Sacrilege

"Since the loss of her Light, Ikora has many questions - and she's not leaving without answers"

- In game description

Sacrilege is the tenth story mission of Destiny 2, taking place between Six and Fury. It is the first mission on Io and completion of this mission will unlock the Io Adventures Unexpected Guests and Road Rage.

During the course of Sacrilege the player locates Ikora Rey and is tasked with stopping Red Legion activities on Io. These activities are quickly discovered to be the theft of the Traveler's energy still remaining in Io since it was incompletely terraformed by the Traveler at the end of the Golden Age and onset of the Collapse. Ghaul, Ikora believes, intends to use this raw Light based energy to perform the equivalent to Taking on the Cabal and make himself immortal in the absence of the Traveler's wilfully blessing the Cabal with the Light. During the course of this discovery being made the player is ambushed by the Taken, who, though apparently leaderless, have been drawn like moths to the fire to the gigantic pillar of Light which shot into the air when the Cabal mining operations struck Light, or more accurately the residual energy on Io, which they attempt to steal, and the Taken attempt to invade and consume. The player manages to stop this Taken invasion for the moment, after they kill Irausk, the Herald of Savathûn, which, together with Ghost Scans throughout this mission suggest the Taken are not as leaderless as Ikora thinks.

Enemies

 * Cabal - Red Legion
 * Taken
 * Wyr, the Taken
 * Norr, the Taken
 * Erruk, the Taken
 * Irausk, Herald of Savathûn

Objectives

 * Determine what the Red Legion is doing on Io
 * Find the Red Legion base


 * Determine what the Red legion is doing on Io
 * Fight your way into the base


 * Determine what the Red Legion is doing on Io
 * Explore the base to learn more about Red Legion operations


 * Defend yourself against the Taken
 * Repel the Taken that have infested the mining tunnels


 * Rejoin Ikora
 * Fight your way out of the base to rejoin Ikora


 * Seal the Taken portal
 * Taken Wizards destroyed
 * [0-3] of 3
 * Destroy the Wizards to dispel the portal


 * Seal the Taken portal
 * Take a closer look at the portal


 * Seal the Taken portal
 * Defeat Irausk, Herald of Savathûn, to dispel the portal

Loading Screen
Ghost: Io. The whole place hums with energy left behind by the Traveler's unfinished work. No wonder Guardians consider this site sacred. Now that Cayde is back in the fold, all we need is to find Ikora - make the Vanguard whole again... and bring down the Almighty.

{End Loading Screen}

Cutscene

 * The Guardian's ship, the Wanderwing, passes over head, into the gently lit panoramic background of the Ionian evening as the camera lowers slowly, bringing the remains of Echo Mesa into view. As the camera lowers further still, and the wandering begins to turn, while a cliff overlooking the Mesa comes into view, along with the person standing on it. Ikora Rey. The Wanderwing zooms overhead and the Guardian transmats into the scene, and approaches Ikora's side.

Ikora Rey: Of all the places I've been in all the years since my rebirth, this is where I return. The last place the Traveler touched.


 * The camera zooms in, coming around to show Ikora's face as she looks out over the valley below.

Ikora: I came for answers. I stand here still with nothing.

Ghost: Ikora. Zavala is forming a resistance and he believes -

Ikora: What good is a resistance when you are the only one who would survive? I believe this Ghaul creature knows the Traveler blessed this site. I believe he sent his Legion to find something they could never possibly understand. And I believe they will continue to desecrate all we hold sacred.


 * Ikora turns to the Guardian, pleading.

Ikora: Save this place, Guardian. Do not squander this second chance.


 * The Guardian nods, and the camera zooms out once more showing the pair atop the cliff looking out.

{End Cinematic}

Gameplay

 * Lost Oasis
 * Io


 * Determine what the Red Legion is doing on Io
 * Find the Red Legion base


 * The player heads towards the source of the Cabal activity, witnessing a formation of Threshers escorting a Cruiser, appearing over the horizon

Ikora: Red Legion ships have been in and out non-stop since I got here. We need to know what they're doing. Get into that base.


 * Behind the fleet, the a pillar of light shoots up into the sky like a fountain, spreading out and covering the entire skyline

Ghost: Look at the sky! What is that, Ikora?

Ikora: Energy... The Traveler's energy! What have they done?! This is my fault. I could have stopped this.

Ghost: Ikora, there's no way! Not without your Light.

Ikora: I am more than just my Light! I could have tried! I should have tried. But... after all these years dying, being reborn, dying again... The Traveler has left me with one life, and I am afraid to lose it.

Ghost: That might happen anyway. Ghaul has a weapon that can blow up our sun.

Ikora: What? Why would he destroy what he's worked so hard to conquer? Get into that base. There must be answers there.


 * The player moves towards the source of the pillar of light emanating from within Terrabase Charon, passing IO-WM-4 as they do so:
 * Ghost: "Ikora must have been here at some point. Came up here to meditate about the nature of the Light, and the Traveler. There are so many questions we don't have answered."


 * Terrabase Charon


 * The player comes across a scene of Cabal troops evacuating the base into Red Legion Harvesters hovering at the ready right in front of the player's approach, and landing pads across the base..


 * Determine what the Red legion is doing on Io
 * Fight your way into the base

Ghost: Looks like the Legion's packing up, Ikora.

Ikora: Find out what they're shipping. We need every scrap of intel we can get.


 * The player engages the Cabal, causing the Harvester pilots to panic and fly off, leaving the last of the troops to their fate. Ghost Scan IO-TBC-3 is located nearby:
 * Ghost: "This is sending out some kind of resonant signal. The same syllables, over and over: Sa... Va... Thun..."


 * If the player enters the depressed in middle of the area, Ghost will say of the blue substance pooled there:

Ghost: The blue substance oozing from the cracks in the ground - that's the Traveler's raw energy.


 * Large tanks of this energy can be seen around the area, ready for transport. The player kills the Cabal and enters the abandoned and decrepit base, towards the Wraith Mines

Ghost: Everyone's gone.

Ikora: Keep looking. It's not like the Cabal to invest so much in a base, and just abandon it.


 * The Wraith Mines


 * Determine what the Red Legion is doing on Io
 * Explore the base to learn more about Red Legion operations


 * The player enters the mine and finds a room opened to the sky above by a large drill which dominates the room as it looms through the hole in the earth it has split open.

Ghost: We're coming up on a big drill

Ikora: A drill? Are they mining the Traveler's energy? No! It's not Light. It can't give the Traveler's blessing. Not to me, not to Ghaul - Or could it?


 * The player continues deeper into the mine, encountering Taken "goo" and their proximity mines.

Ghost: Ikora -

Ikora: What's wrong?

Ghost: Taken rifts. Defensive wards, too.

Ikora: The Taken!


 * The player continues past the wards which detonate upon proximity and enters a larger cavern with a gigantic Blight protruding halfway through the cieling as Taken begin spawning in.


 * Defend yourself against the Taken
 * Repel the Taken that have infested the mining tunnels


 * The player commences battle with the Taken. The first wave is composed of Taken Psions, allowing the player to learn their troublesome combat behaviour. The area is full of several Ghost Scans:
 * Ghost: "Another Taken portal. I...uhh. I'm getting an active scan signal through there. I think something's watching us." - IO-WM-1


 * Ghost: "That blight is emitting ultrasonic resonances, over and over. Sounds like this: Eir. Ur. Yul. Xol." - IO-WM-2


 * Ghost: "I think these blights are like transmitters. They're either calling out to something, or... letting something whisper to the Taken here on Io." - IO-WM-3

Ghost: Why are the Taken here? They have no leader; Oryx is dead.

Ikora: The Taken will always be drawn to the Traveler's energy. They are no longer Fallen or Hive or Cabal. Oryx changed them with the dark powers he stole. He - Wait. Is Ghaul's plan to do the same, but with the Light? That has to be it!


 * The player continues through the mine along a gantry running above and around the drill into another room. The room contains more Cabal mining equipment surrounding another exposed energy seep in the center of the room beneath the shadow of another Cabal Drill and several more giant Taken Blights. Inside the room are more Taken, led by a Taken Wizard. The Taken Wizard will occasionally spawn Shadow Thrall to attack the player who must now learn how to deal with these enemies, as well as multitasking against the swarm of Taken Psions also present.

Ikora: Ghaul must be mining the Traveler's remnant energy in the hopes of transforming himself and the Red Legion into wielders of the Light. If he succeeds, he will become immortal. Unstoppable. We have to tell Zavala. Meet me outside.


 * Rejoin Ikora
 * Fight your way out of the base to rejoin Ikora


 * The player making their way back to the surface

Asher Mir: All channels! This is a skyshock alert! Someone or something drew the Taken here!

Ikora: Asher Mir? Is that you?

Asher: Irrelevant! The Taken are sapping the moon's energy. I hypothesise that Io will implode if someone does not intervene.

Ikora: Guardian, we cannot lose this sacred place. Do what must be done. Stop the Taken.


 * Terrabase Charon


 * The player returns to the surface to find it overrun by Taken, with a large Blight in the middle of the area directly over the seep of the Traveler's energy, sucking it dry.

Ghost: Looks like the Taken are conjuring some kind of portal.

Asher: Stop them! Doubtless, those mindless vermin intend to summon every last one of their spectral friends to devour this moon.


 * Seal the Taken portal
 * Taken Wizards destroyed
 * [0-3] of 3
 * Destroy the Wizards to dispel the portal


 * The player fights the Taken, now including Taken Phalanxes. The player moves to kill the three Taken Wizards powering the Blight: Wyr, the Taken, Norr, the Taken, and Erruk, the Taken, located equidistantly around the Blight, attacking them in no particular order.


 * 1 of 3


 * 2 of 3


 * 3 of 3


 * The Blight which was hovering mid air, slowly lowers to sit on the ground itself

Ghost: There it goes. Looks like we closed the portal.

Asher: Then why am I still seeing abnormal neutrino scattering?

Ghost: Hang on. We're gonna take a closer look.


 * Seal the Taken portal
 * Take a closer look at the portal


 * The player draws near the portal which vanishes suddenly, leaving behind a group of Taken Thralls

Ghost: We definitely didn't close it.

Asher: Ahh! Remedy this mess, you fools!


 * More Taken spawn in. These are defeated. Another wave of Taken appear, led by Irausk, Herald of Savathûn, a Taken Centurion


 * Seal the Taken portal
 * Defeat Irausk, Herald of Savathûn, to dispel the portal


 * The player kills Irausk, causing the portal to collapse

Ghost: Portal's closed. We're clear. Ikora, I know this place is important to you, but...

Ikora: There's nothing for me here on Io. I have one life left to give, and I will give it gladly to stop Ghaul. We leave now.

Asher: Don't be so hasty. Ikora Rey, we must talk. And as for you, meddling Guardian, I have a few choice things to say to you.

{End Gameplay}

{End Mission}

Trivia

 * The pillar of light that erupts into the sky during the player's approach to Terrabase Charon may be an allusion to the eruption of oil from the ground when a drilling operation successfully strikes oil.
 * There are numerous Dust Giants and Sand Eater banners and logos on Terrabase Charon, indicating that the base, was formerly part of those factions.