The final season of Destiny 2 brings with it the King’s Fall raid. For those who played the first Destiny, this will be familiar territory. But regardless of whether you’ve played it before or it’s your first time, some things will be new and exciting. To help you conquer Oryx, The Taken King, we’ve put together a King’s Fall raid guide that details each encounter and what weapons and builds to bring.
Note: The guide below will be updated as we work out ideal strategies once the raid is released. This guide describes how the King’s Fall raid mechanics worked in Destiny 1.
Use the links below to jump to the appropriate section of the King’s Fall raid:
Shacknews World’s First King’s Fall raid attempt
Tune in as Sam races through the King’s Fall raid with his companions during the First World Quest. The live stream starts at 9:00 AM. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET on August 26, 2022.
Crafting and weapon recommendations for King’s Fall
The King’s Fall raid has many encounters where players must stick together while also fighting groups of enemies. For this reason, add clean and check the ideal Supers area. Consider using Nightstalker tether to negate enemy movement, Well of Radiance and Ward of Dawn to provide long range protection and roaming Supers to clear Hive and Taken teams.
For weapons, there are the usual suspects that will make raids easier. Consider equipping a player with Divinity to boost team damage by 20 percent, Outbreak Perfected with Exotic Catalyst for greater team DPS, Gjallarhorn for boss fights, and even Tractor Cannon for self-preservation.
As for non-exotic weapons, you’ll want to look into slug weapons for boss damage, especially against Golgoroth, sniper rifles for dealing with Warpriests, Sisters, and Oryx, and special Champion-mod weapons.
Here are some weapons you might consider having. Firing Line on shotguns and snipers will help with boss damage. Otherwise, the Vorpal Weapon is the next best thing. For grenade launchers, Blinding Grenades will help if you’re taking too much heat from enemies.
Shotguns: First In, Last Out, Sojourner’s Tale and Heritage Sniper Rifles: Succession, IKELOS_SR_V1.0.2, Fugue-55, Thoughtless Grenade Launcher: Ignition Code, True, Explosive Personality and Empty Ship
Relics & Opening the Gate
Source: Bungie The first encounter in the King’s Fall raid involves opening the Hive Gate by sinking relics into statues in the middle.
To start, divide your team into two teams of three players. The goal is for one team to take the left side and the other to take the right side. Within your teams, find who will pick up and carry the ball. The other two players are responsible for defeating the enemies and breaking the barriers on the doors.
Every time you pick up an orb, the doors leading back to the statues will be sealed. Non-bullet players will have to destroy the obstacles blocking the way. Guard the orb carrier as they return to the center. Dunk the orbs into the statues, then go back to collect the next orb.
Each bullet will be a little further than before. Once all six orbs are deposited, the Hive Gate will open. Speed is of the essence here, as too much time can cause the statues to lose their charge.
One strategy is to leave one or two players in the main room to clear out the enemies that spawn. Another idea is to destroy the door and then quickly get into position to collect the next bullet while the first bullet carrier finishes his job.
Hive ship jumping puzzle
Jump from ship to ship until you reach the end. This is an OG jumping puzzle for Destiny as a franchise.
Totem Exterminators
Source: Bungie The Annihilator Totems encounter requires players to stand under Annihilator Totems, juggle cultists, and charge a center plate.
There are three mechanics to remember during this fight:
Brand of the Unraveler / Brand of the Weaver: Creates an aura that protects nearby players from the poison in the side rooms. It transfers to a nearby player after 30 seconds, leaving the original player with a new excitement. Deathsinger’s Power: Drained by standing on the center plate. Annihilator Totems: Must have a player standing under the tower or it will wipe out the team after a few seconds.
The Annihilator Totem section of King’s Fall requires players to charge a center plate with Deathsinger’s Power. This buff comes from holding Brand of the Unraveler or Brand of the Weaver for 30 seconds. Once the brand is held, it will be transferred to a nearby player and the original player will have Deathsinger’s Power.
Brands provide an aura that protects players from poison in the side rooms. This is important as an Annihilator Totem is in each side room and must have a player standing under it or it will wipe out the team.
Divide the group into two groups of three, sending one group to each side. To start, leave one player from each team in the middle to take down the enemies while the other two run to the Annihilator Totems. Have a player pick up their team’s brand.
While standing under the Annihilator Totems, the two players will have to defeat the enemies. When the brand is transferred to the new player, the original owner will have the Deathsinger’s Power and will now have to switch players in the middle. Stand on the plate to drain the jacket. Keep trading in and out of mid whenever someone has Deathsinger power.
As for weapons during the Annihilator Totem fight, consider using decent wave clears and add control weapons. Consider Forbearance to take down groups of enemies, a Grenade Launcher with Blinding Grenades to give you some breathing room, and Power weapons capable of cutting through multiple Hives. You can also consider long-range Supers for clearing powerful enemies.
The warrior
Source: Bungie Original Warpriest Challenge: Do not hold Brand of the Initiate more than once
The Warpriest encounter has players stand on tiles in the correct order and use a buff to deal damage to the boss.
There are a few mechanics to note during the Warpriest encounter:
Brand of the Initiate: Creates an aura that allows damage to the Warpriest. It has a countdown timer. The owner of the buff must defeat an enemy before the meter reaches zero or die. Defeating an enemy removes a charge. When all charges are removed, the buff disappears. Monoliths: Glow in a set sequence each spin. Gives Warpriest an enchantment when absorbed by the Oculus. Plates: Must be activated in the order that matches the Monolith’s flashes. The player standing on the last plate receives the Brand of the Initiate.
Stand on the plate to start the Warpriest match. From here, defeat the enemies until a Holy Knight is defeated in each area (left, middle, right). At this point, the lights on the back of the Monoliths will start to flash, creating a sequence. Have one player call out the order the Monoliths are glowing and have other team members stand on each plate. The player on the last plate will receive the Brand of the Initiate. Gather around the bearer of the brand to receive a buff called Aura of the Initiate, allowing you to damage the Warpriest.
The brand bearer will have five stacks of Brand of the Initiate with each stack having a 10 second timer. The holder must get a kill before the timer runs out or die. Each kill they get will reset the timer and remove one charge. The goal is to wait until the last possible second to kill. When all the charges are removed, the team will only have a few seconds before the aura disappears.
When the initiate’s brand and Aura disappear, the Warrior will summon Oculus. Hide behind one of the Monoliths to avoid being killed. The Oculus will destroy the Monolith and give the Warpriest a new Taken power.
From here, repeat the steps, hiding behind one Monolith at a time until there are none left. Players will have a maximum of four turns to defeat the Warpriest.
In terms of Warpriest damage, Whisper of the Worm might be a viable option since it was useful in Destiny 1. Alternatively, Sniper Rifles and Linear Fusion Rifles with Firing Line, Divinity for the buff or Tether for the debuff, as well as Witherhoard and Fusion Grenades could be great options.
Golgotha
Source: Bungie Golgoroth Authentic Challenge: All six players must hold the gaze once per damage phase
The fight against Golgoroth has players using orbs of Light to damage Golgoroth’s stomach while two players trade his gaze back and forth.
The Golgoroth race introduces some new mechanics that only appear when encountering it:
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