How to unlock the Heartshadow Sword in Destiny 2

Season of the Haunted in Destiny 2 wouldn’t be complete without Heartshadow, the most evil-looking sword in Destiny history. This exotic blade looks like something a villain from a Highlander movie would be using to lop off heads. In short, it’s exactly the sort of thing you want and need to look cool as hell while slaying humanity’s enemies. Here is how to get ahold of Heartshadow.

How to find Heartshadow

Heartshadow can only be found at the end of Duality, the new high-level dungeon that debuted with the Season of the Haunted. This dungeon will send you and your fireteam into the mind of Cabal Emperor Calus, to face nightmares of enemies and allies alike. It’s a challenging series of encounters leading up to a realm-jumping battle against a surprising final boss.

We won’t spoil who that boss is, but you will need to put in the effort to find out for yourself. That’s because Heartshadow can only be found as a random drop from defeating that final mystery boss, and clearing Duality. As with most randomly dropping exotics, the odds of it falling aren’t known, but you can expect it to be rare. Combine that with the fact that you can only get credit for clearing this dungeon once per character per week, and you should be prepared for the possibility that Heartshadow could take weeks to acquire.

What does Heartshadow do?

The good news is there are things you can do to increase the odds of Heartshadow falling at the end of the dungeon. In your menu you can explore various Triumph Seals. Locate the Duality Seal, and you will see that three of the triumphs have a reward that increases Heartshadow drop rate. Solo Thoughtsealer requires you to complete Duality by yourself. Master Thoughtsealer tasks you and your fireteam with beating the dungeon on Master Difficulty, and Mind Heist is completed by finding all 12 of Calus’ Repressed Memories hidden throughout Duality.

OK, you’ve unlocked the most death-metal-looking sword in Destiny 2, but what does it do? Heartshadow has a two-part perk when you use a fully powered heavy attack called Exhumation. First, it makes you invisible. Then, it fires a set of exploding void projectiles. It also has a perk called Shot in the Dark, which can apply a damage buff to your sword and weaken enemies, causing them to take additional damage.

The Heartshadow Catalyst

The Heartshadow Catalyst can be earned by returning to Duality once you’ve unlocked the sword. Look for three enemies with yellow health bars called “Failed Assassin”. Each time you kill one it will drop a Standard (looks like a staff). Pick up the Standard, and plant them on special plates. It’s worth the effort, as it increases your sword ammo reserve, and confers the “Wraithwalk” perk, giving you faster movement while invisible.

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