Sever

The Sever activities are the seasonal story missions of Season of the Haunted. They are located near the bottom left hand corner of the map of the Moon.

Overview
In order to sever the connection of Emperor Calus and The Lunar Pyramid, Eris Morn had invited The Guardian, Crow, and Commander Zavala to take place in a ritual that would expose their deepest fears and regrets in the form of Nightmares. The Sever missions follow Crow, Zavala, and Empress Caiatl as the Guardian helps them combat their Nightmares and weaken Calus's grasp over the Pyramid.

There are six Sever missions in total, two missions per character. Each pair of missions share similar mechanics gameplay-wise.

Sever: Shame / Sever: Reconciliation
"I told you: our prodigal children returning to their father. Can't you hear them calling?"

- Nightmare of Uldren

Sever: Shame and Sever: Reconciliation follow Crow and the confrontation with his nightmares, the Nightmare of Uldren and the Nightmare of the Fanatic. Crow feels shame and anger towards his past list as Uldren Sov and his role in the creation of the Scorn and during Sever: Shame, he makes it clear that he wants no part of Uldren within him. This mentality ultimately leads him to fail the severance ritual. In his return to the Leviathan in Sever: Reconciliation, Crow manages to overcome the Nightmare of Uldren by accepting that Uldren will always be a part of him, but he will not become Uldren if he learns from his mistakes.

The missions begin with the player spawning in the Leviathan's Underbelly. Walking forwards will reveal that the door is currently locked but can be opened if the player looks up and shoots the sparking blue fuse. Behind the door will be a place where the player will plant a Ritual Amplifier. Moving forwards, the guardian will see a tube that they must go through but is blocked by a wall of Arc energy. There is a door to the left that stutters open and shut but walking next to it will cause the door to open, revealing more fusing that can be shot, dropping the shield once the fuses are destroyed. The tube leads to a small maze section. One of the solutions is as follows: Left - Right - Left - Right - Straight.

After the maze, the player will enter the Armory, where they will be blocked by a wall of Darkness energy and a pod of Egregore spores. Standing near the spores and destroying them grants a small buff that allows the player to pass through the wall. The player will then be tasked with clearing out the Armory of Cabal Loyalists, after which the power will shut off and more Cabal will spawn. After killing off the Cabal and their commander, Val Dumoar Sentinel Commander, the player can make their way forwards where they can see Crow and the Nightmare of Uldren behind a large window. Crow and his Nightmare will have some dialogue before a large door to the left will open, revealing a lever which will restore power when pulled. This will spawn a small wave of Psions. The player will now be blocked by another wall of Darkness energy. There will be another blue fuse within the Armory that can be shot, opening a door which reveals another pod of Egregore. Making their way past the wall of Darkness, the player will go through a small incineration tunnel.

Crawling through the tunnel, there will be another location to place a Ritual Amplifier. The door will open and players will find themselves in a room with a small group of Cabal and a lever marked by a quest indicator. Pulling this lever brings down a lockdown and spawns in a large, invincible Ceremonial Bather named The Contaminant. Players will have to avoid the Contaminant as they find four levers around the room to lift the lockdown. One lever will be blocked by a large wall of Arc energy, so the player will be forced to carry a large Wrench that slows their movement speed and lowers their jump height. Once carrying the wrench, they will carry it to a node that needs to be repaired and once repairs, the arc wall will drop and the player can pull the final lever and escape.

The player will make their way into a small room of Scorn and listen to some more dialogue between Crow and Uldren. There will be a place to plant another Ritual Amplifier and a door that is locked by another fuse. The player will navigate their way through to a large fan lift that will take them to The Gauntlet. They will listen to some more dialogue before beginning the ritual. The Nightmare of the Fanatic will spawn in and allow the player to damage them before escaping into the Gauntlet's running course. The player will follow through a portal which will take them into the running course and a battle with the Fanatic will ensue, will waves of Scorn attempting to impede progress. During the fight, The Fanatic will periodically teleport and run away and if the player cannot kill the Fanatic before it reaches the end of the course, the player will be teleported out.

If the player is teleported out, the player will be swarmed by waves of Scorn. Killing all of the Scorn will make the portal reappear and the fight with the Fanatic can resume. Killing the Fanatic will teleport the player out of the running course and the mission will end after some more dialogue.

Sever: Grief / Sever: Forgiveness
"Forgiveness? You share meals with Fallen behind your walls. After what they took!"

- Nightmare of Safiyah

Sever: Grief and Sever: Forgiveness follows Commander Zavala as he tackles his nightmares, the Nightmare of Safiyah and the Nightmare of Kethiks, Grief Unforgiven. During the events of Sever: Grief, it is revealed to the player that Commander Zavala's Nightmares are built upon guilt regarding the death of his son Hakim as he feels that he was directly responsible for Hakim's death at the hands of Kethiks, the Yet-Proven. It is further revealed that this guilt also extended to Guardians under his command and his wavering devotion to the Traveler. Due to this guilt, he fails the first severance ritual but returns to the Leviathan in Sever: Forgiveness. He manages to overcome the Nightmare of Safiyah by forgiving himself for Hakim's death. When he mentions his thoughts of the Traveler, the now Memory of Safiyah urges him to rest instead.

Sever: Rage / Sever: Resolve
"You have squandered my victories with your ineptitude. You're not the Caiatl I trained. She was a feared star pilot, dreaded with a cleaver. A warrior. Where is she?"

- Nightmare of Ghaul

Sever: Rage and Sever: Resolve follows Empress Caiatl as she attempts to tackle her nightmare of Dominus Ghaul. Caiatl has surged ahead to take her nightmare head on without participation in Eris's ritual, leading The Guardian to rush after her and help her defeat her nightmare. Caialt feels rage against herself for the loss of Torobatl at the hands of Xivu Arath, God of War and the subsequent fleeing into the Sol system. She is conflicted and angry about the alliance with the Vanguard as her mentor, Ghaul had defeated them. This anger at herself and inner conflict leads her to fail the severance mission the first time. In her return in Sever: Resolve, she overcomes her nightmare by realizing that she has made her own legacy of success and does not need the approval of the past to keep going. She concludes that she has made the Cabal change for the better under her leadership.

Appearances

 * Destiny 2: Season of the Haunted