Destiny 2: A Complete Guide To The Whisper Exotic Mission (2024)

Destiny 2 has brought back its first Exotic mission with its Into the Light content update. Guardians can venture into the depths of Io once again to reacquire Whisper of the Worm, an Exotic Sniper Rifle that is heavily inspired by Black Spindle from the first game.

Whisper is one of the hardest-hitting Exotic Heavy weapons in the game, and it is fully craftable. If you want to unlock the full potential of this weapon, you'll need to complete "The Whisper" multiple times. This guide will explain how to access this mission, give an in-depth walkthrough of each encounter, and cover how to complete all of Whisper's Exotic quests. We also cover all of this mission's hidden Oracle locations for players chasing Karve the Worm, this mission's Exotic ship.

Updated April 23, 2024, by Charles Burgar: The final intrinsic and trait upgrades for Whisper of the Worm are now available, along with the last three Oracles. We have updated this guide with the last three Oracle locations and a step-by-step guide on Eris' final Whispers of the Past quest.

How To Start The Whisper Mission

The Whisper mission is unlocked upon speaking with Eris Morn on the Moon. She will give you a quest called "Whispers of the Past" that will ask you to complete the Exotic mission on either Normal or Legend difficulty. The Whisper mission can be found within the "Into the Light" section on your Director. Matchmaking is disabled for this activity, but it can be cleared solo if you're using a decent build.

Both the Normal and Legend variants come with difficulty modifiers that make The Whisper mission slightly harder. Both difficulty modifiers are shown below.

It's important to emphasize that this mission is timed. You have 40 minutes (reduced to 20 on Legend) to complete the entire mission. If you fail to complete the mission before the timer expires, everyone will be sent back to orbit, requiring you to restart the mission from the beginning. No checkpoints are present, although a Rally Banner is available before the final encounter.

The Whisper Mission Changes

If you played this Exotic mission back when it was originally available, not much has changed. The core mechanics and jumping puzzles are exactly the same as before, although the combat difficulty has been cranked up to reflect the current sandbox. All changes are listed below.

• Vex Cubes can be found at the end of each platforming section. Destroying them will create a shortcut for any fireteam members left behind, allowing them to catch up to you.
• Hidden chests have been removed. They have been replaced with Oracles that can be destroyed.
  • The Catalyst now drops from Legend difficulty. It no longer has a Catalyst objective.
• An extra final boss was added. After you defeat the Taken trio at the end of the mission, a fourth enemy will spawn. You must kill a pair of Taken Wizards to make the boss vulnerable.
• You can now craft Whisper of the Worm at the Enclave. It now has intrinsic upgrades you can unlock by destroying Oracles in the mission. Mulligan can now be replaced with other perks.

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Whisper Mission Walkthrough

Upon starting the mission, you will spawn near the end of the Grove of Ulan-Tan Lost Sector on Io. Run into the adjacent room and clear out the Taken Thrall. You should now have a clear overview of the entire Lost Sector. Don't jump down.

You'll want to look for a Vex Cube floating on the opposite side of the room, beside a tree. Destroying it will create a couple of Vex platforms that lead to the exit. Break the Taken Blight and jump down the newly revealed hole.

Vex Cube Mechanic

Small Vex cubes can be found towards the end of each platforming section. You can break these cubes to create static platforms for your allies to use. This is useful if you're carrying Guardians through the mission or need to backtrack.

Traverse Deeper Into The Anomaly

The grand Pyramidion structure on the surface of Io has taken root within the very core of this moon. You will need to navigate a series of jumping puzzles to reach the Taken Anomaly that plagues the region. Generally, follow any bright lights you see. An Eager Edge Sword, Strand's Grapple Grenade, or even Stasis can make this part much easier.

After sliding under a narrow gap in a Vex wall, you'll reach a massive chasm with violent pistons protruding from the wall beside you. Jump down towards the isolated platform bathed in red light, then hop to the large pillar structure. Hug the wall as you shimmy your way towards the left. When you hit a dead end, jump off the platform and around the corner.

There is an incredibly small ledge you can crawl through to reach the other side of this massive structure, but you'll want to wait first. This wall has slow-moving pistons that will push you into the chasm. You need to take it slow.

• Once the closest piston recedes, walk until you reach the second piston. Stop.
• Wait for the wall to push outward and retract. Walk until you reach the third piston. Do not continue.
• Wait a few seconds. The third piston will do its thing. Once it retracts back into the wall, you're home-free.

Now that you're on the other side of the structure, jump across the chasm to the nearby wall. Head to the cube platform at the end of the path and jump on top of it. It'll act as an elevator that will take you up a floor. Get off the elevator, walk along the wall, then turn left as soon as possible.

Yet another imposing hallway will greet you, but this section isn't nearly as bad. Wait for the Vex contraptions to recede, then book it to the other side. The following room is a large chasm filled with multiple diagonal pillars. Simply jump on the platforms jutting out of them to reach the opposite end of the chasm. Beware of the Taken physics traps and snipers as you progress.

The next room is lined with massive spherical Vex structures. Run to the opening at the very back of the right wall. There should be an opening on the top floor that will lead you to the next jumping section.

Most players refer to this as the "green room," a rather spacious area that has small patches of vegetation. While the room looks imposing, you can actually skip this entire jumping section. Once you enter the room, turn around and crouch under the small ramp. This will skip the entire green room puzzle.

You're almost done. The final platforming section requires you to run along the circular structure to your left. Jump down towards the bright light below, navigate the final stretch of platforms, and you'll reach the combat portion of this Exotic mission.

Eradicate The Taken Corruption

This next section will test your add-slaying skills. You must clear each room of all Taken enemies; not one foe can be left standing. Each room is also infected with half a dozen Taken Blights. You don't need to destroy them to progress, but you might want to break a few to give yourself some safe areas to fight in.

There aren't any bosses or special mechanics during this section, so your main goal is to survive. Don't take unnecessary risks, focus on killing the Vandals and Knights first, and use cover whenever possible. Once all the Taken enemies are dead, you can destroy the Taken energy that's blocking the exit. Repeat this process until you reach the heart of this Vex structure.

Defeat The Taken Bosses

You will immediately be attacked by multiple Taken Centurions, all of which will attempt to spawn Axion Darts whenever possible. Kill these enemies as soon as possible. When the arena is clear, a Rally Point will appear near the center of the room. Swap to a DPS build before you start the encounter.

There are three Taken bosses trapped in the back of the room. Destroying the Vex Cubes in the center of the room will spawn a boss. You can choose to spawn one boss at a time or all three simultaneously. We recommend the former if you're playing this solo, but feel free to spawn all of them if your fireteam is armed to the teeth.

The bosses themselves don't have any mechanics; they're tanky variants of standard Taken foes:

• Urzok, Aspect of Hate: Taken Knight
• Drevis: Aspect of Darkness: Taken Captain
• Ta'aurc, Aspect of War: Taken Centurion

Use the short pillar structures as cover, duck into the tunnels on either side of the arena when you get surrounded, and chip away at each boss when it's safe. Unlike the original version, killing all three bosses doesn't end the mission. There's a fourth boss you must kill immediately after. Make sure your team is ready for this when the third boss is slain.

Defeat Tulgorh, Aspect Of Agony

Immediately after killing the third boss, a Taken Ogre named Tulgorh, Aspect of Agony, will spawn. Unlike the previous three bosses, this Ogre comes with an immunity shield that can only be stripped by killing the Taken Wizard couple near the back of the room.

No other mechanics are present here. Kill the Wizards, nuke the boss, and repeat until Tulgorh is dead. Open the final reward chest when it's dead to complete the activity. This will reward you with Whisper of the Worm and its respective crafting pattern. To unlock additional crafting options, you'll need to replay this mission and hunt down secret Oracles. The Exotic Catalyst drops from Legend difficulty.

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Whispers Of The Taken I

Eris Morn has devised a method that will allow you to reforge Whisper of the Worm into a much stronger weapon. Speak to Eris Morn upon completing "The Whisper" to start the quest. The quest objectives are rather straightforward:

1. Collect 10 Taken Essence from slain Taken combatants.
   • Taken can be slain anywhere in the system.
2. Boot up "The Whisper" on Legend. Destroy three Blights in the starting area.
3. Complete the mission on Legend difficulty.

The Blights are located within the Io Lost Sector before you jump down the Taken Blight hole. Turn around and face the Lost Sector itself. You should see all three Taken orbs. Equip Whisper of the Worm and shoot the floating objects. Once you break all three, complete the mission on Legend difficulty. Speak to Eris Morn when you're done. You will unlock Field Prep as a craftable trait for Whisper of the Worm.

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Whispers Of The Taken II

Like before, you'll need to speak with Eris Morn on the Moon. She will ask you to eliminate Taken while you have Whisper of the Worm equipped. Taken can be eliminated anywhere, not just in The Whisper mission. Once that's done, you'll need to destroy three more blights in the Exotic mission.

The second set of Blights can be foundin the Green Room. When you first enter the room, you should see all three blights floating in the air. Equip Whisper of the Worm and destroy all three of them. Once complete, report back to Eris Morn to unlock No Distractions as a craftable trait on Whisper.

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Whispers Of The Taken III

Speak with Eris Morn on the Moon to start this quest. Once again, you'll need to acquire 50 Taken Essence by eliminating Taken enemies while Whisper of the Worm is equipped; the kills can be from any weapon.

Once that objective is finished, you'll need to destroy the last three Blights in the Legend variant of "The Whisper" mission. All three Blights are found right before the final boss arena. Complete the combat gauntlet, but don't drop down just yet. Equip Whisper and look near the corners of the room:

1. Found to the right of the entrance, floating in the air.
2. Hidden near the corner of the triangular platform, directly across from the entrance.
3. From #2, turn around and look up. The Blight is floating next to a Vex pillar.

Break all three Blights, finish the mission on Legend difficulty, then return to Eris. This will unlock Whisper's final craftable trait: Enlightened Action.

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All Oracle Locations

Hidden chests have been replaced with Oracle devices that can be destroyed. This mission has seven Oracles in total. You must break these Oracles to unlock Whisper of the Worm intrinsic upgrades and the Karve the Worm Exotic ship.

Oracle #1: First Platforming Section

• Location: After you descend the Taken Blight hole.
• Reward: Whisper Intrinsic II

After you descend the Taken Blight hole and jump across the first gap, look to your left. Hug the wall and walk as far as you can, then jump around the corner towards the light. Break the Oracle floating above a broken Goblin chassis to receive the second intrinsic upgrade for Whisper of the Worm.

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Oracle #2: Cube Elevator

• Location: On the path after you use the cube elevator.
• Reward: Ship Progress

The second Oracle is located in the first platforming section. After you use the elevator, continue to follow the path; do not enter the Vex hallway. Jump up the narrow platform, then look to the wall on your left. There should be a gap in the wall directly above your character. Hop up into the wall to find the Oracle.

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Oracle #3: Pillar Section

• Location: Around the last pillar before you jump across to the next room.
• Reward: Whisper Intrinsic III

During the pillar platforming section, you'll want to jump to the exit and turn around. Shoot the Vex Cube to create a new platform on the other side of the final pillar, then jump across. The Oracle will be floating in a corner. Destroy it to unlock the third intrinsic upgrade for Whisper of the Worm.

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Oracle #4: Green Room

• Location: Found in the room after you complete the jumping puzzle; you cannot skip the puzzle.
• Reward: Ship Progress

The fourth Oracle is the most straightforward one to find, yet it's the most difficult to reach. You must complete the Green Room jumping puzzle to reach this Oracle; skipping it by walking under the entry ramp will not work.

If you've never done this before, start the puzzle by walking to the spherical structure near the center of the room. Turn left and walk into the gap in the wall. Look to the ceiling and jump up. This will lead you back outside.

Your goal is to jump on any platform with grass. Look for narrow ledges above or beside you to find the path forward. The puzzle will take you across the entire room. When you are standing on a ledge directly above the entrance to the room, look for a grassy patch to drop to. It'll lead to a room filled with dead Vex and the Oracle you seek.

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Oracle #5: Green Room

• Location: Enter the Thrall pit and walk into the alcove. Slide under the gap in a nearby wall to reach the Oracle.
• Reward: Whisper Intrinsic IV

The fifth Oracle is located in the Thrall Pit under the Green Room. Drop into the pit, then look for an alcove on the opposite end of the entrance. On the right wall, you should find a narrow gap in the wall you can slide under. Enter the hidden room and break the Oracle.

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Oracle #6: Semicircle Platforming Section

• Location: On the jumping platform, turn around and enter the hidden room.
• Reward: Ship Progress

During the semicircle platforming section, you'll walk onto a Vex platform that leads to a brightly lit room. Do not jump. Instead, look to your left. You should see a hidden platform that runs parallel to the Vex structure you're on. Hop down to that platform and crawl to the hidden room. Break the Oracle, then run back to the Vex Portal to get the final Oracle.

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Oracle #7: Vex Portal

• Location: Head to the Vex portal on the other side of the semicircle room.
• Reward: Karve the Worm Ship.

When you first enter the semicircle platforming room, look to your right and jump across. You'll want an Eager Edge Sword or some movement Exotic to make the jump. Follow the wall of the chasm until you reach the Vex Portal on the other side. Once there, break the Oracle floating behind the portal.

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