You will get the Means to an End quest in Destiny 2 when you complete the In the Face of Darkness quest for the Drifter. This quest is described as a weekly quest, so we assume it will be a slow roll out over the coming weeks. We will be updating this guide each week with any new steps.
When you finish the In the Face of Darkness quest and have the Prismatic Recaster up and running, you will automatically be assigned the Means to an End quest.
Week 1
Step 1 – Barrier to Entry
The first step is Barrier to Entry and involves a little grind at the new Control Public Event on Io. You just need to fill the bar to 100 percent, which should take about four completions.
Step 2 – Force
The second step requires you to collect Umbral Traces. These can be found in Nightfall: The Ordeal, Nightmare Hunts, and Crucible’s Control mode. You earn them by killing enemies and completing the activities. If you are good at PvP, then that is the way to go. You earn more on killstreaks, so you can wrap it up in a could of games.
Step 3 – Perseverance
Perseverance requires you to finish the Cradle Descent mission on Io. This mission will be locked until you get to this point in the quest. You will find the quest marker to the northwest of the Lost Oasis spawn point. It’s a pretty straight forward mission where you need to take out the Savathun’s Witness Shrieker boss, but it’s an easy enough mission to complete solo.
Week 2
Step 1 – Barrier to Entry
Week 2 begins with Barrier to Entry again, so head back to Io and partake of more Contact to be able to progress the quest.
Step 2 – Strife
Once again we are on the hunt for Umbral Traces. This time, they can be earned in Escalation Protocol, Gambit, Gambit Prime, or Reckoning.
Step 3 – Interference
It’s basically identical to the first week, but the last part of the mission takes place in a different area.
Week 3
So far, week three is playing out the same as in previous weeks. You will start by finishing up Contact events on Io, then switch to getting Umbral Traces. This week, Umbral Traces can be earned from Heroic Adventures, Menagerie, Crucible Survival, Crucible Elimination, or Trials of Osiris.
Week 4
Once again, similar quest steps. You will need to run the Contact event for the first step, then you will be collecting Umbral Traces in the Nightfall Ordeal, Nightmare Hunts, or Crucible Control. The good news is that Iron Banner matches will count as Crucible Control.
Week 5
This week things are a little different. When you visit the Prismatic Caster you will get an Exotic quest mission called Growth. This quest will get you the Ruinous Effigy. We have a full guide for this quest here.
