Yesterday, a Destiny 2 update included a new head scratching puzzle. Solving this puzzle would open up the fourth and final Forge in the Black Armory DLC for everyone to hop into and enjoy. The problem is, Bungie maybe made the puzzles a bit too difficult as they have not yet been solved and the forge has not yet been unlocked.
The puzzle centers around a new area called Niobe Labs. In this new area, players unlock various levels and encounters by solving puzzles. These puzzles largely center around shooting hidden symbols using special weapons in a correct order. The symbols only appear when viewed through the scopes of weapons forged in the previous three forges. Failure to put in the right solution will reset all progress back to the first level, forcing players to go through each level again to get back to where they were previously. Why Bungie omitted something like checkpoints is anybody's guess.
To give you a small idea about what players are dealing with here, this is the cipher players have created based on their findings in order to figure out the meanings behind various gems. Truth be told, I'm not even 100% sure of what I'm looking at here. This image comes from the RaidSecrets sub-Reddit and is only the tip of the iceberg.
Teams have been attempting to crack the case for well over 24 hours now. The major hurdle came at the sixth level, with it having only been solved earlier today. It was at that point they discovered there was a seventh level.
How many levels are there in total? It's not yet clear.
As of this writing, Niobe Labs has taken longer to clear than any raid in the history of the Destiny franchise. The worst part about that statement is the fact that this is not even a raid, it's merely a series of puzzle encounters that leads to the fourth Forge unlock.
Given the massive time sink and with no end in sight, Bungie has decided to unlock the fourth forge, Bergusia Forge, for all Annual Pass owners today at 2PM (PT). This will be done whether or not the Niobe Labs puzzles have been solved or not. They say that this "has not been an ideal experience" for anybody.
While coming together as a community to solve puzzles can be fun, setting this puzzle up as a gate between you and new content that you want to play has not been an ideal experience. As such, we will be decoupling the puzzle from the final offering of the Black Armory. All Annual Pass owners will be able to experience the Bergusia Forge when the puzzle is solved or when the deadline expires - whichever happens first.
We realize that many of you have been working hard to solve the puzzle of the Niobe Labs. Whatever the outcome, it will remain open for Annual Pass owners who still want to test their problem solving skills. There is a Ghost and an Emblem to earn as evidence that you completed the challenge.
We love trying new things with Destiny, but we’re also flexible enough to pivot when you point out room for improvement. We’ll continue to monitor the conversation about this event and learn from your feedback as we create future content releases.
Thanks for playing. Enjoy the final forge.
We realize that many of you have been working hard to solve the puzzle of the Niobe Labs. Whatever the outcome, it will remain open for Annual Pass owners who still want to test their problem solving skills. There is a Ghost and an Emblem to earn as evidence that you completed the challenge.
We love trying new things with Destiny, but we’re also flexible enough to pivot when you point out room for improvement. We’ll continue to monitor the conversation about this event and learn from your feedback as we create future content releases.
Thanks for playing. Enjoy the final forge.
