The Light and Dark saga of Destiny 2 has finally come to an end, and all the events that happened ever since the game was released now culminate in Excision, one final mission where a fireteam of 12 Guardians band together to stop the Witness once and for all.
Excision marks the end of a decade-long era in the franchise. While it's nowhere near as difficult or rewarding as Destiny 2's Salvation's Edge raid, it's an epic mission that all fans of the game should experience at least once. Here's a quick overview of what Excision is and what players can expect from it.
This article contains images for the final mission of Destiny 2's Light and Dark saga, which may count as spoilers for some players.
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What Is Excision In Destiny 2?
Excision is the first-ever 12-man activity in Destiny 2, and it became available right after Salvation's Edge was cleared for the first time by Team Parabellum. Unlike the raid, this mission is a lot easier and involves fewer mechanics. It's more of a narrative experience like other campaign missions, but with public matchmaking. You can start this mission by going to the Pale Heart and scrolling to the far-right side of the map.
All the steps in Excision are:
- Capture four zones and defeat Cornerstones of the Witness near the landing zone.
- Proceed to the next area.
- Defeat more Cornerstones to make Light fissures appear.
- Gather Light from the fissures, then deposit them in the rift.
- Embrace the Darkness.
- Grab a sword and destroy Dissenter statues.
- Jump to the middle platform and shoot the plates on the Witness' torso.
- Shoot the Witness' heart.
- Repeat Steps 3-8 until the Witness is defeated.
The objectives speak for themselves. Beat Cornerstone minibosses, gather Light, break statues, then initiate the damage phase. Repeat until the boss is dead. The Witness' defeat will immediately be followed by a cutscene that perfectly closes the Light and Dark saga for good while paving the way for Destiny 2's new episodic format.
Once exposed, the Witness' heart becomes an enormous crit spot. Precision weapons like Linear Fusion Rifles and Sniper Rifles work extremely well here, but mind where you stand, as the Witness' attacks deal very heavy damage.
Completing Excision for the first team will reward you with a bunch of loot, including an Exotic Engram. Replaying the mission won't guarantee another Exotic Engram, but you will get some random loot and a Pale Heart Engram or two.
