Venus is the third main location players visit in Destiny after completing their story on Earth’s Moon. The planet was once surrounded by poisonous clouds which were removed by the Traveler but the clouds seem to be returning now thanks to the Darkness.
For more help on Destiny, read our Moon Story Missions, Patrol Missions, Weapons and Weapon Mods Guide.
Destiny Venus Story Missions
The planet and its quests are intended for level 10 players and above as they will once again be facing the Fallen and the Vex, natives of Venus, while they level up in the area, kill a lot of enemies and gather Spirit Bloom to build up resources.
A Stranger’s Call – Level 10
A Stranger’s Call is the first story mission for Guardians on Venus and is intended for players who are around level 10. The mission takes place in the Headlands area of Ishtar Sink, filled with Fallen and Vex enemies.
The first objective will have players looking for an old Guardian Outpost in the Shattered Coast. Just like on Earth and Moon, the Sparrow vehicle is not available from the start and requires players to sync up with the local vehicle outpost before they can spawn it.
Players have to head downhill, killing the Fallen scattered across the streets of the area and ultimately reach the outpost near the sea. There are a few enemies in the area but they can be killed easily.
Deploying Ghost to interact with the computer system on the outpost will unlock the Sparrow for use. When the Sparrow is acquired, players have to continue along the coast for the next objective, activate some Vex sensors.
The objective is in a building near the end of the coast and is being guarded by some Fallen. Once they have all been killed, players can deploy Ghost at the computer terminal on top of the stairs for the next objective.
Players have to find a set of coordinates for the next objective which will take them to the Ishtar Academy. The Academy can be reached easily by leaving the building with the computer terminal and head along the coastal way they originally came through.
There will be a hole in the ground on the right near the first squad of Fallen enemies, that’s the entrance to the Academy. The area inside the hole is a Darkness Zone so players need to be cautious.
There will be a conflux of energy in the area where Ghost can be deployed to investigate. This marks the first encounter of player’s with the Vex as waves of enemies will rush in. The best strategy is to find a good vantage point such as the balconies on both sides of the Academy.
The first wave of Vex will consist of Goblins who can be killed by shooting them in their glowing abs. Unlike Fallen or Hive enemies, shooting the Goblins in the head doesn’t kill them instantly but instead makes them more aggressive and rush towards the players.
Goblins also have a teleportation ability which allows them to get close to players really quickly so it’s best to stay on the move at all times.
Along with Goblins, the players will also encounter Hobgoblins who are pretty similar to Goblins but the best way to kill them is to get a surprise attack in first through a high powered weapon.
As soon as they are attacked, they shield themselves and players have to wait a while before they lower their shields. After the initial wave of Goblins and Hobgoblins is dead, a Minotaur shows up.
While the Minotaur has some similarities with Goblins in such that it can use the teleportation ability or get angry when shot in the head, it has no weak spots and further-more it’s guarded with a Void Shield.
High velocity weapons are the best weapons against it such the teleport power allows it to escape really easily if attacked with slow weapons such as sniper rifle or shotgun.
These 3 types of enemies will keep coming in to attack players for a total of six waves. Once all the waves are completed, the Mission End timer will start so players should gather all the dropped loot.
As the mission is completed, players should head to the Tower and turn in the looted Goblin’s Eye to their Vanguard mentor for an armor of their choosing.
Ishtar Collective – Level 11
Ishtar Collective is the second story mission on Venus, intended for level 11 players and once again puts players against the Fallen and Vex in Headlands area. Players will once again start in the Shattered Coast where they started the previous mission.
The objective will ask the Guardians to take a left turn from the building where they unlocked the Sparrow during A Stranger’s Call. The road along the sea will lead them to Ishtar Cliffs where the next objective will begin.
Having reached Ishtar Cliffs, players have to find a Mind Core. Many Fallen are scattered through the initial areas but they can be avoided by speeding past them on the Sparrow or killed for extra experience and loot.
Soon players will come up on a Cyclops with the surrounding cliffs occupied by Vex enemies such as Harpies, Goblins and Hobgoblins. The Cyclops has a somewhat high ground advantage with which it fires explosive projectiles which can be dodged easily or avoided by taking cover behind walls.
The best way to take down the Cyclops is with a heavy weapon such as the Machine Gun and shoot at its eye. Once the Cyclops is low on health, it will start shooting erratically and eventually die, leaving behind the Mind Core as loot.
After the Mind Core has been looted, the next objective is to find a Research Site in Campus 9 area. The area can be accessed by leaving the Ishtar Cliffs from the opposite side to where the players entered.
Campus 9 is Darkness Zone so caution is advised. A lot of Fallen Vandals, Dregs and Shanks are scattered in the way towards the Research Centre but since they are weaker enemies, killing them should be easy.
Once inside the Research Centre, players have to deploy Ghost at the computer terminal to analyze the Mind Core. This starts a ‘holdout’ event where waves of Vex enemies will continuously attack the players.
The enemy waves consist of Harpies, Goblins, Hobgoblins and Minotaurs for a total of 3 waves. While the first two waves spawn from either one side of the area and can be easily monitored by the Tracker and defeated with a good Auto Rifle, the 3rd wave spawns enemies on both sides and can be quite challenging as multiple Minotaurs appear.
Since the building is a closed zone, its best to exit at during the final wave so that the incoming grenades can be dodged easily and enemies killed easily from a distance. When all the enemies are dead, players have to return to Ghost to complete the mission.
Turning in the looted Radiolaria to their respective Vanguard mentor will reward players with a new armor.
The Archive – Level 12
The Archive is a story mission on Venus for level 12 players in the Headlands area. The mission has Guardians once again going to the Ishtar Academy by driving the Sparrow along the coast and turning left near the first squad of Fallen enemies and moving down the hole, just as they did during A Stranger’s Call.
A battle would be raging between the Fallen and Vex in the academy so it’s a good idea to let it play out a little bit until their numbers decrease. Once the number of enemies left is small enough for players to handle easily, the balconies can be used to their advantage to kill the remaining ones and get experience and loot.
An exit door near the back of the room leads to some corridors which in turn end up taking the players to the Ishtar Commons where yet another fight between both enemy factions is going on.
You can avoid this fight by quickly moving into a door on the left to get to the Hall of Whispers, a Darkness Zone and to the next part of the mission objective.
The area is filled with Fallen enemies including Vandals, Dregs and Shanks as well as a Major Servitor, Simiks-3. Taking cover in the side rooms of this area is key since the enemies; especially the Major Vandals deal a lot of damage.
Having killed all the enemies, the next objective to open a Vault begins.
A console in a room near the bank can be used to deploy Ghost and get access to the Archive. Once inside, players have to descend through some stairs and deploy Ghost yet again on another computer to extract some information while waves of enemies attack to stop them.
A long range weapon can be used for the most part of the battle to kill weaker enemies until a Servitor appears when players need to move around a lot. A rifle or shotgun works best in this situation as players move towards the other side of the Archive to repair a Conduit.
A lot of Stealth Vandals can ambush this area so players need to stay cautious until they kill all the enemies and reach the other side to deploy Ghost for the repairs.
While Ghost repairs this Conduit, players should start moving to the other side of the room as there is another Backup Conduit that needs repairs. Their way will be blocked by a Servitor and several Stealth Vandals and Shanks.
The best way to kill them is to use the walkways above to deal damage while avoiding being close to them. Once players reach the other side, Ghost can be deployed to start repairing.
The next objective will have players move back to the console to extract files from the Archive while engaging Fallen in the way. Stealth Vandals, Major Captains and Major Vandals are the main enemies to lookout for in this portion.
After all the enemies are dead, Ghost can be deployed and when the Extraction has finished, Mission End timer will start. When the players return to the Tower, the files taken from the Archive can be given to the Cryptarch for a reward.
Scourge of Winter – Level 13
Scourge of Winter is a level 13 Venus story mission where Fallen will be the only enemies players face. The mission begins with players trying to get into a Fallen Hideout in Ember Caves.
The starting area is once again the same but this time instead of going along the coast, players have to turn left towards the Ember Caves. The hideout is on the left but players have to drive their Sparrow past it towards the end of the zone and then make their way back on foot through the platforms.
Many Fallen enemies will block the way but can be killed easily. Once inside the cave, players have to move towards the Winter’s Lair, a small group of Fallen enemies guard the area.
The weaker enemies can be killed easily but there are 3 Kell’s Guards in the way as well, two of them armed with Shock Blade while the last one has a rifle. Constant movement is key here to defeat these enemies.
When they are all dead, an exit to the far side of the cave will lead to next objective. Players have to follow a ledge up to higher ground that overlooks a cavern. The objective is to find Draksis.
The ledge leads to Cinders, which is designated as a Darkness Zone. Cinders is a pretty open place so a scout or sniper rifle can easily be used here to take down enemies from far while they move towards the players.
Following the path on the left will take players to an overlook from where they can take down a good number of enemy Fallen down below. Players have to move towards a ship while fighting various enemies including a Servitor and a Captain, both of which present quite a challenge.
More enemies are inside the ship near the entrance so players should be cautious when stepping in. Once inside the ship, many Fallen will try to stop players in tight corridors so it’s a good idea to equip weapons like a shotgun.
Moving through the corridors, players will come up on a hall at the end of which a door will be guarded by Kell’s Guards and a Servitor as well as some weaker enemies. Once all the enemies are dead, players can exit through the door where they will encounter Draksis, the mission’s boss.
While Draksis is an Ultra Fallen Champion, he has no shield but that doesn’t make him weak since he has a lot of health and a stomp attack to push back and heavily damage players if they get too close to him.
A large number of Kell’s Guards and weaker Fallen enemies surround him for protection. Cover and constant movement is key here since the number of enemies can be overwhelming.
The smaller enemies should be killed first and then players should focus on Draksis with their Heavy Weapons as well as Super Ability whenever it becomes available.
After Draksis is dead, mission ends and players can give the looted Strange Trinket to Cryptarch for a reward.
Eye of a Gate Lord – Level 13
Eye of a Gate Lord is the final story mission on Venus for level 13 players. The first objective of the mission is to scan the Vex network inside The Citadel. The quickest way to reach The Citadel is to drive the Sparrow straight through the Ember Caves where players went in Scourge of Winter.
The network is located in the far left corner where a conflux is being guarded by a Major Minotaur and two regular ones. Once they are all dead, Ghost can be deployed to scan the network.
Once the scan is complete, players have to go to Campus 9, which can be reached by taking the nearest exit out of The Citadel and moving through the Waking Ruins; Campus 9 is a Darkness Zone filled with Vex machinery.
A lot of Goblins will be around the Research Centre and they need to be killed. While the player is killing them, a Transfer Gate in the distance keeps sending in reinforcements so it’s a good idea to destroy the gate as quickly as possible with a Rocket Launcher or a Sniper Rifle and then focus on the remaining enemies.
A total of 5 gates are spread across this area which spawns a multitude of Vex enemies such as Harpies and Minotaurs. These gates should be destroyed as quickly as possible once they start sending in reinforcements while being vary of the Hobgoblin snipers perched high above.
Having destroyed all gates and killing the remaining Vex, players can move on towards the end of the area where a Hydra blocks the way. The best way to kill the Hydra is by shooting its eye when its shield rotates to its back.
When the Hydra dies, its head rolls on the ground for a bit before exploding so it should be avoided. Players can now exit Campus 9 leading to a new area, Endless Steps where they can see a giant Vex gate in the distance.
The best path to approach the gate is by following the stream on the right while eliminating enemies along the way. More Vex enemies spawn as players climb the steps but they can be killed easily.
Once at the top, players have to step into a ring to summon Zydron the Gate Lord, boss of this mission. Zydron is an Ultra Minotaur but he doesn’t have a shield equipped and has a glowing abdomen which is his weak spot.
Throughout the battle, other weaker Vex enemies spawn which can be killed for ammo as well as recharging the Super Ability. Heavy ammo and Super Ability should be used on the boss as soon as they are available.
The area is pretty big so Zydron can be damaged from a distance with a sniper rifle as well while using the ruins as cover. When Zydron is dead, players can leave the area and go to the Reef to deliver Gate Lord’s Eye.
