Post by TRUE EB0LA on Aug 25, 2016 11:41:47 GMT -5
ALL CREDIT FOR THIS GUIDE GOES TO u/villiansv
Crota’s End always had an appeal for me. Perhaps it’s because I started playing Destiny halfway through The Dark Below and it was my first raid, I don’t know. I like soloing it, and I’m sure a lot of other players do, too. So I decided to spend a few days making and uploading videos with tactics that can help those of you who still haven’t attempted to solo it.
Whether you’re going for Flawless Raider, or farming for that elusive Crux of Crota, or just want to try something different, this guide will hopefully be useful.
The structure will be as follows:
A lot of the videos are annotated. I did my best to give as detailed step-by-step annotations as I could, but if you have any questions feel free to comment below.
Every video except for the Thrall Hallway NM-specific one is done on Hard Mode (HM). Normal mode (NM) Crota’s End is pretty much the same as HM. A couple of the shenanigans vids may also be on NM, but they’re all jumps so it makes no difference.
Let us begin!
The Abyss
Relevant encounter info
It’s important to understand how the debuff is applied/removed if you plan on doing the “second lamp skip” strategy. Imagine the Abyss has a heartbeat that beats roughly every 2 seconds. Each time it beats, a stack of the debuff is applied to you. If you happen to be near a lamp, a stack is removed.
Abyss strategies
Legitimate full run-through - you want to have max agility and AoE grenades. MIDA and Zhalo both help a lot but are not necessary:
Main video, well annotated with tips.
Alternate vids, both well annotated:
Min agility Zhalo striker - showing you can run slow and still make it
Bladedancer stealth run - if you want to be sneaky. Don’t Touch Me exotic gauntlets make this a literal walk in the park.
Sunbreaker fun Telesto run - stacking agility buffs: max agility, Armamentarium + Thermite grenades + Simmering Flames (double grenade recharge with full super), with Fleetfire (+agility on ability kill). Using boots with +agility on solar kill, and Telesto with Lightweight (+2 agi) and Battlerunner (increased run speed on kill).
Second lamp skip - The key here is timing your jump. You want to sprint at the wall, jump, have the last stack fall off you just then, and be able to hit your double jump then. This allows you 2 seconds of debuff-free jumping and is enough to make it. This is why my video recommends arriving at the 2nd lamp with 6-7 stacks - it makes it easier to time the jump. Otherwise you’d need to have the “heartbeat timer” in your head and it’s much easier to mess it up.
Warlocks should use Focused Burst for this, Titans Increased Height, Hunters Higher Jump. Hunters have a very hard time here without Bones of Eao, but with them they’re the easiest class to do it on. Blink can also work. Max agility is crucial, MIDA helps a lot.
Main video
Warlock, Focused Burst - well annotated with tips.
Alternate videos of second lamp skip strat:
Warlock, Blink
Hunter, Bones of Eao, Higher Jump
[
Hunter, Higher Jump - very hard to do timing, I suggest practicing Blink or legit running the whole thing if you don’t have Bones of Eao
Titan, Increased Height
Shenanigans
Ultimate Titan Abyss cheese - I’ll let you figure out how it’s done exactly. Hint: it’s not as straightforward as it seems. Stolen from the current World Record solo speedrun.
There are no notable Normal Mode differences.
Notable PVP loot: Oversoul Edict from HM, a common drop. Essentially a Grasp of Malok with the best sights, Full Auto and a minor stability perk.
Let’s move on to...
The Bridge
Relevant encounter info
You cannot solo this legitimately, so you will be “cheesing it” by jumping across with the sword without building the bridge. You can actually build the bridge solo, but I find this a lot more RNG-dependent than jumping across once you get some practice in.
Refer to this amazing Paint masterpiece I made for a map.
Bridge Strategies
Top notch description skills, I know. Hopefully the vids will explain a lot better.
Warlocks should use Focused Burst for this, Titans Increased Height, Hunters Triple Jump. Hunters have a very hard time here without Bones of Eao (you’ll have to “correct” your jump every time), but with them they’re the easiest class to do it on. Blink can also work.
Hunters note: Many hunters don’t know how to get the most out of their jumps. First, do not spam your jump button, instead do your 2nd and 3rd jumps as you hit the peak of your previous jump. Second, hold down the jump button all the time and only release it when it’s time to do the 2nd and 3rd (and 4th if Bones) jumps. TL;DR: press and hooooooolllllddddd X (until apex of jump is reached) -->RELEASEXTHENPRESSITAGAINIMMEDIATELY -->hooooooooollllllddddd the X button pressed again until apex -->RELEASEXTHENPRESSITAGAINIMMEDIATELY -->hooooooooolllllddddd until apex -->(repeat once again if Bones) -->start swinging the sword
Both strategies/jump locations:
It’s crucial that you have max agility. Make sure you only start swinging when you reach the apex of your jump, and not earlier. Jump from the edge of whichever pillar you choose, not the middle.
If you can’t quite make the jump, turn left before you bump into the other side and use the rocks to help you get back up. I call this “correcting” the bad jump. Some of the vids below show this, and I highly recommend you practice the “correction” path if you plan on doing Flawless. It doubles your chances of making it across.
Middle pillar jump - in general slightly harder, however some people have problems making the turn mid-air from the right pillar.
Main video
Warlock, Focused Burst - shows the “correction” with a warlock, from the middle pillar.
Alternate middle pillar vids:
Warlock, Blink
Hunter, Triple Jump, corrected - you will never make the jump straight on, a “correction” will always be needed.
Hunter, “Quad” Jump (Bones)
Titan, Increased Height
Right pillar jump - slightly easier, but you need to make a turn mid-flight. Check the map or any of the vids:
Warlock, Focused Burst
Warlock, Focused Burst, MIN agi, Crota raid boots - just here to show that the raid boots help with this jump.
Hunter, Triple Jump, corrected - I’m 90% sure this will always need “correction”.
Hunter, “Quad” Jump (Bones) - Higher Jump with Bones should work as well.
Titan, Increased Height
Additional tips for jumping if you still have a hard time:
”Kill stuff on the other side” part
Just refer to the main video for this, it’s annotated in detail. I’m aware many guides tell you to crouch in the middle behind a pillar. That’s an inferior strategy, in my opinion.
Shenanigans (jumping over the invisible death wall without the hive sword)
Titan Twilight Garrison shenanigans
Titan Suncharge shenanigans
Hunter Arcblade shenanigans - this is actually a viable strategy for hunters who can’t jump across reliably
How to get up there, Hunter edition - Bones of Eao, Higher Jump
How to get up there, Titan edition - Increased Height
There are no notable Normal Mode differences
And we get to:
The Thrall Hallway
Relevant encounter info
Two Shrieker and infinite thrall. Killing a Shrieker destroys the glass wall below it, allowing you to progress. On HM the Shriekers respawn quickly, forcing you to rush. On NM they don’t, so you can take your time.
NOTE: the Sleeper Simulant will kill Shriekers before they open. Mostly relevant for the Ir Yût encounter, but those doing a flawless raider run on NM may consider using the sleeper to pop the 2nd Shrieker from much farther than normally possible, reducing the risk of dying even more.
Hard Mode strategy - Goal is to kill the first Shrieker, rush the second and kill it asap, then pop a super and get the heck out. I recommend a rocket launcher (without Grenades and Horseshoes) for an insta kill on the 2nd Shrieker. Example run-throughs, all annotated:
Hunter, Bladedancer - Vanish on your super increases survivability.
Warlock, Stormcaller - Transcendence (with charged melee and grenade for the HP regen) and Ionic Blink increase survivability.
Warlock, Sunsinger - Radiant Skin for your super increases survivability. Angel of Light will allow you to hover mid-air while shooting the 2nd Shrieker, increasing... you guessed it, survivability.
Titan Sunbreaker, sticky grenade + machinegun - Cauterize to increase survivability goes without saying. Empyrean Bellicose will allow you to hover above the thrall while dealing with the 2nd Shrieker.
Normal Mode strategy - I’ll assume you’re going for flawless raider here, therefore here’s the safest way to do it. The main difference vs HM is there is no rush. Example vid:
Titan, Sunbreaker, primary + sniper. Remember, whatever class you use, use your grenades and super to increase survivability. See the above HM vids for tips, too. Empyrean Bellicose (Titan), Blessing of Light (Defender), Angel of Light (Sunsinger), stealth (Bladedancer/Nightstalker), Shadowshot (Nightstalker) are just some ways to give yourself the time necessary to safely kill the second Shrieker.
Onwards to:
Ir Yût, the Deathsinger
Relevant encounter info
This can be really easy (Warlock/Hunter) or really hard (Titan) depending on whether you do the grenade cheese strategy. It gave me the most problems when I did my flawless raider.
You have to draw out a wizard on each side, then kill her - this in turn activates a Shrieker on each side. Once both Shriekers are dead, Ir Yût’s chamber is open.
Choose your weapons so that you’re able to take out wizards and Shriekers easily. Ir Yût herself will drop to a primary with little effort.
Ir Yût strategies
Legit run-through strategy - I’ve done three full run-throughs here, on each class, using different loadouts. Warlock and Titan run-throughs are annotated in detail, the Hunter one isn’t:
Warlock, Sunsinger - using a scout (vendor Not Like the Others), a shotgun (Chaperone) and a RL (Ash Factory, tracking). Ir Yût dies in 2 scout mags.
Titan, Sunbreaker - using an auto rifle (Doctrine of Passing), fusion rifle (Panta Rhei) and a machine gun (Unseeing Eye), with Empyrean Bellicose exotic helm for added safety. Ir Yût dies in 3 DoP mags.
Hunter, Gunslinger - using Universal Remote and a RL (JLB-47, proximity). Note that a regular GG kills Ir Yût in 2 shots.
Grenade cheese strategy - If you run a warlock (solar or vortex grenade) or hunter (vortex), it’s by far safer and easier to do. If you’re a titan, sorry. This strategy forces the wizards to leave the building before you enter the arena and start the timer. This results in the wizard being out in the open and an easy kill, and knights spawn too late to bother you while killing the shriekers. I’ll let the video speak for itself:
Warlock, Sunsinger - MIDA, 1000-YS, Ash Factory. Ir Yût dies in 4 sniper headshots.
Sleeper Simulant strategy - Very safe and highly recommended if you have the SS. You can kill the shriekers even when closed, which results in the same benefits as the Grenade Cheese strategy. Annotated video below, only Sleeper was used.
Sleeper Simulant - 1 shot for each Shrieker, 2 for the 2nd wizard, 3 for Ir Yût.
All three strategies - I’ve mentioned it in the video annotations, but still. Never enter the central room. The whole point of staying on the outside until the liturgy begins is that Ir Yût is never aggroed, so she stays in her original location and is visible from the “DPS sarcophagus” I use in all vids. You can obviously rush in and waste her with swords/shotguns - but it’s much more dangerous.
Normal Mode has an extra minute before the liturgy begins, so you’ll be sitting outside a bit longer.
Once you clear out the 100000 adds, you only have the big guy himself:
Crota
Relevant encounter info
I like to break down the fight like this. Again, be awed at my Paint skills - Crota fight map:
There are so many ways to go about it that I couldn’t possibly cover them all. Instead, I’ll give a single full run-through video that shows the general positioning and flow of the fight, then give as many different ways of doing the DPS phases as I can. What you do in between DPS phases doesn’t really depend on class/weapon choice much - you’re just killing thrall, really.
Hard Mode vs Normal Mode warning
In both modes, your health regen is halted while in the first phase (crystal room add killing). On HM, this is the case throughout the fight. On NM, there’s a chalice that gives you health regen and reduces your reliance on health regen weapons (Red Death, SUROS Regime, Life Support legendaries) and abilities (just about every class has those, or has shield abilities).
So let’s begin. Here’s the main video:
Warlock, Sunsinger, Touch of Flame fusions - ToF adds a dot that prevents the shield regenerating in-between grenade tosses. Radiance is popped because I need 2 grenades and am not using Starfire Protocol. Using Red Death in the Crystal room phase, rather recklessly.
Important note - I mention this in the video as well, and also on the map linked earlier. The video shows me DPSing Crota every time he runs to middle. It’s a lot safer if you delay your 3rd DPS phase by allowing him to go to the right, then back to middle (as opposed to what I did, doing it just as he came to middle from left). You’ll have plenty of time to clear all adds this way, plus sometimes the Swordbearer comes out late and by the time you’re ready with the sword Crota is rotating middle-->right.
So now that we have the general flow of the battle, all you have to do is adjust how you do the Crystal room phase (if you don’t have Red Death or prefer using a different method of HP regen), and most importantly how you do the DPS PHASES:
Alternate Crystal room phase vids (safe strats if you don’t have Red Death):
Suros Regime - annotated with tips on SR’s health regen
Life support scout rifle - annotated with tips on using Life Support
Voidwalker health regen - not annotated, every class has hp regen abilities
No damage taken run - not annotated
Alternate DPS PHASE vids. These are all annotated in detail with the exact DPS sequence. A (1) indicates a DPS PHASE 1 sample and includes killing the initial Swordbearer:
Warlock, Voidwalker, Lance - (1) - issues picking up the sword after Nova Bomb, similar to exotic swords
Hunter, Celestial Nighthawk GG
Hunter, regular GG (Deadeye) - (1) - needs 2 shots in quick succession
Hunter, stealth Raze-lighter - (1) - I sometimes have issues with the hive sword not picking up on time after the uppercut, so I don’t like this method.
Titan, Sunbreaker, Armamentarium, fusions + Thorn - same method as the main Warlock video, but since titans have no dot we use a single Thorn shot. Who said Thorn was a PVP weapon only?
Titan, Defender, Armamentarium, magnetics + Thorn - (1) - same as above
Titan, Sunbreaker, fusion x1 + rocket - Rocket should land roughly at the same time as the grenade explodes.
Titan, Sunbreaker, sunspots - (1) - not very reliable in my limited experience, since it sometimes requires 2 hammers, and sometimes 3.
Bolt-caster - works with any class, same issues as with Raze-lighter.
Gjallarhorn - works with any class. The old faithful.
Telesto - (1) - works with any class
Many more options exist, of course, but the above should at least give you some starting points regardless of your class or weapon availability.
FAQs:
My recommendation for Flawless Raider solos:
If you have Bones of Eao, use your hunter. Jumps are easy and you can cheese Ir Yût. Golden Gun (with or without CN) is really helpful at Ir Yût, and is a very solid Crota strat.
If you don’t have Bones of Eao, use a Warlock if you have issues at Ir Yût, or a Titan if you don’t.
SOURCE
Crota’s End always had an appeal for me. Perhaps it’s because I started playing Destiny halfway through The Dark Below and it was my first raid, I don’t know. I like soloing it, and I’m sure a lot of other players do, too. So I decided to spend a few days making and uploading videos with tactics that can help those of you who still haven’t attempted to solo it.
Whether you’re going for Flawless Raider, or farming for that elusive Crux of Crota, or just want to try something different, this guide will hopefully be useful.
The structure will be as follows:
- A few full run-throughs using as few class-specific abilities as possible. These will be BOLD LINKS
- Short supplementing vids that show how different classes or strategies differ from the main video. These will be ITALIC LINKS
A lot of the videos are annotated. I did my best to give as detailed step-by-step annotations as I could, but if you have any questions feel free to comment below.
Every video except for the Thrall Hallway NM-specific one is done on Hard Mode (HM). Normal mode (NM) Crota’s End is pretty much the same as HM. A couple of the shenanigans vids may also be on NM, but they’re all jumps so it makes no difference.
Let us begin!
The Abyss
Relevant encounter info
It’s important to understand how the debuff is applied/removed if you plan on doing the “second lamp skip” strategy. Imagine the Abyss has a heartbeat that beats roughly every 2 seconds. Each time it beats, a stack of the debuff is applied to you. If you happen to be near a lamp, a stack is removed.
Abyss strategies
- Legitimate full run-through. This just means you run from start to finish, stopping at lamps and killing stuff.
- Second lamp skip/cheese. There is a tricky jump that can be made at the second lamp that skips about 80% of the Abyss, and prevents adds from spawning in the last 20%.
Legitimate full run-through - you want to have max agility and AoE grenades. MIDA and Zhalo both help a lot but are not necessary:
Main video, well annotated with tips.
Alternate vids, both well annotated:
Min agility Zhalo striker - showing you can run slow and still make it
Bladedancer stealth run - if you want to be sneaky. Don’t Touch Me exotic gauntlets make this a literal walk in the park.
Sunbreaker fun Telesto run - stacking agility buffs: max agility, Armamentarium + Thermite grenades + Simmering Flames (double grenade recharge with full super), with Fleetfire (+agility on ability kill). Using boots with +agility on solar kill, and Telesto with Lightweight (+2 agi) and Battlerunner (increased run speed on kill).
Second lamp skip - The key here is timing your jump. You want to sprint at the wall, jump, have the last stack fall off you just then, and be able to hit your double jump then. This allows you 2 seconds of debuff-free jumping and is enough to make it. This is why my video recommends arriving at the 2nd lamp with 6-7 stacks - it makes it easier to time the jump. Otherwise you’d need to have the “heartbeat timer” in your head and it’s much easier to mess it up.
Warlocks should use Focused Burst for this, Titans Increased Height, Hunters Higher Jump. Hunters have a very hard time here without Bones of Eao, but with them they’re the easiest class to do it on. Blink can also work. Max agility is crucial, MIDA helps a lot.
Main video
Warlock, Focused Burst - well annotated with tips.
Alternate videos of second lamp skip strat:
Warlock, Blink
Hunter, Bones of Eao, Higher Jump
[
Hunter, Higher Jump - very hard to do timing, I suggest practicing Blink or legit running the whole thing if you don’t have Bones of Eao
Titan, Increased Height
Shenanigans
Ultimate Titan Abyss cheese - I’ll let you figure out how it’s done exactly. Hint: it’s not as straightforward as it seems. Stolen from the current World Record solo speedrun.
There are no notable Normal Mode differences.
Notable PVP loot: Oversoul Edict from HM, a common drop. Essentially a Grasp of Malok with the best sights, Full Auto and a minor stability perk.
Let’s move on to...
The Bridge
Relevant encounter info
You cannot solo this legitimately, so you will be “cheesing it” by jumping across with the sword without building the bridge. You can actually build the bridge solo, but I find this a lot more RNG-dependent than jumping across once you get some practice in.
Refer to this amazing Paint masterpiece I made for a map.
Bridge Strategies
- Jump from the middle pillar, then kill stuff on the other side
- Jump from the right pillar, then kill stuff on the other side
Top notch description skills, I know. Hopefully the vids will explain a lot better.
Warlocks should use Focused Burst for this, Titans Increased Height, Hunters Triple Jump. Hunters have a very hard time here without Bones of Eao (you’ll have to “correct” your jump every time), but with them they’re the easiest class to do it on. Blink can also work.
Hunters note: Many hunters don’t know how to get the most out of their jumps. First, do not spam your jump button, instead do your 2nd and 3rd jumps as you hit the peak of your previous jump. Second, hold down the jump button all the time and only release it when it’s time to do the 2nd and 3rd (and 4th if Bones) jumps. TL;DR: press and hooooooolllllddddd X (until apex of jump is reached) -->RELEASEXTHENPRESSITAGAINIMMEDIATELY -->hooooooooollllllddddd the X button pressed again until apex -->RELEASEXTHENPRESSITAGAINIMMEDIATELY -->hooooooooolllllddddd until apex -->(repeat once again if Bones) -->start swinging the sword
Both strategies/jump locations:
It’s crucial that you have max agility. Make sure you only start swinging when you reach the apex of your jump, and not earlier. Jump from the edge of whichever pillar you choose, not the middle.
If you can’t quite make the jump, turn left before you bump into the other side and use the rocks to help you get back up. I call this “correcting” the bad jump. Some of the vids below show this, and I highly recommend you practice the “correction” path if you plan on doing Flawless. It doubles your chances of making it across.
Middle pillar jump - in general slightly harder, however some people have problems making the turn mid-air from the right pillar.
Main video
Warlock, Focused Burst - shows the “correction” with a warlock, from the middle pillar.
Alternate middle pillar vids:
Warlock, Blink
Hunter, Triple Jump, corrected - you will never make the jump straight on, a “correction” will always be needed.
Hunter, “Quad” Jump (Bones)
Titan, Increased Height
Right pillar jump - slightly easier, but you need to make a turn mid-flight. Check the map or any of the vids:
Warlock, Focused Burst
Warlock, Focused Burst, MIN agi, Crota raid boots - just here to show that the raid boots help with this jump.
Hunter, Triple Jump, corrected - I’m 90% sure this will always need “correction”.
Hunter, “Quad” Jump (Bones) - Higher Jump with Bones should work as well.
Titan, Increased Height
Additional tips for jumping if you still have a hard time:
- Boolean Gemini’s One Way perk. Kill the Swordbearer, headshot 3 thrall, pick up the sword and run. Buff lasts 15s.
- King’s Fall raid boots’ Fists Flying perk. Up to 4 stacks of agility for 20s.
- Crota’s End raid boots’ Swordbearer’s Touch. Ups agility with the Hive Sword.
- Stormcallers’ Pulsewave perk. Let thrall bring you to low HP, then jump up on the pillar and across the chasm. A sizeable boost to agility.
- Sunbreakers’ Fleetfire perk. Stacks up to 3. Sizeable boost to agility.
”Kill stuff on the other side” part
Just refer to the main video for this, it’s annotated in detail. I’m aware many guides tell you to crouch in the middle behind a pillar. That’s an inferior strategy, in my opinion.
Shenanigans (jumping over the invisible death wall without the hive sword)
Titan Twilight Garrison shenanigans
Titan Suncharge shenanigans
Hunter Arcblade shenanigans - this is actually a viable strategy for hunters who can’t jump across reliably
How to get up there, Hunter edition - Bones of Eao, Higher Jump
How to get up there, Titan edition - Increased Height
There are no notable Normal Mode differences
And we get to:
The Thrall Hallway
Relevant encounter info
Two Shrieker and infinite thrall. Killing a Shrieker destroys the glass wall below it, allowing you to progress. On HM the Shriekers respawn quickly, forcing you to rush. On NM they don’t, so you can take your time.
NOTE: the Sleeper Simulant will kill Shriekers before they open. Mostly relevant for the Ir Yût encounter, but those doing a flawless raider run on NM may consider using the sleeper to pop the 2nd Shrieker from much farther than normally possible, reducing the risk of dying even more.
Hard Mode strategy - Goal is to kill the first Shrieker, rush the second and kill it asap, then pop a super and get the heck out. I recommend a rocket launcher (without Grenades and Horseshoes) for an insta kill on the 2nd Shrieker. Example run-throughs, all annotated:
Hunter, Bladedancer - Vanish on your super increases survivability.
Warlock, Stormcaller - Transcendence (with charged melee and grenade for the HP regen) and Ionic Blink increase survivability.
Warlock, Sunsinger - Radiant Skin for your super increases survivability. Angel of Light will allow you to hover mid-air while shooting the 2nd Shrieker, increasing... you guessed it, survivability.
Titan Sunbreaker, sticky grenade + machinegun - Cauterize to increase survivability goes without saying. Empyrean Bellicose will allow you to hover above the thrall while dealing with the 2nd Shrieker.
Normal Mode strategy - I’ll assume you’re going for flawless raider here, therefore here’s the safest way to do it. The main difference vs HM is there is no rush. Example vid:
Titan, Sunbreaker, primary + sniper. Remember, whatever class you use, use your grenades and super to increase survivability. See the above HM vids for tips, too. Empyrean Bellicose (Titan), Blessing of Light (Defender), Angel of Light (Sunsinger), stealth (Bladedancer/Nightstalker), Shadowshot (Nightstalker) are just some ways to give yourself the time necessary to safely kill the second Shrieker.
Onwards to:
Ir Yût, the Deathsinger
Relevant encounter info
This can be really easy (Warlock/Hunter) or really hard (Titan) depending on whether you do the grenade cheese strategy. It gave me the most problems when I did my flawless raider.
You have to draw out a wizard on each side, then kill her - this in turn activates a Shrieker on each side. Once both Shriekers are dead, Ir Yût’s chamber is open.
Choose your weapons so that you’re able to take out wizards and Shriekers easily. Ir Yût herself will drop to a primary with little effort.
Ir Yût strategies
- Legit run-through. You body-aggro and kill the wizards, then kill Shriekers while dodging knights. The most dangerous part of the raid if going for flawless.
- Grenade cheese. Draw the wizards out before the encounter begins via Solar or Vortex grenades. This makes everything much easier, as you’ll see in the videos.
- Note: Sleeper Simulant strategy. The Sleeper kills Shriekers before they open, making this a very easy and very safe strat.
Legit run-through strategy - I’ve done three full run-throughs here, on each class, using different loadouts. Warlock and Titan run-throughs are annotated in detail, the Hunter one isn’t:
Warlock, Sunsinger - using a scout (vendor Not Like the Others), a shotgun (Chaperone) and a RL (Ash Factory, tracking). Ir Yût dies in 2 scout mags.
Titan, Sunbreaker - using an auto rifle (Doctrine of Passing), fusion rifle (Panta Rhei) and a machine gun (Unseeing Eye), with Empyrean Bellicose exotic helm for added safety. Ir Yût dies in 3 DoP mags.
Hunter, Gunslinger - using Universal Remote and a RL (JLB-47, proximity). Note that a regular GG kills Ir Yût in 2 shots.
Grenade cheese strategy - If you run a warlock (solar or vortex grenade) or hunter (vortex), it’s by far safer and easier to do. If you’re a titan, sorry. This strategy forces the wizards to leave the building before you enter the arena and start the timer. This results in the wizard being out in the open and an easy kill, and knights spawn too late to bother you while killing the shriekers. I’ll let the video speak for itself:
Warlock, Sunsinger - MIDA, 1000-YS, Ash Factory. Ir Yût dies in 4 sniper headshots.
Sleeper Simulant strategy - Very safe and highly recommended if you have the SS. You can kill the shriekers even when closed, which results in the same benefits as the Grenade Cheese strategy. Annotated video below, only Sleeper was used.
Sleeper Simulant - 1 shot for each Shrieker, 2 for the 2nd wizard, 3 for Ir Yût.
All three strategies - I’ve mentioned it in the video annotations, but still. Never enter the central room. The whole point of staying on the outside until the liturgy begins is that Ir Yût is never aggroed, so she stays in her original location and is visible from the “DPS sarcophagus” I use in all vids. You can obviously rush in and waste her with swords/shotguns - but it’s much more dangerous.
Normal Mode has an extra minute before the liturgy begins, so you’ll be sitting outside a bit longer.
Once you clear out the 100000 adds, you only have the big guy himself:
Crota
Relevant encounter info
I like to break down the fight like this. Again, be awed at my Paint skills - Crota fight map:
- Crystal room phase
- DPS PHASE 1 (includes initial swordbearer kill)
- Regen super/kill adds while waiting for Crota to rotate middle
- DPS PHASE 2
- Repeat point 3, with the addition of 2 ogres.
- DPS PHASE 3
- Collect loot
There are so many ways to go about it that I couldn’t possibly cover them all. Instead, I’ll give a single full run-through video that shows the general positioning and flow of the fight, then give as many different ways of doing the DPS phases as I can. What you do in between DPS phases doesn’t really depend on class/weapon choice much - you’re just killing thrall, really.
Hard Mode vs Normal Mode warning
In both modes, your health regen is halted while in the first phase (crystal room add killing). On HM, this is the case throughout the fight. On NM, there’s a chalice that gives you health regen and reduces your reliance on health regen weapons (Red Death, SUROS Regime, Life Support legendaries) and abilities (just about every class has those, or has shield abilities).
So let’s begin. Here’s the main video:
Warlock, Sunsinger, Touch of Flame fusions - ToF adds a dot that prevents the shield regenerating in-between grenade tosses. Radiance is popped because I need 2 grenades and am not using Starfire Protocol. Using Red Death in the Crystal room phase, rather recklessly.
Important note - I mention this in the video as well, and also on the map linked earlier. The video shows me DPSing Crota every time he runs to middle. It’s a lot safer if you delay your 3rd DPS phase by allowing him to go to the right, then back to middle (as opposed to what I did, doing it just as he came to middle from left). You’ll have plenty of time to clear all adds this way, plus sometimes the Swordbearer comes out late and by the time you’re ready with the sword Crota is rotating middle-->right.
So now that we have the general flow of the battle, all you have to do is adjust how you do the Crystal room phase (if you don’t have Red Death or prefer using a different method of HP regen), and most importantly how you do the DPS PHASES:
Alternate Crystal room phase vids (safe strats if you don’t have Red Death):
Suros Regime - annotated with tips on SR’s health regen
Life support scout rifle - annotated with tips on using Life Support
Voidwalker health regen - not annotated, every class has hp regen abilities
No damage taken run - not annotated
Alternate DPS PHASE vids. These are all annotated in detail with the exact DPS sequence. A (1) indicates a DPS PHASE 1 sample and includes killing the initial Swordbearer:
Warlock, Voidwalker, Lance - (1) - issues picking up the sword after Nova Bomb, similar to exotic swords
Hunter, Celestial Nighthawk GG
Hunter, regular GG (Deadeye) - (1) - needs 2 shots in quick succession
Hunter, stealth Raze-lighter - (1) - I sometimes have issues with the hive sword not picking up on time after the uppercut, so I don’t like this method.
Titan, Sunbreaker, Armamentarium, fusions + Thorn - same method as the main Warlock video, but since titans have no dot we use a single Thorn shot. Who said Thorn was a PVP weapon only?
Titan, Defender, Armamentarium, magnetics + Thorn - (1) - same as above
Titan, Sunbreaker, fusion x1 + rocket - Rocket should land roughly at the same time as the grenade explodes.
Titan, Sunbreaker, sunspots - (1) - not very reliable in my limited experience, since it sometimes requires 2 hammers, and sometimes 3.
Bolt-caster - works with any class, same issues as with Raze-lighter.
Gjallarhorn - works with any class. The old faithful.
Telesto - (1) - works with any class
Many more options exist, of course, but the above should at least give you some starting points regardless of your class or weapon availability.
FAQs:
- How long does the Hive Sword last? ---- Once the Swordbearer is dead and drops it, the sword will exist on the ground for 45s if not picked up. If it is picked up at any time, it will last 30s after the moment of first pickup, regardless of how many times it’s dropped and reacquired.
- How do I drop the hive sword efficiently? ---- A single tap of Triangle (PS4) drops it and switches to your primary. A double tap drops it and switches to your special. A hold will drop it and switch to your heavy. The weapon you have selected prior to picking up the sword has no effect.
- How do I slam Crota with the hive sword? ---- Sprint at him, hit R2 (PS4) for the strong slam attack while still pushing the left stick forwards towards Crota. Note how far I begin my first slam attack, it has a rather long range.
- How many slams does it take to kill Crota? ---- Six R2 slams. On HM you have to be extra careful, any damage after 4 slams will enrage him. So you either do what I recommend (3 phases of 2 slams each) or you do 2 phases of 3 slams each. Depending on your skill, strategy selection and Crota’s location when he kneels, it’s in general an unnecessary risk to go for 3 slams, especially on HM.
- You can R1 -->R2 -->R2 with the sword, can’t you? ---- Yes, of course. R1 into R2 animation cancelling is what every good swordbearer used to do. However, on HM 2 R1 and 4 R2 will not kill Crota, so I consider this an unnecessary risk.
- Can you do it in one sword? Yes, you can, and here’s an example with a Defender titan with a regular rocker launcher. The purpose of this guide is to help people who are just starting to solo, though - so I avoided “pro” videos.
- I still want to practice 1swording Crota, or just do it in 2 phases. What’s the easiest way? ---- Use a Defender Titan with Weapons of Light and Illuminated. You can then do 2 phases of R1-R2-R2, which are enough since WoL affects the Hive Sword damage. See the video linked in 6. For an example strategy, it uses Blessing of Light for the extra safety. I’m also pretty sure you need a total of 1 R1 and 4 R2 with Illuminated WoL to kill him, but haven’t bothered to try.
My recommendation for Flawless Raider solos:
If you have Bones of Eao, use your hunter. Jumps are easy and you can cheese Ir Yût. Golden Gun (with or without CN) is really helpful at Ir Yût, and is a very solid Crota strat.
If you don’t have Bones of Eao, use a Warlock if you have issues at Ir Yût, or a Titan if you don’t.
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