How to trigger all Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

Destiny 2 Lightfall Heroic Injection Rig Public Event on Neomuna
(Image credit: Bungie)

Activating Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events lets you get substantially more Glimmer than usual, but you've got to know what the secret objective is for each event type. These Heroic objectives can be as simple as killing certain enemies that spawn during the Public Event, or a more complicated procedure that tasks you with destroying particular objects with strict timers. Just don't forget to the loot the event chest at the end to get your Glimmer and XP! Since some are much more intuitive to activate than others, I've explained below how to complete every Public Event in Destiny 2 and how to make them Heroic to maximize your rewards.

Destiny 2 public events on map

(Image credit: Bungie)

If you're looking to farm Public Events for Glimmer or for particular challenges and Triumphs in Destiny 2, make sure you check your current destination's map regularly for any incoming event icons. Hovering your cursor over them will reveal how long until the event begins, letting you get there early so you can rally to the banner, which'll max out all your ammo and ability energy.

Destiny 2 Glimmer Extraction Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Locations: EDZ, Cosmodrome, Nessus, and Europa

Fallen foes will appear across three different Glimmer extraction sites, one after the other, during this Public Event and you just need to clear out all three sites to complete the event normally. To make it Heroic, look out for the little generator-like objects that spawn after you kill the first wave of enemies at each extraction site. You need to destroy three in total - one at each site - to up this Public Event to Heroic difficulty.

These little generators have a surprising amount of health, so make sure you focus on them as soon as they appear. However, any generators that don't get destroyed in time will reappear at the next extraction site, so you'll get more chances to destroy any you missed and make the event Heroic. Making the event Heroic will destroy the final extraction site, leaving a pile of Glimmer on the ground that must be secured by standing in the ring until it reaches 100%. At the same time, lots of Fallen enemies will be dropping in to fight.

Destiny 2 Ether Resupply Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Locations: EDZ, Nessus, the Moon, and Europa

This is one of the easiest Public Events in Destiny 2 and you just have to destroy the massive Servitor to beat it and making it Heroic isn't much harder. Once the Servitor reaches about 50% health, it'll spawn three smaller Servitors at once. Destroy these Servitors as quickly as possible to anger the big one, making the event Heroic. We don't know the exact timing but killing all three smaller Servitors in less than 15 seconds should be enough.

Destiny 2 Weapons Exchange Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Locations: EDZ and the Moon

Simply destroy the Fallen Arsenal Walker to complete this Public Event. You can make it Heroic by depositing an Arc charge into all six receivers that power blue bubble shields protecting some Scorch Cannons in the area - there are three of these shields and each one has two receivers.

You can get Arc charges by destroying one of the Fallen Walker's legs to temporarily disable it, causing it to spit out three charges at once. Deposit those charges, disable the Walker again to get the next three charges, and finally deposit those to make the event Heroic. This'll cause a second Walker to get dropped in, and you'll need to destroy both within the time limit to complete the event.

Destiny 2 Cabal Excavation Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Locations: EDZ, Nessus, and Neomuna

Completing this Public Event normally just requires you to capture the Cabal drill, but you'll need to destroy a Cabal ship to make it Heroic. At around 30% and 60% capture progress, a Cabal Thresher gunship will start flying around the area, eventually settling near the drill to fire a few missiles, then it'll fly off. Destroy the Thresher before it can get away, and you'll make the event Heroic, causing a Cabal boss to crash down that you need to defeat to complete the event.

Destiny 2 Injection Rig Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Locations: EDZ, Nessus, and Neomuna

For this Destiny 2 Heroic Public Event, you need to defeat all the Elite Cabal Psions that appear one by one. However, if you want to make the event Heroic and destroy the rig, you need to shoot some vents.

The Injection Rig has three tiers of three vents each that open after defeating an Elite Psion and you need to destroy just one vent per tier. Once you've killed a Psion, stay inside the orange dome and shoot one of the three glowing vents on the Rig's top section - it'll stop glowing orange and will spout smoke once it has been destroyed. Repeat this for the Rig's middle vents after the second Psion is killed, and again for the bottom section, although only one of the three vents will open here. With three vents destroyed, you'll trigger Heroic difficulty and will just need to defeat the Cabal boss that drops in to complete the event.

Destiny 2 Disrupt Vex Construction Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Locations: Nessus, Europa, and Neomuna

Ordinarily, you just need to wait out the clock and prevent Vex integrating with the spire to complete this Public Event. Although you might notice three white beams shooting out from the central spire, and each beam links to an invisible capture plate that is only revealed when you get close to it. Trigger Heroic difficulty for this Public Event by capturing all three plates within the time limit - you still need to defend the spire from Vex sacrifices like the normal event, which is tough to do since the plates are quite far from the spire.

Once all three plates have been captured, the Vex will throw everything they've got at you, including more powerful Harpies, Minotaurs, and now Hydras. Survive until time runs out to complete the Heroic event and get the extra loot.

Destiny 2 Taken Blight Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Locations: EDZ and the Dreaming City

To make the Taken Blight Public Event Heroic, you need to avoid destroying the blight domes! Instead, enter and exit these domes to get a five-second buff called Blight Receding – it lets you damage the massive hovering blight ball. Damage the big blight as much as you can and be sure to follow it if it moves to a new location.

Once you've damaged the blight enough to destroy it, the Heroic event will trigger and a Taken boss or a Destiny 2 Tormentor will appear, so kill the boss to complete the Heroic event. This is arguably one of the most annoying Public Events to make Heroic, and don't let anyone fool you into thinking that making it Heroic is random!

Destiny 2 Rift Generator Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Location: The Dreaming City (The Strand only)

Start by booting up the Rift Generator like normal by killing the Scorn Abomination that spawns, then taking the Arc charge it drops to the generator. To complete the event normally, you just need to defend the generator from waves of Scorn enemies, ensuring that its integrity does not plummet to 0%. Towards the end of each wave, an Abomination will spawn that drops another Arc charge which can be deposited back at the Rift Generator to repair it a bit.

To up this Public Event to Heroic, you need to destroy the Taken Blight that spawns over the shoreline at the end of each wave of Scorn – the Blights don't stick around for long, so get rid of them quickly. Once you've destroyed enough Blights, a larger Blight will spawn over the Rift Generator with three Taken Wizards. Defeat the Wizards before the generator is destroyed and you'll be absorbed into the Ascendant Realm for the Heroic Public Event. All you need to do to complete the Heroic version is defeat even more Taken Wizards and then kill the boss and you'll be spat back out into reality to collect your loot.

Destiny 2 Warsat Down Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Locations: The Moon and the Cosmodrome

To make this a Destiny 2 Heroic Public Event, you need to destroy the three Hive Shriekers that surround the Warsat. Each Shrieker is immune to all damage but also won't attack until a pair of Wizards are defeated. Destroy the Wizards to make one of the Shriekers vulnerable, quickly destroy said Shrieker, then carry on with the event until the next pair of Wizards spawns and so on. Destroy all three Shriekers before you fully capture the Warsat and you'll trigger the Heroic event, causing a giant Ogre boss to spawn in. Slay it to get some Heroic rewards.

Destiny 2 Witches' Ritual Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Locations: Moon and Savathun's Throne World

Within the area of this Public Event, you'll find two Hive plates on the ground. Stand on them like normal to bring down the shields of the two Wizards, then defeat the Wizards. As you prepare for the incoming Hive, stand on the plates again to lower the shields on two purple crystals that spawn high up and near the portal frame. Destroy both crystals to start the Heroic Public Event, then wipe out everything that comes through the portal to finish it.

Destiny 2 Ether Ritual Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Locations: The Dreaming City and Savathun's Throne World

For this Public Event, you'll notice a destroyed Servitor and lots of Scorn spawning around it. Seek the first Scorn Chieftain and then destroy all the blue Ether spheres that slowly fly towards the destroyed Servitor. Repeat this for the next two Chieftains that spawn to make this a Destiny 2 Heroic Public Event. It seems like there's a bit of leniency in that you don't have to destroy every single drop of Ether, but aiming to get them all is definitely the best approach. Once the event is Heroic, destroy all the Scorn, including the big boss that will appear.

Destiny 2 Crux Convergence Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 heroic public events crux convergence drones

(Image credit: Bungie)

Location: Europa

To complete this Destiny 2 Beyond Light event normally, you just need to stand under three Darkness Cruxes and fully capture them to bring down the shields on the Brigs – destroy all Brigs and the event is over! However, to trigger the Heroic Public Event, you need to destroy the trio of scanner drones that fly around each of the three Cruxes too. These drones are hard to hit and don't hang around for long, so speed is key. Once you've cleared all drones from the three Cruxes, the Heroic event will start and a mega Brig known as the "Fallen Commodore" will drop in. Take it down, along with all the smaller Brigs if you haven't already, to get your Heroic loot.

Destiny 2 Resonant Splinter Heroic Public Event

Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events

(Image credit: Bungie)

Locations: Savathun's Throne World

This Destiny 2 The Witch Queen Public Event is exclusive to Savathun's Throne World and sees you escorting a bit of Darkness Pyramid technology - a Resonant Splinter - across a portion of the Throne World. To make it Heroic, you need to pick up Resonant Charges dropped by certain Scorn enemies and throw them at the Splinter. Hit the Splinter with all six charges and you'll trigger the Heroic Public Event, causing extra Scorn bosses to spawn. These glowing balls can be surprisingly easy to miss, so make sure you keep an eye out for them!

Destiny 2 Vex Strike Force Public Event

Destiny 2 Lightfall Strand Titan facing Vex Minotaur

(Image credit: Bungie)

Location: Neomuna Vex Incursion Zone

The Vex Strike Force Public Event added as part of Destiny 2 Lightfall cannot be made Heroic, although with good reason as the base rewards for this super-rare event include a guaranteed Exotic item! This event (also called Supernumerary Blitz) has a chance to spawn in the current Vex Incursion Zone in Neomuna only. The Vex Strike Force event will show on the map with a normal Public Event icon but when you hover your cursor over it, you’ll see the message, “Vex Strike Force Incoming!”, so head over and get stuck in. Be aware that Vex Strike Force events cannot spawn when the Destiny 2 Terminal Overload activity is also in the Incursion Zone for the day.

Essentially, you’ll be battling Vex and must kill six Minotaur bosses within the time limit to beat the event. If you’re successful, you’ll be rewarded with a loot chest containing one Exotic Engram. Although, be aware that it will only contain Exotic armor that is already in your collection, so you can't get Exotic armor for Destiny 2 Strand builds unless you already have it. It can be a good way of trying to get better rolls for some of the best Destiny 2 Exotics, however.

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Will Sawyer
Guides Writer

Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.

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