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Destiny 2has received a new Exotic mission in Season of the Wish, this time taking Guardians to the Black Garden. Starcrossed is a fairly long Exotic mission that consists of three main encounters, multiple jumping sections, and a plethora of hidden chests to uncover. Starcrossed is also a great source of red border weapons for the reprised Undying weapons.
Completing this mission will grant access to Wish-Keeper, an Exotic Strand Bow that fires suspending arrows. For those looking to earn a powerful new Exotic, read on to learn about modifiers, recommended loaoduts, how each encounter works, and how to unlock every upgrade for the Wish-Keeper Exotic Bow.
Updated June 07, 2025, by Charles Burgar:The final catalyst for Wish-Keeper is now obtainable, giving it access to the Hatchling perk. We’ve updated this guide to include the Constellation: Wish questline, showcasing the constellation’s location in the Dreaming City.
Solar and Stasis
Solar and Strand
Arc and Void
Shocker
When defeated, Goblins spawn Arc pools that cause damage over time.
Starcrossed features two difficulty variants that are available immediately upon unlocking the Exotic mission.Normaldifficulty imposes a-5 Power Penaltyand features Surges and Threats; no Overcharge mechanic is present. Combat difficulty is about on par with Destiny’s seasonal activities.
Legenddifficulty imposes a much larger-15 Power Penaltyand spawnsUnstoppable Championsin the first and third encounters, but this variant hasOvercharge enabled.This means any gun buffed by your Seasonal Artifact will gain a 25% damage bonus in this mission, more or less offsetting the Power Level disparity. The Shocker modifier is also present.
Heavy
Rocket Launchers, Dragon’s Breath, Leviathan’s Breath
Huntersshould use the Threadrunner subclass when playing this mission. Grapple grenades are ideal for traversing each combat arena, and you can run Cyrtarachne’s Facade to gain Woven Mail while doing so for free DR. If you prefer a slower playstyle, Nightstalker has access to Devour and Void Invisibility for a much safer loadout.
Titanscan’t go wrong with Berserker here. Use a One-Two Punch Shotgun and a melee Exotic like Synthoceps to obliterate any tough enemies. It’s especially useful for killing Obdurate Phalanxes quickly. You can also run Sunbreaker if you prefer Restoration and Sunspot healing over Banner of War.
Warlocksshouldn’t be surprised by our recommendations here. Dawnblade gives you access to x2 Restoration, Well of Radiance, and infinite grenades when paired with Sunbracers. It’s a powerhouse of a subclass for solo play and group content. Shadebinder is an excellent alternative if you want a more relaxed build.
For weapons, bring an Exotic Primary and a Rocket Launcher.With Heavy Finder mods on your helmet, your Exotic Primary should constantly be generating Heavy ammo. If you need more single-target DPS, you can swap your Exotic Primary for an Exotic Heavy like Dragon’s Breath or Leviathan’s Breath.
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Starcrossed Hidden Chest Locations
Similar to the Avalon mission, Starcrossed has multiple hidden chests you can find between encounters.Each hidden chest contains an Undying weapon with a moderate chance of Deepsight Resonance.Some chests also come with Intrinsic upgrades for the Wish-Keeper Exotic Bow. Chest rewards are limited to once per week.
Hidden Chest #1: Overland
When you first start the mission, progress as normal until you encounter the first group of Vex near the cavern exit.Turn around and look down.You should see a platform covered in glowing fauna that’s partially blocked by a forking branch. Drop down onto the platform and hug the wall on your right to find the chest.
Hidden Chest #2: Overland
When you first reach the exterior of the Black Garden, turn to your left and look up towards the sky. You should see a faint orange light. Run towards the orange light to find a “Ram’s Gift” buff circle.
Stand in the circle, then look toward the nearby waterfall.You should see a faint trace of orange fog illuminating the cliffside. Run inside the fog to find the chest.
Hidden Chest #3: Traverse The Garden
After you clear the first encounter, you’ll reach a section where you must use the “Dam’s Gift” buff to traverse a small cloud of red fog.When you grab the buff, jump to the lip of the column on your left and walk around it.You’ll find the “Sire’s Obligation” buff. Grab it to upgrade your buff to “Crowned by Dragons.”
Make your way inside the fog. When you’re inside,walk up the stairs to your left.You’ll find a Taken Phalanx guarding the chest.Defeat the Phalanx to access the chest.The fog will also drop once the Taken enemy is dead, so you don’t need to worry about refreshing your buff.
Hidden Chest #4: Roost
After completing the second encounter, proceed as normal until you finish the shifting platforms jumping section. When you find yourself outside in the Black Garden, kill the small group of Vex enemies and enter the adjacent room.Grab the “Dam’s Gift” buff from the orange circle, then double back to the previous room.You’re looking for a narrow slit in the wall opposite of you.The slit is near a weathered pillar.Head inside the fog to find the chest.
Traverse The Black Garden
Starcrossed starts within the underbelly of the Black Garden. This section should be familiar to players who experienced the Garden of Salvation raid. Similar principles apply here.Oval-shaped pods can be damaged to create temporary platforms.Shoot any growths you find to create a path forward.
Keep an eye out for moss-covered platforms on the walls and tree branches within the chasm, as these will naturally guide you towards the exit.The end of the chasm will be guarded by a small group of Vex.Make your way outside and defeat the Taken waiting for you.
Near the end of the path will be a circle of flowers emitting a bright glow. Standing in the glow will grant"Sire’s Obligation" for 45 seconds.This buff allows you to damageObdurate Phalanxesthat roam the arena. It also allows you to see symbols above each Phalanx. Grab the buff and look ahead.
You will notice a Last Wish symbol above the nearby energy field that’s blocking your path. A duplicate of that symbol will also appear above the Taken Phalanx guarding the gate.Defeating a Phalanx will dispel the symbol it’s projecting—in this case, the Dragon symbol. Defeat the Phalanx to remove the energy blockade.
Open The Way
The previous section with the Phalanx was more or less a tutorial for this encounter. You will notice a rather large energy gate at the opposite end of the arena, this time projecting three symbols.Your goal is to defeat three Taken Phalanxes in the same order as the symbols projected by the gate.
In our run, we saw the following symbols, ordered from top to bottom:
This tells us that we need to kill the Phalanx projecting the Dragon symbol first, followed by Eight Snake and Standing Bird.Run to any pool of light to gain the “Sire’s Obligation” buff, then defeat the Phalanxes in order of symbol appearance.The Phalanxes spawn on the left, middle, and right sides of the arena. Defeat all three Phalanxes to finish the encounter.
Sire’s Obligation pools emit a blue pillar of light that’s visible in the sky. If you can’t find one, look up.
Traverse The Garden
Further in the Black Garden, you will find a new circle of flora that’s projecting a buff. But unlike the last few encounters, this circle is emitting an orange glow, signifying a new buff. Stand in the light to gain the"Dam’s Gift" buff for 45 seconds.This buffallows you to traverse orange fog without taking damage.
You’ll notice that the paths in front of the buff circle are covered by some type of fog. If you traverse the fog without a buff, it’ll slowly kill you. But if you traverse the fog while Dam’s Gift is active, you won’t receive any damage. Remember this for the next encounter. Grab the buff and run through the fog to reach the next section.
Access The Transit Mechanism
A barrier created by the Sol Divisive is blocking your only escape. This barrier is being generated bythree deposit stations on the outskirts of the map.You will need toacquire the “Dam’s Gift” buff and walk through orange fog to reach each station.You’ll find the buff circle at the start of the encounter. Kill the nearby Vex, grab the buff, and run through the fog straight ahead.
Each station is guarded by aWyvern minibossand various Sol Divisive units. The Wyvern should be your top priority, as this unit is responsible for the giant Vex dome that’s blocking the deposit station. Once slain,run up to the station and insert your paracasual energy to overload it.
You’ll need to do this a total of three times to complete the encounter. It’s worth noting thatthe second station is covered in orange fog, so be sure that you’ve recently refreshed your buff timer before you attempt to activate this one. Once all three stations are active, double back to the start of the encounter.
The Sol Divisive are getting desperate and will try to overwhelm you with sheer numbers.Now is a great time to use your Super or Heavy ammoto kill the Wyverns and Gate Lord miniboss. Eliminate the Vex, then jump through the portal to finish the encounter.
Deactivate The Barrier
After another short trek through the Black Garden, you’ll find a small army of Taken enemies guarding some sort of Vex barrier. Once again, you’ll need to dispel the barrier bydefeating Taken Phalanxes with symbols that match the gate, but this time there’s a slight twist: both the Sire and Dam’s Gift buffs are present.
Right after the encounter begins,grab Sire’s Gift and Dam’s Gift to create “Crowned by Dragons.“This buff lasts for 45 seconds and combines the effects of your two previous buffs, allowing you to see symbols and traverse orange fog.
While you have “Crowned by Dragons,” standing in either buff type (Sire or Dam) will refresh Crowned by Dragons' timer instead.
Look at the forcefield to see which symbols appear. You’ll need tokill the Phalanxes in the same order as the gate’s symbols. Two of the three Phalanxes spawn in isolated caves that are blocked by orange fog. So long as you’re Crowned by Dragons, you can reach all three Phalanxes without any issue.
Defeat Akardon, Pitiless Mind
Akardon is the final boss in the Starcrossed mission, and it’s easily the hardest encounter in this Exotic mission.Before you drop down into the arena, plant a Rally Flag to refill your ammo and Super energy.If you need to swap weapons or subclasses, now is the perfect opportunity. Drop down and grab the Sire and Dam buffs to start the fight.
You will immediately be under attack by Akardon andtwo Obdurate Phalanxes, one on each side of the arena. These Phalanxes are responsible for the boss' rotating Hydra shields. Killing both of them will remove the Hydra’s shields entirely, making it much easier to damage the boss.
Crowned By Dragons Timer
Akardon’s arena is covered in orange fog. If your buff runs out, you will die shortly thereafter. Use the buff circles on each side of the arena to refresh your Crowned by Dragons timer.
Throughout the encounter, Akardon will spawn waves of Sol Divisive enemies, notably Seekers.These small drones will detain you on impact, so try your best to fight at a distance. The detain debuff will also pull you out of your Super.
You’ll want to wait for an opportune moment to damage Akardon. Ideally, you’ll want to damage the bossshortly after refreshing your buff and defeating a swarm of Seekers.The boss won’t spawn another pack of Seekers for 15-20 seconds, so you have some time to deal some damage without getting detained.
This encounter is a careful balance of killing adds and dealing DPS, all while juggling your buff timer.Positioning is critical here.If you can’t find a piece of cover, you’ll need to rely onhealing effects like Devourand Restoration to stay alive. Take your time, refresh your buff timer, and chip away at Akardon’s health when it’s safe.
Wish-Ender Cheese
You can use Wish-Ender to damage Akardon through the lattice field that protects the entrance to the boss arena. Gain “Crowned by Dragons” and jump back up. No enemy can damage you, although Seekers can bypass the barrier and detain you.
How To Unlock Wish-Keeper Exotic Catalysts
Wish-Keeper has four Exotic Catalysts you may earn, and the process for acquiring each is identical to Defiance’s Avalon mission.Wish-Keeper’s Exotic Catalysts are acquired from weekly quests given out by Mara Sov in the H.E.L.M.The quests are no longer time-gated, so you can acquire all four of them as you please.
The weapon’s intrinsic upgrades are acquired from hidden chests found in the Starcrossed mission. As with the weapon’s Exotic Catalysts, there are four intrinsic upgrades in total, one for each hidden chest within the mission.
This weapon deals 20% more damage to bosses and vehicles.
Constellation: Tower
Constellation: Tower is the first Catalyst quest for Wish-Keeper. After completing Starcrossed for the first time, speak with Mara Sov in the H.E.L.M. to receive this quest. You’ll need toboot up Starcrossed on Legend difficultyto make any quest progress.
The first objective will ask you to decode a signal in the Overworld.Just before you reach the “Sire’s Obligation” buff circle, turn to your right.You should see a block-shaped structure with a waterfall.Climb to the top of this structure to find the first message.Wrap around the back of the structure to find some platforms you can climb on.
You must have Wish-Keeper equipped before interacting with the message.
Once you interact with the message, a star will shine brightly above your character.Use Wish-Keeper to shoot the star.This will light adjacent stars and begin to form a constellation.Shoot every glowing star with Wish-Keeper to complete the Constellation.Collect the inscription that spawns beside you, then finish the mission to receive your Catalyst.
Constellation: Lock
This Catalyst upgrade requires you tovisit the Spine of Keres in the Dreaming City.From the Divalian Mists spawn point, head north until the path forks. Head left through the geode tunnel to reach the Spine of Keres.
When you reach the destination, head left when you reach the circular courtyard. This will lead you down a series of narrow buttes connected together by Awoken bridges.When you reach a blue bridge, look for a butte with a glowing pillar of light.It’ll be the one furthest to the south. Climb atop it to shine the first star.
Like the last Constellation quest, you’ll need toequip Wish-Keeper and shoot the glowing stars in the sky.Once you’ve shot every star, the constellation will shine brightly and reveal an inscription beside you. Interact with it, thencomplete the Starcrossed mission on Legend difficultyto receive the Multi-Threaded Snare Catalyst.
Constellation: Pair
The third Constellation for Wish-Keeper can be foundafter the second encounter in the Starcrossed Exotic mission.After you clear the jumping puzzle with shifting Vex platforms, continue as normal until you enter an area with a “Dam’s Gift” plate.
Look towards the corners of the room, and you should find a narrow gap in the nearby wall.Head through the gap to find the message Riven left. Interact with it, shoot the shining stars, and interact with the message again to receive the Vorpal Weapon Catalyst.
Constellation: Wish
The last Wish-Keeper constellation can be found in theGardens of Esila within the Dreaming City.You’ll find the Gardens on the southern end of The Strand patrol zone. Once you arrive,head to the southern corner of the gardens.Climb on top of the butte to find the message. As before, equip Wish-Keeper, shoot the shining stars, then complete Legend Starcrossed to unlock the Catalyst.
