Destiny 2 Shadowkeep Weekly Reset Guide October 8: Nightfall: The Ordeal, Nightmare Hunts

Complete the story campaign of Destiny 2's new expansion, Shadowkeep, and you'll next need to work to increase your character's Power level beyond the soft cap of 900. To do that, you need gear that's designated "Powerful," which will strengthen your character up enough to take on the game's toughest challenges, like the Garden of Salvation raid. There are a variety of activities that provide Powerful drops that you can complete each week--but while some are straightforward, like finishing Nightfall Strikes, others are a lot less clear.

Here's a quick guide to everything new in the first weekly reset for Shadowkeep, including a rundown of the new Nightfall Hunts and where to get what you need to complete Eris Morn's memory.

Nightfall: The Ordeal

The Ordeal is Shadowkeep's new version of the traditional Nightfall Strike. You can turn up its difficulty as high as Power level 980, and the tougher you make it, the more likely the mode is to drop Exotic gear as a reward. It seems that each week gets one Strike in particular for The Ordeal. This week, that Strike is Shadowkeep's new one, The Scarlet Keep. Completing five Adept-level Nightfall runs will earn you a Powerful gear drop. Ordeal runs at a higher difficulty count more toward your progress for the Powerful.

Crucible

The Crucible also has some rotating elements each week. You can always play Control, Survival, and Rumble no matter when you log in, but the weekly rotation also offers new modes. Here's what's on offer this week:

• Team Scorched: 6v6 using Scorch cannons (Valor)
• Countdown: 4v4. Attacking team tries to set a charge in the other team's territory, while the defending team tries to defuse it (Valor)

Nightmare Hunts

Each week brings access to three new Nightmare hunts on the moon, and with each one comes a particular Nightmare Essence. Those essences can be used to make Dreambane armor and weapons on the moon. You can also earn a Powerful gear drop for completing three hunts each week, at any difficulty level.

Essence Of Fear -- Phogoth

You'll head into the Summoning Pits in the Hellmouth for this Nightmare Hunt. Killing Phogoth at the end earns you an Essence of Isolation, which can be transformed into Dreambane chest armor at the Lectern of Enchantment. You'll get this one during the course of the Shadowkeep main campaign.

Essence Of Isolation -- Taniks, The Scarred

Taniks is another Nightmare you'll encounter during the Shadowkeep story campaign; you'll need to bring him down to earn the Essence of Isolation. The Lectern of Enchantment can forge Dreambane gauntlets from it, allowing you to re-roll your armor.

Essence Of Rage -- Dominus Ghaul

The only Nightmare who can help you get a weapon this week is Ghaul. You'll find him near the Circle of Bones; defeat him, and you'll get the Essence of Rage. That can be converted into the One Small Step shotgun by the Lectern of Enchantment, provided you find the Fangs of Shun'Gath in the World's Grave.

Eris's Memory: Vall Tarlowe

Each week, you can help Eris Morn dispel the phantoms of her dead fireteam by completing a short quest. This week, it's Vell Tarlowe, a powerful Titan who was overwhelmed by Thralls and killed in the Hellmouth, during the team's ill-fated attempt to destroy Crota. To get rid of the phantom, you'll need to find Vell Tarlowe's Titan mark.

To start the mission, talk to Eris. She'll give you the Memory of Vell Tarlowe mission, which first requires you to replay a mission from the Shadowkeep story campaign. You can access that mission from the Director, and you don't have to do anything special to complete the step--just finish the mission as normal.

Next, you'll need to venture into Nightmare Hunts in order to gather the pieces of Vell's mark. In order to find the pieces, you need to defeat enemies on the Hunts with melee strikes. Any enemies will do, and it doesn't seem as though your melee ability has to be fully charged to make pieces of the mark drop from enemies. It also appears that roaming, melee-focused Super abilities, such as Hunters' Arc Staff, can count as melee strikes.

You'll need 25 pieces of Vell's mark, but they won't drop from every melee kill you execute. The good news is, they drop in batches of three, so you really only need to get nine drops to finish the mission. We managed to complete this step in two Nightmare Hunts, so it really does go quickly.

When you're done, head to the Sanctuary on the moon and go through the portal to find Eris. Give her the mark to dispel Vell's phantom and earn your Powerful drop from the nearby chest. You can also hang around and talk to Eris twice more to get a little more backstory about Vell Tarlowe and his role on Eris's fireteam.