Destiny 2 Tracing The Stars Quest Guide

Along with a new story and new seasonal activities to explore, Destiny 2’s Season of the Lost also includes a new Exotic mission that has you chasing a trace rifle called Ager’s Scepter. The path starts with the Tracing the Stars quest, given by the Awoken queen, Mara Sov. After telling a story of a mythical family of kestrels and the powerful artifacts they created, Mara sends you out to attempt to retrieve those artifacts, but this quest spans a few weeks of searching before it unlocks a quest called A Hollow Coronation, which will end with you claiming Ager’s Scepter for yourself.

Each week, we’ve seen Mara Sov send you out to the Dreaming City in the Tracing the Stars quest, to find five “Atlas Skews,” or special artifacts. Below, you’ll find a complete list of all the Atlas Skews you can find right now and their locations, as well as everything you need to know about how to complete A Hollow Coronation and claim the new Exotic.

Tracing The Stars I

The first batch isn’t too tough to find if you know the lay of the land, but the skews are often in out-of-the-way places that are easy to miss. Here’s where to find each of the Atlas Skews for Tracing the Stars I to advance the mission in its first week.

Divalian-Rheasilvia Path, Lower Cliffside

The first Atlas Skew, with the clue “Divalian-Rheasilvia Path, Lower Cliffside,” is actually located just before the pathway to Rheasilvia.

Find your first Astral Skew on the west side of Divalian Mists, where you first spawn into the Dreaming City. Head toward the mountain pathway that leads to Rheasilvia, but don’t go into the tunnel to pass through. Instead, look off the cliff to the left for a spot where you can drop down far below. Follow the cliffs to the south to find the Atlas Skew on one of the jagged rock platforms.

You'll have to jump down to the cliffs below the path to Rheasilvia to find this first Altas Skew. — You’ll have to jump down to the cliffs below the path to Rheasilvia to find this first Altas Skew.

Divalian-Cimmerian Path, Central Cave

Look for this cave on the north side of the raised area; Hive often spawn here.

This one’s a bit more confusing because the Cimmerian Garrison is not a location marked on your map. The cave it’s referring to is easy to find, though. From the Divalian transmat zone, head forward toward the big doorway that leads to the Blind Well. Stay on the east side, near the water stretching out into the mists, and stop at the base of the stairs before climbing into the raised center area. Look for a cave here–Hive enemies usually spawn from it. Your Atlas Skew is inside.

The cave is just beside the beach, where the mists start to crowd the island.

You'll find the Atlas Skew inside, but you might have to fight some enemies to get to it. — You’ll find the Atlas Skew inside, but you might have to fight some enemies to get to it.

Drowned Bay Alcove

Check just around the corner in the Bay of Drowned Wishes Lost Sector, before the cave entrance blocked by the forcefield.

The third Atlas Skew is in the Bay of Drowned Wishes Lost Sector, located right behind the transmat point you start at when you enter the Divalian Mists. Head into the cave there and you’ll find yourself on a dried-out seashore populated by Scorn enemies. Clean them out and hug the wall to your right; the Atlas Skew is just around the corner from the entrance. If you hit the door blocked by the forcefield (and waves of Scorn enemies), you’ve gone too far.

Look for the Atlas Skew nestled against the wall, near the large boulder that helps create an alcove.

Spine Oracle Orrery

The Orrery is pretty hard to miss, and you'll find the Atlas Skew at the top of it. — The Orrery is pretty hard to miss, and you’ll find the Atlas Skew at the top of it.

Head to the Spine of Kerres for the next Atlas Skew. You can reach it by going through the big crystal archway across from the doorway that leads to the Blind Well. Follow the path until you round a corner and see the Oracle Orrery ahead of you–it’s a huge building, and if you’ve played through the Forsaken expansion, you’ll remember contacting Mara Sov here. Cross the crystal courtyard outside, where you’ll fight through some enemies, and enter the building. Take the stairs on your right that loop all the way around the outside of the building until you hit the top. The Atlas Skew is against the wall when you reach a dead end.

Climb the stairs until you can't anymore to find this Atlas Skew waiting for you at the top of the Oracle Orrery. — Climb the stairs until you can’t anymore to find this Atlas Skew waiting for you at the top of the Oracle Orrery.

Distant Spine Island Tree

Find this Atlas Skew on the most distant island in Spine of Kerres.

Your last Skew is also in the Spine of Kerres, and from the fourth one, it’s easy to get to. Head back into the Orrery and leave by the door to the right as you first enter. You’ll cross a bridge that leads to some rocky islands reaching up out of the mists. Continue across them, past the sniper that spawns along the way, until you’re nearly at the end. You’ll know you’re running out of path as you start to see islands cropping up on your right and enemies standing on the beach nearby. Look for a big, gnarled tree on just about the last island on this path, before you turn to your right to head toward those enemies. The Atlas Skew is nestled beneath the tree on the island here.

Return To The HELM

Once you’ve got all five Atlas Skews, return to the HELM screen of the Director and look for a mission node called “A Hollow Coronation.” Select it and Mara will tell you a little more about the story of the kestrels and your overall mission. We’ll have to wait until next week to advance the mission further, however.

Tracing The Stars II

The second step in the quest sends you to the Strand, one of the three areas of the Dreaming City, for a new set of Skews. These ones are decidedly easier to locate than the first week’s, as it happens.

Strand Towering Statue

The statue is pretty much the first thing you see as you enter The Strand from Divalian Mists.

Climb the big statue in the center of the Strand to find this Skew. It’s easy to come across, and the statue is impossible to miss.

You'll find the Atlas Skew beside the statue on the ridge at its back. — You’ll find the Atlas Skew beside the statue on the ridge at its back.

Strand Gazebo Statue

The gazebo mentioned in this clue is in the eastern corner of The Strand, near the Aphelion's Rest Lost Sector. This is where Petra sometimes waits for you during the Dreaming City's three-week cycle. — The gazebo mentioned in this clue is in the eastern corner of The Strand, near the Aphelion’s Rest Lost Sector. This is where Petra sometimes waits for you during the Dreaming City’s three-week cycle.

Head to the southeastern corner of the area to find the second Atlas Skew, the clue for which notes a gazebo and a statue. This is another easy one, although you’ll find the statue in the back of the gazebo here, but the Skew is a little further away. Climb out onto the ridge behind the gazebo, where trees are growing, to find the Atlas Skew closer to the area’s edge.

Climb up behind the gazebo in the east of The Strand to find this Atlas Skew hidden on the ridge.

Garden Waterfall

The Garden of Esila is accessible from the southern tip of The Strand. Look for a waterfall on the right side of the area as you enter the main section.

You’ll need to go to the Garden of Esila for the next two Atlas Skews, and this area isn’t labeled on your map. Head to the Strand and make for the southernmost tip of the area to find a doorway and some stairs leading up into it. Follow the path to find a big open area with a bridge and a huge tree in the center (mark that for later). The first skew is waiting next to a waterfall on the right side of the area as you enter it.

The waterfall Atlas Skew is pretty easy to find, but you have to get to the Garden of Esila to snag it.

Garden Bridge Tree

Follow the path through Garden of Esila to reach the high ground that leads to the bridge and the tree connected to it.

If you’re particularly jumpy, you can climb up to the central bridge over the top of Garden of Esila. If not, keep pushing across the open area to the blue platform at the far side, then follow the path right all the way around. You’ll fight through some various enemies and find an Ascendant portal at the top of the path. Walk past it to find the bridge beyond. It leads to a big tree with the Atlas Skew waiting in front of it.

You'll probably have to make your way through the entirety of the Garden of Esila to get to this Atlas Skew. — You’ll probably have to make your way through the entirety of the Garden of Esila to get to this Atlas Skew.

Aphelion Brazier

The last Atlas Skew is in the Aphelion's Rest Lost Sector, and you'll basically need to complete the whole thing to reach it. — The last Atlas Skew is in the Aphelion’s Rest Lost Sector, and you’ll basically need to complete the whole thing to reach it.

The final Atlas Skew is located in the Aphelion’s Rest Lost Sector. It’s easy to find, but you might as well complete the Lost Sector along the way, since the Skew is located at its end. Fight through to where the boss spawns. Behind the Lost Sector’s chest is a brazier–a purple bucket with a tombstone-shaped stone behind it. Right behind that is the Atlas Skew.

This big purple statue at the exit of Aphelion's Rest hides the last Atlas Skew. — This big purple statue at the exit of Aphelion’s Rest hides the last Atlas Skew.

Return to the HELM

As with the first week, your last step is to hit the Hollowed Coronation node on the HELM screen of the Director. That’ll let you venture through the portal to place more Atlas Skews and listen to Uldren tell more of the story of the kestrels. You’ll also hear some of Mara’s opinions about her brother, and the new form his body has taken, Crow.

Tracing The Stars III

For your third batch of Atlas Skews, you’ll need to head to Rheasilvia. This set is a little tougher to lock down, with the Atlas Skews appearing in some obscure locations that aren’t too clear from the hints on the quest step.

Rheasilvia Secluded Statue

You'll have to leap out and do some platforming to reach this island, then scale it to get to the statue at the top. — You’ll have to leap out and do some platforming to reach this island, then scale it to get to the statue at the top.

As it turns out, there are several secluded statues in Rheasilvia. You want the one on the rocky island to the right of the temple entrance that leads you to Harbinger’s Seclude.

The Atlas Skew is right at the base of the statue, so if you can get to this island, you can find it no problem.

Rheasiliva Lower Level

Drop down to the lower path not far from the entrance to Rheasilvia from Divalian Mists and you can't miss this Atlas Skew. — Drop down to the lower path not far from the entrance to Rheasilvia from Divalian Mists and you can’t miss this Atlas Skew.

Your second Atlas Skew is in the southern section of the area, near the entrance to the Chamber of Starlight Lost Sector. Look for a pathway where you can drop down; the Skew is right on the path, so you won’t have to hunt for it for long once you find your way to the lower area of these cliffs.

Drop down near the Lost Sector entrance in Rheasilvia to find this Atlas Skew.

Rheasilvia Temple Overlook

Climb the island just left of the path to Harbinger's Seclude to find this Atlas Skew. — Climb the island just left of the path to Harbinger’s Seclude to find this Atlas Skew.

This one is vague to the point of confusing–much of Rheasilvia could be considered a “temple overlook.” The specific spot you want is rock jutting out beside the path to the temple at the north end of the area, on its left side if you’re facing the temple. It’s covered in trees, and you can reach it pretty easily if you jump from the high flat platform at the other end of the area; it’s also easy to climb from the ground, so long as you take out the Scorn around it.

Climb the craggy rock to the left of the path to Harbinger's Seclude to find this Atlas Skew among the trees. — Climb the craggy rock to the left of the path to Harbinger’s Seclude to find this Atlas Skew among the trees.

Harbinger Sidehall Statue

Head into the Harbinger's Seclude temple and make your way to the big room with the tree on the left side and the building on the right. The statue you're looking for is inside the building. — Head into the Harbinger’s Seclude temple and make your way to the big room with the tree on the left side and the building on the right. The statue you’re looking for is inside the building.

Next, you’ll need to head into the temple and make your way into Harbinger’s Seclude. Keep going until you reach the huge, well-lit cavern, with a tree standing to the far left and a smaller temple building on the right. You’ll see Scorn and Taken fighting here and a giant crystal in the center of the room–this is where you started in the mission to defeat the High Celebrant during the Season of the Hunt. Head into the temple on the right side and go to the statue at the far end to find the Atlas Skew.

Inside the temple building, you'll find the Atlas Skew near the big statue in the back. — Inside the temple building, you’ll find the Atlas Skew near the big statue in the back.

Harbinger Ahamkara Skulls

In the next room in Harbinger's Seclude, drop down to reach the two Ahamkara Skulls you can bargain with, and your final Atlas Skew. — In the next room in Harbinger’s Seclude, drop down to reach the two Ahamkara Skulls you can bargain with, and your final Atlas Skew.

After getting the Sidehall Atlas Skew, continue through the big door out of the cavern room to reach another large room, this one with round staircases going down. Jump over the rail to the floor below, then turn 180 degrees to find another big hole you can drop down behind you. At the bottom, you’ll enter another large, cavernous room, this one with two alcoves to your left, each of which housing one of the Dreaming City’s Ahamkara skulls. The Atlas Skew is between the two alcoves.

You need to go pretty deep into Harbinger's Seclude to find this one, but once you get into the right chamber, it's right out in the open. — You need to go pretty deep into Harbinger’s Seclude to find this one, but once you get into the right chamber, it’s right out in the open.

Return to the HELM

It’s time to drop off your Atlas Skews and listen to some story. Hit the “Hollow Coronation” node on the HELM Director screen to turn in your Skews and hear more of the kestrels’ story from Uldren. Talk to Mara Sov at the Wayfinder’s Compass when you’re done to get your reward and clear this week’s step in the quest.

A Hollow Coronation (Ager’s Scepter Quest)

If you’ve been keeping with your Atlas Skews up to now, you should get a new Exotic quest that will eventually take you to Ager’s Scepter, a new Exotic trace rifle. To get it, you’ll first need to find the last batch of Atlas Skews. For the last batch, you’ll need to head to the Confluence in the Dreaming City. There are multiple ways to access it, but the easiest for our purposes is through Harbinger’s Seclude in Rheasilvia.

Harbinger Cathedral

Make your way to the big temple in Rheasilvia and push all the way to the end. Last week, you dropped down in through the big hole to reach the room with the Ahamkara skulls to find an Atlas Skew, and that’s where you’re headed now. When you get to that room, turn around and face the big open gap at the back. Head toward it and then look for a cave tunnel to the right that leads to an Ascendant portal.

Enter the Confluence through the Ascendant Portal in Harbinger's Seclude, near the Ahamkara skulls, to find the first Atlas Skew. — Enter the Confluence through the Ascendant Portal in Harbinger’s Seclude, near the Ahamkara skulls, to find the first Atlas Skew.

That’ll take you to the Confluence, and the first Atlas Skew will be waiting outside the portal’s exit.

Confluence Tree Triad

Once you're in the Confluence, check the room with the big tree for this Atlas Skew. — Once you’re in the Confluence, check the room with the big tree for this Atlas Skew.

Push forward further into the Confluence and you’ll come into a big round room with three doors leading out from it. Each of these has an Atlas Skew. Your first one is in the room with the tree.

Confluence Throne Portal

The next Atlas Skew is right next to the old Shattered Throne portal that Guardians once could only use to reach the dungeon every three weeks.

Next, take the door that leads toward a big portal that’s covered in vines and tree branches. This is the old portal to the Shattered Throne dungeon, and while it’s not in use anymore, you’ll find the Atlas Skew here.

Confluence Giant Crystal

The “Giant Crystal” clue is pretty straightforward, so grab this last Skew in the main section of the Confluence.

The last door leads to a room with a big crystal and the last Atlas Skew in this section.

Garden Entry Statue

Each of the three doors in the Confluence leads to a portal that'll take you to a different section of the Dreaming City. Follow the path from the tree to find the portal you want and the last Atlas Skew. — Each of the three doors in the Confluence leads to a portal that’ll take you to a different section of the Dreaming City. Follow the path from the tree to find the portal you want and the last Atlas Skew.

Finally, head back to the room with the tree. Go past it to find an exit on the far side. Follow the hallways to the end, where you’ll find another Ascendant Portal. Beside the statue on one wall is the final Atlas Skew.

Return to the HELM

As usual, you’ll now bounce back to the HELM using the “A Hollow Coronation” node. That’ll take you to the Gatehouse, where you can place your last skews, listen to another recorded monologue from Uldren, and enter the portal to reach Ager’s Scepter.

Not So Fast–Time To Play Astral Alignment

Return to Mara and she’ll tell you that she needs a little time to unlock Ager’s Scepter for you. In the meantime, head to the Astral Alignment activity in the Dreaming City and make sure you’re packing a rifle of some kind (anything with the word “rifle” in the name will do; bows, hand cannons, sidearms, swords, machine guns, and rocket launchers don’t count, but anything else is fair game).

You’ll need to rack up rifle kills in Astral Alignment, and earn Parallax Trajectory from anywhere, in order to advance this step. It seems like the rifle kill requirement will likely take 2-3 Astral Alignment runs, depending on how many kills you manage to nab in each.

Supers And Champions

Once you’ve got your Parallax Trajectory and rifle kills, you’ll move on to a new requirement. You’re still playing Astral Alignment, but this time, your goal is to rack up 20 kills with your Super and to kill 18 Champions in the activity.

The Super kills shouldn’t be tough–pick a roaming Super with a long duration and use it to clean up lots of small enemies in one go. The Champion requirement is a little more strenuous, but not much. Each phase of Astral Alignment includes multiple Champions, and you don’t have to get the final blow on any of them, but merely contribute to killing them along with your fireteam. So just keep an eye out for Champions as you go through Astral Alignment, pay attention to where they spawn, and be sure to take at least a couple of shots at each one. Again, it only took us two or three runs of the activity to complete this step.

Complete Three Specific Strikes

You’ll now need to collect items called Strands of Nobility for Mara Sov. These are in the clutches of three Strike bosses scattered around the solar system. That means you’ll need to finish the three Strikes to move on. The good news is, you can enter these Strikes from the Director, rather than from the Strike playlist node–which means they’ll be pretty low-level and you can blaze right through them.

The three Strikes you need to complete are Lake of Shadows in the EDZ, The Disgraced in the Cosmodrome, and The Glassway on Europa.

Complete A Hollow Coronation

There’s one last mission to knock out after you revisit the HELM. Use the new Hollow Coronation node on the HELM’s Director screen to go to the mission, where you can claim the gun and learn its hidden potential: It can destroy certain rocks in the Dreaming City and the Ascendant Plane, allowing you to carve your way to secret locations.

Grab the gun and fight off the Hive enemies to put it through its paces. You can go nuts here, as Ager’s Scepter will continually refill with ammo. Just keep killing Hive until the boss falls. After that, it’s back to Mara for some last story tidbits about Crow, and you’ll have earned your new Exotic.

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Tracing The Stars I