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How to get Xenophage, strategy to beat Volmar, the Tempted (boss) – Easy guide | Destiny 2: Shadowkeep

The new exotic machine gun, Xenophage is available in Shadowkeep now that Festival of the Lost has begun. The quest isn’t too complex, but there are moments where it gets a bit meticulous. I’d say the hardest part is the boss fight at the end. So take a look at the steps below. I did my best to simplify them for you in written form to get straight to the point. 

If you only need a strategy to defeat the boss at the end, scroll to number 6.

Speak to Eris: 

I’d suggest going to Eris first because she gives you the quest (the deepinging wave) to open up The Pit of Heresy. That’s the new dungeon and the Xenophage quest will end in the dungeon so it’s best to work simultaneously. 

1. Go to the Scarlet Keep (in Sorrow’s Harbor)

After you pick up that quest and any bounties associated with nightmares and hive, go to the Scarlet Keep. (You can go through Eris’ portal or chose the location on the map and go to the place you met Ikora during the campaign mission).

There you will see 4 statues. You need to light them all up at the same time.

Order to activate the statues is as follows:

Right Back – > Right Front -> Left back -> Left front. (They all should light up and a chest should spawn). 

When you open the chest you’ll get the quest called The Journey.

2. Go to Anchor of Light

The goal is to pick up a red ball of fire/light and deposit it on plates around the area. 

You’ll pick up the light in the building to your left when you enter the area. The first plate is in the room with you. 

To find the second plate, go out of the building and run up the path going toward the tower with a red roof and purple material. The plate will be left just before you reach that building behind some scaffolding. Adds will be there shooting at you.

To reach the third plate, turn around from the second one and look diagonally to the left. You’ll see a little yellow building sticking out of the ground. The third plate is inside. 

The fourth plate is in the construction building directly across from the little yellow one you just went into. Jump up to the second level on the left near the purple fallen material. You’ll see it there. 

The fifth plate is located on the deck near where you deposited plate three. 

For the sixth and final plate, jump on top of the spaceship looking building. It’s on the roof.

You’ll get a waypoint (Pathfinder)from there and once you reach the waypoint, the next step will start.

3. Lost Sectors

Note: You should do the lost sector in Sorrow’s Harbor last because you can complete the weekly bounty, Lunar Spelunker, by doing the others first and finishing out everything at once there. (Work smarter not harder).

You need to go to each other the lost sectors on the moon. Complete the lost sector in full and in the end, there will be a slab with symbols on it. To progress, you’ll have to hit the symbols in the correct order. (Order from Datto):

K1 Communion (Anchor of Light): Bottom left -> bottom right -> top middle -> top middle

K1 Logistics (Archer’s Line): Top Left -> Bottom left -> Middle -> Middle right

K1 Crew (Hellmouth): Top right -> Middle left -> Middle -> Bottom middle -> Bottom right -> Bottom right -> Bottom middle -> Bottom middle

K1 Revelation (Sorrow’s Harbor): Middle left -> Middle -> Middle -> Middle left -> Middle top -> Middle bottom -> Middle -> Middle right 

4. Unlock The Pit of Heresy (Dungeon in Scarlet Keep)

Hopefully, you’ve unlocked the dungeon by completing Eris’ bounty to defeat 20 nightmares in the Alter of Sorrow activity in Sorrow’s Harbor.

If not the activity is simple enough with a strong group of 2 or 3 people. You need to stop the hive from sacrificing themselves from one portal to the next. 

Just reach Tier III (3) and that will unlock the pit for you. 

5. Reach The Pit of Heresy by selecting the option on the map. 

You’ll jump down into a pit when you walk straight back into the Scarlet Keep. You’ll find a room with a bunch of doors. 

Look for the door with no green seal over it and go pick up the next quest step.

Then find the slit in the wall to continue into the dungeon.

In the dungeon, take the path until you reach a welcoming Ogre. Slide past him and jump down on to a ledge and find the platforms floating in the air.

Pick up the fireball at the end and make your way into the tunnels until you find a door with fire on each side. Deposit the fireball to open to the door and enter the room. (Watch out for Ogre’s)

6. Defeat the Witch (Volmar, the Tempted)

This is the hardest part of the quest. My fireteam ranged from 953 to 963 light. It is 970 light recommended. I’d suggest bringing your best weapons. I took Izanagi’s Burden, Recluse, and 21% Delirium. I was a hunter, I ran void bottom tree tether. 

You’ll walk into a room that has elements represented Void, Neutral, Arc, and Solar. Write down or memorize the symbols above them because you’ll need them for the boss room. 

In the boss room, there is a ball in the center of the room guarded by the witch you need to defeat. You’ll be assigned a buff name in the lower-left corner of your screen.

The buffs are neutral (kinetic damage), fiery (solar damage), abyssal (void damage), and thunderous (arc damage).

Strategy: 

Pick up the ball in the center of the room – > Insert the ball next to the symbol that you have in the boss room (the symbols you memorized from the entry room) – > Do damage to the wizard. 

You can only do damage once you deposit your fireball into its correct area and USE THE element associated with your buff. 

If you are low in light level and find yourself wiping because Volmar, the Tempted (the boss) is spamming arc blasts at you, try the following. 

Leave one of your fireteam members by the door and alternate two people in and out of the room to do damage to the boss. That way if you go down, the whole team won’t wipe. 

The person that stays near the spawn room will do add control and distract the boss so that the other two fireteam members can get their buffs and set up for the damage.

Once you defeat the witch, you’ll be told to visit Eris and she will give you the Xenophage exotic machine gun!

I hope this helped.

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