Destiny 2 The Way Between: Relics & Attunement
Follow The Way Between’s ten stages, relic trials and Shade of Sere encounter. Check Praxic Blade rewards, Heirloom attunement and the final Aunor visit.
The Way Between is Equilibrium’s relic-and-temple quest. It follows an ordered route through dungeon clears, three additional relic trials and a separate Shade of Sere encounter. Completing it develops your Praxic Blade options and opens reward-attunement choices.
Reviewed October 15, 2026. Use the ten-stage checklist below to follow your own quest, find the right relic route and distinguish a weapon upgrade from a drop-chance boost. The quest should be planned across its actual progress gates rather than treated as a short playlist checklist.
Start The Way Between With Aunor
Speak with Aunor in the Tharsis Outpost Cantina and check that The Way Between is in your quest log before arranging the dungeon route. Bungie’s original announcement places the pursuit after Step 5 of the Renegades pursuit. Current activity access still depends on the appropriate content ownership. Original quest entry context. Current activity-access guidance.
Bring your Praxic Blade for the relic trials. If you still need the weapon or want to understand its controls, use the Praxic Blade Guide. For the three ordinary encounters, use the Equilibrium Dungeon Guide.
The Ten Quest Stages in Order
The current quest definitions list ten stages. Steps 4, 5 and 6 each have three separate objectives: find the artifact, clear the dungeon and return the relic. Keep all three visible when checking whether a stage is finished. Current ordered quest and objectives.
Follow your active stage
| Stage | Objective | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Speak with Aunor. | The opening conversation has registered. |
| 2 | Complete Equilibrium against the temple’s Dredgen threat. | The quest has advanced after the clear. |
| 3 | Visit the inner temple and return Sere’s stolen relic. | Both the visit and relic return are complete. |
| 4 | Recover the next relic, clear the dungeon and return it. | Artifact found, dungeon cleared, relic returned. |
| 5 | Use the Darkness to recover another relic, clear and return it. | All three objectives for this stage. |
| 6 | Find the last relic through the shadows, clear and return it. | All three objectives for the final relic stage. |
| 7 | Open the Taken portal in the inner temple. | Portal opened. |
| 8 | Defeat the lingering Shade of Dredgen Sere. | The separate trial is complete. |
| 9 | Commune with the Praxic fire. | The brazier visit has registered. |
| 10 | Visit Aunor on Mars. | The closing handoff is complete. |
Check the stage on the Guardian you intend to progress. A teammate may have access to a later puzzle, but do not assume their progress completes your remaining objectives. Plan for repeated clears where your quest requires them; there is no universal two-run shortcut promised by this guide.
Find the Three Additional Relic Trials
- Temple Grounds route: after the first relic is placed and Harvester is complete, return to the side vehicle route. Break its blight with Praxic Blade, use Eyes and pools for Shadow, then follow the Captain and panel sequence to the relic.
- Ship route: find the next blight near the fuses before the space crossing. Prepare the onward door and follow the Shadow trial through the traversal.
- Platform route: the last trial is in the Shadow platforming section before Sere. Break airborne blights, activate the panels and follow the route to the final relic.
These are compact landmarks from Devin Morris’s firsthand quest walkthrough. Finish the matching dungeon-clear and return objectives after collecting each relic. Firsthand relic-route account.
Before starting a trial, agree who leads the route and let the rest of the team confirm they are ready. Learn one section at a time, keep calls short and say immediately when you lose the group. This makes a failed attempt easier to understand than changing the route and the roles together.
Complete the Shade of Sere Trial
The Shade is the quest’s portal encounter. Track the trial objective on Step 8 separately from the dungeon clear earlier in the chain. Finish the relic returns and portal interaction before expecting this stage to complete. Current quest-stage distinction.
- Enter the temple portal on the matching quest stage and prepare for the separate trial.
- Build Shadow, defeat the shielded enemies and open the side rooms needed to reach more Eyes.
- Break the airborne blights to build the route upward.
- Reach Shadow Master and interact to Compel the Shade. Rebuild the rank for each of three interactions.
- Climb to the damage area, complete the damage segment and repeat the trial cycle to finish.
The compact sequence comes from Anti-antelope’s firsthand completion account. It describes the Shadow and platform route; use the visible objective and buff state rather than treating an old player report as a current bug diagnosis. Firsthand trial progression.
For a learning attempt, agree who watches the next interaction and when the group moves upward. Keep a dependable way to handle enemies while traveling. If the team repeatedly stops at the same point, rehearse that transition before trying to optimize damage.
Praxic Blade Rewards and Their Current Effects
The firsthand quest walkthrough associates the relic returns with Offensive Form, Invigorating Blade and Gyro Core, then the final trial with Energy Conduit. Check the corresponding unlocked choices on your Blade. Quest reward route.
Quest-related choices on Praxic Blade
| Choice | Current described effect | How to use the information |
|---|---|---|
| Offensive Form | Three melee or throw hits grant ammo; improves damage against bosses and vehicles. | Review the form before choosing your combat role. |
| Invigorating Blade | Charge Rate +6 and Guard Resistance +6. | Inspect this blade option alongside your other choices. |
| Gyro Core | Throw damage applies an effect matching your equipped Super. | Check the Super as well as the Sword. |
| Energy Conduit | Thrown-Sword hits grant health regeneration based on targets hit. | Plan the throw around the target group. |
These effects are verified against current items available through the actual Praxic Blade socket sets. Gyro Core covers Arc Bolt Charge, Solar scorch, Void weaken, Stasis slow and Strand sever. Its effect follows the equipped Super; changing a cosmetic crystal is a separate choice. Current weapon choices and effects.
Attunement, Heirloom and The Untrodden Path
After the trial, commune with the Praxic fire and check the available gear-attunement choices. Complete the final Aunor visit rather than stopping as soon as a reward menu appears. Firsthand final handoffs.
The current Heirloom Catalyst Attunement item increases the selected item’s drop chance for Equilibrium encounters, with only one item attuned at a time. An attunement choice is a chance boost. Acquiring the Catalyst and completing its upgrade are later states to inspect individually. Current attunement description.
Completing The Way Between is also the requirement for The Untrodden Path. Its current reward increases Heirloom’s initial drop chance. That Triumph reward does not say the next clear is guaranteed to award the weapon. Current Triumph and reward effect.
Use the Heirloom Guide for its other drop boosts, actual Catalyst effects and completion progress. This quest’s Praxic upgrades, Heirloom acquisition, Catalyst acquisition and Catalyst completion are distinct results to check.
When a Relic or Reward Does Not Register
- Read the active step and check the intended Guardian before repeating an activity.
- On a relic stage, inspect artifact found, dungeon cleared and relic returned separately.
- At the end, check the trial, brazier and final Aunor handoff in order.
- Inspect the actual weapon option or attunement menu for the reward you expected.
Released Update 9.5.5 specifically corrected Shade of Sere loot for players who had already completed the encounter and were attuned to a gear piece. That is useful context for older reports; it does not identify the cause of every present issue. Released quest reward correction.
If the state still looks wrong, record the current step and the objective that did not advance before changing the plan. Keep the explanation focused on what you completed and what remains unchecked so the next attempt addresses the missing action.
Match a Service to the Result You Need
The current catalogue offers named Equilibrium clears, Heirloom acquisition and Praxic Blade unlock as separate objectives. The base clear and weapon packages exclude this optional quest chain. A full dungeon clear purchase should therefore be selected for the clear itself.
Keep the published purchase scope clear
| Goal | Where to look | Quest coverage |
|---|---|---|
| A named Equilibrium clear | Dungeons & Solo Flawless. | The selected clear; optional quest stages excluded. |
| Acquire Heirloom | The named Heirloom weapon-acquisition choice in Exotics. | Weapon acquisition; Catalyst and unlisted quest work excluded. |
| Unlock the base Praxic Blade | The named Praxic Blade weapon-unlock choice in Exotics. | Base unlock; optional customization and this relic chain excluded. |
A named dungeon clear
Destiny 2 Dungeons & Solo Flawless
- Six named dungeon activities
- Full-clear and last-boss routes
- Piloted Solo Flawless challenges
Review the selected route in Dungeons & Solo Flawless or the named weapon choice in Exotic Weapons & Catalysts. Group dungeon choices support Piloted or Self-play; solo objectives use Piloted only. Group Self-play adds 20% of the normal Piloted base. PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox share that base, and checkout shows the configured total in your preferred display currency.
The Way Between FAQ
Quest stages, rewards and service scope
Where do I start The Way Between?
Speak with Aunor in the Tharsis Outpost Cantina. Bungie’s original entry guidance places the pursuit after Step 5 of the Renegades pursuit; check your current quest and activity access.
How many stages does the quest have?
The current ordered quest has ten stages, ending with the Praxic fire and Aunor visit. The three additional relic stages each track finding the artifact, clearing the dungeon and returning the relic.
Why can I not return a relic immediately after finding it?
Check whether the dungeon-clear objective on that same relic stage is still incomplete. Finding, clearing and returning are separate tracked requirements.
Is the Shade trial the same as the ordinary Sere clear?
The quest records the portal trial as Step 8, after the relic stages. The earlier Equilibrium clear has its own objective.
Does Heirloom Catalyst Attunement award the Catalyst immediately?
Its current description increases the chosen item’s encounter drop chance and allows one attuned item at a time. Check actual acquisition separately from selecting that boost.
Does The Untrodden Path guarantee Heirloom?
The current Triumph reward increases the initial drop chance. It does not describe a guaranteed next-clear weapon award.
What should I check after the Shade trial?
Follow the remaining quest stages: commune with the Praxic fire, inspect the available reward choices, then finish the Aunor visit.
Is this quest included in a base dungeon or weapon package?
The currently listed clear and base weapon packages exclude optional quest work and customization. Choose them for their named result, without assuming The Way Between is included.
Sources and Review
Reviewed October 15, 2026 using current Bungie quest, objective, weapon-choice and reward definitions, plus the entry announcement and released reward correction. Relic landmarks and the compact trial sequence are attributed to firsthand player accounts. Preparation advice is original guidance. No fresh CFNBoost gameplay recording, exact completion-time promise or guaranteed random drop is claimed.