Destiny 2 is a weird game. Honestly, after years of updates, even the most veteran players get turned around when Bungie starts recycling names or mechanics across different seasons. If you've been searching for the Taken altar Destiny 2 has tucked away in its massive world, you're likely looking for one of two very specific things: the Altars of Summoning from Season of the Witch or the classic Taken-infused activities that still haunt the Dreaming City.
It’s confusing. I get it.
The game doesn't always do a great job of explaining where the "altars" actually are, especially when the Taken are involved. Most people are actually trying to figure out how to navigate the Altars of Summoning—that chaotic, wave-based arena where you basically gamble with Hive magic to get loot. But there’s also the literal Taken altars used for presenting offerings. Let’s break down what’s actually happening in these spaces and why the community still treats these locations as some of the best—and most frustrating—farms in the game.
What's the Deal With the Altars of Summoning?
When people talk about a Taken altar Destiny 2 players are currently farming, they’re usually referencing the ritual site found in the H.E.L.M. via the Savathûn’s Spire node. Technically, it's Hive architecture. However, the Taken are a constant, nagging presence here. You walk into this arena, and it’s essentially a "choose your own adventure" of suffering. You have three different tiers of difficulty, and if you're playing with matchmade randoms who keep dunking Tier 3 offerings when they aren't prepared, you're going to have a bad time.
The mechanics are straightforward but punishing. You offer a tithe. You fight waves. You pray the boss doesn't one-shot your Well of Radiance.
What makes this feel like a "Taken altar" is the aesthetic. The green Hive flame, the black ichor of the Taken, and the constant shifting of the arena. If you are specifically hunting Taken kills for a bounty or a catalyst, this isn't always the best spot because the enemy factions rotate. You might get Vex. You might get Hive. But when the Taken show up, the arena becomes a nightmare of blight spheres and boop-walls.
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The variety is actually the point. Bungie designed this to be "endless," or at least feel that way. You can stay in there for an hour if your team has the stomach for it. Most don't. Most people leave after two rounds because the rewards-to-effort ratio starts to skew wildly as the difficulty ramps up.
The Secret Taken Altars in the Dreaming City
Now, if you aren't talking about the Seasonal content, you're probably looking for the actual Taken altar Destiny 2 veterans remember from the Forsaken era. These are the small, interactable bowls found in the Harbinger's Seclude or the Gardens of Esila.
Why do they matter in 2026?
Because the Dreaming City is still the most atmospheric destination in the game, and Bungie keeps refreshing the loot table for weapons like Retold Tale and Waking Vigil. To get these, you often need to present "A Small Gift" or an "Offering to the Oracle." These altars are literally dripping with Taken energy. They are silent. They are creepy. They are tucked away in corners of the map that players haven't visited in months.
Searching for these specifically usually happens when a player is chasing the "Cursebreaker" title. You have to find the cats. You have to find the bones. You have to interact with these Taken-polluted pedestals to trigger dialogue from Queen Mara Sov or Toland the Shattered. It’s a completely different vibe than the loud, explosive chaos of the Season of the Witch altars. It’s methodical. It’s slow.
Finding the Harbinger’s Seclude Altar
To get there, you head to Rheasilvia. You enter the massive building at the back of the map. You descend. And you keep descending. Eventually, you reach a cavernous room with a giant statue. At the base of the statue, or tucked in the side rooms, are the altars.
Honestly, the navigation in the Dreaming City is a litmus test for how much you actually like Destiny. If you can find the Taken altar without looking at a map, you've probably spent too much time in the Shattered Throne.
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Why Everyone Messes Up the Tithings
Back to the Altars of Summoning for a second. There is a specific mechanic involving the "Powerful Offering."
You've probably seen it.
You stand at the altar, you see three symbols. One is weak, one is robust, one is powerful. If you are solo-queueing, please, for the love of the Traveler, look at your teammates' power levels before hitting the powerful one. This is the primary reason players fail the Taken altar Destiny 2 encounters. The "Powerful" tier scales the enemies significantly. We're talking one-tap territory if you aren't running 100 Resilience.
The Taken waves in this mode are particularly nasty. You’ll get Taken Ogres that push you off the ritual plates. You’ll get Taken Psions that multiply faster than you can reload your Sunshot. It’s a test of add-clear efficiency. If your build can't handle 20 thrall rushing you while a Taken Captain throws blinding bubbles at your face, you need to rethink your loadout.
Best Loadouts for Taken-Heavy Altars
If you know you're heading into a high-density Taken environment, stop using generic builds. Taken enemies have different crit spots and behaviors.
- Malfeasance: This is the king. It deals bonus damage to Taken. It’s an Exotic Hand Cannon that essentially ignores the tankiness of Taken Knights. If you’re a Hunter wearing Lucky Pants, you can melt the altar bosses in seconds.
- Witherhoard: This is basically cheating. The blight pool tick-damages enemies, and since Taken often spawn in predictable clusters at the altars, you can just fire-and-forget.
- Dragon’s Breath: Great for area denial. The Taken love to teleport, but they can't teleport away from a floor that is literally on fire for ten seconds.
Structure your mods for Orbs of Power. In the Altars of Summoning, you need your Super as often as possible. Don't be the person holding onto a Nova Bomb for "the right moment." The right moment is every time a yellow-bar Taken Minotaur spawns.
The Mystery of the "Taken Altar" Bounties
Sometimes, the game asks you to "Complete rituals at an Altar." This is vague.
If the bounty is from the Lectern of Enchantment on the Moon, it’s talking about the Altars of Sorrow. Those are Hive, not Taken. If the bounty is from the Spirit of the Riven or the War Table, it’s likely referring to the Seasonal activities.
The confusion stems from the fact that "Altar" is Bungie's favorite word for "Place where you stand in a circle and kill things."
The Taken altar Destiny 2 experience is really about understanding the context of the current season. Currently, the most relevant "altar" activity involves the Deck of Whispers. You collect cards, you bring them to the ritual site, and you gain buffs. If you haven't been doing your minor arcana quests, you’re leaving about 40% of your power on the table. Those cards give you things like increased heavy ammo drops or elemental explosions. They make the Tier 3 Taken waves actually manageable.
Is the Farming Worth It?
People ask this constantly. "Why should I spend twenty minutes at an altar when I can just run a Strike?"
The answer is the focusing energy. The loot you get from the Taken altar Destiny 2 activities (specifically the summoning ones) allows you to focus specific weapons. If you want a god-roll Eremite or a specific sword, the altars are the fastest way to get the engrams. Plus, the enemy density is higher than almost anywhere else in the game. It’s the best place to test a new build or finish a catalyst for an Exotic you've been neglecting.
But there’s a limit.
The burnout is real. After about five rounds of Taken Blights and screaming Hive Wizards, most players' brains start to melt. The trick is to do it in bursts. Three offerings, then leave. Reset the instance.
Hidden Mechanics You Might Have Missed
There are small secret chests near the ritual sites. Usually, they require you to jump to a platform that looks like it’s out of bounds. In the Dreaming City, these "Taken altars" are often hidden behind "Ascendance." You drink the Tincture of Queensfoil, the world turns grainy and grey, and suddenly a platform appears.
Without that tincture, you are literally blind to half the content.
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If you're at a Taken altar Destiny 2 location and nothing is happening, check your inventory. Are you Ascendant? Do you have an offering? Is the world-state in a weak, growing, or strongest curse week? These things matter. The Dreaming City operates on a three-week cycle. The altars are most active—and the Taken presence is most heavy—during the third week when the curse is at its peak. This is when the Shattered Throne dungeon is most relevant and when the "altar" feel of the destination is most oppressive.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Run
To actually make progress and stop wasting time at these altars, you need a plan. Don't just fly in and start shooting.
- Check the Calendar: If it's max curse week in the Dreaming City, go there for the secret altars and the high-tier loot.
- Optimize for Taken: Swap your heavy to something with explosive or area damage. If you have a weapon with the "Taken Spec" mod (which you can still get from Last Wish raid chests), put it on. It’s a flat damage boost that stacks with everything else.
- The "Two-Offer Rule": In the Altars of Summoning, never do more than two Tier 3 offerings in a row with a group of strangers. The difficulty spikes, and if you wipe, you lose the streak and the momentum.
- Tincture Management: Always keep a stack of Tinctures of Queensfoil. You can buy them from the skulls (Huginn and Muninn) in the Dreaming City if you don't have any dropping from chests.
- Focus Your Engrams: Don't just let your engrams sit at the vendor. Use the energy you earned at the Taken altars to focus "Deepsight" weapons. This is the only way to eventually craft the weapons so you can pick your own perks.
The Taken altar Destiny 2 loop is a cornerstone of the game's ritual play. Whether you are deep in the Hive pits of the H.E.L.M. activities or wandering the misty cliffs of the Dreaming City, these locations provide the most concentrated "Destiny" experience you can find. Just remember to bring a void shield-break, watch your back for Taken Phalanxes, and always check if your team is actually ready for a Tier 3 fight before you spark the flame.