Destiny 2 Ascendant Anchor locations: How to complete the Ascendant Ballast quest

How the Ascendant Ballast quest in Destiny 2 works

Ascendant Anchors are introduced to you very briefly as part of the Wayfinder’s Voyage questline, with a step that has you visit Trostland in the EDZ.

This quickly moves the questline to a Shattered Realm mission, but is designed to show that Ascendant Anchors have been added to some Patrol areas, starting with the EDZ.

Each one found with give you 30 Parallax Trajectory, which isn’t a lot – but will add up if you go hunting for every available location.

However, the real end goal of finding Ascendant Anchors is Seasonal Milestones. Not only are there some for collecting Parallax Trajectory across the game, but the Ascendant Ballast quests in particular have you find a certain number from Patrol destinations and the Shattered Realm.

Note with the Shattered Realm, you may require certain abilities before some Anchors can be accessed – as such, it pays to be up to speed with the latest questline in a given week before returning to mop up any you have missed.

Note: At launch, the tracker is bugged in the Shattered Realm, meaning the game might not register the correct amount. Bungie recommends collecting the mill Anchor (number nine on our list) first if you can.

? The Ascendant Ballast I Season Challenge isn?t properly tracking when players pick up Wayfinding Runes in the Shattered Realm. Players are encouraged to pick up the Waterwheel Rune first so they can complete the weekly challenge this week. 7/14

— Bungie Help (@BungieHelp) August 25, 2021

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EDZ Patrol Ascendant Anchor locations

The following were made available on Season of the Lost’s debut.

Trostland Ascendant Anchors (5 total)

1. The first will be right in front of you from the Trostland landing zone fast travel point.

2. To the west of the church where Devrim Kay is located is a building on the corner with the upper floors destroyed. You should see the telltale purple beam of light from a distance.

Jump up and grab the Anchor.

3. There is one inside the church itself that’s in the middle of Trostland, on top of some crates.

4. To the east of the church, on the route away from Trostland towards Terminus East, will be an Anchor visible on top of a destroyed building. To reach it, follow the face of the buildings north opposite the church to see a window.

Leap up, then up again towards the Anchor.

5. North-east from the church is a destroyed building on the corner. From the correct position, you can see the Anchor on the second floor. Leap up and collect it.

Sunken Isles Ascendant Anchors (5 total)

1. From the fast travel point, walk a few steps forward and you can see the Anchor on the hill in the near distance to the south.

2. Head on from the fast travel point, following the track south with the hill to your left. You will see another one visible just opposite the Echion Hold.

3. Staying outside, head to the south-west most point in Sunken Isles, past the entrances to two bases. In the corner, by a channel of water that hits a dead end, is a location.

4. These next two are easiest if you start at the fast travel point. Instead of going south like before, head west (or right), taking the very outside of the area around.

You’ll pass some islands – the anchor is on one of them. (If it helps, it will be right next to a possible public event location.)

5. Continue going south-west – just past some lights – until you are at the west-most point while remaining outside. You will see another by a tree and some crates.

The Gulch Ascendant Anchors (5 total)

1. This is visible as soon as you load into The Gulch fast travel point. Look to the right and go over the rock.

2. From the fast travel point, so south-east to find a road. Next to the overhead sign is truck at the side of the road – if you look past it, you’ll see the light of the anchor through the broken trees.

Head through and grab it. (You’ll end up at the south-most part of the bend, looking at the map, up a cliff).

3. The next one is also on the south bend. From the previous Anchor, you can actually see it if you look through the valley.

You can make your way here via that path ahead, or by going back to the road and taking it until the right turn after the bridge.

4. In the north of the area is a large tunnel. If you go east and continue looking at that north side, you’ll see the anchor up the cliff.

5. Head east towards The Sludge. On the first bend as you leave, you’ll see it high up on the inside on a rock next to a water tower.

The Sludge Ascendant Anchors (4 total)

1. Travelling from The Gulch, on the inside of the bend before you enter the area, it’ll be on a rock.

2. Just in from the east-most road into The Sludge is an anchor by some rusted containers, and next to a possible public event site.

3. Take the road south from The Sludge to the Outskirts, and it’ll be on the inside corner as you leave.

4. In the north of The Sludge is a path leading to a cavern out of the area. It’ll be clearly visible on the left.

Winding Cove Ascendant Anchors (4 total)

Most of these are on the side of the road running between Outskirts and Firebase Hades.

1. Starting from Outskirts and going west, in the north-west corner there is a dirt path going back on yourself to the south.

On the outside corner are some rocks. Leap up them, and go to the edge.

Here is where you’ll find the anchor.

2. In the north-west corner of the main area of the Winding Cove, above the road, is a ship embedded high in the cliff. An Anchor is next to it to the left – it should be visible enough from the road.

Take the path to the north from the road and climb up the rocks to reach it.

3. On the far west side of the road, leading out of Winding Cove towards Firebase Hades, stop as the road turns, and climb the rocks high above on the inside corner to the south (essentially doing the same as you did on the east side – doubling back on yourself with the higher path).

There isn’t a path, but you can go across the rocks and broken trees to find an Anchor to the south.

4. Finally, go to the Winding Cove fast travel point. On this ‘island’, just to the north on top of the rocks, is the Anchor.

Season of the Lost is here, with new Exotics and the long-awaited arrival of crossplay. New activities include the Wayfinders Voyage, the Astral Alignment activity and finding Atlas Skew, Trivial Mystery, Parallax Trajectory and Ascendant Anchor locations. Elsewhere, we’ve seen new Nightfall weapons such as the Uzume RR4, Plug One.1 and Hung Jury SR4. Other recent new features include transmog and materials Synthstrand, Synthcord and Synthweave, the Splicer Gauntlet and Decrypted Data used to upgrade it.

Shattered Realm Patrol Ascendant Anchor locations

The following were made available during Season of the Lost’s first week. Not many of these require the Barrier Breach ability to access, which is unlocked when you complete the Shattered Realm: Forest of Echoes mission for the first time. This is also useful so you understand the layout of the location better when searching for Anchors.

The following are collected in the Forest of Echoes mission, with the two beacons used as reference points.

1. The first anchor you’ll find is as you approach the church and the first beacon, at the base of a tree not far from the catacombs.

2. Head to the church, which is where you’ll find the first beacon. Once the encounter is over, turn back to the entrance and use the Barrier Breach in the corner.

Then quickly return to the beacon, and use it to leap up onto the support underneath the barrier, and then enter. The anchor is here. Now exit by jumping from the roof.

3. From the church, go to the far side (‘away’ from where you entered the level) where there is a series of ledges going up, with some Taken rings in the far distance. You can see the Anchor just up the steps.

(If you are doing Trivial Mysteries, this is on the steps leading up to the Ruins.)

4. Near the church, up a ledge (in the direction of the second beacon) is a small building leading down to the catacombs. The anchor is round the back.

5. Near the catacombs entrance is a Barrier Breach you can use. Activate it, then enter the catacombs, dropping down then hugging the left wall and following the route round. You’ll then find it ahead.

6. Return to the area with the anchor at the base of the tree, which is back past the catacombs. At the far end is a barrier blocking a cave.

Use the Barrier Breach nearby to drop down, where it’ll be on a rock at the end.

7. Now proceed to the next beacon; as a reminder, from the catacombs, follow the cliff edge going back, and you’ll see a large tree and then series of floating platforms and a ruined structure in the distance. Go over there.

Once you are in the ruined structure, leap up and right to the top corner to find the Anchor.

8. When you are at the ruined structure where the previous anchor is, go to the cliff edge on the right side from where you enter, where you’ll see a True Sight ability marker.

You can drop down the cliff here, and follow a path to a cave.

The anchor is on a rock here.

9. Head to the second beacon location. Here to the side is the Mill area, with a giant waterwheel. The anchor is in the middle of the wheel, which you can access by jumping up and past the rocks.

10. From the second beacon, look directly behind it, with some rocks above (you will be looking in the right direction when you see several Taken orbs in the far distance stacked on top of another).

You’ll come to a flat cliff top. Go right here, and you’ll see an area far down below, with three objects you can interact with, and the anchor at the far side.

This is the same route you need to go for the Hallowed Cliffs Trivial Mystery, if that helps narrow it down.

More to come in future weekly resets!