Destiny 2’s new Season of the Deep has begun, and like previous seasons, there are some new matchmade activities to dive into. You’ll be able to do two such activities this season, as Deep Dive is a short blast of fun that will evolve over the weeks and Salvage is a more traditional matchmade activity. If you’ve spent time in Defiant Battlegrounds, Heist Battlegrounds, or Ketchcrash, you’ll be familiar with this mode that supports up to six players.
It’s a speedy series of arenas, tasks to complete, and a big boss fight at the end. As usual, you’ll be able to score some great loot from this activity, as well as some of the new seasonal gear, vendor reputation, and progress for Seasonal Bonuses. Here’s a look at how Salvage works in Season of the Deep.
Phase 1: Clear the area and complete the objectives
The first part of Salvage is essentially a combination of room-clearing action while juggling an objective. This second part of the first phase pulls from one of four random tasks, and during our playthroughs, we’ve been tasked with destroying crystals, carrying heavy wrenches, and defusing bombs that have activated our Prison of Elders memories. These objectives might have slight variations, but for the most part, you’ll need to quickly accomplish them and fend off any Hive or Fallen in the area.
Phase 2: How to defeat Azshradat
Once you’ve cleared rooms, it’s time to head a little deeper into Titan’s facilities and take on the big bad boss waiting for you. There are two different bosses, according to the Triumphs, with the second one being Uorgotha, Scourge of the Deep.
For now, it’s time to focus on the Hive boss in front of you, as this fight has a few interesting mechanics to master. Azshradat will be protected by a shield that your weapons can’t pierce, and he’s also guarded by Hive Knights known as Runekeepers. You’ll first need to keep an eye out for a Hive Rune that’ll appear in the air, and then you’ll need to find a plate that matches the symbol.
Once you do that, you’ll gain the buff “Heinous Right” and you can start breaking the shields of Runekeepers while you stand on the plate. When the shields are down, you’ll be able to move out of the plate and begin dealing damage to them. Once the Knights are taken out of action, you can repeat this process and start melting through Azshradat’s shield. With his defenses down, you can start unloading everything you have at him, and if you’re quick enough, you can easily take him out in this phase alone before the timer on your buff runs out. If you don’t quite manage to take out Azshradat in this phase, you can simply repeat the process to take out Runekeepers and lower his defenses again.
After that is done, you can head over to the Salvage chests and claim your loot. If you have any Salvage keys, you can cash them in for extra rewards.
How to get Salvage Keys
You’ll be able to get two Salvage keys this season on the premium track of the season pass, as those keys can be claimed as rank 12 and 52 rewards. To get the keys more consistently, you’ll need to take part in playlist activities, as the Crucible, Vanguard, and Gambit activities will occasionally drop them as rewards. Alternatively, you can earn Salvage keys as rewards for ranking up with the new vendor in the HELM.
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