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The Duality dungeon in Destiny 2 introduced a variety of new weapons into the game, including its unique Legendary weapons that come with the Bitterspite Origin Trait. On top of that, players can unlock the highly futuristic Hakke Breach Armaments-inspired armor set from the dungeon as well.
Duality comes with its own lore and secrets, but perhaps the most interesting loot is Heartshadow, an Exotic Void sword that has a chance to drop at the end of the Duality dungeon after defeating the Nightmare of Caiatl. The chance of this drop increases as players unlock certain Triumphs in the dungeon. In order to get the Heartshadow's Catalyst, players will also have to return to Destiny 2's Duality to complete a special quest during their run.
How To Get The Heartshadow Exotic Void Sword
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Heartshadow can only be earned by completing the Duality dungeon, which can either be purchased separately from Hawthorne or by buying The Witch Queen Deluxe Edition. Duality is a Cabal-themed dungeon that will send players deep into the mind of Emperor Calus.
After the final boss, players have a narrow chance of earning the Heartshadow Exotic sword. However, given how low the chance is, players will want to complete Triumphs within the dungeon to increase this chance. Navigate over to the Duality Triumph Seal to check which Triumphs are marked with a yellow, Exotic engram. These are Triumphs still available to do that can increase the Heartshadow's drop rate.
How To Get The Heartshadow Catalyst
Unlike most Exotic Catalysts, Heartshadow's Catalyst can't be earned by talking to Banshee-44 like with most other Catalyst quests. Instead, players will need to return to the dungeon after unlocking Heartshadow. Only, this time, a few special enemies will be hiding in specific areas of the dungeon and will need to be killed. The player then must pick up the Standard they drop and bank the Standard at the correct location.
The First Standard: Top Of The First Large Chamber
The first Standard can be found when players enter the Nightmare for the second time after climbing to the top of the large first chamber with multiple snipers. While in this Nightmare, head to the right, and jump down to a lower platform that leads to a secret, as well as to a Nightmare that needs to be killed.
Kill the enemy, and he will drop a Standard nearby. A timer, Nightmare Collapsing, will also start counting down, so players will need to pick up the Standard quickly. Now just jump back up on the beams and head to the bell at the end of the room. The Standard can be manifested on the symbol behind the bell that needs to be rung.
The Second Standard: In The Cabal Tomb Jumping Puzzle
The second Standard is found in the short jumping puzzle after defeating Gahlran. The enemy will usually spawn across the room on one of the platforms and is easy to spot unlike the first one. Kill him and grab the Standard. This time, there's no timer, so players can take their time. They just need to make sure they don't die with the Standard.
To bank the Standard, players must reach the chamber where four large statues must be turned to point in the same direction. Ring the bell to get into the Nightmare realm, and the Standard can be banked at the same platform behind which a secret can also be found.
The Third Standard: In The Nightmare Before Caiatl's Boss Battle
The last Nightmare before the final fight has players walk on a set of beams to the bell, shortly after going through the room where a secret chest is located under a large object covered by a white cloth. Rather than crossing this Nightmare area to the bell, head to the right onto a platform where another secret is located, and the last enemy is there, too.
Kill him, and quickly head back to the bell, as a timer will start. Once out of the Nightmare, players can relax again as there's no timer. The banking point is located on platforms surrounded by a group of enemies just before the drop to the chasm leading to the boss room, so be careful not to get pushed down or killed by them.
Once the last Standard is banked, a chest will appear next to it and players can loot it for the Heartshadow Catalyst.
What The Heartshadow Catalyst Does
Heartshadow, without its Catalyst, is a Void weapon that allows players to become invisible when using the sword's heavy attack. It also spawns exploding Void projectiles, which work well with any Void builds. While invisible, players will do increased damage with the Heartshadow.
The Catalyst's effects are fairly simple: they lengthen the duration of the invisibility. However, to get its effects, players will first have to upgrade it by scoring around 400 kills with the weapon. For heavy weapons, Shuro-Chi and Golgoroth checkpoints are the best methods as players can plop down a rally banner and replenish their heavy ammo regularly after each wipe.
Is The Heartshadow Catalyst Worth It?
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Swords are not bad weapons in Destiny 2. The Other Half and Half-Truths both are fantastic movement weapons when they drop with Eager Edge. Meanwhile, The Lament Exotic sword and The Fallen Guillotine are fantastic damage weapons for certain boss encounters.
That said, Heartshadow is an extremely niche type of sword. It doesn't improve movement and it doesn't do particularly good boss damage. It might work with some Void builds, but overall, if players don't have the Catalyst or the Exotic itself, they're not missing out.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Stadia.