How to smash Destiny 2 Planetary Assimilation Pistons with the Piston Hammer

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Destiny 2 Assimilation Pistons are found in Breach Executable, but they're not easy to spot

Destiny 2 Echoes Assimilation Piston
(Image credit: Bungie)

Smashing Destiny 2 Planetary Assimilation Pistons in Breach Executable and Battlegrounds is how you get vital Radiolite samples that get you all sorts of Echoes loot and more. However, you need to find the pistons first during the right activities, and you need a charged Piston Hammer. Thankfully, the pistons are usually obvious, so collecting Radiolite for extra Destiny 2 gear shouldn’t be much of a challenge. Here's everything you need to know about finding and smashing Planetary Assimilation Pistons with your Piston Hammer in Destiny 2 Echoes activities.

Where to find Planetary Assimilation Pistons in Destiny 2

Destiny 2 Echoes Assimilation Piston

(Image credit: Bungie)

Planetary Assimilation Pistons are found in Breach Executable, Echoes Battlegrounds, and the Encore Exotic mission. At various points during all these activities, you’ll either wander into or can discover a Planetary Assimilation Piston – it's a tall Vex device with round, metal plates at its base and a bright conflux tower coming out the top.

A gray waypoint with a star inside should appear when you’re near the piston, so follow this and you’ll eventually find the Vex device. Additionally, the piston should have some Radiolite samples scattered nearby, so these will also tell you that you’re not far off – make sure you collect these first too. If you’re playing Breach Executable specifically, a piston appears after you complete the first objective, but don’t begin the next objective until you’ve collected all the samples as this shrinks the area you can freely explore.

How to use the Piston Hammer in Destiny 2

Destiny 2 Echoes Guardian smashing Assimilation Piston with Piston Hammer

(Image credit: Bungie)

The Planetary Piston Hammer that Failsafe gives to you as part of the Specimen ID: NES001 quest is used to smash Planetary Assimilation Pistons. When you find a Piston in Breach Executable, approach it and you should get a button prompt to smash it with your Hammer. When you do, more Radiolite samples will be revealed in the surrounding area that you and your teammates can collect. Remember, samples are given to everyone in the fireteam, when collected by one player, so you don't have to fight for them.

Destiny 2 Echoes Assimilation Piston destroyed with new radiolite samples

(Image credit: Bungie)

Radiolite samples can then be deposited in the Radiolite Bay found either in the HELM next to Failsafe or at the end of Breach Executable, Echoes Battlegrounds, and Encore. You must have at least 200g of samples to deposit any, but you can get Glimmer, XP, Echoes gear and Engrams, Organic Specimens, and even Exotics from doing so, particularly if you deposit larger amounts of Radiolite - look out for rolls for things like the Destiny 2 Aberrant Action Sidearm and Perfect Paradox Shotgun.

Your Piston Hammer has a maximum of five charges (one charge is used up when smashing an Assimilation Piston) and charges are regained by completing Echoes activities. If your Hammer is completely out of charges, it'll regenerate one charge each day.

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Will Sawyer
Will Sawyer
Guides Editor, GamesRadar+

Will Sawyer is a Guides Editor at GamesRadar+ with over five years of experience in writing online guides, news, and features, and has a BA (Hons) in Journalism. Starting as a freelancer, Will contributed to startmenu and Game Rant before joining the GamesRadar+ team in August 2021. Since then, he has written hundreds of guides about a huge range of games, with shooters and action games being his areas of expertise. Outside of writing about games, Will hops between multiplayer shooters with friends, such as Darktide and Helldivers 2, and delves into whatever has been on his backlog for far too long. He also tries to get through his never-ending Warhammer pile of shame of grey Tyranids, Aeldari, and Chaos Space Marines.