PsiOps

Overview

PsiOps Battlegrounds are three-player matchmade Battlegrounds that released with The Witch Queen in Season of the Risen. Originally they were opened by finishing the first mission of The Witch Queen campaign and interacting with a flag in the Tower Hangar. With Lightfall they joined the Vanguard Ops playlist, and they are also run as a Nightfall in their Moon version.

There are three versions, each fighting a different Hive Lightbearer:

• EDZ: European Dead Zone on Earth, against Mor'ak, Lightstealer.
• Cosmodrome: The Cosmodrome on Earth, against Uul'nath, Lightcleanser.
• Moon: Scarlet Keep on the Moon, against Korosek, Thronebringer.

How it's played

Players damage the Lightbearer until it loses a third of its health. Two Imperial Optus Psions then trap it and open its inner world as a Mindscape, which pulls the Guardians inside. There they fight the Lightbearing Hive at full power, which calls large numbers of reinforcements. At each further third of lost health, the Hive vanishes and summons one or two Aspect of Savathûns, which are invulnerable except to the Synaptic Spear that appears in the arena. Once the Aspects are slain, the boss is vulnerable again, and destroying the Lightbearer's Ghost removes its Light and ends the battle.

Loot

The weapons are Explosive Personality (Grenade Launcher), Piece of Mind (Pulse Rifle), Recurrent Impact (Machine Gun), Sweet Sorrow (Auto Rifle), Thoughtless (Sniper Rifle) and Under Your Skin (Combat Bow). The armor set is the Tusked Allegiance Suit.

Lore

After Guardians discovered Hive Lightbearers in The Witch Queen campaign, Zavala, Saladin, Crow and the Guardian met Empress Caiatl. Zavala asked the Imperial Cabal for help against Savathûn's new weapons, and Caiatl agreed. The joint effort used Psions to capture and study Hive Lightbearers.