Destiny 2 Presage Guide: How To Start Dead Man’s Tale Exotic Quest And Find All Secrets

Destiny 2’s latest seasonal content introduces an exciting new Exotic quest that requires strategic preparation before diving in. The Presage mission presents significant challenges that demand proper gear and Power level optimization to successfully complete.

Before attempting this content, ensure your Guardian reaches at least Power level 1230 to handle the combat encounters effectively. The mission features numerous high-level combatants and complex mechanics that can overwhelm under-leveled players. Consider completing weekly pinnacle activities and focusing on powerful gear sources to reach this threshold efficiently.

Recommended loadouts include weapons with strong add-clear capabilities paired with high burst damage options for boss encounters. Weapons like Trinity Ghoul with its catalyst or Witherhoard excel at handling groups of enemies, while legendary rocket launchers or sniper rifles provide reliable boss damage. Your subclass selection should complement your playstyle while offering both survivability and damage output.

Initiating the Presage questline requires accessing the current week’s Nightfall: The Ordeal version of The Arms Dealer strike. This specific activity mode contains the hidden trigger needed to begin your journey toward acquiring Dead Man’s Tale.

Within The Arms Dealer Nightfall, navigate to the area just before the final boss encounter where you typically fight through Cabal forces on the launch platform. Carefully explore the perimeter of this zone to locate a hidden distress beacon that emits a distinctive audio cue and visual indicator when nearby. This crucial item can be easily missed if rushing through the strike, so methodical exploration is essential.

After interacting with the distress signal, return to Tower and speak with Zavala to officially start the Presage mission. He’ll provide additional context about the mysterious transmission and grant access to the mission node on the Tangled Shore map. This completes the prerequisite steps before tackling the main challenge.

The Presage mission unfolds aboard a derelict Cabal ship filled with environmental hazards and aggressive combatants. Initial sections require navigating through tight corridors while managing limited visibility and occasional platforming challenges.

A critical mechanic involves interacting with strange fungal growths scattered throughout the ship. These spores temporarily grant a buff that allows passage through otherwise impassable barriers. Timing your interactions carefully ensures you maintain this buff while progressing through locked areas.

Combat encounters feature a mix of Scorn enemies including relentless Ravagers and deadly Snipers. Strategic positioning and effective use of cover are paramount to survival. Consider using weapons with range versatility to handle both close-quarters threats and distant enemies effectively.

Advanced navigation tips include marking your path mentally or using environmental cues to avoid getting disoriented in the ship’s confusing layout. Many players waste valuable time retracing steps due to the non-linear level design, so maintaining orientation saves significant effort.

The culminating encounter pits you against the Locus of Communion, a powerful Scorn boss with devastating attacks and supporting minions. Understanding its attack patterns is crucial for surviving this demanding fight.

The boss employs both area-denial abilities and direct assault tactics that require constant movement and positioning awareness. Its most dangerous attack creates expanding pools of darkness that inflict significant damage over time while limiting mobility.

During damage phases, prioritize clearing additional enemies before focusing on the boss to avoid being overwhelmed. The Locus becomes more aggressive as its health decreases, so conservative approaches often yield better results than aggressive pushes.

Optimal strategies involve using the environment’s verticality to create safe firing positions while managing your abilities cooldowns strategically. Well-timed Supers can turn the tide when used during critical moments of the encounter.

Upon defeating the Locus of Communion, you’ll gain access to the final chamber containing your prize: Dead Man’s Tale. This Exotic scout rifle features unique perks that reward precision shooting and aggressive playstyles.

The weapon can be acquired multiple times through weekly resets, with each subsequent completion offering a new randomly rolled version. This allows players to pursue their preferred combination of barrel, magazine, and trait perks.

Unlocking the catalyst requires completing the mission on Master difficulty, which presents significantly heightened challenges. Master version features Champions, higher Power level requirements, and additional mechanics that demand coordinated team play and optimized loadouts.

For players seeking the perfect roll, focusing on stats like range and stability while pairing with damage-increasing traits creates a formidable weapon for both PvE and PvP activities. The catalyst itself enhances the weapon’s exotic trait, making it even more potent in combat situations.

Starting The Arms Dealer Nightfall

Begin your journey by launching The Arms Dealer, currently featured as the Nightfall: The Ordeal weekly strike. Crucially, you don’t need to complete the entire activity or tackle higher difficulty settings to progress. The standard version works perfectly for accessing Presage.

Upon entering the initial combat area—a Cabal installation where you’ll encounter several opponents—avoid the usual progression path. Typically, you’d deploy your Ghost to bypass security and unlock the main exit leading outdoors. Instead, locate an alternative entrance positioned adjacent to the holographic display table. This newly accessible route guides you through an extended corridor deeper into the complex, heavily defended by automated turret placements.

Identify the entrance positioned directly behind the holographic interface table during the opening segment of The Arms Dealer; bypass the standard procedure of accessing the console to your left.

Locating the Distress Signal

Fight through the fortified hallway until reaching its termination point, where you’ll emerge outdoors onto dual landing platforms. A formidable Cabal Phalanx commander named Than’grot, aligned with Empress Caiatl’s forces, obstructs advancement alongside additional defensive systems. Eliminate all opposition to clear passage onto the external platforms.

Additional automated defenses will appear as you advance away from the main structure. Leap toward the outermost landing area and search for a sizable gray container. Engage with this object to obtain a Cabal emergency transmission device that appears in your inventory. Examining this item provides narrative context about the unfolding situation.

Continue advancing across the landing areas, navigating past supplementary defensive placements, to locate the container housing the emergency transmission required to initiate the Presage mission.

Unlocking with Zavala

At this stage, your involvement with The Arms Dealer concludes, allowing you to either finish the strike normally or exit to orbit. Return to the Tower social space and converse with Commander Zavala. Following his situational briefing, a new activity becomes available on your Director’s Tangled Shore navigation map. Scan the upper display region to identify the Presage mission marker.

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Presage Exotic Mission

When initiating Presage, you’ll materialize within the cargo bay access point of the Cabal vessel designated Glykon. These primary entry doors remain completely sealed. To discover the actual entrance, descend the ramp and, oriented toward your personal ship and the vacuum of space, pivot rightward and ascend to the crimson conduits positioned there. Traverse these pipes and structural supports encircling the spacecraft’s exterior to locate an access point permitting interior entry.

We strongly recommend experiencing Presage through personal discovery rather than comprehensive guidance—the activity emphasizes environmental puzzles and navigational challenges that prove immensely satisfying when solved independently. Should you prefer self-guided exploration, discontinue reading immediately. We’ll provide essential guidance below for those requiring assistance.

Navigating Hidden Paths and Ventilation

If progression halts within any specific chamber, the solution typically involves aggressive clearance. Consistent with other Cabal-themed content, numerous passageways remain concealed behind ventilation coverings that respond to weapon fire. When encountering obstacles, identify destructible vents. Additionally, you’ll frequently unblock routes by activating substantial control mechanisms (comparable to those encountered aboard the Leviathan), and proximity sensors often emit audible beeping signals indicating switch locations.

Furthermore, you’ll occasionally unlock doors or demolish vent covers to expose energy distribution nodes. Target these components to deactivate electrical barriers or open sealed passages, though they occasionally reset, compelling you to destroy them and rapidly traverse the cleared pathway before reactivation. Observe what environmental elements these conduits influence, as their effects aren’t always immediately apparent.

Eregore Spore Mechanics

Another fundamental system operates throughout the Glykon. You’ll repeatedly encounter luminous white barriers that inflict burn damage upon contact. To bypass these obstacles, locate and destroy small spherical glowing objects that discharge fungal particles. Position yourself adjacent to these orbs during destruction to receive a temporary enhancement called Eregore Link, enabling safe passage through the white barriers. The spore effects persist briefly, necessitating pre-planned navigation from spore sources to barriers to ensure completion before timer expiration.

Boss Battle Strategy

Managing both environmental hazards and incendiary damage from the Locus’s massive weapon proves equally critical to controlling enemy forces during this confrontation.

The mission reaches its climax in a final encounter against a formidable Scorn adversary reminiscent of The Hangman from the Forsaken expansion. This enemy wields an enormous maul that it impacts against the ground, projecting fiery waves across the flooring toward your position. The combat arena progressively fills with supplementary Scorn combatants during the engagement, so maintain constant mobility to avoid becoming overwhelmed. After inflicting moderate damage to the Locus, it descends to the chamber’s lower tier, where the deck glows from the vessel’s heating system. You must engage three regulation interfaces on the upper level to sufficiently reduce temperatures for continued combat.

Once you’ve eliminated the minor threats (Ticuu’s Divination performs exceptionally in the standard mission variant), search for control panels at both extremities of the room. Behind these interfaces, you’ll observe expansive floor openings permitting descent. Refrain from dropping until activating all three cooling mechanisms. The third interface resides within the central compartment on the upper floor, but note that during boiler activation, this room similarly applies burn damage. The optimal approach involves engaging the initial two panels first so that when activating the panel within the incendiary chamber, it extinguishes flames and prevents burn injury.

Following cooling system activation, descend and confront the Locus of Communion on the lower level. The combat mechanics remain largely identical to the previous phase, except defensive positions become unavailable. If encountering difficulties, ascend to the upper floor again to evade the Locus’s fiery maul assault. You can effectively outmaneuver this opponent by sprinting toward one of the alternative floor openings to descend and position yourself behind it.

Deplete one-third of the Locus’s health reservoir and the heating system re-engages, forcing return to the upper level. Eliminate remaining adversaries and replicate the procedure. After deactivating the boiler twice more, you’ll receive clearance to eliminate the Locus and conclude the mission.

Claiming Dead Man’s Tale

Upon defeating the Locus of Communion, you’ll discover Dead Man’s Tale within an adjacent compartment. This Exotic firearm accumulates bonus damage through consecutive precision impacts, while simultaneously achieving accelerated reload velocity, so consistently land cranial shots for peak performance. Similar to Hawkmoon, you can repeatedly re-roll Dead Man’s Tale to obtain alternative perk configurations.

Weekly Roll System

After initial Presage completion, the activity becomes permanently accessible through your Director interface. Subsequent mission attempts yield Pinnacle-tier rewards. Based on extensive testing through multiple completions, you acquire one fresh Dead Man’s Tale configuration per gaming account weekly. Presage provides three Pinnacle rewards per week, distributed across characters, though only your inaugural weekly completion provides a new Dead Man’s Tale. Operating the mission on secondary characters grants randomized Pinnacle-level equipment.

Master Difficulty Catalyst

Following your initial Presage clearance and Dead Man’s Tale acquisition, you become eligible for its Exotic catalyst. Retrieve the At Your Fingertips Exotic assignment from Zavala within the Tower, then undertake Presage at Master difficulty. This represents an enhanced iteration of the original activity featuring a 25-minute countdown, requiring efficient progression.

For comprehensive details, consult our BF6 Weapons Unlock Guide for comprehensive information about conquering Presage on Master difficulty and advancing your catalyst unlocking progression post-acquisition.

Secrets In Presage

After successfully completing Presage initially and obtaining the Dead Man’s Tale Exotic, revisiting the activity enables discovery of supplementary concealed elements. Multiple secrets include associated Triumph completions. Here’s our current findings.

Captain’s Log Seasonal Challenge

Substantial additional narrative remains hidden throughout the Glykon, and locating these elements earns dual Triumphs plus Seasonal Challenge credit. The Captain’s Log objective necessitates completing Presage a second time, identifying five scannable objects that disclose supplementary clues regarding events aboard the vessel. Five total scannable items exist; reference our Captain’s Log guide for meticulous waypoint instructions.

Scannable Object Collections

After accomplishing the Captain’s Log Seasonal Challenge, another collectible series activates. You must execute Presage again to access six additional scannable objects. We’ve documented all locations within the Another Link in the Chain segment of our Captain’s Log guide.

All The Scattered Pieces Triumph And Gilgamesh Ghost Shell

One final collectible group becomes available after clearing the initial two sets. The concluding quartet of items rewards the Gilgamesh Exotic Ghost shell, while completing remaining narrative gaps regarding the Glykon’s history. Consult the All The Scattered Pieces section of our Captain’s Log guide for complete documentation.

Lorebook Progression

We’re continuing verification, but our Presage investigation indicates you receive one lorebook entry among the weekly Presage completion rewards, without additional benefits from character repetition. Our unlock occurred during the second mission completion, suggesting requirement of initial Presage clearance and Dead Man’s Tale acquisition before eligibility. Twelve total lore entries exist, indicating necessity of weekly Presage execution throughout the season for full acquisition. The initial entry additionally correlates with a concealed cache within the Presage mission, suggesting discovery of fresh chests with each new unlocked entry.

Catalyst Caches

Distributed throughout the Glykon are objects resembling datapads from other activities. None of these datapads remain interactive during initial or secondary mission attempts, but they appear to activate as you obtain new Captain’s Log lorebook pages, seemingly permitting weekly access to one datapad. Each datapad unlocks a clandestine smuggling section aboard the Glykon, containing a cache providing randomized loot. Each cache contributes approximately 12% advancement toward your Dead Man’s Tale catalyst, and locating all activates the Tucked Away Triumph. Fortunately, even accessing caches before catalyst acquisition, progression applies retroactively, ensuring credit for previously opened caches.

Review our Battlefield 6 Complete Guide for specific positional data regarding each cache location.

To begin your journey through the Presage mission, you’ll need to launch The Arms Dealer, which serves as this week’s featured Nightfall: The Ordeal Strike. The significant advantage here is that completion of the entire Strike isn’t mandatory, nor do you require elevated difficulty settings to obtain your objectives. This approach saves considerable time compared to traditional Nightfall requirements.

The mission structure connects directly to several seasonal challenges including Captain’s Log Seasonal Challenge, Another Link In The Chain Triumph, and All The Scattered Pieces Triumph which rewards the exclusive Gilgamesh Ghost Shell. Additionally, you’ll progress toward unlocking the Captain’s Log Lorebook and locating Hidden Caches necessary for the Dead Man’s Tale Catalyst progression.

Initiate the mission and advance into the initial chamber, a Cabal installation where you’ll encounter several hostile units. Conventionally, players would deploy their Ghost to bypass security systems and unlock the primary exit leading to exterior zones. However, your actual objective involves identifying an alternative access point that has recently become available, positioned adjacent to the console displaying the substantial holographic interface.

This secondary entrance guides you toward an expansive corridor system penetrating deeper into the complex, with automated defense systems positioned throughout the passage. For optimal navigation, focus your search on the portal situated immediately behind the holographic display station within The Arms Dealer’s opening area—avoid diverting leftward to compromise the standard doorway as you normally would.

Fight through the corridor until reaching its termination point, where you’ll emerge into open air—this time, accessing dual landing platforms. A formidable Cabal Phalanx commander designated Than’grot, who maintains allegiance to Caiatl, obstructs advancement in this sector, supported by additional automated defense installations. Eliminate all opposition to secure passage toward the external landing areas.

When engaging turrets, prioritize those covering choke points first while utilizing cover to minimize damage intake. Against Than’grot, target his shield generators before focusing on critical weak points. Advanced players can employ suppression grenades or area-denial abilities to control enemy movement patterns effectively.

Additional automated defenses become visible as you advance beyond the facility complex. Traverse to the most distant landing platform and identify the sizable gray container. Engage with it to acquire the Cabal Distress Signal data module within your inventory. Examine this item for narrative context and mission background information.

Pro players should note that completing this mission efficiently requires approximately 15-20 minutes solo, or 10-12 minutes with a coordinated fireteam. Common mistakes include missing the initial hidden door or underestimating turret sightlines—always clear areas methodically before advancing.

Upon defeating the Locus of Communion boss encounter, venture deeper into the Glykon vessel to locate Dead Man’s Tale in an adjacent chamber. This exotic scout rifle features a unique damage amplification system where consecutive precision hits progressively increase both damage output and reload velocity. For optimal performance, maintain consistent headshot accuracy to maximize the weapon’s potential. Similar to other exotic weapons with random rolls, Dead Man’s Tale can be reacquired with alternative perk combinations to suit various playstyles.

After your initial completion of the Presage operation, permanent access becomes available through the Director interface for subsequent runs. Each additional attempt rewards players with pinnacle-level gear drops. Based on extensive testing and community verification, each account receives exactly one new Dead Man’s Tale configuration per weekly reset. The mission itself provides three pinnacle rewards weekly, distributed across your character roster, though only the first completion per account grants a fresh weapon roll. Subsequent runs on alternate characters yield randomized pinnacle-tier equipment instead.

Following your inaugural Presage clear and Dead Man’s Tale acquisition, the pathway to obtaining its exotic catalyst becomes accessible. You must acquire the specialized ‘At Your Fingertips’ exotic quest from Commander Zavala stationed in the Tower social space, then undertake Presage at Master difficulty tier. This enhanced version presents significantly increased challenge parameters including a strict 25-minute completion timer, demanding both strategic efficiency and combat proficiency. Proper loadout preparation and route optimization become critical success factors for timely completion.

For comprehensive strategies and advanced techniques, consult our dedicated Dead Man’s Tale Catalyst guide covering Master difficulty tactics and catalyst progression advancement methods after acquisition.

After securing Dead Man’s Tale during your initial Presage expedition, returning to the mission reveals multiple layers of concealed secrets throughout the derelict ship. Several discoveries correlate with additional triumph objectives. Here are the currently documented findings from extensive exploration.

Substantial narrative elements remain hidden throughout the Glykon’s corridors, with discovery rewarding two distinct triumphs and seasonal challenge completion. The Captain’s Log challenge necessitates a secondary Presage run while searching for five specific scannable objects that unveil crucial story details about the vessel’s fate. All five scannable items must be located; reference our detailed Captain’s Log guide for precise navigation instructions to each discovery point.

After successfully completing the Captain’s Log seasonal objective, an additional collection tier becomes available. Another Presage completion run becomes necessary to access six more scannable objects. Complete location details are available in the Another Link in the Chain segment of our Captain’s Log documentation.

A final collection tier emerges once the preceding two groups have been fully documented. The last set of four scannables rewards the exclusive Gilgamesh exotic ghost shell while resolving the remaining narrative gaps in the Glykon’s mysterious story. Consult the All The Scattered Pieces section of our Captain’s Log guide to locate all remaining items.

Based on current investigative findings from multiple Presage completions, players receive one lorebook entry as part of their weekly mission clear rewards, without additional entries from character repetition. Unlock patterns indicate acquisition typically occurs during the second mission run, suggesting initial Presage completion and Dead Man’s Tale claim are prerequisites before lore acquisition becomes possible.

The complete collection comprises 12 distinct lore entries, indicating consistent weekly Presage engagement throughout the season will be necessary for full compilation. The initial entry directly correlates with a concealed cache hidden within the Presage mission environment, implying discovery of a new secret chest accompanies each freshly unlocked lore segment.

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