Life Lessons: Destiny 2’s The Final Shape Enigma Protocol – How to Unlock, Encounters, and More
The new Battle Pass brings fresh gear and weapons along with a way to pick them up. We dive into the mysterious Enigma Protocol and what you need to do to unlock it.
Destiny 2’s latest expansion The Final Shape does more than introduce new mechanics and story beats. It also revamps the game’s approach to its Battle Pass, removing Seasons that change every three months and swapping them for the new Episode system in which each episode is split up into three major Acts, with a four-month duration on each Act, giving players more time to earn ranks and collect rewards.
The first of these new Episodes, titled Echoes, brings a ton of new gear and weapons for players to unlock across the free and premium versions of the Battle Pass. It is a great addition to an expansion that has garnered critical and commercial praise for its explosive story and terrifying new enemies.
More to See, More to Do, More to Find
Act 1 of Echoes introduces players to Enigma Protocol, a recurring activity that is sure to keep them coming back on account of all the rewards they can earn from the Battle Pass. However, unlocking this new activity requires that you do a few tasks for Failsafe, the primary vendor for Echoes. The first step is to complete The Final Shape’s campaign, defeating The Witness and ending the war between Light and Darkness.
The game automatically introduces you to Echoes with a mission where you are introduced to the new Breach Executable activity after meeting with Failsafe. Complete it and return to her to find that she needs your assistance, getting you started with the Episode and putting you on your way to the Enigma Protocol.
Life Lessons: Destiny 2’s The Final Shape Enigma Protocol – How to Unlock, Encounters, and More
Failsafe tells you about some mysterious activity at the Well of Echoes, which you can access at The Tangle. This begins the Encoded Log mission, in which you ride your Sparrow to the western end of the Tangle and begin to navigate your way to its lower areas, using a teleporter you find along the way to progress.
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Eventually, you reach an area full of basic enemies whose ranks are bolstered by a Shielded Minotaur. There are Vex Cubes suspended in the air that you will need to take out before you are able to do any damage to the Minotaur, a challenge with all of the other enemies that come with it attacking you almost constantly. Once they are all dealt with, jump down into the gaping hole and follow the path until you find the flag that unlocks the Enigma Protocol.
You can now access the Enigma Protocol from your Mission Select screen. However, it isn’t like other missions in Destiny 2. It flips the script on the usual mission types, requiring that you race through each level instead of killing a specific number of enemies or hunting down a resource. Set in the Vox Network, these missions have you navigating tricky platforming sections while shooting down specific targets to add to a timer that is working against you.
While there are sections that require you to complete a few objectives as you fight off enemies, Enigma Protocol missions are mostly about navigating complex sections of their levels, keeping your eyes peeled for Yellow Diamond Constructs that add 30 seconds to your mission timer. Considering that you only have a minute to begin with, finding and shooting them is almost necessary to successfully completing each mission.
Another useful detail to remember is that you can take down Archival Timekeeper Harpies that spawn in combat encounters to add more seconds to your timer. They show up towards the end of each combat encounter, enshrouded in white domes that you must break through to take them down. They too add 30 seconds to the mission timer, so keep a sharp eye out for them and bring them down as soon as you can.
Bring your most powerful weapons to these missions, as you will need their firepower to clear out groups of enemies while breaking through the Harpies’ defenses. They will also come in handy if you happen to be stuck in a Detain Bubble spawned by drones specific to these missions. A weapon with a good balance of offense and range can take these drones out before they get a chance to obstruct you.
You will also need to increase your Power Level, getting as close to the 2005 mark as you possibly can. If that’s a challenge for you, bringing in a squad of teammates at higher levels can help increase your own through the newly introduced Fireteam Power system. You will certainly need them, as the enemies here can be hard to beat when you’re on the clock.
At the moment, there are a few Enigma Protocol missions for you to play, and you will need to keep coming back to them in order to rank up on the Battle Pass. Bear in mind that these can change over time, with some being rotated out weekly to make way for new ones. Here are the missions available to players at the moment:
- Networked Grid missions going from levels 1-4
- Experimental Grid missions going from levels 1-4
- Bridge missions at level 1
- Archival Grid missions at level 1
Remember that a green environment means that you are making good time while it’s time to hurry up or add more seconds to your timer in the event that your surroundings turn red.
And that’s all you need to know about the Enigma Protocol! For more assistance with Destiny 2 or The Final Shape, do check our detailed guides to find what you need.
