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A complete walkthrough and guide for the King’s Fall raid from the Season of Plunder in Destiny 2.
The latest season of Destiny 2 brings with it the King’s Fall raid. For those that played the first Destiny, this will be familiar territory. No matter whether you’ve played it before or this is your first time through, some things will be new and exciting. To help you conquer Oryx, The Taken King, we’ve prepared a King’s Fall raid guide detailing each encounter and what weapons and builds to bring.
Make sure you do the Oryx extra chest symbols before leaving the starting area so you can get an extra Deepsight Resonance (red border) weapon after defeating Oryx.
This King’s Fall guide was last updated on August 30, 2022 at 11:43 p.m. PT.
Use the following links to jump to the appropriate section of the King’s Fall raid:
Check out Sam and his mate’s Day One clear of the King’s Fall raid. The livestream originally aired at 9:00 a.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. ET on August 26, 2022. You can see the VOD below.
The King’s Fall raid has a lot of encounters where players must stick together while also fighting groups of enemies. For this reason, add clear and control Super Abilities are ideal. Consider using Shadowshot to neutralize enemy movement, Well of Radiance and Ward of Dawn to provide long-lasting protection, and roaming Supers to clear groups of Hive and Taken.
For weapons, there are the usual suspects that will make raids easier. Consider equipping a player with Divinity to boost the team damage by 30 percent, Outbreak Perfected with its Exotic Catalyst for greater team DPS, Gjallarhorn for the Daughters of Oryx boss fight, Linear Fusion Rifles for the others, and even Tractor Cannon for self-preservation. Note that using an Exotic Primary weapon when using Ammo Finder Mods increases your chance of getting Heavy ammo.
In terms of non-Exotic weapons, you will want to consider shotguns for dealing with Majors, while Linear Fusion Rifles and Sniper Rifles are great for Warpriest, Golgoroth, and Oryx. For the Daughters of Oryx, Gjallarhorn with five other Legendary Rocket Launchers is most efficient.
Here are some weapons you might consider having. Firing Line on the Linear Fusion Rifles and Sniper Rifles will help with boss damage. Failing that, Vorpal Weapon is the next best thing. For the Grenade Launchers, Blinding Grenades will help if you’re taking too much heat from the enemies.
The first encounter in the King’s Fall raid is about opening up the Hive portal by dunking relics at statues in the middle.
To begin, split your team into two groups of three players. The goal is that one group will take the left side and the other will take the right side. Within your groups, work out who will pick up and carry the orb. The other two players are responsible for defeating enemies and breaking the barriers on the doors.
Whenever you pick up an orb, the doors that lead back to the statues will become sealed. The players who are not carrying an orb should destroy the barriers blocking the way. Guard the orb carrier as they make their way back to the center. Dunk the orbs at the statues and then go back out to collect the next orb.
Each orb will be slightly further away than before. The relics will also expire after being held for too long. Roughly three (3) seconds is added to the timer whenever an orb is dunked, which could help the other orb carrier get to the statue in time. Once all orbs are deposited, move into the court near the portal, and clear the enemies to activate the portal.
One strategy is to leave one or two players in the center room to clear enemies that spawn. Another idea is to destroy the doorway and then quickly get into position to collect the next orb while the first orb carrier finishes their job.
Jump from ship to ship until you reach the end. For the Destiny veterans, the puzzle remains unchanged from the original game.
The Annihilator Totems encounter requires players to stand below Annihilator Totems, juggle buffs, and charge a central plate. Take a look at our Grass Is Always Greener Annihilator Totems challenge guide if you’re looking for extra rewards.
There are three mechanics to remember during this fight:
The Annihilator Totem part of King’s Fall requires players to charge a central plate with Deathsinger’s Power. This buff comes from getting kills while holding the Brand of the Unraveler or the Brand of the Weaver (one buff applies to the left side room and one to the right side room). Defeating a Wizard on the balcony spawns a Blightguard. Defeat this Taken Knight to spawn a Brand Claimer buff. This buff allows a player to manually take the Brand of the Unraveler / Brand of the Weaver. Once a Brand has been taken, the player with Deathsinger’s Power must stand on the plate in the center room until all charges have been drained. This player then defeats the Blightguard, takes the Brand Claimer, and goes back to the Annihilator Totem.
Take note of the fact there are three rooms: left, center, and right. Split your team into two groups of three, with one team taking the left side, and one the right side. One player from each team will grab an orb as they run to their side room. This orb will give them either Brand of the Unraveler or Brand of the Weaver (depends on the side, but essentially the same thing), which each have a 30-second timer. If the timer expires before the buff is passed to another player, the player who was holding the buff as it expires will die.
To begin, the player that grabs the Brand of the Unraveler / Brand of the Weaver buff will go stand below the Annihilator Totem on a plate in their side room and defeat enemies. While doing this they will need to get kills to accumulate Deathsinger’s Power. One of the two remaining players on their team must defeat a Blightguard that spawns on one of the upper balconies in the center room. This Blightguard will drop a buff called Brand Claimer, which must be picked up and taken to the player who is standing on the plate in their side. The player with Brand Claimer must hold the interact key to take the Brand of the Unraveler / Brand of the Weaver and will then stand on the plate and get kills. The player with Deathsinger’s Power moves to the center room, stands on that plate, and lets their Deathsinger Power stacks drain.
The Brand of the Unraveler / Brand of the Weaver buffs provide an aura which protects players from the poison in the side rooms. This is important as an Annihilator Totem is in each side room and must have a player standing below it or it will wipe the team. This is where the difficulty of the encounter comes from, as buff transferring and timing is key.
Continue to juggle the buffs between your team of three (the team on the other side of the room is doing the same). Continue this loop until the encounter is complete. There is no boss to defeat, this is simply a hot-potato encounter that requires timing and teamwork.
As for weapons during the Annihilator Totem fight, use decent wave clear and add control weapons. Consider Forbearance for defeating groups of enemies, a Grenade Launcher with Blinding Grenades to give you some breathing room, and Power weapons capable of mowing down a lot of Hive. Thunderlord is highly recommended here, as it can mow down groups of enemies with ease, and will even knock out those pesky Knights on the balcony.
A couple of tips for better synergy: an Unstoppable Ogre will spawn a couple of times during the fight at the center plate. Bring appropriate mods. A Shotgun with Trench Barrel will make light work of the Blightguard. Players that are draining the Deathsinger’s Power should not kill any enemies that spawn in the middle, except for those that attack them directly. The more enemies that make their way down to the side rooms, the more charges the Brand holders will be able to accumulate. Do not apply Shadowshot to the middle room as this just delays the enemies from reaching the Annihilator Totems. Warlocks should use Well of Radiance below the Annihilator Totems or in the center room to help with survival.
Warpriest Challenge: Don’t hold the Brand Claimer buff for more than 5 seconds
The Warpriest encounter has players standing on plates in the correct sequence and using a buff to deal damage to the boss.
There are a few mechanics to note during the Warpriest encounter:
The Warpriest fight in the King’s Fall raid is a massive DPS check. The fight requires players to deal damage to the Warpriest while standing inside the aura created by the Brand of the Initiate. The Brand is given to the player that stands on the final plate during the Glyph reading sequence. Players must swap this Brand between each other using the Brand Claimer buff which is dropped by Blightguards. After a damage phase ends, players must hide behind a monolith to avoid dying to the Oculus.
The Warpriest room is split into three distinct areas: top left balcony, central lower area, and raised right room. Pair off your team, sending two players to each area. The encounter begins when the middle plate is activated by standing on it. Once the fight starts, the goal is to defeat enemies until Revenant Knights or Ravenous Taken Knights spawn – defeating these foes starts the glyph reading sequence.
There are two distinct on-screen messages during the glyph phase: Glyph reading sequence started and Glyph sequence started:
To start the glyph reading sequence, stand on the middle plate and look to the left and right monoliths. If neither are glowing, it means the middle monolith is the starting plate. Hop off the middle plate. Stand on the plate that corresponds to the monolith that was called out. Look to the other monoliths and call out which one is glowing. While standing on the starting plate, the second plate gets stood on, and then the third plate. The player who stands on the third plate receives the Brand of the Initiate.
The middle plate can only see the back of the left and right monolith. The left plate can only see the back of the right monolith. The right plate can only see the back of the left monolith. Use a process of elimination to work out which plate must be stood on.
Once the Brand of the Initiate is acquired, group up to deal damage. At this point, a player must go and defeat a Blightguard and take the Brand Claimer buff. Return to the group and take the Brand of the Initiate before its timer reaches zero. A second player must go and get the next Brand Claimer buff from the Blightguard, return to the group, and take the Brand of the Initiate one last time.
The two Blightguards spawn in the areas where the Brand of the Initiate was not claimed. Example: If the Brand was acquired from right plate, the Blightguards will spawn in the middle and left.
When the Brand of the Initiate damage phase is over, hide behind one of the monoliths to avoid being killed by the Oculus. The monolith will be absorbed. This means there are a maximum of four damage phases. Repeat the process until the Warpriest is defeated.
Firstly, let’s cover Warpriest DPS. For the Day 1 Contest Mode raid, this was a massive roadblock for a lot of players. Now that Contest Mode is deactivated, dealing sufficient damage to the boss to clear the encounter is significantly easier for those who are well-prepared. Here is the ideal setup:
If you are using Divinity, do not use Sentinel Shield, as this means two players won’t be dealing optimal damage. While the Shadowshot is debuffing Warpriest, do not use Divinity as these do not stack. Once Shadowshot expires, either use another Shadowshot or have someone apply the Divinity debuff.
Linear Fusion Rifles with the Firing Line perk (deals increased damage when near two or more allies) are a necessity during Season 18, as they offer some of the highest DPS potential in Destiny 2. Ideally, you will be using a Stormchaser with Firing Line and Auto-Loading Holster and switching to a Sniper Rifle with the same perks in order to maximise your DPS – reloading just slows you down.
For the player that may have to use Divinity, a Rocket Launcher with Lasting Impressions and Auto-Loading Holster allows you to eke out more damage. Fire a rocket before applying Divinity to give the Lasting Impressions a damage boost.
Deal damage to Warpriest from between the middle and right monolith. This ensures you can always see the Warpriest’s head and allows you to quickly retreat to either monolith. If you need a third or fourth damage phase, either DPS from left monolith or flee to the monolith before the damage phase ends.
Finally, Blistered Wizards and Servile Minotaurs will spawn during the add clearing phase. Use Aeon Swift/Safe/Soul gauntlets with the Sect of Insight perk and use Finishers on these foes to drop Heavy ammo for your allies. Before defeating the last Revenant Knight or Ravenous Taken Knight, do a lap to collect Heavy ammo.
Golgoroth Challenge: Player with Golgoroth’s Gaze must be in the Pool of Reclaimed Light when the buff ends.
The fight against Golgoroth has players using Pools of Reclaimed Light to deal damage to Golgoroth’s stomach while two players trade his gaze back and forth.
The Golgoroth fight introduces a few new mechanics that only appear during its encounter:
The Golgoroth fight in King’s Fall has players dealing damage to Golgoroth from Pools of Reclaimed Light while two players juggle Golgoroth’s Gaze back and forth. When the Gaze is swapped, players must move to the next orb, shoot it down, and deal damage from the pool. This is repeated until all six orbs are used or players fail to capture Golgoroth’s Gaze. Each time a Pool of Reclaimed Light is used, one player in the pool with receive a debuff called Unstable Essence that explodes, killing nearby players.
The Golgoroth arena has an upper perimeter and a lower arena where Golgoroth stands. For the most part, players will be huddled around the entrance and the sides. The far side of the arena is where several enemies spawn, including miniboss foes that can be finished with Aeon gauntlets for Heavy ammo.
Assign two players to capture Golgoroth’s Gaze by shooting him in the back. Their responsibility is to count down the Gaze timer and shoot Golgoroth in the back before it reaches zero seconds. They will also need to position themselves along the perimeter in such a way that the players in the pit can damage Golgoroth’s stomach.
The rest of the team are responsible for damage. When Golgoroth’s Gaze has been captured, they shoot the available orb, stand in the Pool of Reclaimed Light, and deal damage to Golgoroth’s stomach. When the Gaze shifts to the other player, they locate the next orb, destroy it, and deal damage.
Each time a Pool of Reclaimed Light is used, one player inside the pool will be randomly affected by Unstable Essence. This debuff will explode after several seconds, killing anyone nearby. The player with this debuff must move away from any ally. This explosion deals damage to Golgoroth, so staying near the boss is one option.
Start the fight by destroying the central orb, summoning Golgoroth. Clear enemies that funnel down the sides. Eventually, one orb will spawn. Have one player take Golgoroth’s aggro (shoot the ground or get close to him) while another player shoots Golgoroth in the back. While this is happening, the damage team destroys the orb, jump down into the pool, and deals damage.
The player with Golgoroth’s Gaze should be counting down or indicate when the other player should take the Gaze. The goal is to take the Gaze at the last possible moment, as this gives the damage team more time in a pool. When the Gaze shifts, the team in the arena should locate the next available orb, shoot it, and deal damage from this new pool (remember that whoever has Unstable Essence should move away from allies).
When all six orbs have been used or when Golgoroth’s Gaze has not been successfully transferred, the damage phase will end. At this point, players should exit the arena quickly and regroup around the perimeter to defeat new enemies.
Repeat the entire process until Golgoroth is defeated. Players will have a maximum of three full rotations to defeat Golgoroth. There is one additional element: the Tablet of Ruin. For every orb that is not used during a damage phase, one mark is added to the Tablet of Ruin. When six marks have been added, it wipes the team.
For Golgoroth DPS, a Well of Radiance at each Pool of Reclaimed Light will significantly boost the team’s damage output. To ensure there are enough Wells, consider using Phoenix Protocol. Other Solar Warlocks can use Starfire Protocol, Witherhoard, and Fusion Grenades to deal a ton of damage. Stasis Titans can also dish out the hurt. For everyone else, Nightstalker’s Shadowshot will debuff Golgoroth, as will Tractor Cannon. Use Linear Fusion Rifles as well as slug shotguns to push the damage over the line.
Work your way along, across, and back to the wall full of pistons. We couldn’t mantle when this was originally released, so you have it easy, Guardian!
Daughters of Oryx Challenge: Cannot stand on the same platform more than once per damage phase. Does not apply to the player who is Torn Between Dimensions.
The Daughters of Oryx encounter in King’s Fall has players forming an Ascendant path three times to get a Blightguard, stealing the power of a boss, dealing damage, and repeating.
The Daughters of Oryx fight takes place in the same arena as the Oryx fight. This encounter introduces the Ascendant path in the air, breaks up the Blightguard buff into pieces, and uses a platform mechanic.
Begin the fight by defeating the Knight on the starting platform and then jumping up to the platform. While standing on the platform, call out where the symbol is floating, this will be above where the second platform must be activated. Stand on the second platform to form the Ascendant path.
While this is happening, one player will be randomly Torn Between Dimensions. Their job is to begin on the first platform, climb the Ascendant path, and take the Blightguard at the end. This whole process is repeated three times. On the third time, the Torn player must hold interact to pick up the Blightguard.
When the third Blightguard has been acquired, the Torn player must quickly go to the Daughter that is shooting, stand beneath her, and hold interact to take her aura. At this point, all players should group up within the aura and deal damage to said boss. When the boss is defeated, the whole process repeats for the second Daughter.
Dealing damage to the Daughters is easy, as Gjallarhorn and Legendary Rocket Launchers make short work of them. The real challenge comes with timing. Each phase players will only have two (2) minutes to complete three cycles of the Blightguard, steal the aura, and defeat the boss. For this reason, it is essential that the platforms are activated as quickly as possible. The faster you activate a platform, form the path, and claim the buff, the more time you will have for a damage phase.
There are a couple of things to note about this fight. Firstly, groups of enemies spawn just beside each platform, towards the center of the room. These should be defeated quickly, especially the platform to the right of the entrance, as four Taken Phalanx will spawn there. Similarly, snipers will spawn on floating islands to the sides of the arena when the second platform is activated. During damage phase, a good DPS spot is on the small ledge in the middle, opposite the Daughter you need to defeat.
In terms of callouts and roles, use whatever callouts your team finds works best. For my team, using L1 and R1 for the platforms near the entrance and L2 and R2 for the platforms where Oryx spawns works well. Assign a player to each platform and have two players as floaters. If a platform player is Torn Between Dimensions, they should call which platform needs to be covered by a floater.
One final tip is to keep communication clear for platforms and running. An example would be if you are covering L1 and see R2 is the second platform, you might choose to say, “L1 start, R2 finish”. Use whatever callouts work for your team or LFG, just be quick about it.
Oryx Challenge: A player cannot kill the same Light-Eater Ogre and Light-Eater Knight more than once.
The fight against Oryx, the Taken King is one of the longest encounters in the game. Players will detonate Corrupted Light bombs to stun Oryx, allowing for a long damage phase. Players deal damage to Oryx by shooting his chest.
The Oryx encounter has a few different phases each with their own mechanics.
Start the fight against Oryx by approaching the wisp at the front of the room. Defeat enemies until Oryx picks a side. The platform Oryx slams is the starting platform for the Torn player. Standing on the platform will select the Torn player. Standing on the platform lets you see the finishing platform. Call out this information and then the Torn player traverses the Ascendant path to claim a piece of the Blightguard.
Meanwhile, four Light-Eater Ogres will spawn, one beside each platform. Defeating an Ogre drops a Corrupted Light bomb that players can activate during the Oryx damage phase. When an Ogre dies, a Light-Eater Knight will spawn diagonally across from it and run to the Corrupted Light. If the Knight touches it, the bomb will be deleted. These Knights must die.
The Blightguard piece must be acquired three times. Each time a piece is found, players must look for the next starting platform and then the finishing platform. The third time a piece is found, the Torn player must interact with it to get the Brand Reclaimer buff. Locate the Vessel of Oryx Knight that runs down the middle of the room, hold interact to take the Aura of Immortality, and then defeat it.
As soon as the on-screen text reads, Oryx calls upon the darkness, all Corrupted Light bombs must be activated at the same time. To do this, cross the threshold of the wispy circumference and stand in the center until another message appears that reads: Player Name has detonated a Corrupted Light.
Retreat to the safety of the Aura of Immortality. Standing within the aura protects players from the Corrupted Light explosion. If timed correctly, all bombs will explode, stunning Oryx. Each bomb that explodes will add a few more seconds to the damage time. While Oryx is stunned, shoot him in the chest to deal damage.
After the damage phase ends, Oryx will do one of two activities. He can fly off into the distance at the front of the ship and summon bombs. During this, players can either run laps until the bombs end or defeat the four Taken Knights on the platforms to stop it early. The other activity is the dome. One player at a time will teleport into the dome until all six players are inside. The goal is to defeat the Shade of Oryx. Though there is no timer, once all players are inside you only have a set amount of time before the team wipes.
When either of these activities end, repeat the entire process again. Go through the motions of standing on platforms, building the Ascendant path, taking the Blightguard pieces, defeating Ogres and Knights, and detonating the Corrupted Light. This continues until Oryx is at 25 percent health.
At 25 percent health, Oryx will enter his final stand at the front of the ship. During this time, two more Light-Eater Ogres spawn and drop Corrupted Light (no Light-Eater Knights will spawn). When Oryx calls upon the darkness, these must be detonated for additional damage time. As soon as Oryx’s chest is open and glowing, all players should deal damage.
In terms of optimal damage for Oryx, this encounter is much the same as Warpriest. Use Divinity instead of tether, along with Linear Fusion Rifles and Sniper Rifles. Follow up with Outbreak Perfected if you run out of ammo. Boost your damage further with Well of Radiance. Overall, the damage check isn’t too bad – the real challenge is if you burn all of your ammo getting Oryx to 25 percent and have no ammo lying around. Remember that using an Exotic that uses Primary ammo will boost the chances of your Ammo Finder mod working.
With a solid grasp on the entire King’s Fall raid, you and your fireteam should be able to knock it out. Be sure to keep it locked to this guide as we update it with any relevant information. Swing by the Shacknews Destiny 2 Strategy Guide for a wealth of information and guidance for every raid in the game.
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 Tweet him: @SamuelChandler
Sam Chandler posted a new article, King’s Fall raid guide – Destiny 2
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