Find out the unique modifiers for this week’s Challenge of the Elders in Destiny and how to finish an Elders’ Sigil scorecard for the week in just two runs.
When it made its debut last week in Destiny ‘s, the new Challenge of the Elders mode was deemed easy by Destiny fans, and in fact became one of the most effective ways to farm high-level loot.
This week is a bit harder, now that the Small Arms and Precision Kill score bonus has been swapped out for new modifiers, however, if players approach each round strategically and with the right builds, they can complete an Elders’ Sigil scorecard in two runs.
The unique modifiers this week are: Berserk – Minions of the Darkness won’t flinch, even after massive damage. Catapult – Grenade recharge rate is greatly increased. Grenade Kill Bonus – Grenade kills are worth more points.
Players will be able to use the same general strategy last weekto drive up the score for this week: kill adds exclusively with grenades and then damage the boss until another wave of adds spawn in. Repeat until the point deduction timer goes into effect and then kill the boss. Catapult and the Grenade Kill Bonus work perfectly together allowing grenades to refresh quickly (and for some builds, almost instantaneously).
Destiny fans should also note that the point reduction timer goes into effect when the boss is not being damaged, so that timer can start anytime during a round, not just near the end of it. So it’s a good idea if the add wave is taking a little long for one person to damage the boss a bit, but not too much that it spawns in another mob.
Once all the waves are cleared – again, using grenades only as much as possible – kill the boss and make sure the last hit is with a grenade, as it will also grant a bonus.
The first round this week will take players back to the Hive room to face Sylok, the Defiled. It’s a straightforward fight (just look out for his flames) and by following the standard strategy, players should have no problem with it.
The second round is new. Many have probably never faced the Cabal boss, Aru’un, in the Prison of Elders, as the only way to face him is as a boss in the standard Prison of Elders mode that launched with the House of Wolves expansion. And even for players who have fought him, the encounter has changed. Whereas previously, Aru’un was more or less a bullet sponge, now he has a shield mechanic players will have to deal with.
When Aru’un first spawns in he will be vulnerable for just a few seconds before he puts up a shield. That shield will have an element (solar, arc, or void) that will match up with one of three corresponding Psion Flayersin the room. His shield is randomized so once it generates players then need to hunt down the corresponding Psion Flayer and kill it. For example, if the shield is solar then players will need to find the red/solar Psion flayer. Then Aru’un will be vulnerable for a short time before his shield regenerates again.
Follow the same steps, hunting down the corresponding Psion Flayer to take down his shield. Once all three Psion Flayers are down, his shield will remain down. But note that the only Psion Flayer that can take damage is the one that corresponds to Aru’un’s shield, so players can’t kill all three Psion Flayers at once. Also, remember that in the middle of this fight, all the adds need to be killed with grenades to drive up the score.
The third round is a brand new boss, a Taken Vex Hydra. Like the first round, this is a pretty straightforward round – kill adds with grenades, damage boss, kill adds with grenades, repeat.
To maximize score, pick a build that will have a high grenade output. It goes without saying that the Discipline stat should be maxed out if possible. The newly buffed Voidwalkerwith Scatter Grenades, The Hunger, Embrace the Void, and the Nothing Manacles exotic gauntlets may be the best option out there (I ran with build and netted 22,000 points alone by the end of one run).
For Titans, run Sunbreaker with Simmering Flames, Thermite Grenades, and The Armementarium exotic chest piece for an extra grenade. Filling the Super meter (and leaving it full) grants faster charging grenades.
Hunters can choose Bladedancer with Arcbolt Grenades and equip the ATS/8 Tarentella chest piece, or Gunslinger with Tripmine Grenades, Scavenger, and the Young Ahamkara’s Spine gauntlets.
If done correctly, players should be able to hit the High Score in one run and the Cumulative Score in two. Players should be looking to hit 45,000+ on each run as a fireteam. Once done, go see Variks for that sweet new loot.
Do you have a build or strategy for maximizing your score in Destiny ‘s Challenge of the Elders this week? Let us know in the comments below!