Ascent

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Next:	The Message, Part I (Story) Dissent (Mission)
Ascent
Game:	Destiny 2
Campaign:	The Final Shape
Player(s):	1-3
Location:	The Pale Heart, The Traveler
Enemy faction(s):	Sol Divisive The Dread
Hostile race(s):	Vex Taken Fallen (Co-op Focus)
Objective(s):	Join Cayde and Crow on a journey to cross an impassible divide.
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Ascent is the fifth Story Mission of the Final Shape expansion.

Objectives

• Scout Ahead
• Find a Way Forward
• Ascend
• Eliminate the Vex
• Enter the Mountain
• Defeat the Sol Divisive
• Find the Light
• End at the Beginning
• Embrace the Light
• Destroy

Transcript

(Mission Begins)

The Crow: Cayde, you've known the commander for a long time. You ever seen him like this?

Cayde-6: Worst I ever saw Zavala was right after the Great Disaster. Didn't know the Light could go out of an Awoken's eyes 'til then.

Cayde-6: But this… this is something else.

Cayde-6: He's scared. I've never seen him scared before, not like this. I understand the fear-I feel it too-but I… I don't know what he'll do with it.

The Crow: Eris once told me, "Fear is a knife. We can use it to hurt others… or ourselves. But we also have the choice to sheathe it."

The Guardian enters into a dark cave, after arriving at a cavern, they are confronted by Taken.

Cayde-6: Got some Taken popping up on my route; y'all OK?

The Crow: Nothing I can't handle. If you need me to come over and give YOU a hand, let me know.

Cayde-6: Hey, now. Who put who on their back when we threw down?

The Crow: [laughs] Oh, come on! You caught me by surprise.

Cayde-6: Oh, well, I guess we're even then.

After defeating the enemy forces, the Guardian continues their exploration into the cave.

Ghost: Having Cayde back… it's almost like he was never gone. Like the Traveler knew it needed to make the fireteam whole again.

Cayde-6: Uh, yeah, no, don't get me wrong; it's nice to see you all again, but… the Traveler could have asked before yanking a guy back to life.

The Crow: Cayde… I need to tell you something, before we go any further. Meet me up ahead.

Cayde-6: Oh, ominous and cryptic. My favourites. Yes, let's.

The Guardian arrives at a freezing cavern, occupied by Taken, with the next entrance to the mountain outside blocked by a barrier created by a Taken Blight.

Darkness Zone. Respawning Restricted.

Discovering Volatile Darkness blocked by a barrier, the Guardian is then confronted by Taken and Dread units attempting to defend it. With the barrier lowered, the Guardian takes the Volatile Darkness. After defeating the agents of the Witness, the Guardian leaves the cave, arriving on a cliff of the mountain, with trails of Light in the ice. Suddenly a pulse of Light is emitted as a result of the Witness torturing the Traveler.

Ghost: [cries in pain] N-no! I-[gasps, then pants] What was that?

Cayde-6: Oh, I felt it too, little guy. That's the Traveler. The Witness is digging around in its guts.

The Crow: It's screaming for help.

Eventually the Guardian arrives at a cliff where Cayde and Crow are both sitting together.

Cayde-6: Good. You're here. I need backup.

Cayde-6: Crow wants to talk about how wonderful it is that the Traveler brought me back, like Ikora hasn't done enough of that already.

The Crow: It wasn't the Traveler.

The Crow: It was me… I wished my way here on an Ahamkara.

Cayde-6: On an Ahamkara? The dragon that twists wishes and dreams into waking nightmares?

Cayde-6: What the hell made you think that was a good idea?

The Crow: We were out of options. I remember thinking that I wanted to do this, because I had to make things right.

The Crow: And, just before I took the plunge, I remember thinking about the great Cayde-6.

The Crow: No Light, no Ghost, fearlessly staring up at me from the wrong side of his own gun.

The Crow: Then there you were.

Cayde-6: There I was.

The Crow: I should have told you sooner.

Cayde-6: No. No, you did the right thing keeping this between us. Ikora and Zavala can't know the truth, not right now.

The Crow: They need faith.

Cayde-6: Right. And I need a drink.

Cayde-6 looks at the Guardian.

Cayde-6: You go on Guardian, we'll catch up.

The Guardian continues to traverse across the mountain, eventually encountering Vex from the Sol Divisive guarding the entrance further up the mountain blocked by a Taken barrier. Upon defeating a Bound Omen, the Guardian is able to receive a Volatile Darkness, using it to destroy the barrier and carry on forward.

Cayde-6: These Vex are followers of the Witness: Sol Divisive, the same zealots from the Black Garden.

The Crow: I know all about the Black Garden. You sure you don't wanna talk about why you're back?

Cayde-6: The "why" doesn't matter. Never did. Just stay forward and clear a path up the mountain.

As they continue forward, defeat further Vex units to bring down a Vex barrier, the Guardian climb up the platforms of a tower to navigate further.

Cayde-6: Listen, Crow, right now, I just want to do something that feels normal, OK? And blasting Vex feels really, REALLY, normal.

The Crow: Just know that the Traveler hasn't abandoned you, Cayde.

The Crow: Even if you can't use the Light, the Light is still a part of you. I don't think my wish could have brought you back without it.

The Crow: You could be capable of things you don't even realize.

The Guardian arrives further up the mountain, shooting a Darkness spike

Darkness Zone. Respawning Restricted.

Forces of the Sol Divisive appear and assault the Young Wolf. As the Guardian defeats the Vex, they interact with the correct Glyphs, bringing down the Vex barrier and allowing them to navigate further. Eventually they enter the building within the mountain after slaying Dread and destroying the Taken barrier with Volatile Darkness.

Cayde-6: You know, one of the first things my Ghost Sundance said to me was that I was capable of greatness.

Cayde-6: You remind me of her a little.

The Crow: In what way?

Cayde-6: You're both a pain in my ass.

The Guardian goes deeper into the building via a deep hole, discovering a engine room resembling where they got Riskrunner in Old Russia. Stepping foot in another room, they shoot another Darkness spike.

Darkness Zone. Respawning Restricted.

Upon shooting the spike, agents of the Witness led by the Unwaking Mind emerge

Ghost: We've found a Vex Mind! It must be in charge of things here.

The Crow: Well, whatever you're doing, its pissed off everything in the wall.

Cayde-6: Get blasting, Guardian; we'll cover your back!

As the Guardian damages the Unwaking Mind, it would summon fourth a shield to defend itself.

Cayde-6: This reminds me of a shootout I had on Venus! Wound up stuck under a Cyclops for two hours!

The Crow: You almost sound like you're having fun!

Cayde-6: Aren't you?

Defeat two Harbingers, the Guardian brings down the barrier around the Volatile Darkness, allowing them to destroy the Taken barrier blocking the entrance into two rooms. Defeating the two Resonant Warders inside, they then interact with the correct Glyphs to bring down the Unwaking Mind's shield and destroy the Taken Vex mind.

The Crow: Taken and Vex are in retreat. Good work.

Glint: I'm picking up a massive new energy signature. Ghost, do you feel that?

Ghost: I do. The Vex Mind must have been obscuring it. It's this way.

Obeying Ghost's directions, the Guardian makes their way to the signal.

Cayde-6: Hey, before we meet back up with the others… I meant what I said about keeping this wish business between us.

The Crow: I won't betray your trust, Cayde.

Cayde-6: I know. But I gotta say it out loud.

Exiting out of the building, the Guardian arrives at the Impasse, resembling the place where they were resurrected, with a mysterious city close by, and the Witness's monolith in the distance.

Ghost: This is it. The energy signal is coming from over there. Past the cars where-

Ghost: Where I found you.

Arriving at the energy signal, they discover a pool of Light in the exact place where Ghost found them.

Ghost: This… is where I found your bones, Guardian. Where I brought you back for the first time.

Ghost: This is where everything started.

Ghost: There's an intense amount of Light welling up from this fissure.

Cayde-6: That Light! That's what it used to be like here: pure… and powerful. The golden feeling you get when you're holding a winning hand, just… forever.

Communing with the fissure of Light, the Guardian gains an immense amount of power from the Traveler itself.

Ghost: [gasps in shock]

Ghost: That power, it-wait-Taken! We have Taken incoming. Guardian, let's show them what the Traveler gave us.

An horde of Taken arrive in uncountable numbers, however thanks to the power bestowed upon them by the Traveler, the Guardian defeats the Taken with ease, forcing them to retreat after slaying three Ogre Ascendants.

Ghost: That energy! That was-that wasn't just the Light. That was the Traveler!

The Crow: See, Cayde? The Traveler's still with us, every step of the way.

Cayde-6: Well, you weren't wrong, kid. You could just use a little tact. Guess I could too, for that matter.

Cayde-6: Maybe Ikora was right to try meditating. If we could cut through the noise…

The Crow: You think we can open a line of communication with the Traveler?

Cayde-6: Something like that.

Cayde-6: Listen, you and the Guardian go on ahead. I'll see what I can puzzle out.

{End Mission:Ascent}

Enemies

Vex - Sol Divisive

• Goblin
  • Quantum Goblin
  • Bound Goblin
• Fanatic
  • Finalizer
• Hobgoblin
  • Quantum Hobgoblin
• Harpy
  • Quantum Harpy
  • Bound Harpy
• Minotaur
  • Bound Minotaur
• Hydra
  • Malignant Hydra
• Wyvern
  • Malignant Wyvern
  • Resonant Warder

Taken

• Taken Thrall
• Taken Acolyte
• Taken Knight
  • Ravenous Taken Knight
  • Servile Knight (Legendary)
• Taken Wizard
  • Ravenous Taken Wizard
• Taken Psion
• Taken Phalanx
  • Ravenous Taken Phalanx
• Taken Centurion (Ultra)
  • Servile Centurion (Legendary)
• Taken Goblin
  • Ravenous Taken Goblin
• Taken Hobgoblin
  • Ravenous Taken Hobgoblin
• Taken Captain
  • Servile Captain (Legendary)

The Dread

• Attendant
  • Bound Attendant
• Weaver
  • Tangling Weaver
  • Bound Weaver
• Grim
  • Resonating Grim
• Subjugator
  • Omen of the Witness
  • Bound Omen
  • Harbinger of the Witness

Cooperative Focus Specific

• Berserker, Indoctrinated by the Witness

Bosses

• The Unwaking Mind
• Ogre Ascendant (Miniboss ×3)

Appearance

• Destiny 2: The Final Shape (First appearance)