Nightmare enemies on the Moon are dropping strange orbs and giving Guardians a little boost of power in Destiny 2’s latest expansion. We answer the question: What is Unstable Essence for in Destiny 2: Shadowkeep.
What is Unstable Essence?
In your adventuring on the Moon, you’ll encounter Nightmare and Lesser Nightmare enemies. These enemies are similar to what you would typically run into, but they produce a reddish hue. Nightmare and Lesser Nightmare enemies are a little tougher as well. Lesser Nightmares can also impede your progress to the next section of the map or make a Nightmare boss immune. Taking down the Lesser Nightmares will generally bring the boss’s shield down so you can damage them.
Upon defeating a Lesser Nightmare enemy, a red orb may pop out and fall on the ground. Picking up this orb grants you a buff called Unstable Essence for 15 seconds. You’ll see this buff in the bottom left-hand corner of the screen when it is applied. Unstable Essence allows you to deal extra damage to Nightmare bosses and enemies, making your fight a little easier. This buff doesn’t stack, so if you pick up two orbs at the same time, it will only count as one. Orbs that are not picked up within a certain time will despawn.
Unstable Essence is key to taking down the toughest Nightmares that you encounter. While you can beat a Nightmare without this buff, it will just take a little longer, so you’ll want to make sure you have it.
Now that you know what Unstable Essence is for, make sure to check out the rest of our Destiny 2: Shadowkeep guides to unlock more Moon mysterious.