The Destiny franchise is often criticized for having easy fights and missions. However, throughout the history of the series, there have been several tough encounters that Guardians have struggled with. We present 8 of the hardest battles. At the end of the article, you will be asked.
In Destiny 2 and its predecessor, it’s all about kicking nasty aliens in the behind and then looting some great loot. Especially in the endgame, the franchise’s history includes some really tough boss fights that have given many Guardians nightmares.
Before we look at the contenders for the hardest fights, we should first define what difficult really means!
What does “difficult” actually mean in Destiny? Destiny and Destiny 2 allow each player to define the difficulty of an activity themselves. This is possible in several ways:
- You can use worse equipment, thus imposing a level penalty on yourself
- Activities designed for groups can be approached solo
- The mechanics of the activities are not known
- Certain activities allow you to select the desired difficulty level
However, that’s not what this is about. We are looking at fights and activities that were extraordinarily difficult at release, whether due to certain modifications or game-imposed disadvantages for players (such as a level penalty).
We present some candidates for the title of hardest battle in Destiny history. At the end of the article, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.
Destiny 1: The Prison of Elders – Skolas with Arc Burn
The presentation of the Prison went wrong: That the Prison of Elders would not be a walk in the park was already demonstrated by Bungie before the release of the second Destiny expansion, House of Wolves.
In fact, community manager Deej, developer Matt Sammons, and streamer ProfessorBroman had to capitulate when facing the Arc Burn and Hive enemies, as their coordination was insufficient and the classes were not adequately prepared.
Bungie, however, shot itself in the foot with the highest difficulty level, which involved battling the major boss of the expansion: Skolas.
Skolas was “difficult” in multiple ways: Not only was the final battle above the then max level of 34 (Skolas was designed for level 35), but players also had to defuse mines and manage regularly occurring debuffs. Since the Fallen have a penchant for Arc weapons, Skolas was a true gauntlet when combined with Arc Burn. Many enemies could kill the Guardians with a single hit.
Admittedly, there were ways to trivialize this fight. Those who had a Titan with a shield and the exotic shotgun “The 4th Horseman” could significantly shorten the fight.
However, those who wanted to defeat Skolas in a normal way had to prepare for long hours of frustration. Skolas is still considered by many players to be the hardest fight ever. This is accompanied by criticism of Bungie for allowing the battle to be fought at a level that players couldn’t reach at that time.
How difficult is Skolas today? If you want to relive memories, you can easily conquer the Prison of Elders and Skolas solo today. A small tip: Bring a sword! This blocks the debuff damage from Skolas enough that you can always survive.
Destiny 1: Crota’s End on Hard
How difficult was the son of Oryx: In Destiny 1, the heroic versions of the raids were equipped with new stumbling blocks and were set at a higher level. In the case of Crota, however, Bungie went too far.
The hard mode of Crota was set at a higher level (33), which was above what players could even reach at that time (32). Thus, enemies dealt more damage while Guardians dealt less damage to them.
Those who wanted to finish Crota normally had to proceed with good coordination. In this case, that meant: picking up heavy ammo from enemies or using a corresponding ammo synthesis. Then everything had to go smoothly: the sword bearer had to attack at the right moment and the rockets had to hit perfectly.
How difficult is Crota today? In retrospect, the Crota raid was only a challenge because the enemies were at a higher level. Today, many Guardians (with cheeses) play the raid solo. Due to the shortness of the raid, many players were able to earn the Flawless Raider trophy in Crota.
Destiny 1: Omnigul with Arc Burn and Light Switch
Why the witch was a true nightmare: The Omnigul strike polarized like no other in Destiny 1. It undoubtedly featured the most enemies in a strike, and Guardians had to deal with dozens of enemy waves. Omnigul’s scream only added to the chaos.
The strike became particularly exciting in its Nightfall variant with the modifiers Arc Burn and Light Switch. The witch dealt Arc damage, which could vaporize Guardians in an instant. The thrall and shank could quickly flatten you thanks to Light Switch, which significantly increased the melee damage of your enemies.
To ensure that the Hive wouldn’t wipe the floor with the Guardians immediately, players approached the boss fight with utmost caution. Entering the boss room was seen as a death sentence; Omnigul was picked off from a safe distance. However, even outside the arena, we had to deal with thrall, reckless knights, and shanks.
How difficult is the Omnigul strike today? The strike itself is fun; fighting against Omnigul is particularly challenging in the SIVA variant and demanding, but no longer as “unfair” as it was back then.
Destiny 1: The Abysmal Eye with Void Burn
Why was the strike so difficult? The strike particularly caused headaches during the boss fight. Introduced with the Rise of Iron expansion, the Abysmal Eye quickly became known as a tough nut to crack.
Combined with Void Burn, the boss fight turned into a true nightmare. Trapped in a small arena, a continuous beam of Void light and a relentless ogre kept Guardians on their toes.
The frustration went so far that Guardians preferred to spend minutes looking for a safe spot rather than approaching the fight normally.
How difficult is the Abysmal Eye today? Similar to Omnigul, the strike can still be demanding, but is easily manageable when played cautiously.
Destiny 2: The Escalation Protocol
Why the Escalation Protocol was so tough: With the release of the Warmind DLC, Guardians on Mars could try out a new horde mode, the Escalation Protocol. In up to seven waves, a large number of enemies must be eliminated. The final boss in the seventh phase also has weekly changing modifiers.
At the start of the Escalation Protocol, the activity was considered unbeatable. This was due to two reasons:
- Players were initially at too low of a level
- Even though the activity is designed for up to 9 players, only fireteams of 3 players could land on Mars
Even though Guardians developed strategies over time to allow more players to participate in the event, the protocol was still considered extremely difficult even for 9 players.
How difficult is the Escalation Protocol today? Currently, the activity can be completed with 4-5 players if everyone pulls together. Bungie has also made “farming” the activity easier. Those who successfully complete the protocol can start again in the sixth round.
The Escalation Protocol is still popular today, as it is possible to find the best PvE shotgun in the game, the Ikelos shotgun.
Other tough challenges in Destiny history
What other activities are considered particularly difficult? In addition to the fights presented, there have been more highlights in the history of Destiny that are considered particularly hard to master:
- The Fallen Saber’s War Satellite with Arc Burn: While the strike with the Arc Burn was already considered difficult, defending the war satellite at the start of the activity was a true hellride. The section was so tough that Guardians glitched under the map to avoid enemies on the surface.
- The mission “Embrace of Fear” in Destiny 1: Those who wanted to own the exotic scout rifle “Malevolent Touch” had a tough road to travel with this modified story mission. During the boss fight, you had to deal with poisoned ground, a multitude of enemies, and an annoying final boss.
- The Exodus Crash strike: The strike is rightly considered one of the least popular activities in Destiny 2. The final battle is tough, as Guardians have to deal with numerous exploding shanks. To make matters worse, the boss often teleports out of the arena, preventing any meaningful damage phases. Additionally, the boss is partially invisible.
Why are there so few difficult activities in Destiny 2? Bungie has removed two of the essential factors from Destiny 1 in the sequel:
- Elemental Burn has been significantly weakened and replaced by a lighter “Scorch”
- Bungie no longer releases activities that are set at a higher level than players can currently reach.
The changes made with Destiny 2 demonstrate Bungie’s efforts to make Destiny accessible to a broader player base. However, these weakening measures stifle the impulse to complete activities in ways Bungie did not intend.
Thus, particularly Nightfall strikes have become games of patience, as there was a great fear of being sent back to orbit as soon as all Guardians fell. This playstyle has been successfully halted by Bungie with Destiny 2.
Now it’s your turn: What activity represents the epitome of a nightmare for you? Which fight still gives you sweat? Vote in the following poll. Each participant has one vote.
Do you miss a brutally hard encounter from Destiny or Destiny 2? Let us know in the comments!
