The Dreadnaught is a graveyard. It’s a hollowed-out god-corpse floating in the rings of Saturn, and honestly, we all thought we knew every inch of it back in 2015. But Episode: Heresy changed the math. Bungie didn't just bring back a legacy patrol space; they shoved a roguelike dungeon-crawl called The Nether right into its rotting chest cavity.
If you’ve been running Nether delves and wondering why your progress on the "Nether Secrets" triumph feels stuck, you're not alone. Most people just sprint to the boss. They ignore the Ghost icon pulsing in the corner of their screen. They miss the literal piles of loot sitting behind invisible walls because they’re too busy worrying about the "Extinguish" modifier or their dwindling revive tokens.
The Nether isn't just a combat challenge. It’s a scavenger hunt where the rules change every time you zone in.
Tracking Down the Actual Destiny 2 Nether Secrets
You’ve probably seen the Ghost icon. It’s that little white diamond in the top right of your HUD that pops up when you enter a new section like the Mausoleum or The Founts. That is your bread and butter. When that icon is there, a secret is active. If it disappears, you either finished it or you’ve moved too far away.
Actually finding them is a mix of old-school Dreadnaught logic and new seasonal mechanics.
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The Whispering Orbs (Toland)
Toland is back to his usual cryptic self. You’ll find him as a little white wisp of light hovering in random corners. Don't just look at him. Walk into him. He’ll zip away. Follow him. You usually have to "tag" him about five times before he finally gives up the goods. Once he’s done his little dance, a chest spawns. It’s simple, but in the chaos of a Nether run with limited revives, most fireteams just blow right past him.
The Ravenous Hive Puzzle
In the Hall of Souls, keep an eye out for a Cursed Thrall that isn't trying to blow you up. This is the "Ravenous" secret. Basically, you have to bait this specific Hive unit to "eat" Hive worms scattered around the room. It grows. It goes from a Thrall to an Acolyte, then a Knight. Once it hits its final form, kill it. If you pop it too early, you get nothing but a wasted run.
The Invisible Platforms
This is the one that trips up newer Guardians. If you pull out your Ghost and see him looking toward a giant, empty chasm, he’s not glitched. He’s pointing at invisible platforms. You have to navigate these while holding your Ghost out (or just memorizing the path) to reach high-up ledges. There is almost always a chest at the end containing Sigil Shards or Scriptures.
Why You Should Care About Metastasized Essentia
You’ve seen them. Those gross, pulsating black-and-white growths that look like Taken tumors. Most players ignore them because they don’t provide an immediate stat boost. That’s a mistake.
These are Metastasized Essentia. You need to grab ten of them. If you finish the Nether run successfully, they turn into a permanent currency you can take back to Eris Morn’s apartment in the H.E.L.M.
- The Risk: If you wipe (run out of revives), you lose the Essentia you collected in that run.
- The Reward: Turning them in at the "Shaping Mirror" is the most consistent way to get high-roll Apostate’s Blade armor and reprised Hive weapons.
Solving the Founts Symbol Puzzle
The Founts is probably the most annoying room for secrets. There’s a specific wall with three Hive runes glowing on it. Somewhere in the adjacent room, there are containers with those same symbols. You have to shoot them in the order shown on the wall. If you mess it up, you get hit with a debuff called "Suffocating Terror," which starts eating your health—and remember, passive health regen is disabled in The Nether.
You have to rely on those white healing orbs dropped by enemies. One wrong shot on a rune can literally end a solo flawless run because you can't heal the chip damage.
The Secret Room in the Mausoleum
There’s a Shrieker in the Mausoleum that doesn't shoot back. Instead, it acts as a portal. To activate it, you usually have to clear the "Taken Clusters" in the area first. Once it opens, it’ll teleport you to a hidden room.
Pro tip: This room usually has a "Desire Chest." You’ll need Essence of Desire to open these, which you get from ranking up your Tome of Want. If you don’t have the essence, don't bother going in; you'll just be staring at a locked box while your "Pressure" timer ticks down.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Next Run
Stop treating The Nether like a Strike. It’s a roguelite. If you want to finish that triumph and max out your Tome of Want, you need to change your approach.
- Ghost Check: Every time you enter a new transition zone (Trenchway, Hall of Souls, etc.), pull out your Ghost. If the icon is there, don't leave the room until you find the wisp or the urns.
- Urn Lighting: Look for small Hive braziers/urns. Usually, there are three. Lighting them in quick succession spawns a mini-boss. Killing that boss counts as a "Nether Secret" for the triumph.
- Fragile Mods: Equip the seasonal Ghost mods you get from Eris. Some of them actually increase the chance of finding better "Boons" after completing these secrets, making the final boss significantly easier.
- Essentia Farming: Make it a habit to grab at least five Essentia nodes per run. It’s the only way to stay ahead of the material grind for the Shaping Slab.
The Dreadnaught doesn't give up its loot easily, but once you stop rushing, the patterns become obvious. Check the corners, follow the glowing balls of light, and for the love of the Traveler, stop jumping into the Mausoleum pit without checking the side tunnels first.