What is Operation: Seraph’s Shield?
Operation Seraph’s Shield is the latest chapter in the Season of the Seraph storyline of Destiny 2. This year’s exotic mission follows the footsteps of last year’s Presage mission and the classic Whisper and Zero Hour missions. Still, unlike previous years, this Exotic mission is not timed.
Overview of the mission
Featuring two difficulty levels: Normal and Legend, with no champion or mechanic differences in either mode. The Difficulty Legend mirrors the Legendary setting in the Witch Queen campaign, where they restricted your Power level advantage and ramped up the enemy HP.
How to access Operation: Seraph’s Shield?
Initially, players cannot access the Operation: Seraph’s Shield mission until they unlock the quest “The Final Shape” by progressing sufficiently in the More Than a Weapon storyline. It has guardians delving deep into the history of the Seraphs and the Brays to restore Rasputin. This will allow Rasputin to bypass the security once he is restored.
Rewards for completing Operation: Seraph’s Shield
Guardians will be granted the Revision Zero Exotic Pulse Rifle by completing Operation: Seraph’s Shield. Unlike most other Exotics out there, Revision Zero features multiple Exotic Catalysts and selectable perks. This weapon allows you to morph the gun into an Aggressive Frame or a unique two-round burst with better range but having multiple firing modes and origin traits to swap between. Both firing modes will have features like Anti-Barrier Rounds.
Location of the mission
Likewise, the previous weekly mission, Seraph’s Shield, begins at Nkechi’s Cut in the Twilight Gap. Keeping out of the line of sight of the security towers, you have to make your way across the snowfield and head towards the main entrance (the one to the right of the one used in the previous mission). Some Knights and some Thrall will get in your way, but they are avoidable. The Ogre standing directly in front of the door is the main enemy. It is better to take it down from a distance since you can see it before it can. Players can temporarily deploy their Ghost to temporarily display the quest maker and locate the entrance.
How to avoid traps and puzzles?
Upon entering the cave, be wary of the laser traps as you re-enter the interior. They are on almost every door and will kill you if you touch them. You will instantly die upon touching a laser unless you have a certain Exo Frame upgrade. Every laser has a gap located at the bottom or top.
Enemies you will face
Reaching the end of the hallway, players will find a room with a few Fallen enemies. The guardians will notice a Scanner Augment with a foe, allowing players to see scannable objects around the room. The Augment must be deposited to unlock the path forward only after scanning three objects.
Combat encounters
Taking note of the yellow projected above one of the Vandals, you have to open fire on a group of Fallen tinkering with the facility’s launch controls. The yellow potato-like symbol denotes the Scanner buss, a mechanic reused from the Deep Stone Crypt raid. To acquire the scanner buff, you must kill the Fallen.
Puzzles you will need to solve
Players should stay alert to their surroundings, looking for hints and ways to access other parts of the facility, such as vents. Operation: Seraph’s Shield contains a mix of both combat encounters and puzzles. Guardians will face their first significant puzzle deep into the facility, where players need to look into the next room through a glass. There are multiple consoles to interact with, but only one of them is correct. If Guardians fail to step on the right tile or interact with the correct console, it will kill them. Guardians will need to use Scanner Augment to check every time because the consoles change each mission. Still, fortunately, the path stays the same, allowing players to memorize the right tiles.
Tips for completing the mission
Right after completing the first scanner puzzle, look around the vertical shaft for floating drones. One of them will have a vibrant yellow glow. Shoot that one and look for another one that glows. Continue this process until all four drones are destroyed. After doing so, you will gain access to an additional reward chest at the end of your Seraph Shield run.
Note: The drones might also spawn in the orbital pod or vertical shaft sections.
Weapons and abilities to use
Past the puzzle room, Guardians will discover the next mechanic, the Operator Augment. It reveals the active control panels for doors (highlighted red), which they can shoot. Working their way through, Guardians will pick up the Suppressor Augment next to a shielded Servitor after reaching near the final boss encounter. You can see four balls floating in the air; three of them will glow blue. You must shoot the shielded enemy under the glowing ball once to suppress the foe. Following that, Guardians may enter the final boss encounter in Destiny 2’s Operation: Seraph Shield. Players must use the suppressor Augment, like the Servitor, to defeat the powerful enemy.
Conclusion
Being one of the best quests Bungie has made in recent years, Operation: Seraph Shield is both challenging and rewarding for the players. Having no champion in the Legend mode is what makes the mission interesting and more challenging. Moreover, it tells players more about the three Deep Stone Crypt Augments and prepares them for the Rain and reworked weapons. All guardians are suggested to complete the Operation: Seraph Shield mission in Destiny 2.
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