Reward
WolfsbaneExotic Solar sword (axe)
A solo-or-3-player radiation-gauntlet exotic mission in the Pinnacle Ops — added in Reclamation (the Ash & Iron update) — set in a Warmind/Warsat facility deep in the Plaguelands. Stop Maya Sundaresh, "The Conductor," from launching a Warsat and claim Wolfsbane, Destiny 2's first Exotic axe.
The radiation gauntlet and the Psions who shelter you aren't scenery — they're the whole reason you're running toward a Warsat you have to switch off. Here's what's at stake.
In a Golden Age Warmind facility in the Plaguelands, "The Conductor" — Maya Sundaresh — is trying to fire a modified Warsat charged with cross-timeline energy to drag her Red Legion into our reality. Three defector Psions shelter you through the radiation gauntlet so you can cut the Warsat's power before it fires.
Once Valus Thuun falls, you destroy the satellite itself — that's what kills the launch and severs the Conductor's way into our timeline. Only then do you claim Wolfsbane, the first Exotic axe, drawn from a Quicksilver energy signature left over from another timeline.
Run the gauntlet under a borrowed mind's protection, wreck the satellite to shut the launch down, and take the axe left behind in its Quicksilver wake.
Destiny 2's first Exotic axe. The game files class it as a Solar Sword, but it swings as a two-handed, Iron-Lord-style axe with Quicksilver-Scythe relic animations.
Intrinsic — Resurgence Directive: light attacks build Sword energy and can spawn seeking Quicksilver nanites that heal you on attach. Nano-Assault: attached nanites overclock the blade — light attacks deal bonus damage, and a fully charged Heavy unleashes a flaming Quicksilver "swarm-nado."
Intrinsic tiers (Resurgence Directive I→IV): break 9 hidden Vex nodes across the mission — three sets of three (early/water area, the parkour section, the boss room). The nodes can only be destroyed with Wolfsbane equipped, so you must re-run the mission after first earning the axe. Node progress is per-player, not shared. Available on any difficulty.
Catalysts (4): Attrition Orbs, Relentless Strikes, Burning Ambition, and Subroutine Recursion — unlocked via datapad-and-console puzzles inside Heliostat on a higher difficulty; the Director’s reward preview shows the tier. They add Orbs of Power, scorch, and similar effects, and are individually selectable.
Open the Portal / Vanguard Ops screen and launch Heliostat from the Pinnacle Ops node — there's no dedicated Director destination or special callout.
Pick a difficulty tier and modifiers at the launch screen; the Director shows the time limit and reward forecast for your setup.
A radiation-shielded push through a Warsat facility, gated by allied Psions and symbol puzzles, ending on an immune-gated Cabal boss. Keep your protection buff topped up — the irradiated zones kill fast.
A Cabal boss guarding the Warsat launch (a Deathwatch Commander appears earlier in the mission; the in-mission name is often rendered Valus Thunn).
Damage Valus Thuun until he goes immune, then kill the Warden (Wyvern) spawn — that frees your trapped Psion allies and strips his immunity. Resume damage, and repeat the cycle until he dies.
The Psionic Protection is exactly that — allied Psion minds shelter your body from hard radiation that would otherwise kill you outside cover, each lending a discipline borrowed from the enemy's own toolkit. The Warden Wyvern is what keeps them caged; killing it frees the Psions and severs the psychic support propping up Valus Thuun's immunity, so his shield is only as strong as their captivity.
Wolfsbane is a heavy-attack melee Exotic, so pair it with the artifact that empowers its Sword loop and keeps its Solar damage high. The Artifact 2.0 layer accelerates the build — it doesn't gate it.
Why: its Sword column — Expert Handling, Combination Argent Blade, and Sword Storm Combo — directly empowers Wolfsbane's heavy-attack loop, rewarding the build-nanites-then-Heavy rotation the axe is built around. The premier Sword DPS artifact for a melee-forward Heliostat run.
Solar alternative: Queensfoil Censer — on a Solar build, Radiant uptime raises Wolfsbane's Solar damage, leaning into the axe's element for a higher damage ceiling.
Where Wolfsbane fits in a melee-DPS rotation, plus the Swords and supports to pair with it.
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