The Barrow-Dyad is a secret Exotic SMG introduced in the Heresy episode of Destiny 2. This weapon comes with a new Exotic mission set on the abandoned Dreadnaught. Unlocking this mission can be quite challenging due to its hidden nature, but fortunately, completing it solo isn’t too tough. As long as you have a good Heavy weapon for dealing damage, you’ll breeze through this mission in no time.
If you’ve already accessed the Derealize mission, finishing it on your first attempt should be straightforward. This guide provides a concise overview of how to unlock the Derealize Exotic mission and details for each encounter, including the No Escape puzzle and jumping segments.
How to Unlock Derealize
Derealize is an Exotic mission that made its debut in the Episode: Heresy. Unlike other Exotic missions, this one is hidden behind a quest that can be easily overlooked. For those looking for a detailed walkthrough of the Barrow-Dyad Exotic quest, we have a thorough guide, but here’s a simplified version on how to kick things off:
- In The Nether activity, find a stray Taken Portal in any patrol area. Jump into it and follow the direction indicated by the text prompt.
- Return the fragment to Eris’ apartment to begin the quest chain.
- Locate hidden fragments in Lost Sectors.
- Complete three curse challenges.
- Light Hive altars inside the Dreadnaught to finish each curse.
After accomplishing these tasks, you can start Derealize from your Director. It can be found under The Nether: Explore section on The Last City map.
Derealize Modifiers
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Advanced Difficulty |
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|---|---|
|
Modifiers |
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| Power Level | 2,015 |
| Overcharge | Enabled; includes SMGs |
| Surges | Arc, Strand |
| Champions | None |
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Combat |
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| Threats | Arc |
| Shields | Arc, Solar, Void |
| Extra Shields | Knights and Acolytes have shields. |
| Epitaph | Taken combatants create blight geysers when defeated. |
The standard Derealize mission has a Power requirement of 2,015, with no Champions present. However, Overcharge and Surges are active. If you have any Overcharged weapons from the artifact or the activity, they will inflict 25% more damage. All damage types, abilities, and weapons that match the surges will also deal 25% more damage, although this doesn’t stack with Overcharge.
In terms of challenge, Derealize is slightly less difficult than an Expert-tier Lost Sector. While the enemies here are not over-leveled, you’ll encounter a high number of foes and a few heavy hitters. Be sure to equip a strategy that can handle Tormentors and Subjugators, and ensure some form of health regeneration.
Get There First
You will initiate the Exotic mission on the ground floor of The Mausoleum located on the Dreadnaught. The first part is a straightforward combat scenario, where you’ll need to defeat several Subjugators, Tormentors, and other Dreadnaught forces. There are no timers or revive limits, so feel free to pace yourself.
Be wary of floating eyes; they inflict Suffocating Darkness if you’re in their line of sight. At x20 stacks, you’ll collapse and die. Seek cover to shed any stacks you’ve accumulated.
Advance up the path, dispatch more Dread forces, and eliminate a Subjugator miniboss to deactivate the resonance field surrounding the portal. Jump through the portal and follow the pathway to your first encounter.
Defeat Vrhiisk, Seeker of Power
Vrhiisk is a Subjugator with considerable health and is accompanied by an army of Taken. Managing the adds is the primary focus of this encounter, so prepare a loadout suited for clearing enemies. Start by dealing some damage to the boss or its Taken minions. You’ll need to eliminate about 10% of Vrhiisk’s health to trigger its first phase.
Hitting Vrhiisk will activate an immunity shield and summon a Taken army. Killing two of the minions, which will be Ogres, will spawn a Taken relic. You’ll need to collect this relic and clear another wave of adds to charge it. The player holding the relic doesn’t need to get the kills; simply eliminating the adds is sufficient.
Once charged, a marked area will appear on your HUD for depositing the relic. Head over to this area to destroy the relic. You will now receive the Torn Between Dimensions debuff, similar to that from King’s Fall but without negative effects. Collect the second relic, charge it, and then deposit it on a Blight to strip Vrhiisk of its shield.
The final phase will transport you to a confined area with no cover. Be ready with a close-range DPS weapon or Super.
You will repeat the process again to defeat the Subjugator while juggling adds and relics throughout the fight. Stay cautious, utilize your Super, and focus on the boss as soon as it’s vulnerable.
No Escape Puzzle
After taking down the Subjugator, you’ll find yourself in a Hive trap with no apparent escape. Luckily, escaping is easier than it seems. If you recall the puzzle from the beginning of the Barrow-Dyad quest, this one operates in the same manner, but you’ll need to interact with four plates instead of one.
You will see four Hive runes from left to right. Each room you visit corresponds to a rune, which you can determine by stepping on that room’s plate. Your goal is to activate all four runes in the correct sequence. In our experience, the order was counter-clockwise, starting from the right.
The chevron on the floor plate indicates which direction to move. For instance, if the plate shown above points right of the rune, you should move to the right. You’re activating the runes from left to right. If you enter a room for a rune that comes later in the sequence, simply stand still and wait for teleportation.
If you perform the task correctly, the rune will vanish from the escape sequence. Repeat this process for all four runes to free yourself from captivity. Following that, you will encounter a relatively straightforward jumping puzzle, at least for the initial portion.
Taken Energies Whisper…
The Dreadnaught, Oryx’s warship, is equipped with piston traps and silent Hive structures. During this phase, look for openings in the walls infested with dark energy that you can jump through. These holes will be illuminated to assist you. Some openings are rigged with mechanisms that may push you back, so be cautious before leaping.
To progress, you’ll need to destroy a Taken forcefield blocking your path. Search for three Hive crystals hidden along the sides of the chasm. Smash through the walls and annihilate any crystals you discover—one crystal is located on the left side, and two on the right. Once destroyed, a seal will yield on the far right wall, allowing you to ascend the path and continue onward. Follow the tentacles on the opposite side of the chasm to arrive at the boss arena.
Defeat Xir-Kuur
Facing you now are a pair of Hive Knights guarding Barrow-Dyad, one in a destroyed state and the other intact. You’ll alternate your damage phases between the two Knights. Despite having just acquired Barrow-Dyad, it’s wise to avoid using it during this encounter. Opt for Queenbreaker or any other high single-target DPS strategy instead. Consistent healing, like Restoration with Solar, is highly suggested.
Throughout the encounter, you’ll deal damage to both Knights while occasionally damaging Blights to strip their immunity shields. The Knight on the lower level is always the one vulnerable to damage. As the Knights rotate, portions of the arena will become engulfed in Taken energy, causing damage over time if you remain in it. Try to fight on upper levels near cover or close to the boss to avoid it. Overall, this encounter serves as a DPS test.
After both Knights reach low health, you will need to retreat into the Hive capture plate area and stand there for a few seconds. You’ll accumulate Suffocating Darkness as you do this, but you should successfully close the door before reaching x20 stacks. Completion of the mission occurs once the door is sealed. Head back to Eris’ Apartment to claim the second Exotic quest for Barrow-Dyad, which will enable additional crafting features for this weapon.
