An Imperial Summons, The Invitation - Destiny 2

A complete walkthrough of An Imperial Summons, a requirement in unlocking the Crown of Sorrow raid in Destiny 2: Season of Opulence.

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An Imperial Summons is the first quest in Destiny 2: Season of Opulence. This questline has you completing tasks to appease Emperor Calus. The majority of this quest is simply titled “The Invitation” though it consists of various activities.


An Imperial Summons

Destiny 2 The Invitation An Imperial Summons
Speak with Benedict 99-40 in the Tower to begin An Imperial Summons.

When booting up Destiny 2 for the first time, you will be directed to speak with Benedict 99-40 in the Tower to begin An Imperial Summons. Benedict 99-40 is in a new location, he can now be found in the Annex of the Tower.

As Benedict’s core processes seem to hitch and jitter, a commanding presence overtakes the poor frame. A different voice booms through Benedict’s speakers.

Emperor Calus, the hedonistic ruler of the Leviathan, has been watching you for some time. He invites you to Nessus, offering riches.

Nothing suspicious about that!

Speak with Benedict 99-40 in the Tower Annex to receive The Invitation. This quest will be titled as such through the entire questline, though the objectives will change after each section.


The Invitation – Speak to Ikora

Destiny 2 The Invitation
Speak with Ikora next to receive a Power Surge Package.

Emperor Calus has invited you to Nessus, but you think it wise to drop in with Ikora before you go.

After receiving the Invitation from Benedict 99-40, go to Ikora in the Tower’s Bazaar and tell her what you’ve learned.


The Invitation – Go to Nessus

Destiny 2 Imperial Barge
Locate the Imperial Barge on Nessus to begin the next step.

Ikora’s intelligence indicates that a Cabal barge has just landed on the surface of Nessus. That lines up with Calus’s promise that he sent a “gift” to Nessus for you.

The next step is to go to Nessus and locate the Imperial Barge. This ship can be found in the Watcher’s Grave. Use the fast travel point and then look for the large golden barge floating in the air. Climb the stones and jump onto the back of the barge.


Cracked Chalice

Destiny 2 Cracked Chalice
Kill Cabal on Nessus to repair the Cracked Chalice.

Calus, via Werner 99-40, has given you a Chalice of Opulence, an artifact that he promises will bring you great power if it is restored.

Defeat Cabal on Nessus to collect lost Chalice fragments.

Speaking with Werner 99-40 on the back of the Imperial Barge will reward you with the Cracked Chalice, which must be repaired. To repair it, kill Cabal on Nessus to claim 10 fragments. This can be done anywhere on Nessus, though using a Lost Sector or an Public Event makes it far quicker.


Mended Chalice

Destiny 2 Chalice of Opulence
Defeat 25 Vex using your melee without dying to complete the Chalice of Opulence.

Prepare an adhesive to rebind the Chalice fragments.

Defeat Vex on Nessus with melee damage without dying.

The Mended Chalice needs further improvements, which can be done by claiming Vex radiolarian fluid. To do this, defeat 25 Vex using melee hits. The trick is you cannot die while doing this, you must get all 25 melee kills in a single life. A good place to do this is the Lost Sector in Artifact’s Edge, The Orrery.


The Invitation – Recover Imperials

As you finish the adhesive, you receive a transmission from Werner 99-40.

Recover Imperials, a currency of the Cabal Empire, from Red Legion deserters in the Conflux Lost Sector on Nessus.

Head to the Conflux Lost Sector, found in the Cistern, to complete this next step. You will need to defeat the Lost Sector boss and then open the chest at the end.


The Invitation – Upgrade Chalice

Destiny 2 Upgrade Chalice of Opulence

Upgrade the Chalice by fusing it with the Imperials you recovered.

After getting the Imperials, open the Chalice and upgrade the available node. With this step complete, you will need to complete the bounty, Glorious Harvest.


The Invitation – Glorious Harvest

Destiny 2 Glorious Harvest
One of the tasks to complete the Glorious Harvest is to finish a Challenge in Destiny 2.

Ghost receives another transmission from Werner 99-40 – this time with a bounty note attached.

Complete the bounty from Werner 99-40.

The bounty in question is called Glorious Harvest. This bounty requires you to complete three specific tasks in order to get a rune.

Glorious Harvest

Generate Orbs of Light, earn experience, and complete any Challenge.

  • Generate Orbs of Light
  • Earn experience
  • Complete a Challenge

All of these tasks are incredibly easy, but one may trip you up: complete a Challenge. A challenge in Destiny 2 is any of the daily or weekly tasks that reward a Powerful Engram. These used to be called Milestones. Open the Director and look for a little golden symbol beside an activity, this denotes a Challenge.


The Invitation – Imperial Treasure Map

Destiny 2 Imperial Treasure Map
Go to the Well of Flames in Nessus to find the treasure marked on the Imperial Treasure Map.

Riches await you somewhere near the Well of Flames on Nessus.

Once the Glorious Harvest bounty is complete, you will receive the Imperial Treasure Map. This will mark the Nessus map in the Director with an X. Go to the Well of Flames in Nessus to find a chest that rewards a Legendary Rune, the final step in completing Werner 99-40’s bounty.

Destiny 2 Imperial Treasure Map
The treasure chest is at the bottom of the Well of Flame in Destiny 2.

The Well of Flames is the large tower in the Cistern. Climb the exterior of the tower and then enter through the triangular door. Follow the path into the center and then drop down into the well. This area will have a Vex gate, don’t go through it. Look for the chest tucked behind a rock, in this chest is your reward.


The Invitation – Insert Rune

With the Imperial Treasure Map solved, use the Chalice of Opulence and insert the Rune.


The Invitation – Return to Werner 99-40

After inserting the rune into the Chalice of Opulence, you will need to return to Werner 99-40 on the Imperial Barge.


The Invitation – Enter the Menagerie

Destiny 2 The Menagerie
Complete a run of The Menagerie and open the chest to finish this portion of the quest.

Calus has invited you to enter his Menagerie on the Leviathan. There, he promises you’ll be able to unleash the true potential of your Chalice of Opulence.

Board the Leviathan and experience the Menagerie. You must loot the final chest at the end of the activity in order to progress this quest.

This will be the most difficult task in The Invitation. You must now access the Menagerie via the Leviathan on Nessus. Open the Director and then Nessus. Locate the new node beside the Leviathan raid – this is the Menagerie. Load in, clear the rooms, defeat the boss, and claim your reward from the chest.


The Invitation – Upgrade Chalice

Destiny 2 Upgrade Chalice
Upgrade the Chalice a second time to progress the questline.

With a run of the Menagerie completed and the final chest looted, the Chalice of Opulence must now be upgraded. To upgrade the Chalice of Opulence further, you will need to gather more Imperials. This can be done by completing bounties from Werner 99-40 or Benedict 99-40 and even through unlocking Triumphs. You can unlock any of the nodes in the Chalice of Opulence, including the nine down the bottom.


The Invitation – Return to Werner 99-40

Destiny 2 Unlock Crown of Sorrow
After unlocking a chest, the Crown of Sorrow raid will be available.

Return to the Imperial Barge on Nessus and open a chest on the back of the barge. You must spend 5,000 Glimmer to open a chest. You will receive a rune and some Imperials for your trouble. At this point, the Crown of Sorrow raid will be unlocked.


An Imperial Summons is the first part of a long quest introducing the Menagerie, Crown of Sorrow, and everything the Season of Opulence has to offer. With The Invitation completed, you should be well-versed in all aspects of opulence! For more helpful walkthroughs, check out the Shacknews Destiny 2 guide.

Guides Editor

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler 

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