Destiny 2: Season of the Lost guide: Tracing the Stars and A Hollow Coronation Exotic quest

Here’s how to find and collect the Atlas Skews around the Dreaming City

By Ryan Gilliam@RyGilliam Aug 24, 2021, 4:40pm EDT

Ager’s Scepter Destiny 2 Exotic Trace rifle

Destiny 2: Season of the Lost comes with a new quest, Tracing the Stars. While it starts as a Legendary quest, it eventually transforms into the A Hollow Coronation Exotic quest for the Ager’s Scepter Exotic Trace Rifle.

As of this writing, the quest is fully available and Ager’s Scepter is unlockable in Destiny 2.

To start Tracing the Stars, you’ll need to complete the opening missions for Season of the Lost and unlock the HELM. Drop in and interact with the Compass in the Awoken wing. You can add the quest to your inventory from that menu.

Tracing the Stars 1

Once you pick up Tracing the Stars 1 from the Compass, walk through the portal and speak to Mara. She’ll send you to collect five Atlas Skews around the Dreaming City. This week, you’ll need to look around the Divalian Mists, the Spine of Keres, and inside the Drowned Bay Lost Sector.

This first leg will net you a Stasis hand cannon, the Vulpecula.

Divalian-Rheasilvia Path, Lower Cliffside

For this Atlas Skew, spawn in the Divalian Mists and head left toward Rheasilvia. But instead of following the path and going in the cave, drop off the cliff on the left and land on the small outcropping.

Pick up the Atlas Skew and travel back to the Divalian Mists.

Divalian- Cimmerian Path, Central Cave

From the Divalian Mists spawn, walk forward like you’re moving toward the Blind Well. Instead of climbing the cliff and into the heart of the Dreaming City, stay down and enter the small cave near the stairs.

Pick up the Atlas Skew in the back of the cave and walk back out into the Divalian Mists.

Drowned Bay Alcove

Hop on your Sparrow and ride back toward the Divalian Mists spawn. Head inside the Drowned Bay Lost Sector. Progress through until you’re fighting Scorn. Turn right into the rocks instead of left into the water.

Pick up the Atlas Skew next to the rock wall and travel back to the Divalian Mists.

Spine Oracle Orrery

Head toward Rheasilvia again, but this time turn left and follow the cave toward the Oracle and the scattered islands on the left side of the map. When you reach the Oracle, walk up the stairs until you reach the top of the tower.

Grab the Atlas Skew at the end of the stairs and jump back down into the Oracle tower. Do not return to the Divalian Mists this time.

Distant Spine Island Tree

At the base of the Oracle tower, head further away from the Divalian Mists and into the islands where you first dropped into the Dreaming City during the Forsaken campaign — the far left side of the map. Progress along the islands until you hit a tree.

Grab the final Atlas Skew and launch the special “A Hollow Coronation” mission in the HELM.

When you land, listen to Mara and walk forward. Dump your Atlas Skews in the Atlas Terminal on the left. Travel back to the normal version of the HELM and commune with the Compass again.

Pick up your sweet new Stasis hand cannon and come back next week!

Tracing the Stars 2

On your second week of Tracing the Stars, head back to the HELM and pick up Tracing the Stars 2 from the Compass — just like you did the first week. Mara will want to have a quick chat, so hop in the portal and talk to her. She wants you to find even more Atlas Skews in the Dreaming City. You’ll also earn a Fractethyst Stasis shotgun for your trouble.

Once you Mara gives you the list, pop out to the Director and down into the Divalian Mists. Once you land, make your way to The Strand, which is where we’ll be spending most of our time this week.

Strand Towering Statue

When you first roll into The Strand, take a left and climb the cliffs. Jump over to the massive Awoken statue in the middle of the area. The Atlas Skew is right next to the statue.

Strand Gazebo Statue

Head to the bottom right corner of The Strand and climb up the little hill that houses a gazebo. Walk inside and you’ll see a smaller Awoken statue — the one referenced in your quest. The Atlas Skew isn’t here, so climb the cliffs behind the gazebo and drop down to one of the bluffs. The Atlas Skew is sitting on a green patch.

Aphelion Brazier

We’re going out of order from the quest sheet on this one and picking up the Aphelion Brazier first. Drop down from the gazebo and head into the Aphelion’s Rest lost sector. Run the entire thing and open the chest at the end. As you move to exit, you’ll find the Atlas Skew behind the unlit brazier.

Garden Waterfall

Go back to where you entered The Strand from the Divalian Mists. Instead of pushing into the zone, take the right ramp up to the Garden of Esilia — it isn’t marked on the map, but it’s the area with that circular thing south of The Strand. Work your way into the garden and turn right. You should see a big waterfall sticking out of the wall. Jump up to it and you’ll find the fourth Atlas Skew.

Garden Bridge Tree

If you turn around from the waterfall, you’ll see a bridge high up in the air. At the end of that bridge, you’ll see a tree. The last Atlas Skew is in front of that tree. You have two options:

1. Go under the bridge and follow the long path around, which will eventually lead you to the tree the organic way

2. Jump up the lip of the wall next to the bridge and make another jump onto the bridge (this is easier on week 3 of the Dreaming City curse thanks to the extra Taken balls)

Once you’re at the tree, grab the Atlas Skew.

Now that you have all five Atlas Skews for Tracing the Stars 2, open up the Director and select the HELM again. Pick the “A Hollow Coronation” mission. When you land, walk into the portal and place the Atlas Skews into the second Atlas Terminal. You can leave once you’ve finished the quest or stick around and listen to Mara and Uldren’s dialogue.

After the mission, head back to the Compass to pick up a Fractethyst Stasis shotgun and come back for more next week!

Tracing the Stars 3

Tracing the Stars 3 is identical to the past two weeks, but it will take you to Rheasilvia in the Dreaming City. Head to the HELM as usual and pick up Tracing the Stars 3 from the Compass. Go talk to Mara Sov by taking the portal. You’ll need to find more Atlas Skews in the Dreaming City, and this time you’ll get the Solar auto rifle, Chrysura Melo, as a reward.

Once you’ve progressed the quest through Mara, open up your Director and land on the Dreaming City. Take a left from the Divalian Mists and make way toward Rheasilvia.

Rheasilvia Lower Level

Shortly after you enter the Rheasilvia area you’ll come across a bridge. Jump off the bridge and down to the lower level, toward a wide open cave on the right side of the cliff’s face. You’ll find an Atlas Skew at the cave entrance. Pick it up and head back up to the bridge.

Rheasilvia Temple Overlook

From the main overlook of Rheasilvia, move toward the temple. There’s a large mountain on your left that has an Awoken Corsair eager to give you a patrol. Head toward her and you’ll find an Atlas Skew sitting on the cliff overlooking the temple. Grab it and get ready to climb.

Rheasilvia Secluded Statue

While first on your list, this one is the hardest to get to. Make your way toward the temple but take a right before entering. Climb and jump around the cliff and rocks to your right. Jump across the way and onto the distant platform with the large statue. Climb up the rocks — it’s a little awkward, but if you’re moving toward the statue, you’re going the right way — until you reach the top.

Grab the Atlas Skew sitting in front of the statue and make your way back to the mainland.

Harbinger Sidehall Statue

Head inside the Rheasilvia temple and follow the only path available to you. You’ll eventually open a large room, with open air on the left side and a smaller temple-within-the-temple on the right side. Go right and enter the mini-temple. Your fourth Atlas Skew is sitting in front of another Awoken statue. Grab it.

Harbinger Ahamkara Skulls

From the large room, move forward through the large doors and into the final room of the temple. But instead of going toward another big statue, jump down into the room and turn around. You’ll see an elevator pit. Jump into it and down to the bottom level. There’s yet another Awoken statue here, and next to it is your final Atlas Skew. Grab it and head back to Orbit.

Launch the A Hollow Coronation mission at the HELM and place your Atlas Skews into a Atlas Terminal like last week and the week before. Listen to the dialogue if you wish and then go back to the Compass in the HELM. You’ll get your new auto rifle and complete this week’s leg of the quest.

With three of the four Atlas Terminals activated, we likely only have one more week to wait for the Ager’s Scepter Exotic trace rifle. Come back next week for an update.

A Hollow Coronation

On week four, after you’ve put in the Atlas Skews to three of the four Atlas Terminals, you’ll be able to pick up the “A Hollow Coronation” quest from the Compass. Unlike the Tracing the Stars quests, A Hollow Coronation is gold — denoting that you’re guaranteed an Exotic from picking it up.

When you grab the quest, jump through the portal and talk to Mara, like usual. She’ll send you on yet another Atlas Skews hunt. But this one is a bit simpler. You’ll need to drop into the Confluence, but once you find it, all the Atlas Skews are nearby.

Confluence Giant Crystal

Atlas Skews in A Hollow Coronation — The Atlas Skew by the blue crystal

Land in the Divalian Mists on the Dreaming City and jump on your Sparrow. Drive toward the old tower on the left side of the map in the Spine of Keres, where the Oracle device that used to take you to Mara lives. Follow the path until the final bridge into the tower. Instead of walking across, jump under the bridge and turn around. Follow the path into a cave and you’ll find a dark portal. Enter it.

You’re now in the Confluence, a complex set of tunnels under the Dreaming City. There is no map dot here, but it is a small area that’s very easy to get through. If you explore all the rooms, you’ll find all the Atlas Skews relatively quickly.

From the portal, take a left and run down the long hall. Grab the first Atlas Skew next to the giant blue crystal.

Confluence Throne Portal

Past the crystal, move forward into the room with four doorways: one right, one left, one forward, one behind. Take the forward door and walk up to the big, creepy portal. Grab the Atlas Skew and return to the round room with four doors.

Confluence Tree Triad

Back in the circular room, put your back to the crystal and your front to the portal. Take a right and run toward the tree. When you reach the tree, grab the Atlas Skew. But this time, stay where you are.

Garden Entry Statue

Past the tree, run forward into the next room. Follow the path into the Garden of Esila. There’s only one way to go, so keep moving through the rooms until you hit another dark portal. There’s a statue in this room, and an Atlas Skew. Grab it and return to the circular room with the four doors one more time.

Harbinger Cathedral

Back in the room with the four doors, orient yourself like you did for the tree: crystal to your back, facing the portal. This time, take a left and follow the path past the first statue, until you reach the second. Now you’ll be in Harbinger’s Seclude, and you’ll see a really big Awoken Statue. The final Atlas Skew is here. Grab it.

Now, head back to the HELM and select the A Hollow Coronation mission again. Place the final Atlas Skews and go through the portal. And there’s Ager’s Scepter, just sitting on a table for you. Oh man, that was easy, right? Wrong. When you get close to Ager’s, a security field will appear. Head back to the HELM and chat with Mara; she’s got some busy work for you to do.

Astral Alignment busy work — A Hollow Coronation

Mara will tell you she’s working on the security field, but she needs you to do some stuff for her first. You’ll need to collect 100 Parallax Trajectory and get kills with any rifle weapon in the Astral Alignment activity. We recommend grabbing a Trace Rifle like Prometheus Lens, an auto, scout, or pulse rifle, and a linear fusion rifle — that way you’re always making progress.

Ignore the 100 Parallax Trajectory part of the quest — you should get all 100 in two Astral Alignment runs just from killing enemies and completing the activity. Ignore the objectives and kill enemies (apologies to your teammates) and you should be able to completely finish this quest in two runs. If you get the rifle kills but don’t have the Parallax, run a public event on any destination to finish it off.

The next step of this quest is also mildly time-consuming, and you’ll have to do another run or two of Astral Alignment. You’ll need to kill 18 Champions in Astral Alignment and kill 20 enemies with your Super. The later objective is simple: just use an offensive Super and use it on large groups when they spawn in. There are only so many Champions in a run, so just make sure you watch for them to spawn and tag them with some damage before they die.

Once you finish the quest and your Astral Alignment, it’s time to run some Strikes.

Running Strikes — A Hollow Coronation

For this step of the quest, you just need to run three Strikes: Lake of Shadows, The Disgraced, and The Glassway.

Just go to their designated destinations and select the node for the Strike off of the map. Complete all three; you’ll pick up a Strang of Nobility from each completion. Once you’ve done all three, head back to Mara. She’ll give you the Noble Seal.

A Hollow Coronation — unlocking Ager’s Scepter

Now that you have the Noble Seal, select the A Hollow Coronation mission from the HELM destination once again. Go through the portal and pick up the gun. Now you’ll need to kill Kelgorath, Risen from Bones. Equip your new gun and use it to carve through the rocks in the vault. You’ll find another room, complete with a big Knight. Use Ager’s Scepter and its unlimited ammo (only for this quest) to kill Kelgorath and all of its minions.

When Kelgorath is dead, head back to the HELM and talk to Mara yet again. With the quest done, it’s time to take a look at what this thing can do.

Ager’s Scepter perks

Ager’s Scepter is the first Stasis Trace Rifle, it uses Special ammo, and it goes in the Kinetic/Stasis slot.

Ager’s Scepter has two perks. The first is Ager’s Call, which causes final blows with Ager’s Scepter to generate a slowing burst around the defeated target. This can both slow and freeze nearby targets — which also plays into some Stasis fragments. The gun’s secondary perk is Rega’s Refrain, which causes Stasis kills to transfer ammo to the weapon’s magazine from reserves.

Ager’s Scepter also has a super powerful Catalyst, which you can learn about in our Ager’s Scepter Catalyst guide.

Destiny 2: Season of the Lost guide: Tracing the Stars and A Hollow Coronation Exotic quest