21: The Black Garden

Meridian Bay, Mars

Level 18

Objective:Fight through the Gate and enter the Black Garden to destroy its heart[/strong]

Fireteam: 1-3 players

Cooperative

Rewards: 4000 XP, Mote of Light

Head to the Valley of Kings and eliminate the Vex guarding the gate. After eliminating them, head towards the portal to reach the Black Garden.

Dead Ghost
Before moving forward, there's a dead ghost you can only get during this mission. As soon as you enter the Black Garden, turn to the left and climb up the rocks there until you can reach the elevated stone block nearby. Hop on it, then cross the gap to reach the dead ghost sitting on an ancient statue in the corner of the room. If you're having trouble seeing where to step, you can increase the game's brightness in the options.


Follow the path until you encounter several Goblins on both sides of the hallway. Some of them will reactivate and attack you. Take them all out then continue forth. You'll reach a large room with several stone blocks. Several Vex portals will open here, unleashing tons of enemies. Take them all out then continue along the narrow corridor. Be warned though; more enemies are waiting inside these halls. Keep moving until you enter an unnamed Darkness Zone, leading outside.



The corridor leading outside is clear so just rush through it and exit the ruins. You'll be greeted by a surreal landscape, and the heart of the Black Garden should be visible below. Move along until you reach a courtyard. There's another dead ghost here that you can only get during this mission:


Dead Ghost
Continue along the story until you reach the exit. There is a courtyard-like area where you need to pass by as soon as you turn around the corner. The Dead ghost is located in a small alcove near the edge of the cliff.


There's a Cyclops that will be blocking your path so eliminate the Goblins and Hobgoblins in the area before dealing with it. Continue deeper in the Garden, past the spot where the Cyclops is blocking earlier. It won't be long before you have to fight a Vex horde again. This time, with an elite hydra called the Devisive Mind along with them. It's attacks deal considerable damage but it's won't pose a problem as long as you eliminate its minions first and you fire from cover.



Take them all out to power down the barrier. You should be able to go downstairs now and reach outside. You have to descend down the hill and take out the hobgoblins sniping you. A small group of Vex will intercept you at the base of the descent so take them all out and continue to the next Darkness Zone.


Continue eliminating the enemies and pressing on until you get an update for your objective. You have to scan
two Vex clusters. Each cluster has several Vex defending it. Fight your way through the defenses and deploy Ghost once you're able to reach the clusters.


After successfully scanning both clusters, a conflux will appear shortly. Defeat any Vex that will appear and deploy Ghost once again on that conflux. Wait for a few seconds and the gate leading to the Heart will open. Enter inside and prepare for battle.



After the cutscene, you have to eliminate the Vex in the area below. Take note that some of them will teleport to your location so take them out quickly as necessary. Once their number has whittled down a bit, jump down to the area below – use your jump skill to break the fall.


Continue fighting off the increasing Vex numbers until they are completely annihilated. You'll have a quick breather so use this chance to collect ammo and make sure all your weapons are reloaded. The Heart will start reviving the giant stone statues one by one but fortunately, you only have to deal with them one at a time.

The first statue is called the Eschaton Mind. It fires slow yet continuous energy projectiles, similar to a hydra. It will also come with harpy reinforcements. Like ordinary goblins, the white crystal on its belly is its weak point. Fall back to the area under the platform if you need to regenerate your health and shields. Just be careful not to stand near the edge; otherwise you'll suffer splash damage from its projectiles. You also have to look out for the minions to avoid your regeneration from being interrupted.



The second Progeny to be activated is called The Imminent Mind. Its projectiles are still the same though it seems to be more aggressive and will fire its weapon more frequently. It's minions are composed of annoying goblins and hobgoblins. Make sure to deal with them first to prevent them from overrunning you. The Progeny seems to be able to track you with ease so you have to be mobile, fire a few shots from cover, then fall back and move to another firing spot. This will help keeping your damage to a minimum while you're delivering constant damage to the target. Keep doing this until the enemy is defeated.



Finally, the last Progeny, Primeval Mind, will be activated. It fires slow but large explosive energy projectiles, capable of critically damaging you. Avoid firing from the same spot. You have to do the hit-and-run tactic against this boss while fending off its Goblin and Minotaur reinforcements. You should be able to land hits using high-damage weapons like rocket launchers or fusion rifles between the intervals in the Primeval Mind's shots. Keep doing this until the three of them are defeated.



Don't forget to collect the loot they'll drop as well. Congratulations for finishing the main story!