The Paper Crane is a short, extremely interesting side mission in Destiny 2: Edge of Fate that explores dark matter, time, and the mysterious influence of the Nine. Follow this step by step guide which covers everything–from starting the quest in the Assimilated Easement, tuning into strange radio signals, battling the Vex, and completing the quest in The Stacks, you’ll find every important information here!
Starting the Quest
The Paper Crane is a short yet fascinating side mission in Destiny 2: Edge of Fate that looks into dark matter, time, and the mysterious hand of the Nine. Head over to the Assimilated-Easement to start the quest. There, make a full U-turn and enter the nearby subway station. As you follow the path, a brief cutscene will begin, and with its finishing, the quest officially starts.
Once the quest starts, look around for a nearby radio station, or “Radiolaria,” where the Drifter begins talking about the strange signals and the importance of understanding dark matter. According to him, dark matter isn’t something that can be directly observed, it can only be experienced, like the wind. After this short dialogue, your next objective will be to eliminate a small group of Vex enemies nearby. It doesn’t take much; just taking out around three of them should be enough to move the quest forward.
Caldera’s Explanation and the Paper Pickup


After dealing with the Vex, return to Caldera where Orin expands on what the Drifter said, explaining that you’re dealing with two separate but connected problems: dark matter and time, both of which are tied to the Nine. Her commentary is filled with scientific metaphors and multi-dimensional references, suggesting the complexity of what you’re dealing with. Once this dialogue finishes, clear out some more enemies in the area and pick up a piece of paper that drops.
The Stacks, Arc Charge, and Completion
From here, make your way to an area called The Stacks. You can get there by turning around and going through a nearby cave. Follow the path until you reach a teleporter, which will take you deeper into the zone. Keep moving forward until you come across a location you can scan. In some cases, this part may bug out, but typically you can progress without issue. After scanning, more enemies will appear, one in particular is Brig, you’ll have to defeat it to pick up an arc charge that drops from the fight.
With the arc now deposited, go back through the train tunnel and proceed toward the altar on the other side. Surprisingly, there’s no boss encounter here, just some enemies you can tackle easily. Once you’ve dealt with them, simply interact with the final object that appears, and that will complete the quest. If you’ve followed all the steps correctly, you’ll see the quest wrap up without further combat.