Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Destiny 2 Microphasic Datalattice sources, Nessus Challenges and Activities explained

Fallen Servitors, Supply Caches

Destiny 2's Microphasic Datalattice is one of one several materials you need to Infuse weapons and armour.

You'll find it from a variety of Nessus activities and daily Nessus challenges.

For other materials, we've put together pages on the Dusklight Shard, Aklane Dust, and Phaseglass Needle, with plenty of detail on activities for each.

On this page:

Where to find Microphasic Datalattice in Destiny 2

Similar to the original Destiny, there are planetary materials to look out for as you roam. These appear at random on the edges of pathways, buildings or perched on structures. One of them is Microphasic Datalattice, which you'll find on Nessus.

Like chests, by default they won't appear on your heads-up display and it's only when you are up close that you can collect them.

If you are farming them, then the easiest way is to roam around, using your Sparrow where you can, and keep your eyes peeled for glowing objects, or simply do other activities or Challenges, and you'll naturally come across them.

You can also get Ghosts or use Scout Reports to help display them when you are in a certain radius, too.

As well as out in Patrol, you can receive Microphasic Datalattice as a reward where you previously received Nessus planetary Tokens. These include:

  • Patrol missions
  • Public Events
  • Opening loot chests
  • Defeating high-powered enemies and opening the chest that appears
  • Completing Lost Sectors, Adventures and other missions on Nessus
  • Daily Challenges on Nessus

It can also be purchased from Spider, the vendor in Forsaken's The Tangled Shore area.


The Season of the Deep is here alongside the Into the Depths quest. You can know go fishing too! Don't forget to keep an eye on the Lost Sector and King's Fall challenge rotation schedule!


Destiny 2 Nessus activities explained

The planet Nessus offers a number of set activities you can view on the map as you play through the game's story and beyond.

Landing Zones / Fast Travel points:

  • Watcher's Grave (unlocked automatically)
  • Artifact's Edge (unlocked automatically)
  • Exodus Black (unlocked automatically)
  • The Cistern (unlocked automatically)

Adventures

Adventures are mini-story missions with simple objectives in return for randomised (but capped) gear. As always, make sure you tackle Adventures at their recommended Power level.

Adventure NameUnlocks CompletingRecommended PowerReward
ReleaseLooped and Six90Rare / Blue Gear
Lost CrewLooped and Six90Rare / Blue Gear
Invitation from the EmperorLooped and Six90Rare / Blue Gear
UnbreakableLooped and Six90Rare / Blue Gear
Deep ConversationLooped and Six90Rare / Blue Gear
Hack the PlanetLooped and Six90Rare / Blue Gear
Exodus SiegeLooped and Six90Rare / Blue Gear

Exotic weapon quests

As well as Adventures - which unlock over the course of the story - there are a couple of exotic quests that can be chipped away at from Nessus. First, there's the quest for Sturm and Drang, which you'll get from Failsafe after completing the main story, and can be completed in its entirety on the planet.

There's also an important step for getting the Legend of Acrius exotic weapon that plays out on Nessus, once you have completed the Leviathan Raid.

This questline has you kill Cabal on Nessus - you can head to the Legend of Acrius and World Eater guide for more on how. Once complete, you'll unlock the next step in getting the elusive exotic.

Lost Sectors

Nessus has several Lost Sector mini-dungeons, and with Challenges often asking you to complete one a day, it pays to know where they are and how to complete them.

Public Events

Being one of the larger areas, Nesus has plenty of Public Events to hop into. Use your map to see where and when these begin, and don't forget to try and trigger the Heroic Public Event variant to unlock more rewards.

  • Glimmer Extraction
  • Injection Rig
  • Disrupt Vex Construction
  • Ether Resupply

It's worth paying attention to the location of the current week's Flashpoint - if it is Nessus, then you'll unlock a Powerful Gear Milestone after a number of Public Events completed.

Region chests

Not unlike the 'golden chests' from the first Destiny, each planet has a number of one-off chests you can discover and open. Each one contains three Tokens for that planet, some Glimmer and a chance at a loot drop (up to the 260/270 cap). Though they are marked on the map, our Destiny 2 Region Chests page explains their exact positions.

The more activities you play, the more Tokens you earn to level up the planet's Faction.

Pikes, Vex enemy locations and other Nessus Challenges explained

Each day at 10am UK time, the server will 'reset' a number of activities in the game. The foremost of these are each activities Challenges, giving you a new checklist of objectives to complete as you explore the Nessus Patrol space.

You will be given three to complete each day. The following is not an exhaustive list as new Challenges may emerge as days go on, but will give you an idea of what to expect and how to complete them.

  • Scourge of the Vex: Defeat 75 Vex Enemies - Vex are found all over the surface of Nessus, but will appear in droves at certain Public Events and inside Lost Sectors. That means completing other activities will help you unlock these, so concentrate on other Challenges and you should get most of your way through this without needing to grind.
  • Nessus Scavenger: Gather 10 Datalattice - As mentioned above, these are found at random throughout the planet, but do note that there are mutliple types of Datalattice, and all of them count. It's one of the tougher Challenges due to its unpredictable nature, but we'd suggest performing other Challenges and Public Events, and you should come across them naturally without hopefully needing to grind.
  • Pikejacked: Steal a Fallen Pike and use it to kill 20 enemies - The best place to nab yourself a Pike is from the area around the fallen ship, Exodus Black, near Failsafe. Pick off a rider by aiming for headshots, rather than at the Pike itself, and the enemies should be fairly easy picking from there.
  • Lost Sectors: Lost a Lost Sector in a specific area - Simply head to the specified area, then find and complete one of these mini-dungeons, with the Challenge completing when you pick up the loot at the end. If you're struggling, our Lost Sectors page can help you find one.
  • Event Horizon: Successfully complete a public event - You will find where and when these occur on your map. Don't forgot to attempt to trigger the Heroic Public Event for bonus rewards - though it's not required for this Challenge.
  • Walking the Beat: Complete 3 Patrols - First unlock Patrol Missions as part of Cayde's Patrol Milestone set of quests, and pick up and finish three of these mini-missions. We recommended grabbing a kill or drop-based Patrol and then undertaking a nearby Public Event to tick off two activities at once.

Additional reporting by Matthew Reynolds.