Complete the exotic quest “The Variable” in the EDZ’s Gulch to acquire the Vexcalibur glaive.
Beginning in week 2 of Season of Defiance (20), Bungie’s weekly update added a new exotic weapon quest: The Vexcalibur glaive possesses unique defensive capability. Casting its shield generates a protective void overshield around you and nearby fireteam members.
To acquire Vexcalibur, players must unlock and complete a secret mission called //node.ovrd.AVALON// — or simply, Avalon.
THE VARIABLE
Begin the quest by visiting the Gulch in the EDZ and do a pre-exercise. Find six (6) Nodes. Run or jump through these Nodes to acquire them. Note that once started, players have 30 seconds to get from one Node to the next. We’ve seen this mechanic before (i.e. failure will reset the process). No worries — this task is easy. Use your Sparrow as necessary. Here are the locations of the six nodes (click an image for a bigger view):
👈 Node under highway overpass near the fast travel point.
👈 Node in southeast corner of map, up near some logs.
👈 Node at northeast edge of map, on a road sign near destroyed road.
👈 Node at centre of north edge of map, near some trees.
👈 Node near centre of The Gulch, near dead tree stubs.
👈 Node near centre of The Gulch, near dead, leaning trees.
After all six Nodes are “cleared,” the sky will display a Vex apparition, under which players will find a cave. Inside the cave is a Vex Harpy. Interacting with the Harpy will start the Avalon mission.
EXPERT AUTHORIZATION OVERRIDE
Beginning with week 3, approach the War Table in the H.E.L.M. and acquire the quest “Vexcalibur: Expert Authorization Override.”
The first step is to rapidly defeat Vex. An efficient way to do this step is to go to the Orrery Lost Sector on Nessus.
With Vex defeated, examine Vexcalibur to apply a new “Authorization Override” mod to update your glaive, which allows you to pass through Vex barriers, and destroy Override Nodes by shooting them.
Complete the Avalon mission and defeat Brakion… again.
Before proceeding too far into the Avalon mission, players need to solve some mysteries. The first two (2) mysteries are near the start of the Avalon mission, so it’s convenient for players to grab them both.
FIRST MYSTERY — DATA RETRIEVAL: ABERRANT SUBJECT
To earn the Data Retrieval: Aberrant Subject Triumph, complete two parts of this first mystery.
Near the mission start there is a large shaft. This shaft has several smaller platforms along the sides of the shaft wall. You will see a glowing green data node in one of these platforms. Jump to this node to activate it.
From there, proceed down to a circular room to see a Hobgoblin trapped behind a Vex barrier at a lower level. You will see a green data node at a higher level. Jump to this node to activate it. This will free the trapped Hobgoblin and earn you a Triumph.
With Vexcalibur equipped, jump up toward the barrier. Initiate Vexcalibur’s guard / shield feature to pass through the barrier to reach another switch.
Activating this switch will spawn a chest that unlocks the first intrinsic upgrade for Vexcalibur, which can be inserted at the Enclave on Mars.
SECOND MYSTERY — DATA RETRIEVAL: DISPOSAL SUBJECT
Ensure your Expert Authorization Override mod is installed on your Vexcalibur glaive, and that you have sufficient ammo to destroy Nodes.
Proceeding further into the mission area, players will see a slanted Vex barrier window containing regular Goblins. Activating the green node on the side will initiate a shape puzzle on the platform.
Jump onto the ledges of the large slanted structure with a black triangle on it. The shape puzzle code is found behind the structure. If the code includes a prism, the Vexcalibur's Expert Authorization Override mod will come in handy — and make sure you have glaive ammo.
THIRD MYSTERY — DATA RETRIEVAL: CANNONBALL
Ensure your Expert Authorization Override mod is installed on your Vexcalibur glaive, and that you have sufficient ammo to destroy Nodes.
After you pass the Deletion Protocol and dispatch the big Hydra boss, players will arrive at a Vex catapult. Use it to get to another platform. After landing on this platform, look up. Shoot the first red-coloured Override Node with your Vexcalibur.
The second Override Node is below the first, floating next to the platform. Jump down to a lower ledge (carefully) and shoot this Node.
The final Override Node is above the ledge where a Goblin spawns, hidden inside a cavity in the platform. Dispatch the Goblin and shoot the Node.
With these three Override Nodes destroyed, the DR: Cannonball Triumph is yours.
CHEDDAR NOTES
Complete the remainder of the mission. Brakion is a mildly-tough boss, due mainly to his shielding. So here are a couple of “cheesy” notes.
1. If you have the exotic Wish-Ender bow, apparently fully-drawn arrows will pass through the barrier protecting Brakion. That said, avoid approaching the boss at the start… simply continue to damage him from a distance with this bow.
2. Players can take refuge behind the geysers of radiolarian fluid. Brakion may get close to players, but for some reason, he seems to falter and get stuck. When players are behind the geysers, other enemy combatants can’t reach players either, nor can they shoot through the radiolarian fluid. Players can peek out from behind the geysers to inflict damage to combatants.
With Brakion dispatched, return to the War Table in the H.E.L.M. The next Vexcalibur quest will be available starting in week four (4).
Happy hunting!
Sources
1. Eurogamer
2. Polygon
3. Gamespot
