10. The Gorgan Maze – Vault of Glass
Unlike any of the other entries on this list, the maze found in the Vault of Glass was based around stealth and speed. In order to pass through this section you couldn’t let a Gorgan see you otherwise they would activate an ability and wipe the entire party. This was a superb change of pace for the Vault of Glass raid, as the last three sections were all focused on mechanics and combat.
By adding in a stealth section it not only allowed the raid team to catch their collective breaths but helped reinforce the concept of teamwork. If everyone goes and runs off there is a far higher chance they will be spotted and cause the entire fireteam to die. It’s a shame we haven’t gotten another area like this since the first raid, but traversing the maze will always be a memorable moment.
9. Server Room/Diamond Puzzle – Wrath of the Machine
Perhaps the craziest puzzle yet, the Black Diamond Room puzzle is incredibly complex and relies on rock-solid communication and teamwork. If you are still wondering how to actually solve this section, make sure to visit our helpful guide here which details exactly what you need to do. The reason this section made it onto the list is due to the fun and unique aspects of this puzzle, which we really haven’t seen in any other raid before it.
The Wrath of the Machine raid almost changed genres for a brief moment as the implementation of a binary puzzle felt like something we’d see in Portal, not Destiny. Yet, it worked and seeing that massive diamond open up in the center of the room was incredibly rewarding, along with the guaranteed exotic engram you’re given from the chest inside of it.
8. Slaying Crota – Crota’s End
Out of the four raid bosses, Crota is by far the easiest thanks to the simple mechanics and his decision to just stand there and watch as you shoot him with rockets. However, it was getting to wield a sword and slap him around with it that made this part so awesome.
Instead of just standing there, pelting him with rockets, players had to work together in order to even put some kind of damage onto the boss. Couple this with the massive Oversoul he would call upon if anyone in the party died and it could make for some exhilarating final moments. There’s also the historical context to look at, as this boss fight helped spawn the massive Gjallarhorn craze that swept through much of Destiny’s first year.
7. Entering the Vault of Glass – Vault of Glass
There have been a lot of great entrances to raids over these three years, but entering the Vault of Glass for many players will hold significant value. Up until this moment, no one knew what to expect from the Vault of Glass raid, which made this section only more exciting. Not only were the enemies far tougher than we expected, but the puzzle was incredibly smart and forced players to work together in order to unlock the door. Plus, any wandering Guardian on Venus could join in if there timing was good enough, which gave Destiny the communal feeling it has been so desperately trying to create.
Seeing those massive, intimidating doors opening up for the first time sent chills up the spine of many Guardians. Welcome to the Vault of Glass and prepare to die, a lot.
6. Vosik Boss Fight – Wrath of the Machine
Vosik may be the best non-end of raid boss that Bungie has ever created. Not only does he hold the award for coolest boss room ever to grace the futuristic halls of Destiny, but the mechanics for his fight are fantastic. He tests your communication skills, and the hordes of enemies offer a difficult, but fair challenge to those who are of the appropriate light level. Not only that, but Vosik can do some serious damage with his Scorch Cannon, forcing players to always be behind cover or constantly on the move so he cannot hit them with a rocket.
Then you have the fun moments of frantically running to one of four blast rooms and sealing the door before Vosik wipes the entire party with one move. Only making it worse is the fact that the doors are translucent, meaning you can stare at your friends who are locked on the other side with your cold dead gaze, you monster.
5. The Oracles Arrive – Vault of Glass
The Oracles could be considered the first real challenge during the Vault of Glass raid. These seven randomly spawning orbs forced perfect communication and teamwork to vanquish them all. The musical chimes haunt many a Guardian’s dreams since they can poison and kill your team if not disposed of quick enough.
While this opening section got easier thanks to the implementation of the Icebreaker exotic, this was an important step to teaching players the mechanics of the raid. Just make sure to kill those pesky HobGoblins trying to snipe you from the distant platforms.
4. Run For Your Life – Crota’s End
Crota’s End was pretty much a huge disappointment in terms of both length and what the raid offered, with the big exception being the opening moments. Many of us didn’t know what to expect from Crota’s End, but getting chased by hordes of Thrall as you are continually slowed down was certainly a surprise. This area provided a ton of fun moments as your raid team had to make snap decisions whether to leave the people lagging behind to their death or risk everything to save them.
Plus, you were given quite a challenging fight at the end, due to the three Ogres and battalion of Knights that came charging out. Defeat them and you run once more towards the light and the next stage of the raid, hopefully with minimal Thrall bite marks.
3. Siege Engine – Wrath of the Machine
Something out of a Mad Max fever dream, the Siege Engine was quite a surprise for first-time players of this raid. Not only do you have to stop this giant death machine from crushing your team, but you actually get to board it and ride it through a wall. Most raids focus on distant combat, so the change to close quarters trench warfare was a welcomed addition.
The Siege Engine offered a perfect balance of combat, teamwork, and mechanics while not making it completely unfair if you lost a raid member during the fighting. Now all this section is missing is a flame thrower, guitar wielding vandal to strap to the front.
2. Oryx Fight – King’s Fall
The first and only (sorry Oryx) part of the King’s Fall raid to make it onto our list, fighting Oryx was quite a challenge. While the other parts of this raid leaned way too heavily on mechanics, this battle felt like a perfect balance between raw skill and solid teamwork. Oryx was an intimidating foe before, but his size and power only made him that much worse in the King’s Fall raid. However, it’s the unique mechanics and the many ways to achieve victory that make this particular challenge so great.
While other fights restrict you to a certain way of fighting the boss, it’s the freedom to adjust and streamline the mechanics in this fight that make it unique. You have some limitations sure, but compared to the other boss encounters there is far more freedom here than the others such as deciding how to use the Ogre bombs, or how role transitions are played. There’s more control over placement and how help is provided. This allowed for some great moments, and watching Oryx’s dead husk drift off into space is so satisfying of a finish.
1. Killing Atheon – Vault of Glass
Atheon still stands as the best moment of any raid in Destiny and not just because he was the first final boss we ever came across. Atheon not only has a badass room and awesome design, but his mechanics forced players to utilize everything they knew about the Vault of Glass raid up until this point. Sending players off to two different points in time was genius and certainly threw many users off their axis when it first happened.
However, its the solid mix of in game mechanics and actual fighting that pushes Atheon over the top as it never felt like it catered to just one style of play. Almost all weapon types were viable and it made a great use of room traversal for both the boss and alternate areas. There was something special about slaying Atheon the first time, as for many Guardians he was their first raid boss. This marked the end of vanilla Destiny and served as a fantastic end point to a game that had a rather rocky beginning.
Published: Sep 30, 2016 12:38 pm