One of Destiny's best aspects is the sense of mystery. Locations that remind players of a bygone era with NPCs that talk of their past accomplishments, providing a sense that the Destiny universe is a real place with tons of history. Entire communities have been created with the game's expansive lore and dozens of secrets.
This extends to some of the game's quests as well. Destiny 2 has a few secrets left in store for avid players who explore every corner of a location. From portals to hidden levels to a heartwarming event side quest, here are 10 secret quests many players overlook in Destiny 2.
10 Wish-Ender Quest
After Shadowkeep changed the activities that provide powerful gear, there is little reason for players to explore the mysterious Dreaming City introduced in Forsaken.
One such secret is the Shattered Throne, a dungeon that requires the best out of a 3-person fireteam. Inside this dungeon is a quest to earn the Wish-Ender Bow, an Exotic that can destroy the Taken eggs scattered throughout the City. Players must talk to a statue after fighting Vorgeth to start this quest. It takes the player across the Tangled Shore and back to the dungeon itself before the weapon is awarded to them.
9 Pain And Gain
Starter Exotics from Destiny 2's Year 1 content have been added either to the general loot pool or have quests attached to them. Riskrunner now has a quest tied to it that involves getting players acclimated with most of Destiny 2's PvE activities.
Starting this quest is easy. Players simply need to talk to Banshee-44 to receive this quest. Most veteran players ignore it, however, as they already have the weapon. New players also have so many quests to complete they often overlook this quest. Both groups are missing out on the fantastic "Risk/Reward" mission, a level that involves returning to the original Destiny's Cosmodrome to collect Riskrunner.
8 The Whisper
Few missions in Destiny 2 can compete with the secret "The Whisper" level. Players must open a portal on Io by killing a unique High-Value Target during a specific Public Event to even get a chance at completing this mission.
Destiny 2: New Light did make this quest more apparent by having the Drifter provide it to players, but it still doesn't explain how to start the mission. Once inside, a 20-minute timer counts down. Finish the mission and Whisper of the Worm is yours. Fail, and you need to start from the beginning.
7 Drifter Allegiance
Season of the Drifter introduced a new quest from the Drifter, forcing players to choose between siding with the Drifter or the Vanguard.
This quest is by no means secret, being given to players after talking to the Drifter in the Tower, but the quest is so lackluster most forgot it exists. Finishing this string of busywork rewards players with... nothing. Bungie has promised your alliance will impact the game in the future, but it currently lacks any impact so most players simply overlook it.
6 Rat King's Crew
Just like Riskrunner and most Year 1 Exotics, Rat King's unlock requirements have been buried under dozens of quests since New Light released.
To unlock Rat King, players must first talk to Amanda Holiday in the Tower, star the Red War campaign, beat it, then go to Titan to complete the "Enemy of my Enemy" quest. Completing the quest involves solving riddles while another member is in your fireteam. Again, it's easy to obtain but is buried behind menus and an entire campaign.
5 Zero Hour
Similar to "The Whisper" mission, "Zero Hour" is a 20-minute romp through the depths of the Tower to stop a Fallen Captain. Starting this quest, however, is much more complicated.
The same mission you needed to complete on Titan also has a little secret. One of the side rooms in the "Enemy of my Enemy" mission provides a Fallen Transponder. After clearing out 6 Lost Sectors in the EDZ, Mithrax will contact you on the Farm to start the level. This quest is so obscure to start that most players will miss it unless they know about Outbreak Perfected beforehand.
4 Worldline Zero
Mars had 45 test nodes for players to find and shoot. These nodes range from being obvious in location to being well-hidden outside of the map. Players must destroy 35 of these nodes to obtain Worldline Zero.
Few Exotics ask for players to embark on scavenger hunts like this one. With Sleeper Simulant and Polaris Lance also being tied to Mars, most forget about the test nodes. After Bungie nerfed Worldline Zero's momentum boost which was invaluable to speedrunners, there is little incentive to search for 35 test node locations to obtain this subpar Sword.
3 Await The World Eater Adventure
Many Destiny 2 fans criticized the implementation of the Leviathan during the Raid's launch. An Adventure did connect this giant planet-eating ship with the narrative, though.
"Await the World Eater" is an Adventure on Nessues that explains the Leviathan's purpose and its arrival to the system. After decrypting a message from the Cabal, the player and Vanguard both discover the Leviathan is owned by Emperor Calus. He wants to destroy Nessus so he can create his purple royal jelly seen in his throne room. Why? To drink it, of course!
2 Arecibo Adventure
Yet another Adventure teasing future content, the "Arecibo" Adventure on Io gave a brief glimpse of what was to come in Destiny 2's second DLC.
Music plays from Sleeper Nodes scattered throughout Io that the player must hunt down, with Ghost analyzing what the music is for along the way. Towards the end, your Ghost becomes overwhelmed by music that provides images of Mars, ice caps, and lots of Hive. If you couldn't tell, Bungie was foreshadowing Destiny 2: Warmind with this Adventure well before the DLC released.
1 Festival Of The Lost Side Quest
Festival of the Lost is a Halloween-themed event based on commemorating Guardians who fell defending humanity. Last year's Festival included an unmarked side quest from Eris Morn.
Quest objectives involve killing certain faction types, but the written dialogue along each step makes this such a memorable piece of character development for Destiny 2. Each world NPC copes with loss or disconnecting with others. Devrim Kay mentions his distant husband, Brother Vance realizes that the dead are never truly lost to us but inaccessible, and Eris comes around to the event she originally thought undermined her fireteam's sacrifice. It's a touching moment that many players missed by not talking to Eris during the event.