Skip to main content

How to unlock the Heartshadow Sword in Destiny 2

Season of the Haunted in Destiny 2 wouldn't be complete without Heartshadow, the most evil-looking sword in Destiny history. This exotic blade looks like something a villain from a Highlander movie would be using to lop off heads. In short, it’s exactly the sort of thing you want and need to look cool as hell while slaying humanity's enemies. Here is how to get ahold of Heartshadow.

Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

1 hour 30 minutes

What You Need

  • Complete Duality in Destiny 2: Season of the Haunted

An enormous bell looms at the end of a faintly illuminated hall in Destiny 2.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to find Heartshadow

Heartshadow can only be found at the end of Duality, the new high-level dungeon that debuted with the Season of the Haunted. This dungeon will send you and your fireteam into the mind of Cabal Emperor Calus, to face nightmares of enemies and allies alike. It's a challenging series of encounters leading up to a realm-jumping battle against a surprising final boss.

We won’t spoil who that boss is, but you will need to put in the effort to find out for yourself. That’s because Heartshadow can only be found as a random drop from defeating that final mystery boss, and clearing Duality. As with most randomly dropping exotics, the odds of it falling aren’t known, but you can expect it to be rare. Combine that with the fact that you can only get credit for clearing this dungeon once per character per week, and you should be prepared for the possibility that Heartshadow could take weeks to acquire.

Solo Thoughtstealer is highlighted at the middle of the page, as one of several triumphs for the Duality mission in Destiny 2.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What does Heartshadow do?

The good news is there are things you can do to increase the odds of Heartshadow falling at the end of the dungeon. In your menu you can explore various Triumph Seals. Locate the Duality Seal, and you will see that three of the triumphs have a reward that increases Heartshadow drop rate. Solo Thoughtsealer requires you to complete Duality by yourself. Master Thoughtsealer tasks you and your fireteam with beating the dungeon on Master Difficulty, and Mind Heist is completed by finding all 12 of Calus’ Repressed Memories hidden throughout Duality.

OK, you’ve unlocked the most death-metal-looking sword in Destiny 2, but what does it do? Heartshadow has a two-part perk when you use a fully powered heavy attack called Exhumation. First, it makes you invisible. Then, it fires a set of exploding void projectiles. It also has a perk called Shot in the Dark, which can apply a damage buff to your sword and weaken enemies, causing them to take additional damage.

The inventory screen of a Destiny 2 Guardian, with the Heartshadow sword highlighted.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Heartshadow Catalyst

The Heartshadow Catalyst can be earned by returning to Duality once you’ve unlocked the sword. Look for three enemies with yellow health bars called “Failed Assassin”. Each time you kill one it will drop a Standard (looks like a staff). Pick up the Standard, and plant them on special plates. It’s worth the effort, as it increases your sword ammo reserve, and confers the “Wraithwalk” perk, giving you faster movement while invisible.

Editors' Recommendations

Justin Koreis
Justin is a freelance writer with a lifelong love of video games and technology. He loves writing about games, especially…
Best gaming console deals: cheapest prices on PS5, Xbox S and X and Switch
father and son playing video games

While the latest generation of consoles had a bit of a slow start, things have heated up in the last few years, and for those who have been waiting to pick up a console, now is a pretty good time when it comes to games, accessories and the like. There are a lot of great Xbox Series S and X deals, PlayStation 5 deals, and Nintendo Switch deals for you to check out, and we've collected the best we could find below. That said, it's important to note that we're currently going through a bit of a deals drought, even when it comes to refurbished consoles, so there aren't a ton of options out there, although be sure to check back as we do regularly keep track of deals and will update this article as better deals appear.
Xbox Series S 1TB -- starting at $349, was $380

The Xbox Series S is the less powerful but cheaper option out of the newest generation Xbox line. When comparing the Xbox Series S versus the Xbox Series X, the Series S takes a hit in all the component categories. That means it's not quite as fast. But if you're not hung up on getting the optimal performance out of your system, you'll actually notice very few differences. The two biggest ones are the Series S's inability to play in 8K, and its lack of a disc drive. Most people don't even have 8K TVs, so that shouldn't be an issue. If you're alright with downloading all of your games straight to the console's memory (and you have a separate DVD or Blu-Ray player), the Series S will work fine. It's quite a bit smaller anyway, and easier to fit on a shelf.

Read more
Helldivers 2 PC players are furious over this controversial change
A Helldivers 2 player fires a laser canon.

Helldivers 2, February's surprise multiplayer hit from Arrowhead Game Studios and Sony Interactive Entertainment, is now getting bombarded with negative reviews on Steam. That's because the game will soon require all PC players to link their Steam account to a PlayStation Network account.

Anyone who plays Helldivers 2 for the first time after May 6 will have to link a PlayStation Network account to Steam. Those who already own the game will also be required to do so by June 4 or they will no longer be able to access the game.

Read more
The best Stowaways in Another Crab’s Treasure
Another Crab's Treasure

Despite being a cute entry in the soulslike genre, Another Crab's Treasure doesn't hold back on the difficulty level whatsoever. In fact, it's a punishing experience for newcomers and veterans alike. With that in mind, you'll want to take advantage of every mechanic available to you to increase your chances of surviving the many dangers lurking beneath the sea. That's why you'll want to equip the best Stowaways, this game's version of accessories, as they can offer meaningful stat boosts and more that can enhance your build more than you would think.

While the best Stowaways for you will depend entirely on your build — be it defensive or offensive, physical or magic-focused — we've chosen the ones we think should come in handy for most players.

Read more