and nothing to distract your enemies. Be cautious, go slow and steady, let your skills make up for your low level and gear deficiency - and don't be embarrassed if you die, because you'll be fine once you have better equipment.
You'll first meet a small group of Dregs, which lure you back into reach of a Vandal variant that snipes from afar, and is particularly deadly. Once you’ve offed the Dregs and Vandal sniper, moving forward will cause two Melee Vandals to drop from the ceiling. Don’t let them swarm you! Backpedal, lob a grenade (if you have one), and dispatch them quickly.
A few rooms on you’ll face a knot of Shanks, Dregs and Vandals. try not to get pinned down at the entrance, as they will swarm you.
Moving on, you’ll have a tough battle, exiting the shelter of the corridors to make a loose u-turn through the open to reach your goal. This area is littered with enemies including a Captain and snipers. Be patient and use cover wisely; don’t let them flank you or use their grenades to flush you into trouble. If necessary, retreat back to the shelter of the path you entered this area through and use the windows as a sniper's perch to off a few smaller foes before attempting to break through again.
Once the Captain and company are down, you'll be able to approach the goal - where a new batch of baddies will spawn. This group includes a large number of Shanks, which need to be taken down quickly, as usual, or they’ll swarm you. Don’t get out int he open till they’re dead and your shields are up; there’s a sniping Vandal ahead just hoping you’ll run out from behind cover with your shields down.
Once those guys are down, a small group of Dregs and Vandals will spawn. As you battle, they’ll retreat inside the building ahead, trying to lure you into an ambush. When you cross the threshold, a number of stealth vandals will spawn. A quick grenade here does wonders, but backpedal like crazy if you don’t have a shotgun.
The last group you’ll have to fight before the checkpoint includes a Captain - of course - standing right at your goal. You shouldn’t have too much trouble with him if you’ve picked off everything else.
I’m not gonna lie - this next battle is tough. It’s a wave fight against the Hive and includes both Wizards and Knights; if you’ve not done the Patrol or Strike yet, this will be your first encounter with the latter enemy. You might want to wait for your abilities to recharge before deploying your Ghost - and definitely make sure you’ve reloaded all your weapons and have picked up any ammo lying around.
Judicious use of Supers, grenades and Heavy Weapons is vital here; you don't want to be waiting on a cooldown timer. I like to use my Super and Heavy Weapon on the Wizards and Knights, and save my grenades and melee for getting me out of swarm situations.
The large open door is an obvious funnel, but the enemy numbers are so great here that relying on this tactic isn't enough. Your best bet is to be outside at the start of every wave, picking off as many low level enemies - Thralls first, then Acolytes - as you can, before backpedalling through the door and using the funnel. If the baddies break through, all hell breaks loose, and you best bet is to make use of the high ceiling to double jump up to the raised platform along one each and beat a retreat, lobbing a grenade behind you.
The Wizards seem scary, but they usually won't come inside unless you get close and attract them, so just hang back and use the same tactics you employed against Gotra: knock their shields down with wild spray, then headshot them, using the long warm up of their projectiles as an opening. The fact that there are two complicates matters somewhat, but you can usually manipulate them so that they're separated from each other and from you by cover. Focus on taking down one at a time, or they'll just recharge their shields.
You'll face multiple Knights. These heavy foes attack with a slow projectile on an arcing trajectory that fires in bursts of three, but when they get close they switch to a sword melee attack. Both are devastating, but the second is much harder to avoid - so keep your distance.
Knights are very weak to headshots and helpfully have huge heads, but when damaged they may put up a shield which blocks all damage, and refill their health. Don't let up! Quickly flank them and deal damage to stop their health regen, then retreat.
The final boss is a Hallowed Knight and he will hand you your ass if you’re under-levelled, but the same tactics work superbly. Just make sure you've gotten rid of all the Thralls.
If it all goes t*ts up, exit to orbit; you can go do some optional missions in Patrol mode to level up and buy better gear in the tower (or turn the difficulty down and resume, of you like). You’ll start back at the beginning of this wave battle as long as you haven’t wandered off to a new story mission in the meantime.
Congratulations! You've finished the story content in Earth's Cosmodrome Destination. You're not done yet, of course; you should find the remaining Dead Ghosts and Gold Chests, and complete The Devil's Lair, Earth's Strike Mission.
Head over to our Destiny guide for more tips and info.