Heroic public event guide - Destiny 2
Learn how to activate the Heroic version of every public event in Destiny 2.
Heroic public events are the bread and butter of Destiny 2 patrol zones. These events give players a nice bit of XP and offers guaranteed enemies to shoot. For a lot of new players, knowing how to turn a public event into a Heroic version is important as there are quests that require Heroic completions. Furthermore, blitzing through a public event when a veteran is trying to turn it Heroic is a social faux pas.
Last updated on January 11, 2021 at 4:00 p.m. PT.
Trigger all Heroic public events
There are several different public events in Destiny 2 and they all have different Heroic activation parameters. Whenever a public event is added to the game, triggering its Heroic version is going to be extremely difficult. The reason for this is the Power level is going to be higher and the mechanics are going to be unknown.
Use the following links to jump to the appropriate public event and learn how to turn it Heroic:
- Cabal Excavation
- Cryo-Pod Escape
- Ether Harvest
- Ether Resupply
- Fallen Brigs
- Fallen Walker
- Glimmer Extraction
- Injection Rig
- Rift Generator
- Spire Integration
- Taken Blight
- Vex Crossroads
- Warsat Down
- Witches Ritual
Glimmer Extraction
To activate the Glimmer Extraction Heroic public event, you must destroy three Glimmer Refinery devices. These are little machines that show up around the extraction site but only one will spawn per site. If you miss one of the refineries, you will have a chance to destroy additional units at the final site.
When the event does turn Heroic, you will need to defend a large pile of Glimmer from hordes of Fallen enemies. Hold out until the bar is full and you will complete the event.
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Cabal Excavation
To turn the Cabal Excavation public event Heroic, you must destroy a ship that flies in to attack during the excavation. To do this, work the Cabal Excavation public event as you normally would. Stand near the device and wait for the Overriding Lander to reach about 30 to 40 percent. It’s now that a ship called Thresher will fly in. The ship will make a total of two passes before it leaves for good. Once it shifts to a Heroic public event, your task is to defeat Excavation Valus.
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Injection Rig
To turn the Injection Rig publc event Heroic, you will need to destroy all the vents. This can be tricky, as you will need to try and survive the burn whilst hunting for any vents. But let's go into more detail.
During the purge phases of this public event, vents will open on the side of the rig. There are three tiers of vents (top, middle and bottom), and three purge phases.
When the flame jets begin burning everything in the sphere, you will need to destroy all available vents. When all vents are destroyed, a final vent will open at the very bottom of the rig. There are three opportunities to destroy this vent. When all are destroyed, you will need to defeat a Valus Centurion.
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Ether Resupply
The key to turning the Ether Resupply public event Heroic is to defeat every single Servitor that shows up. But before all that, start by doing damage to the boss and dealing with the Fallen.
Shortly thereafter, a small Transport Servitor arrives, destroy it before it disappears. Damage the boss. When two Transport Servitors arrive, destroy them before they leave. Damage the boss. When a wave of three Transport Servitors arrive, destroy them before they take off. This will turn Ether Resupply into a Heroic public event, at which time you must defeat the Prime Ether Servitor to successfully complete it.
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Spire Integration
Although the main goal is to prevent Vex from sacrificing themselves to the Conflux, triggering the Heroic version of the Spire Integration public event requires you capture three plates that appear in the area.
As you stand on one of these three plates, it will begin to form around you. While this happens, Vex Fanatics will spawn and run at you to sacrifice in an attempt to stop you from capturing. More Guardians capturing a plate means it happens faster. When three plates are captured the event turns Heroic. At this point, you will need to hold out against an onslaught of Vex.
If you're having trouble finding the three plates you need to capture, look for the beams of Vex light. These lights point toward the three circles on the ground that must be captured.
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Taken Blight
In order to turn a Taken Blight public event Heroic, you will need to destroy the large Blight that is hanging in the sky. This can only be done by getting the buff offered by the Blights on the ground. Let's go into some more detail.
During the Taken Blight public event there will be Blights with a shield on them spawning in the area. There’s one for the first round, two for the second, and three for the third.
It can be a good idea to quickly destroy the first wave of shielded Blights as it appears as if the floating Blight in the sky is easier to kill on later waves. Once the large floating Blight is destroyed, a Taken boss will spawn, signalling the beginning of the Heroic public event.
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Fallen Walker
To activate the Heroic Fallen Walker public event, you must unlock all three caches of weapons in the area. This is done by using the Arc charges that the Walker's legs drop.
You will need to destroy three legs in order to get the six charges you require. Be careful, as killing the Walker before you unlock the weapon caches will complete the event before it turns Heroic.
Once the Heroic public event is triggered, another Walker will be dropped off for you to kill before the time runs out. The good news is that you get to use your newly acquired Scorch Cannons to whoop them.
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Witches' Ritual
To activate the Witches' Ritual Heroic public event, you must destroy the two crystals floating on either side of the large Hive portal. This one can be a bit tricky to turn Heroic.
Begin by standing on the left and right plates to lower both Wizards' shields. When both Wizards are dead, two Hive crystals will spawn above the main portal. Remain on the plates to lower the crystals' shields. Destroying said crystals turns the event Heroic, now you just need to defeat the Darkblade Knight.
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Vex Crossroads
To turn the Vex Crossroads on Mercury into a Heroic public event, players must kill floating diamonds after dunking the charge in the islands off to the side. After using the man cannons to reach the outer platforms, defeat the Vex units and dunk the charge, but before taking the cannon back to the center, look for the diamond that has just appered.
Destroy the diamond to spawn a platform that can be used to spot the next diamond, and so on. Complete this process of destroying the diamonds and jumping on the platforms to reach the very top where a Vex sync plate will be. Stand on the plate to activate the Heroic public event.
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Warsat Down
The Warsar Down public event is slightly different to the version that appeared in the original Destiny though most of the functionality is the same. Standing nearby the Warsat will capture it, though to turn it Heroic, players must destroy the three Shreikers that float listlessly nearby, which summons an Ogre boss to kill.
To open up a Shreiker, players must kill the Wizards and high-level enemies that spawn, at which point one Shreiker will open and be susceptible to damage. Repeat this process until all three are destroyed. Now all that stands between you and loot is an Ogre.
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Ether Harvest
The Ether Harvest public event is likely the most difficult event to turn Heroic in all of Destiny 2, not because of the enemies but due to how fast players must be. Whenever one of the miniboss Scorn are killed, several white wisps will errupt from the rubble and float toward the center. Players must destroy all of the white Ether wisps, ensuring none of them make it to the hub. This must be accomplished three times at all spokes before the Ether Harvest event will turn Heroic. Once this public event is Heroic, a large Scorn boss will spawn which must be defeated.
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Cryo-Pod Escape
The Cryo-Pod Escape public event can be turned Heroic by freezing the escapee instead of killing it. In order to freeze the enemy that pops out of the cryo-pod, players must deal damage to the escapee until the pod starts steaming. Locate the sections that are steaming and destroy them, which will eject an orb. Pick up the orb and throw it at the escapee; do this with three orbs to freeze the escape and turn it Heroic. Get rid of the freezing floor by throwing the fourth and final orb away.
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Rift Generator
The Rift Generator public event of the Dreaming City can be turned Heroic by defeat all the large Blights that appear and then killing the Wizards. During the wave-defence section of the public event, large Blights will spawn along the channels where the enemies appear. Destroy each Blight as quickly as possible, ensuring none are missed, and the event will turn Heroic. At this point, the fight will be taken into the Ascendant Plane where players must defeat several Taken Wizards to unlock, and then kill, a large Taken boss.
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Fallen Brigs
The Fallen Brigs public event is, so far, unique to Europa. This event has players holding points, defeating Fallen, and destroying the Fallen's new mech-like vehicles called Brigs. To turn the Fallen Brigs public event Heroic, players must destroy the scanners flying around the Pyramid shards of Darkness. A few of these drones spawn with each new Pyramid shard. After the third shard has had its drones destroyed, the Heroic version will begin, which has a huge Fallen Commodore dropped in. Defeat the Fallen to complete it.
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Destiny 2's Heroic public events are one of the staples of the game. It's a place for Guardians to come and work together. When a public event is first added to the game, it can be rather difficult to trigger the Heroic version, but as time goes on and players grow stronger, they become a bit easier. Make sure to check out the Shacknews Destiny 2 complete strategy guide.
