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 Born in Darkness quest steps: How to complete Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4 explained

How to upgrade your Stasis grenades in this post-campaign quest.

Destiny 2's Born in Darkness is a questline which opens after the completion of the Beyond Light campaign.

The quest serves two functions. Its primary purpose is to enhance your newly unlocked Stasis subclass, giving them access to two new grenades - both which are exceptionally powerful - as well as a new aspect.

The other function is it goes deeper into the story of the Exo Stranger, from whom will give you the quest once the Beyond Light story has concluded.

Throughout each of the Born in Darkness Parts, players will learn about where the Stranger came from, who her family are and where she might be headed in the future. New lore, new Statis abilities - this questline has a bit of everything.

On this page:

Cover image for YouTube videoDestiny 2: Beyond Light – Weapons and Gear Trailer [UK]
What to expect from Beyond Light's new Exotics and gear.

How to complete the Born in Darkness quest in brief

The Born in Darkness quest is broken into several parts, each following the same structure. This will see you playing activities such as Strikes and Gambit, all while getting more comfortable with your Stasis abilities.

Here's an overview of every quest step:

Born in Darkness Part 1

  • Collect 50 Energized Ether from by defeating Fallen on Europa, and get 10 Stasis melee final blows on any combatant on Europa
  • Complete any 3 Strikes with Stasis equipped, and defeat 50 combatants with Stasis in playlist Strikes
  • Defeat Weniks, Salvation Elite's Platoon in Eternity
  • Complete the Bunker E15 Lost Sector
  • Speak with the Exo Stranger

At this point, you are given the Aspect of Control quest step.

Born in Darkness Part 2

  • Collect 50 Energized radiolarian fluid by defeating Vex on Europa, and get 20 Stasis Shatter final blows by shattering frozen combatants and Stasis crystals on Europa
  • Complete any 3 playlist activities with Stasis equipped, and in playlist activities, affect 60 combatants with Stasis
  • Defeat Meliks, Salvation Elite's Platoon in Riis-Reborn Approach
  • Complete the Perdition Lost Sector
  • Speak with the Exo Stranger

Born in Darkness Part 3

  • Defeat 30 Vex for their Darkness Energy, defeat 30 Fallen for their Darkness Energy, and on Europa, affect 20 combatants with Stasis
  • Complete 3 Gambit matches with Stasis equipped, and in Gambit, affect 60 combatants with Stasis
  • Defeat Teraks, Salvation Elite Platoon in Eternity
  • Complete the Concealed Void Lost Sector
  • Speak with the Exo Stranger

Complete the above, and two new Stasis grenade abilities - Duskfield and Coldsnap - are yours after completing Part 2 and Part 3 respectively.

Born in Darkness Part 4

  • Defeat combatants on Europa using Stasis abilities (50 total)
  • Complete three Nightfall Strikes with Statis equipped, and have 60 enemies within Nightfall strikes affected by Statis
  • Defeat the House Salvation Elite platoon in Creation
  • Bring the Skeleton Key to the Exo Stranger in Creation (visit the Giant Exo)
  • Find all nine Entropic Shard locations
  • Return to the Crux of Darkness in Riis-Reborn Approach

Doing so will unlock another Aspect for your Statis sub-class - Frostpulse.

How to complete Born in Darkness: Part 1 in Destiny 2

So, you've completed the Beyond Light campaign, and have been handed the Born in Darkness questline from the Exo Stranger.

This isn't terribly difficult, but it is quite long, so buckle in.

Your first step is fairly self-explanatory. You just need to get 50 Energized Ether from Fallen on Europa, while also getting 10 Stasis melee final blows. It's as simple as it sounds. There are a lot of Fallen in Eventide Ruins, as well as the Lost Sector in Asterion Abyss, Concealed Void.

If you are struggling to get your Stasis melee ability back fast enough, if you have access to it, equip the Monte Carlo. It returns your melee fairly often.

Next, it's Strike time. The wording on this card is key. The three Strikes you have to complete can be any strikes. Unfortunately, the 50 combatants you have to affect with Stasis need to be in the strike playlist. You can also use the new exotic Salvation's Grip, which you get from another post-campaign quest, to aide in the Stasis abilities.

However, if you find you have done the latter part of the quest early, and still have strikes you need to complete, you can do any. If this is the case, and you want maximum efficiency, hop into Lake of Shadows. It's the shortest strike.

Once you have done that, load back into Europa and head to your left towards Cadmus Ridge. Your waypoint should be leading you into Eternity, and to a boss enemy called Weniks, Salvation's Elite. Kill him and his cronies to progress.

Once he is killed, fast travel back to Charon's Crossing and head to the Eventide Ruins. Once there, enter the E15 Bunker Lost Sector. Here's a refresher on the location if you need it:

Cover image for YouTube videoBunker E15 Lost Sector location in Destiny 2

Run it like normal and take out the final boss. Once you've done so, your tracker should guide you to a room connected to the final room. There you will meet the Stranger. Use the skeleton key, and listen to her story.

Finally, head back to the Stranger at the Beyond fast travel point. You are now down with Part 1.

At this point, you are given the Aspect of Control quest step.

How to complete Born in Darkness: Part 2 in Destiny 2

For Part 2, it's time to do it all over again, just with a few adjustments. First up, you need to kill 50 Vex and get 20 Stasis shatter final blows.

There are a lot of Vex in Cadmus Ridge and Asterion Abyss. You could also just run the enter the E15 Bunker Lost Sector once more.

Again, the Salvation's Grip exotic will make quick work of the shatter portion.

Once you are done, you have some choice. You can pick any playlist activity you want, be it Gambit, Strikes or Crucible (or a mix of the three.) You have to complete three activities and also affect 60 combatants with Stasis. Guardians count for more than a normal enemy, too.

It's worth noting that Strikes and Gambit completions are needed for different portions of this questline. So, if you were looking for a time to fit in some Crucible, now would be it.

Next up, head as north as you can go on Europa to reach the Fallen base Riis-Reborn. Your tracker should be leading you to a boss named Meliks, Salvation's Elite. Wipe him and his platoon from existence and head onto the next step.

Fast travel back to Charon Crossing and head left to Cadmus Ridge. When there, enter the Perdition Lost Sector. Here's a refresher on where to find the entrance:

Cover image for YouTube videoPerdition Lost Sector location in Destiny 2

Once inside, kill the boss and follow your tracker once again to the Stranger and give her a skeleton key. Once again, take the time to enjoy the story.

Now, head back to the Exo Stranger, and it's time for a genuine reward. Once you speak to her, she will give you a new Stasis grenade called Duskfield Grenade. It's awesome. Use it.

How to complete Born in Darkness: Part 3 in Destiny 2

Alright, time for the last part. Again the steps will seem familiar. The first step is to kill both 30 Vex and 30 Fallen.

After all this running around, you should have a good idea of where to find them. While you are doing that, you also need to affect 20 enemy combatants with Stasis.

Next up, you need to get your Gambit gear ready. Complete three Gambit matches and affect 60 combatants with Stasis. Yet again, Salvation's Grip will help a lot here if you have it.

Time for you to find the last of the three Salvation bosses. This time you are headed back to Eternity, but a different part. Fast travel to Charon Crossing once more, back to Cadmus Ridge and into the Bray Tech area. Follow your tracker until you come across Teraks, Salvation Elite and his platoon. Vanquish them like the rest.

Nearly there. Fast travel back to Charon's Crossing and head right to Asterion Abyss. Once there, enter the Concealed Void Lost Sector. Here's a reminder of where to find it:

Cover image for YouTube videoConcealed Void Lost Sector location in Destiny 2

Defeat the boss at the end. You will then be directed to another room, where you will see the Stranger and... a surprise! Give the Stranger the skeleton key, and once again enjoy the story.

Now, head back to the Stranger for your last reward, the Coldsnap Grenade.

How to complete Born in Darkness: Part 4 in Destiny 2

The fourth part of Born in Darkness was made available upon the community completion of the Deep Stone Crypt raid on November 21st, 2020.

You don't have to complete the raid yourself to access part 4 - but you do need to have completed all previous parts so far.

By now, the routine should be straightforward. First, defeat combatants on Europa using Stasis abilities - 50 in total.

Next, complete three Nightfall Strikes with Statis equipped, and have 60 enemies within Nightfall strikes affected by Statis. Again, this is fairly straightforward.

As with previous parts, you must go defeat the House Salvation Elite platoon, this time in Creation. Track the quest and follow the on-screen marker until you get there.

From there, you are requested to bring the Skeleton Key to the Exo Stranger in Creation.

This location is actually that of the Giant Exo. If you have completed The Lament quest, this should be familiar to you. Otherwise, the following video will show you where to go:

Cover image for YouTube videoDestiny 2 - Giant Exo location (and Creation Dead Exo and Entropic Shard locations )

Once done, you need to find all nine Entropic Shard locations. Some of these were required for the Aspect of Control quest which appeared upon the completion of Part 1, and this final step in Part 4 has you find all nine.

If you haven't already, you need to have unlocked Salvation's Grip in order to destroy these once you have found their locations.

You then need to return to the Crux of Darkness in Riis-Reborn Approach. Again, track the quest and follow the marker - with the end location now being a familiar sight based on the various quests we've completed in Beyond Light.

With that finally done, the Frostpulse aspect is then yours.

Congratulations - you now have access to all the Stasis abilities from the first season's quests. More have been released since - including the Aspect of Influence.