The Shadow Thief (Year 3)

The Shadow Thief is a Strike in Destiny:Rise of Iron. It takes place in the Ocean of Storms on Earth's Moon. It is an upgraded version of the original strike, and is the first mission in the quest Variations on a Theme.

The Shadow Thief (Year 3)
Location	Ocean of Storms, Moon
Mission Type	Strike
Quest	Variations On A Theme
Unlocks	The Nexus (Year 3)
Ultras	Taniks Perfected
Difficulties	Light 320
Rewards	Experience

Objectives

• Fight to Taniks' Ketch
• Hunt Taniks Perfected
• Destroy the Walker
• Destroy Taniks Perfected

Transcript

{Loading screen}

• COMMANDER ZAVALA: Variks has brought some unsettling news: The Devil Splicers have used SIVA to resurrect an old foe. Taniks, the Scarred has become Taniks Perfected.
• IKORA REY: Taniks' crew has joined the Splicers. They're using SIVA to reanimate his body and overtake his territory. Lord Saladin says you were indispensable in Old Russia, Guardian. We thought you should be the one to handle this.

{Gameplay}

The trio of Guardians lands in front of the Temple of Crota. Two Shriekers guard the door as it opens.

• ZAVALA: Scouts report that the Splicers are capturing local Hive for experimentation. End this before we have another SIVA outbreak on our hands.

or

• IKORA: Sepiks, the Iron Lords, and now Taniks. There's no limit to what the Splicers will exhume to throw against us.
• ZAVALA: They won't stop with Taniks, Guardian. Put him to rest and purge all traces of SIVA.

The fireteam fights their way inside, dodging Hive traps, and encountering Knights and Wizards. Near the bottom, in front of a Hive Seeder, a large battle rages between Hive and Splicers. Ogres, Wizards, and Knights face off against Captains, Stealth Vandals, and Dregs. The Guardians either join the fray or ignore them, continuing on towards the gravity lift of the Dusk Warren.

• ZAVALA: Looks like Taniks' ship is intact. Get on the lift.

The Guardians arrive to find Taniks himself defending the entrance against large groups of Hive, using his Shoulder Mounted Cannon. The fireteam wipes out the squads of both species, then focuses on the exiled Kell. After being wounded, Taniks retreats into his ship, taunting the Guardians in Fallen dialect.

• ZAVALA: He talks!? How is that possible?
• IKORA: Maybe Taniks was more machine than we thought. He's not alive—perhaps he never was.

The fireteam follows Taniks into the Ketch. As they do, static interference grows on the comm channels.

• IKORA: Taniks' jamming field is still active, Guardian. We will await your Light on the other side.

Upon reaching the next room, Hive and Fallen swarm in, as Taniks Perfected warps inside the area. SIVA spores also clutter the hull. The fireteam works together to challenge Taniks further, causing him to retreat into the rear of the ship. They then reach the adjoining hangar, also flooded with the combating species. To make matters worse, a Perfected Walker drops in at the far end of the hangar. Carefully eliminating minor enemies and taking cover, the trio eventually destroy the Walker and continue into the narrow hallway where Taniks awaits. Taunting them further, he finally teleports into the rear control room of the ship for his last stand. As the Guardians attack him however, SIVA spores grow in random places around the room, empowering Taniks and making him invincible, distracting the Guardians as reinforcements arrive, including Dregs, Servitors, Exploder Shanks, and Stealth Scouts. The Guardians hold off on attacking Taniks, focusing on destroying the SIVA spores and enemies, until Taniks' power fades. Eventually, the enhanced Traitor Kell is finally assassinated once more.

• IKORA: You prevented SIVA from restarting Taniks' mercenary operation. The nanites continue to evolve their function.
• ZAVALA: The Guardian will have plenty of opportunities to study SIVA. The Devils are far from defeated.

Mission ends.

Tactics

The Temple of Crota

• Ignore the Shriekers and head inside as soon as the Strike starts; fighting them or dilly-dallying will usually result in an embarrassingly early death.
• A large group of Cursed Thrall typically surround the high-powered Knights and Wizards. A precise shot can eliminate the entire unit instantly.
• If SIVA turrets guard the entrance to the Dusk Warren, destroy them first--attempting to skip past them can get a player killed.

The Traitor's Ketch

• It is recommended that Guardians split up here; Taniks will have trouble defending himself from three different angles.

The Hangar/The Walker

• Ironically, the safest place a Guardian can be is where they came in—the front left corner, near the light blue hallway and the previously entered door. Enemies attacking from the left rear will be easily bottlenecked for quick eradication, the Captains in the center area cannot see you nor attack from that angle, and the holographic screens help block fire from the Walker itself.

Taniks Perfected

• Taniks' Cannon changes elements randomly; this can be especially dangerous if an elemental burn is applied. Keep your distance.
• Once the SIVA spores are all wiped out, Taniks will teleport to a random location to try and avoid further damage. Good communication is needed to relay his real-time location and minimize the time needed to destroy him.

Trivia

• The legendary auto rifle Does Not Bow and the Hunter class Item Cloak of Taniks can be earned exclusively in this strike. As a Fallen-themed Strike, the heavy machine gun Baron's Ambition is also a possible reward, also available in Fallen S.A.B.E.R.
• Occasionally, a glitch will occur in which Variks will speak his dialogue about jammed comms from the original strike, rather than Ikora.