Bungie takes pity on players farming Essence of the Oversoul

For many Guardians, Essences of the Oversoul are some of the most highly sought-after items in Destiny 2. They’re the key to completing the Exotic quest that rewards the Necrochasm and its associated catalyst. However, it’s no secret that frequent pleas about the meager drop rate of these Essences have echoed throughout the community. It appears Bungie took this feedback to heart, as significant enhancements to Essence acquisition were announced for Update 7.2.0.4. Of course, the bonkers weapon crafting glitch prevented the changes from officially going live until Thursday, September 21. Now that the changes have hit, players can expect double Essence each week, with even more available for extra work. Guardians may even get lucky with a new “lottery” system that awards all the Essence a player could ever need.

While the puzzles and encounters in Destiny 2’s Crota’s End Raid put Fireteams to the test, one lingering thread from the content is just plain tedious. After Guardians triumphantly stomp Crota, now that he’s no longer juiced up via Contest Mode, players will find an Exotic quest. This quest ultimately leads to the coveted Exotic auto rifle, Necrochasm. But, there’s a hard stopping point that slows the whole ordeal down. After completing the initial stage of the Exotic quest and procuring an Eidolon Ally, players will be tasked with obtaining 15 Essence of the Oversoul. These unique items can only be found in the Crota’s End Raid, and players were limited to one guaranteed drop per week. From there, the rest is in the hands of fate. Or, at least, it was. Now, Bungie has stepped in to make Essence of the Oversoul easier to find. In turn, this should help Guardians earn their Necrochasm and its catalyst faster.

Essence of the Oversoul changes

In this much-requested update, Guardians traversing the ominous paths of Crota’s End will experience a noticeable increase in Essence fortune. Previously, players were only promised a single Essence per account per week. While Essence of the Oversoul could technically be farmed from any Crota’s End encounter, the drop rates for the item were abysmal. Now, a full clear of Crota’s End each week will bless adventurers with two guaranteed Essences of the Oversoul. One for completing the Raid from start to finish, and the other for taking down that pesky son of Oryx. This change proves advantageous, as Guardians won’t have to do more than one Crota’s End run a week, which was probably already being done to hunt for Essence, for double the yield.

The tweak further rewards players who run multiple Raids weekly, offering extra Essences for additional completions. Each full clear of Crota’s End, following the initial weekly clear, provides one additional guaranteed Essence of the Oversoul. This is significant for those looking to grind out their last few Essence to earn Necrochasm or finish its catalyst. That also means Guardians could obtain enough Essence via back-to-back runs if they have the time and willpower. Before, players’ only option was to wait until the next weekly reset to earn more Essence.

Essence of the Oversoul lottery

While players might be content to take the extra Essence of the Oversoul and keep chipping away at Necrochasm, the gravy train doesn’t stop there. Players could try testing their luck farming Essence from bosses, but the process used to be too inconsistent and time-consuming. Now, Essence of the Oversoul drop rates have increased, so there’s a better possibility for Essence in each encounter. In addition, Bungie added a lottery-esque system that can randomly reward Guardians 35 Essence (enough to complete the Necrochasm Exotic quest and the catalyst). 

There’s a chance to secure all the required Essence whenever a Fireteam successfully brings Crota down during a complete run. This feature is not guaranteed, and it sounds like if it does occur, it’ll only happen for one player. But still, this offers a gleam of hope to those Guardians who might have fallen behind since Crota’s End was released and are several Essence behind. This “lottery” system is new for Bungie. Still, the result is reminiscent of the exhilaration accompanying the ultra-rare drop of Exotic weapons in prior Raids. This allows Guardians the potential to obtain the complete package in a single run, provided the winds of fortune are in their favor.