Destiny 2 Festival of the Lost: Haunted Forest - how to find and earn this year's spooky space treats

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Halloween has come to the Tower but how do you get in

Destiny 2 Festival of the Lost Haunted Forest 2020
(Image credit: Bungie)

If you want to to get into the Destiny 2 Festival of the Lost Haunted Forest and see what rewards are on offer, then get ready. Eva Levante is back and the timing couldn’t be better. Destiny 2 is on an extended Season of Arrivals while Bungie puts the finishing touches on their next major expansion. This is the first time Festival of the Lost has occurred before a yearly reset. The event runs from October 6 to November 3 leaving one week before Destiny 2: Beyond Light goes live. Get some bounties, shoot some baddies, peddle candy, and wear your mask; we’re on a hunt for loot!

Destiny 2 Festival of the Lost Epic Mystery Grab | Destiny 2 Cipher Decoders |  Destiny 2 Shadehallow Emblem

How to get into the Haunted Forest

Here's a quick breakdown of the steps required to enter the Haunted Forest this year in Destiny 2: 

  1. Speak with Eva Levante
  2. Equip a Mask/Helmet
  3. Speak with Spider
  4. Complete one strike, Gambit match, or Crucible match
  5. Use the Cipher Decoder on a cache in the Haunted Forest
  6. Speak to Eva Levante

Now, let's take a look in more depth at each detail. 

1. Speak with Eva Levante

(Image credit: Bungie)

In order to access the Haunted Forest node on the Director and Tower destination map, players will need to do an entry quest to get acquainted with the gameplay loop of the event. When you load into the Tower, Eva Levante will be sitting almost in front of you. Speak with her to check her wares and grab your first mask.

Note: The tree next to Eva is climbable and the candy and Chocolate Strange Coins you collect refresh on daily reset.

2. Equip a Mask/Helmet

(Image credit: Bungie)

Choose a Masquerader’s Hood/Helm/Cowl. They all have the same stats so I’d choose any elemental affinity (or get all three, no judgement) you like best. This helmet can be fitted with any mask in your collection. Masks, instead existing as standalone armor pieces, are universal ornaments for Masquerader helmets. Each mask also contains Haunted Forest mods that only apply to the activity.  

3. Speak with Spider

(Image credit: Bungie)

Spider needs help with something regarding the Festival so Eva asks you to contact him. Head over to Thieves’ Landing in the Tangled Shore to access Spider’s Safehouse. The master of wares, Spider is tracking down precious cargo the Vex hid in the Haunted Forest. He wants you to track down the stash and split it with him. Accept his terms to get your mission.

4. Complete one strike, Gambit match, or Crucible match

(Image credit: Bungie)

Did we mention Spider wants loot that belonged to the Fallen House of Kings? These Encrypted Caches (loot chests) are all locked with adaptive ciphers so you need to track down some decoders. You only need to do one activity from the core playlists so choose a strike, play a game of Gambit, or hop in the Crucible to get your first Cipher Decoder.

The Lake of Shadows strike isn’t on the core playlist but you can select it from the EDZ destination map. Being the fastest strike to complete, you can clear it in about 3-5 minutes depending on your team. Don’t worry, the strike still counts and is the quickest way to advance the quest.

Note: You can do this quest on each character so if you have them, you can claim 3 guaranteed Cipher Decoders.

5. Use the Cipher Decoder on a cache in the Haunted Forest

(Image credit: Bungie)

Now that you’ve got your hands on a Cipher Decoder, it’s time to run the Haunted Forest. There will be a breakdown further below but after you complete the event and loot the chest you’ll have one final objective before you unlock the Haunted Forest in full.

6. Speak to Eva Levante

(Image credit: Bungie)

Swing over to the Tower one final time (it’s easier anyway) and speak to Eva Levante. She’s less than excited about Spider having you run his errands, realizes that working with him is a mistake and offers you more Chocolate Strange Coins to make amends. Now you’ve completely unlocked the Haunted Forest.

7. The Haunted Forest

(Image credit: Bungie)

The Haunted Forest is a Festival of the Lost variant of the Infinite Forest on Mercury. This zone is procedurally generated, meaning the map layout and combatants are random, so you won’t run the same route twice. The objective is to clear branches of the forest. There are two versions of the activity; see their differences below. They both require a minimum power level of 750.

Haunted Forest

  • This standard version of the Haunted Forest has matchmaking, grouping players until a fireteam of three is formed.

Firewalled Haunted Forest

  • Load into the Haunted Forest without matchmaking. Take the challenge solo or form a pre-made fireteam.

How to complete a Haunted Forest Run

  • Clearing Branches & Boss FIghts
  • Unyielding Terror’s & Nightmare Pit
  • Triumphs & Loot Pool

Clearing Branches & Boss Fights

(Image credit: Bungie)

You have 15 minutes to push through as many branches of the forest as possible. Branches are individual paths that unlock as you proceed through the forest by defeating enemies. When the progress bar reaches 100 percent you are teleported into a boss battle kind of like Heimdall and Thor using the Bifröst. Clear 7 branches to get the triumph and guaranteed maximum rewards, as the caches won’t spawn unless you’ve beaten a fair number of bosses. There are also side paths that lead to chests (pictured above) containing candy and Chocolate Strange Coins so keep your eyes peeled.

Unyielding Terrors & Nightmare Pit

(Image credit: Bungie)

Giant axe-wielding Unyielding Terrors are immortal Hive Knights that roam the forest so you’ll need to be quick and nimble to avoid them as you push further.

Just when you think you’re done, the path leading to the caches can break. If you fall in the cracks you’ll be in the Nightmare Pit with an unkillable foe. Juke the Knight and find a small opening in the wall (the entire pit is red so look for external light) and navigate the path to the caches. To avoid falling try to use the edges of the path.

Note: Spectral Blades Nightstalkers and Attunement of Sky Warlocks can pop your super and use aerial mobility to traverse the space rather quickly.

Festival of the Lost Triumphs & Loot Pool

(Image credit: Bungie)

Each Encrypted Cache contains a mix of weapons, shaders, and masks. Below are the triumphs you’ll need to 100% the Festival of the Lost event. In addition to random legendary items the loot pool is as follows.

Weapons

  • Horror Story - 450rpm Auto Rifle
  • Braytech Werewolf - 450 Auto Rifle

Shaders

  • Amaranth Atrocity
  • Fright Night
  • Dark Fluorescence
  • Shadowstrike
  • Skele-Ghaul
  • Basalt Toxic

Eva Levante Rewards (speak to her to obtain)

  • Wrap Speed Exotic Ship (Requires “Triumph: Cache Grab”) - 200 candy
  • Tomb Raider Exotic Sparrow (Requires “Triumph: Cache Cow”) - 300 candy
  • Restless Shell Exotic Ghost Shell (Requires “Triumph: Caches Galore”) - 500 candy

Festival of the Lost 2020 Triumphs

  • Masked Accomplice - Complete Festival of the Lost 2020 Triumphs
  • Triumph: Cache Grab - Open 15 caches in the Haunted Forest with Cipher Decoders
  • Triumph: Cache Cow - Open 30 caches in the Haunted Forest with Cipher Decoders
  • Triumph: Caches Galore - Open 45 caches in the Haunted Forest with Cipher Decoders
  • Many Faces - Acquire all Festival of the Lost 2020 masks
  • Wrapped and Ready - Acquire the mummy Ghost from Eva
  • Ride or Die - Acquire the Festival of the Lost Sparrow from Eva
  • Entombed Horizon - Acquire the Festival of the Lost Ship from Eva
  • Secret Triumph - Speak to Spider after completing “Triumph: Caches Galore”
Daron Scott
Freelance Writer