Unlocking New Arsenal: A Comprehensive Guide to Focusing Aberrant Action and Corrasion in Destiny 2's Echoes Episode

Ethan James 12 Aug 2024

Destiny 2, a universe filled with exploration and combat, keeps its players engaged with a steady stream of content and challenges. The introduction of new weapons further enhances the gameplay experience, allowing players to adapt their strategies and embrace fresh dynamics. With the launch of the second act, titled Echoes, Guardians can look forward to unlocking two formidable new weapons: Aberrant Action and Corrasion. This guide delves deep into the necessary steps to unlock the focus for these weapons, offering an organized and thorough approach to ensuring you’re well-equipped for your adventures in Destiny 2.

Overview of the New Weapons

The Echoes episode introduces two exciting weapons that broaden the arsenal available to players. Aberrant Action stands out as a rocket-assisted sidearm, marking it as the third in its category within the game. Its unique mechanics open up exploitable tactical advantages for players looking to diversify their loadout. Meanwhile, Corrasion presents itself as a heavy pulse rifle, boasting a design and functionality that distinguishes it from previously released pulse rifles. Securing optimal variations, often referred to as “god rolls,” through focusing adds an element of anticipation and customization for players eager to enhance their gameplay experience.

Initiating the Focusing Quest

To unlock the ability to focus on these new weapons, players must tackle Failsafe’s challenging tasks, culminating in the Specimen ID: NES005 mission. This mission becomes available with the release of Week 9. While multiple quests can be completed during this period, it’s imperative to zero in on NES005 to obtain the necessary upgrade for focusing. This chapter lays the foundation for your journey toward unlocking these two powerful new guns.

Step 1: Complete A Rising Chorus: Act II Through Quest Step 16

Before embarking on the NES005 mission, players must progress through the primary storyline, specifically to Step 16 of A Rising Chorus: Act II. The emphasis here is on following Failsafe’s guidance as she tracks the flow of Radiolaria through the expansive terrain of Nessus. Once you reach the designated area, Watcher’s Grave, your mission becomes straightforward: locate the new research specimen. Use the Proximity Sensor that fills based on your proximity to the target to make your search easier.

Step 2: Gather Bufo Bites

The first significant task within NES005 is to collect Bufo Bites. While the name may sound perplexing, in practical terms, this boils down to gathering Radiolite from around Nessus. Engaging in Battlegrounds and Breach Executable missions will allow the Radiolite to spawn when activating Planetary Pistons using your hammer. Aiming for 30 Bufo Bites means collecting enough Iridescent Radiolite, which can be somewhat random in spawning. Employing a Resource Detector mod on your Ghost can provide a critical advantage, ensuring you don’t overlook any opportunities to collect resources efficiently.

Step 3: Collect Nessus Flora

Having navigated the initial challenges, players can now focus on a simpler task: collecting seven Nessus Flowers. These flowers serve a purpose in filling a terrarium for Failsafe’s new companion. The Watcher’s Grave transmat zone will serve as a convenient starting point, and following the waypoints will make this step straightforward and enjoyable. Embrace the serene environment as you complete this minor but essential detail of the quest.

Step 4: Defeating Vex Enemies

Another objective is to proactively engage and defeat 100 Vex adversaries. This task may sound daunting, but targeting Vex-heavy locations such as The Orrery provides a great method to expedite the process. By cleaning out this compact Lost Sector, players can typically breeze through it in mere minutes, drastically reducing the time needed to reach this milestone within the quest.

The Reward for Your Efforts

Upon completing the labor-intensive portions of the NES005 mission, return to Failsafe at the HELM. Here, you’ll be rewarded with the vital upgrade that unlocks the focusing capabilities for Echoes engrams specifically targeted at Aberrant Action and Corrasion. At this point, players will also have the opportunity to utilize a weekly upgrade mechanism that guarantees at least one red border Deepsight weapon each week, significantly streamlining the crafting process.

Bonus Mission: Specimen ID: NES004

While NES005 is the key mission to focus on, players may find themselves curious about the preceding mission, Specimen ID: NES004. Though not mandatory for obtaining the focusing upgrade for the new guns, completing this mission allows for an upgrade that enhances your overall gameplay experience. This bonus mission delivers valuable upgrades that can be beneficial in touchscreen operations, so it’s recommended to explore it concurrently with NES005.

Step 1: Open Episode Chests

Kick off NES004 by completing various episode activities, specifically focusing on opening chests at the conclusion of each task. It’s important to note that not every activity contributes equally; Battlegrounds yield around 22% progress, while higher-difficulty Breach Executable missions can significantly shorten the time needed to complete this step.

Step 2: Focus Echoes Gear

After making sufficient progress in chest openings, the subsequent task involves focusing Echoes engrams into gear pieces. This step doesn’t necessitate decoding specific weapons but instead allows players to take advantage of the least costly option within the focusing menu to complete this requirement efficiently.

Step 3: Extract Data and Defeat Powerful Combatants

The penultimate step in the NES004 mission brings together two requirements: extracting data from episode activities and confronting powerful combatants during Battlegrounds runs. The beauty here lies in performing these tasks simultaneously, as players can achieve both goals in a single Battleground run. It’s recommended that a Resource Detector be equipped to collect Radiolite specimens, enhancing the efficiency of this step while effortlessly progressing through the mission.

Final Steps and Unlocking Enhancements

Finally, return to Failsafe after completing all necessary actions to finalize the NES004 quest. This completion unlocks the Armor Reputation Boost upgrade, yielding increased reputation gains when wearing Echoes armor during your exploits. By systematically tackling both NES004 and NES005, players not only acquire the means to focus on Aberrant Action and Corrasion but bolster their overall performance as they immerse themselves in the vibrant, action-packed world of Destiny 2.

Armed with this comprehensive guide, players can confidently pursue the tasks required to unlock the new focusing capabilities within Destiny 2's Echoes episode. The journey is rewarding and will undoubtedly enhance your gameplay experience as you embrace the challenges that lie ahead.