I recently had the chance to go and check out some more Destiny 2 and explore the European Dead Zone (EDZ). It was an opportunity to get a feel for the upcoming sequel’s open-world gameplay and a taste of the activities players can expect to dive into on the PS4 and Xbox One come Sept. 6. While I enjoyed running around and trying out things like Public Events and Adventures, it was the Lost Sectors that kept calling out to me, ripping me away from the beaten path in the search of new glory and, most importantly, new gear.
If you haven’t been keeping up with Destiny 2’s development and subsequent drip-feed of information, Lost Sectors are side activities that involve players entering caves and other secret entrances in order to take down a hidden boss and collect some new loot. They make excellent use of all that empty cave space Destiny 1 players may remember, and they seem to be a fair trade for those insane loot caves that some of us (cough most of us cough) took advantage of during the first game’s life. You find them by looking for a mysterious symbol out in the open world (they also show up on the Director). The symbol looks like this:
Once you do, you simply search the immediate area for a cave, hallway, empty building, or crack in the environment and jump right in. They all play out relatively the same. You jump in, you clear some enemies, you fight a boss, and you correct your reward. Pretty straightforward, right? Yet their repetitive nature is part of their charm, as are their varied designs as you find more.
Some Lost Sectors are simple caves, introducing you to its chief enemy after only taking a few steps into their confines. Others are beautiful labyrinths, both natural and industrial, that toss waves of enemies at you as you seek out the location of your final target and that sweet, sweet loot. Even the longer ones will take you no longer than 5-10 minutes to get through, yet there’s just something about their simple kill enemies/get rewards setup.
The open world areas of Destiny 2 offer a lot for players to get into. Adventure, Patrols, Public Events (which now have Heroic triggers), random exploration, and more. Yet sometimes, you just want to jump in and wreck some alien faces while getting top-notch rewards to do so, and that’s what makes these Lost Sectors so perfect. They utilize a part of the map that was honestly wasted on most planets in Destiny 1, and fill them with a reason to maybe wait before pursuing that mission, filling your time between Public Events.
My favorite thing about the Lost Sectors is that unlike the sometimes very challenging Heroic Public Events, you don’t need anyone in your Fireteam to make the most of them. You can go solo and run around clearing them out and equip your spoils. Or maybe a friend wanted to head to the Farm to take care of some business, and you just need a quick excursion to keep you occupied and forever moving forward.
I’m happy that I got to try my hand at some of these during my exploration of the EDZ. They seem like such a small addition, but, for me at least, made for a huge difference in how I took in and appreciated Destiny 2’s Earth. I’m curious to see how Lost Sectors evolve through updates and the upcoming expansions, but I know that whatever form they may take, you’ll find me and my fireteam search each and every one.
