Destiny 2 Shadowkeep Vex Offensive Guide

Bored of the usual bounty grind? Dive into the newly added Vex Offensive activity with the help of our Destiny 2 Shadowkeep guide

Destiny 2 has had a significant increase in the content it has to offer to players, all thanks to Shadowkeep and the Season of the Undying. Garden of Salvation raid, weapons, armor, and quests, but another addition courtesy of these two is the new in-game currency: Vex Mind Components. And that’s what we’re here to talk about today and how you can collect them by taking part in the Vex Offensive activity in Destiny 2 Shadowkeep.

Destiny 2 Shadowkeep Vex Offensive

Some in-game verbiage aside, this is essentially a new currency that allows you to buy unique items and bounties from Ikora that you otherwise would not be able to attain.

Players, as of Saturday, 5th October, can get their hands on Vex Mind Components by taking part in the Vex Offensive. A 6 player (via Matchmaking) activity in which you must assist Ikora from preventing the new Vex Type (covered in leaves and foliage from the Black Garden) from taking over the Moon and turning it into one of their many strongholds.

Completing this activity will reward players with unique weapons, armor, and other valuable loot – but above all else, it’s an entertaining and fun activity that is rewarding all on its own.

If you’re itching to learn what exactly the Vex Offensive entails, we’ll scratch it for you. The following is a guide on the dos and don’ts when tackling this activity.

To begin this activity, you must complete the ‘Eyes on the Moon’ quest. Go to Ikora, there you’ll be able to get your hands on the bounties for the Vex invaders. The bounty will request for you to defeat 100 Vex on the Moon, and to also take down 3 Gate Lords.

Doing this will finish the Eyes on the Moon quest, and that’s when the real fun begins. After the Guardians made their move in the Black Garden, the Vex, in retaliation, have launched an offensive, using Warpgates to reach their destination.

There are 3 areas where the Vex will launch an attack. All 3 areas can be seen on the map – their locations are marked by a Goblin Head Symbol:

  • Archer’s Line – Towards the top of the region
  • Anchor of Light – Is located near the Large Fallen Ship
  • Hellmouth – Towards the tippy top of the map.

You’ll know that the attack has begun when a large portal opens overhead – it’ll be bright white with crackling electricity, so it’s not easy to miss.

The portals spawn in an order so it is best to start off with the one in Anchor of Light, successfully finish it and you will see the second one spawning close by so just rush to it and continue till you have finished the quest.

Once you have finished the quest and turned it in, the Vex Offensive activity will be accessible to you on the Moon map. Just click on it and it will start matchmaking to take you to Black Garden to defeat the hordes of Vex coming your way, eventually fighting your way to the leader of the Vex – the Vex Overlord.

  • You and your fireteam will start off at Aperture; follow the path until you reach an area with multiple platforms.
  • Look for the marked platform and hack it – the Vex will spawn when you do so.
  • Dismantle the Vex under 5 minutes, facing off legions of enemies as you attempt to do so.
  • 6 Oracles will appear and you must defeat them before time runs out.
  • During all this fighting, you will see Minotaurs spawning in. Defeat them to get your hands on Void Craniums which are the only way to destroy the Oracles.

Once you’re done with this particular horde, march forward until you reach another area filled with platforms.

You will have to repeat the earlier process (5 minutes to dismantle the Vex) but the enemies will be more powerful. Instead of 6, you will now have to deal with 12 Oracles. Defeat all the waves of enemies and dismantle the Vex.

In total, you have to go to 3 different areas and dismantle Vex at these locations. Fighting a total of 3 Gatekeepers before heading off to the next stage. Once you are done with those, just move forward and head to the final section of the Offensive to fight the Vex Overlord.

Just like the Oracles before, the Vex Overlord is shielded and can’t be damaged so need to defeat the spawning Minotaurs in order to get your hands on Void Craniums, take down the Overlord’s shields and then go all out in dealing as much damage to him as you can within 30 seconds.

After the time is up, the Overlord’s shield regenerated and he moves to a new spot and you need to follow to repeat the process till he is defeated.

Congratulations, you’ve completed the Vex Offensive! Assuming, of course, that you did all this in the allotted time frame. This will be a hassle – the time restraint, number of enemies, and the pattern you must follow – and it’s not guaranteed that you’ll succeed on your first attempt. But never give up, and never surrender, the universe often rewards the tenacious.

Speaking of rewards…

Rewards
Killing the numerous enemies or picking up engrams during the Vex offensive will drop the following weapons as rewards alongside the usual season 8 armor drops:

  • Optative Hand Cannon
  • Imperative Scout Rifle
  • Adaptive Pulse Rifle
  • Subjunctive Submachine Gun
  • Adhortative Pulse Rifle

Gain Vex Mind Components by getting Vex Bounties; this functions the same way as Forge Bounties. Completing a bounty with a certain weapon category will reward you with a unique weapon from that set.

Defeating the Overlord will get you a Legendary Engram (either a Rank 1 Season Pass armor or Vex Offensive Weapons).

A fairly simple and straightforward quest, but don’t let its simplicity fool you; one mistake can jeopardize the whole thing and there’s no guarantee that you’ll come out of this whole endeavor victorious and unscathed.