Ergo Sum Exotic Sword Guide - Destiny 2 Final Shape

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So, You Want the Ergo Sum? Get Ready, Guardian!

The buzz around the Ergo Sum Exotic sword is real, and for good reason! This isn't just another blade to add to the collection; it's a uniquely designed weapon that breaks a few molds in Destiny 2. What makes it so special? Firstly, Ergo Sum is an Energy slot sword, meaning it uses Special ammo, not Heavy. This opens up a world of new loadout possibilities, letting Guardians pair it with their favorite Heavy weapon without compromise.

But the real magic lies in its chameleon-like nature. The Ergo Sum can drop with different elemental damage types – Arc, Solar, or Void – and, more excitingly, it can roll with a variety of powerful Exotic perks, some of which mimic the effects of other iconic Exotic weapons in the game. Imagine wielding a sword that unleashes Wolfpack Rounds like Gjallarhorn, or creates lightning storms like Cloudstrike. This incredible variability means each Ergo Sum drop has the potential to be a game-changer, tailored to different playstyles or specific encounters.

Getting the first Ergo Sum is an adventure in itself, a questline that ties into the aftermath of The Final Shape's main story. Once that initial blade is in hand, the hunt for the "god roll" – that perfect combination of element, frame, and perks – begins. The sheer variety of these potential rolls is what drives the pursuit for more, making the methods of acquiring additional swords a key part of its allure.

Nailing the "Destined Heroes" Quest

Before Guardians can even dream of their perfect Ergo Sum roll, they need to acquire their first one. This comes by completing the "Destined Heroes" Exotic quest.

Pre-Flight Check

The absolute first step is to complete the main campaign of The Final Shape. The "Destined Heroes" quest only becomes available after finishing the "Iconoclasm" mission, which is the finale of the campaign.

Kicking it Off

Once the campaign is wrapped up, players should head to the Lost City Tower in the Pale Heart. There, interacting with Ghost will grant the "Destined Heroes" Exotic quest. Some reports indicate that listening to an audio message on a radio next to Ghost might be required to trigger the quest's availability.

The Quest Steps

The "Destined Heroes" quest is a multi-step endeavor, leading Guardians through various missions and encounters. While it's described as reasonably simple, it is quite lengthy. The questline is also designed to familiarize players with the Prismatic subclass, as several steps unlock new Prismatic abilities, integrating a major new system with the pursuit of this desirable Exotic. This dual reward structure ensures players are naturally guided to explore The Final Shape's flagship subclass.

Here's a breakdown of the journey:

1. "Queens, Part I": This mission involves investigating the activities of Savathun's Lucent Hive. A key mechanic here involves using Hive swords to defeat specific enemies and, crucially, reflecting elemental projectiles from Acolytes back at matching elemental runes or nodes to progress.
2. Chatting with the Crew: After "Queens, Part I," the quest directs players to speak with Micah-10 and then Cayde-6 in the Lost City Tower. These characters will offer separate Exotic quests ("Convalescence: Rootbound" for the Microcosm Exotic Trace Rifle from Micah-10, and "Wild Card" for the Still Hunt Exotic Sniper Rifle from Cayde-6). While these are valuable Exotics in their own right, completing their quests is not a requirement for obtaining Ergo Sum. It's advisable to pick them up for later, but stay focused on "Destined Heroes" for now.
3. Ghost's Errands - Prismatic Power-Ups: The next step is to speak to Ghost again. Ghost will provide two more quests: "Lost in the Light" and "Found in the Dark". Completing both of these is mandatory for "Destined Heroes" and, as a significant bonus, they unlock further Prismatic subclass abilities, like grenades, Supers, and Aspects.
4. "Lost in the Light": This questline involves assisting Mithrax in "The Hollow, Parts I and II" Adventures. Guardians will encounter mechanics such as defeating Taken Captains (referred to as "Eater of Light" or "Eater of Darkness") to collect Motes of Light or Darkness, which then need to be dunked into plates of the opposite affinity. Other objectives include summoning an Exploder Shank and protecting it as it moves to destroy a door, and collecting and loading arc charges to disable shields during a boss fight.
5. "Found in the Dark": This questline has players aiding Commander Zavala and Caiatl in the "Home, Parts I and II" Adventures. A notable mechanic here involves finding Artillery Antennas, dropped by slain Artillery Officer enemies, and using them to disable generator shields.
6. "Queens, Part II": With the previous missions completed, players will return to the Lost City Tower to begin the "Queens, Part II" Adventure mission.
7. The Grand Finale (Almost!): After "Queens, Part II," another conversation with Ghost is in order. This time, Ghost will provide an item called the Dyadic Prism. This prism is the key to the final step.
8. "Hope" Mission & Your First Ergo Sum: The Dyadic Prism unlocks a new landing zone on the Pale Heart map, allowing access to the Sacrarium. Traveling there initiates the "Hope" mission. This mission is very short, essentially a cinematic conclusion to the questline, and rewards the Guardian with their very first Ergo Sum sword.

For a quick overview, here's a cheat sheet:

Farming for Your Perfect Ergo Sum Roll

With the first Ergo Sum acquired, the next phase for many Guardians will be hunting for different rolls. The user query mentioned "pattern drops," but it's important to clarify how Ergo Sum acquisition works beyond the initial quest.

The "Pattern" Misconception

Ergo Sum does not use "patterns" in the same way that craftable weapons at the Enclave (via Deepsight Resonance) do. Instead of collecting patterns to unlock the ability to craft it, players will be farming for multiple random drops of the fully-formed Ergo Sum sword, each with a potentially different set of perks, frame, and elemental damage type. The goal of obtaining different versions is the same, but the method is direct acquisition of random rolls.

Your Weekly Guarantees: The Pale Heart Pathfinder

A reliable, albeit limited, source for additional Ergo Sum rolls is the Pale Heart Pathfinder system. Each week, the first two completions of a Pale Heart Pathfinder path are guaranteed to reward an Ergo Sum. The Pathfinder involves completing a series of small challenges and tasks on a node-based map within the Pale Heart destination; completing enough connecting objectives to reach and finish the Tier 5 objective will grant the reward. This resets weekly, allowing for two guaranteed rolls per character per week through this method.

Become an Overthrow Pro: The Best Farming Spot

For those looking to acquire more than two rolls per week, the Overthrow activity in the Pale Heart is the primary farming location. The crucial detail here is the featured daily Overthrow zone. Each day, one of the Pale Heart's regions (The Landing, The Blooming, The Impasse) will have its Overthrow activity highlighted on the map. Completing the Overthrow activity in this featured zone is reported to have a very high chance, or even be a guaranteed drop of an Ergo Sum from the final boss's reward chest. This makes the featured Overthrow the most efficient way to farm multiple rolls, with some players reporting acquiring many Ergo Sums per week, or even per day, using this method. Running Overthrow with a pre-made fireteam can significantly speed up completions and thus the farming process.

While some earlier information suggested Overthrow drops might be chance-based, the consensus and more recent player experiences strongly point to the featured zone's final chest providing guaranteed Ergo Sums. Non-featured Overthrow completions might still have a chance, but the featured daily is the prime target.

A Note on Rolls

While the "best" Ergo Sum roll is subjective and depends on individual playstyle and desired build, some perks to look out for include Jagged Edge (for Blade) and Swordmaster's Guard (for Guard) if maximizing damage is the goal. For overall utility and damage, a Lightweight frame combined with the Wolfpack Rounds Exotic perk and Void damage has been suggested as a powerful combination. The Transcendent Duelist perk is intrinsic to all Ergo Sums, enhancing Transcendence and making the sword stronger while Transcendent.

Untangling "Refraction Cores" & The Truth About Pale Heart Chests

The user query specifically asked about "Refraction Core crafting" and the relevance of a "Pale-Heart chest route" to Ergo Sum. It's important to clarify these points, as the term "Refraction" appears in multiple contexts within Destiny 2, which can lead to confusion.

"Refraction Core Crafting" - Let's Clear This Up!

Simply put, "Refraction Core crafting" for the Ergo Sum sword is not a feature in Destiny 2. The confusion likely stems from items or locations bearing the name "Refraction."

• PDT Refraction Cores: These are indeed items in Destiny 2, but they are Warmind-manufactured relic weapons – powerful Solar beam emitters. Players encounter and use these relics in activities like Heist Battlegrounds, primarily to destroy Hive Runes or other specific obstacles. They are temporary pickups during missions and are not crafting materials for Ergo Sum or any other player-owned weapon.
• Memory: Refractions of Light: This is another item that includes "Refraction" in its name. It is a consumable obtained by collecting five "Memory Vestige: Light" items. These vestiges drop from glowing enemies specifically within Pale Heart Cyst missions. Cyst missions themselves become available after progressing Micah-10's "Alone in the Dark" questline. Once formed, the "Memory: Refractions of Light" is used to open a particular Prismatic Chest located in "The Refraction," a sub-area of the Pale Heart that connects The Landing to The Blooming. Opening this chest rewards the Facet of Awakening Prismatic Fragment. So, while important for Prismatic subclass customization, this item is also unrelated to acquiring or crafting Ergo Sum.

Pale Heart Chest Routes - What's the Deal?

Exploring the Pale Heart and opening its various regional and patrol chests is a worthwhile activity, but these chests are not a direct farming source for Ergo Sum itself.

• What Pale Heart Chests Offer: Standard regional chests (the gold-icon ones on the map) and smaller patrol chests found throughout the Pale Heart typically reward Glimmer, basic armor and weapons, reputation with Ghost (which leads to more Pale Heart engrams), and, significantly, Lost Encryption Bits.
• Lost Encryption Bits & Khvostov: There are 15 Lost Encryption Bits to find in total: one in each of the nine regional chests spread across The Landing, The Blooming, and The Impasse, and one in each of the six unique Cyst missions. Collecting all 15 bits automatically combines them into a Lost Encryption Code, which is then used to obtain the Legendary version of the Khvostov auto rifle. This Legendary version is a prerequisite for then acquiring the Exotic Khvostov 7G-0X.
• Direct Ergo Sum Link? Standard regional and patrol chests are not a primary source for Ergo Sum drops. The sword comes from the specific reward structures of "Destined Heroes," Pathfinder, and Overthrow final chests.
• The Connection (Opportunistic Looting): The real synergy here is one of efficiency. While Guardians are in the Pale Heart farming Overthrow for Ergo Sum rolls, they will naturally be traversing areas where these regional and patrol chests are located. Equipping a Ghost mod like Wombo Detector (which highlights nearby chests and resources) makes it easy to spot and loot these chests along the way. Players have noted that they "just open chests while farming Ergo Sum" or "grab chests while doing overthrow". This means that while the primary goal might be Ergo Sum, players can passively gather Lost Encryption Bits for the Khvostov quest, earn Pale Heart reputation, and collect other general materials simultaneously. This kind of overlapping grind, where multiple objectives can be pursued within the same gameplay loop, is a common player strategy for maximizing rewards over time.

So, while a dedicated "Pale-Heart chest route" (like the one described for The Landing: waterfall -> red hand -> grenade minigame -> big cave -> hanging bridge -> stone bridge -> wooden structure) is more directly beneficial for farming Exotic class items (which have a low chance from these chests) or collecting Khvostov materials, it's a smart secondary activity to engage in while focusing on Overthrow for Ergo Sum.

The Icing on the Cake: The Ergo Sum Catalyst

Like many Exotic weapons, Ergo Sum has an Exotic Catalyst that enhances its capabilities. Obtaining and completing this catalyst, however, presents a significant challenge.

Getting the Catalyst - The Big Challenge

The Ergo Sum Exotic Catalyst is a guaranteed drop upon successful completion of the Excision activity on Grandmaster (GM) difficulty. There is no other known source for the catalyst.

Grandmaster Excision is an endgame activity designed for a 12-player fireteam and is described as extremely challenging. Key features of GM Excision include:

• A very high Power Level requirement (2020 Power was cited).
• An abundance of Champion enemies.
• Limited revives, though revives can reportedly be earned by defeating Champions.
• No matchmaking; players must form their own fireteams using LFG tools or by playing with friends/clanmates.

This significant jump in difficulty and coordination might mean that while many can get the sword, its catalyst remains out of reach for a portion of the player base.

Catalyst Power-Up - What "Transcendent Steel" Does

Once the catalyst is obtained, it needs to be unlocked by getting kills with Ergo Sum. When fully masterworked, the catalyst grants the perk Transcendent Steel.

• Effect: Dealing damage with a Transcendent grenade (a feature of the Prismatic subclass) will grant ammunition directly to the Ergo Sum sword.

This perk provides a way to generate Special ammo for Ergo Sum, which is always useful. However, some players have found the perk somewhat underwhelming given the extreme difficulty of acquiring the catalyst, especially since Special ammo can also be obtained from enemy drops through various armor mods or general gameplay. The perceived value of this ammo-generating perk versus the significant effort of GM Excision is a calculation each Guardian will have to make.

Unlocking its Full Potential - The Kill Grind

After the catalyst drops from GM Excision, it must be activated by defeating a certain number of enemies using the Ergo Sum sword. The general requirement is around 400 to 500 kills. Players can track their progress by inspecting the weapon or via the Catalyst tab in their Collections.

Good locations for farming weapon kills include:

• The Shuro Chi checkpoint in the Last Wish raid.
• The opening encounter of the Dares of Eternity activity.
• The beginning of the Grasp of Avarice dungeon.
• The "Breakneck" mission from the Lightfall campaign.

Go Forth and Conquer!

The Ergo Sum is a truly unique and exciting Exotic sword, offering a fresh dynamic to Destiny 2's arsenal. The journey to obtain the first one is an integral part of The Final Shape's endgame narrative. From there, the hunt for that perfect combination of perks through Pathfinder and Overthrow activities provides a compelling chase. While the "Refraction Core" isn't part of its crafting, and Pale Heart chests serve other purposes (though are good for opportunistic looting), the real endgame pursuit lies in mastering Overthrow for more rolls and, for the truly dedicated, tackling the formidable Grandmaster Excision for its powerful catalyst.

Experimenting with the different Ergo Sum rolls is part of the fun. Good luck, Guardian, may your sword swings be true and your loot plentiful!

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