Destiny 2: Thunderlord and Journal of the Reef Cryptarch exotic quest walkthrough (update)

To celebrate the end of the Halloween-themed Festival of the Lost, Destiny 2: Forsaken has introduced the new “Journal of the Reef Cryptarch” exotic quest. By all indications, the end of the quest will result in the reintroduction of Thunderlord, a popular machine gun Exotic from the first Destiny (though this is still unconfirmed).

We’ll walk you through the steps on how to complete it, or at least as far as we’re currently able to get with it.

STEP 1: Talk to Amanda Holliday

The shipwright has been host to all of the Festival of the Lost events, and this quest is no different. Speak to her, and she’ll ask you to collect 10 pages that were lost from the dead Cryptarch’s journal.

STEP 2: Collect 10 pages from the lost Cryptarch’s journal

Bungie via Polygon

This seems like it would be a grind, but there’s actually a super simple way to get this step done in just a few minutes.

Head to the EDZ and await a “Glimmer Extraction” Public Event. They can happen in a few different places, most notably Trostland and The Sludge.

With this event comes plenty of yellow bar Fallen, which is what you’re looking for. These Fallen have a high chance to drop the needed pages. We were able to find eight of the 10 pages in just one Public Event. Rinse and repeat until you have all 10 pages from the lost Cryptarch’s journal.

STEP 3: Hunt for clues in Lost Sectors

Bungie/Activision via Polygon

With the second reset, a new leg of the quest has become available. You’ll be tasked with hunting down clues for what happened to Master Ives in three Lost Sectors. Hop in your ship and head over to the EDZ — Trostland, specifically.

In the area surrounding Devrim Kay, there are three Lost Sectors: Atrium, Widow’s Walk, and Terminus East. Go through each of these Lost Sectors and clear them out. When you grab the loot from the chest, you’ll tick off the box on your quest.

Once you’ve cleared all three, you’ll find a revised version of the Ives’ journal.

STEP 4: Complete one, final Lost Sector in the Outskirts

Bungie/Activision via Polygon

After you’ve completed the three Lost Sectors around Devrim, it’s time to head into the Outskirts part of the EDZ. Hop on your sparrow and roll through town or just travel to the Winding Cove and go from there.

You’re looking for the Lost Sector at the top left of the area called Whispered Falls. If you get lost, just hover your cursor over the Lost Sectors you’ve completed to display their names. Enter the Whispered Falls and claim the cache.

Once you’ve completed your fourth Lost Sector, you’ll get another quest step.

STEP 5: Talk to Amanda

Bungie/Activision via Polygon

After your trek through Lost Sectors, Amanda will ask to see you in the Tower. Teleport over to her and have a chat. It’s time to adventure into one more Lost Sector and return to a familiar location.

Head back to Master Ives’ tattered robes in the Whispered Falls. Play through the Lost Sector to find the mission start point.

STEP 6: Return to the Cosmodrome

When the mission starts, you’ll find yourself on familiar ground if you played Destiny. Make your way through the graveyard of cars, and take down each Fallen you see. Once you’ve cleared the area, the giant energy shield in front of the wall will go down, letting you pass.

Enter the wall and keep killing Fallen as you see them. Follow the path and run through the snow until you find an open hallway on the right. You’ll know you’re in the right place if you can see some skulls in front of the hallway entrance.

Keep going down the dark corridor until you find a small room with a large pipe at the end. You’ll now be in a darkness zone filled with Fallen enemies and a giant Fallen Captain. Keep killing all the Fallen — including the massive Servitor that spawns in — until you manage to take down the Captain, which’ll cause all other enemies to despawn.

Head back out the way you came and back through the teleporter. The mission will end, and it’ll be time to go back to the Tower.

STEP 7: Claim your Thunderlord

Bungie/Activision via Polygon

Head back to the Tower and talk to Amanda. She’ll give you the last Exotic Engram that Master Ives ever had. Take the Engram back to Rahool to earn Thunderlord.

Unlike the Thunderlord from Destiny, this version feels a bit more exotic. For example, the gun’s new intrinsic perk causes lightning to strike around the area whenever an enemy is killed, dealing damage to nearby foes. Thunderlord’s original perks, which increase reload speed on kills and increase the gun’s rate of fire the longer the trigger is held down, are both part of the new version as well.

Congratulations, Guardian. Master Ives has been avenged and Thunderlord is yours!