Another look back at Destiny 2, to a time when puzzles were still complicated and the entire community was called to work together. Do you remember the puzzle of the Black Armory that was so difficult that even Bungie had to step in?
What kind of puzzle was it? For everyone who wasn’t around at that time: In Year 2 of Destiny 2, with the release of Forsaken, Bungie had prepared three major seasons with its content model:
- Season of the Forge
- Season of the Drifter
- Season of Opulence
These seasons brought a lot of new content. The most exciting of all was the Season of the Forge. The Black Armory had various forges that players had to unlock to access new weapon models and shaders.
The last forge, the Bergusia Forge, was the hardest one to crack. It was very hidden and had a puzzle that kept the community busy for several hours. Only after Bungie released a hint did it click with the fans.
Bungie’s hardest puzzle
How difficult was the puzzle? The puzzle in the Niobe Labs on Earth entertained players for up to 81 hours according to polygon.com. Well-known streamers like Gladd tried to solve the puzzle with their community at that time, but they made no progress. Bungie actively watched the fans’ activity and decided to lend a helping hand. To help them finally solve the puzzle, a small text was released:
How could the puzzle be solved? To solve the puzzle, players needed three weapons from the Black Armory:
- Hammerhead, the machine gun
- The wicked Reaver, the bow
- Tatara’s gaze, the sniper
With these weapons in hand, the Guardians had to stand at various points in the lab and either perform actions or shoot at symbols in different sequences. If done correctly, the gates of the lab, where the Bergusia Forge was located, would open.
After the puzzle was solved and players had access to the Bergusia Forge, Principal Communications Manager Cozmo spoke up and clarified some things regarding the puzzle.
The puzzle was only so hard because it was bugged
What did Bungie reveal at the end of the puzzle? The bottom line was that Cozmo informed the fans in a post on the Bungie forum that the final phase of the puzzle was bugged. In fact, the small hint text that Bungie posted on X (formerly Twitter) was supposed to pop up for all Guardians to make it easier for them to solve the puzzle.
This did not happen, and thus, the solution was delayed. Many fans were already annoyed by the entire situation. They accused Bungie of intentionally delaying paid content, allowing only players who stream or sit at home all day to access it.
However, putting that aside, this moment in Destiny 2 was one of the most exciting in the history of the loot shooter. You can find more nostalgia about Destiny 2 in our post: In 2018, a Guardian stumbled into a secret portal in Destiny 2 and triggered a gold rush with his innocent question
