The challenge presented by Destiny 2’s first raid, Leviathan, is unparalleled. This formidable multi-stage battle is a true test of skill, requiring a team of six players to be at the top of their game with a minimum recommended Power level of 270. Dying repeatedly to figure out the raid mechanics is part of the process, but fear not! Our handy Destiny 2 Leviathan raid guide will help you skip hours of frustration and conquer the raid quickly and efficiently with your Destiny 2 pals.
Recommended Gear for Conquering the Leviathan Raid
In preparation for the raid, it’s crucial to gear up adequately. While the recommended Power level is 270, aiming for a higher level is advisable. Teams with Power levels in the 280s will find it easier to handle the more challenging parts of the raid. Investing time in acquiring high-level gear is well worth it.
Additionally, close-range encounters with tough enemies are prevalent throughout the raid. Equipping reliable high-damage weapons that excel in short-range combat will be immensely beneficial. There are also a few Exotic weapons specifically designed for the raid, which can provide a significant advantage.
- Rat King:
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Tough to unlock but highly rewarding, the Rat King Exotic sidearm is an exceptional weapon to wield. It boasts fast and effective kinetic firepower, but its standout feature is the power buff it receives for each additional player using it. With a full team of six wielding the Rat King, its power multiplies, granting unprecedented strength during the raid.
- Skyburner’s Oath:
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Designed specifically for the raid, Skyburner’s Oath is an anti-Cabal Energy weapon. While it may be slightly slower in firing rate, it proves invaluable in various situations, especially during the later stages of the raid. Aim down the sights to deal extra damage, unleash its full-auto firing mode, and bypass Cabal Phalanx shields, which can be a major annoyance. Destroying Phalanx enemies is particularly crucial during the final phase, making Skyburner’s Oath an indispensable asset.
- Curtain Call:
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Juggling Power weapons strategically is vital to surviving aboard the Leviathan. Curtain Call, a powerful rocket launcher, is particularly effective in many scenarios. Its explosive rockets burst into additional cluster bombs, causing widespread mayhem over a large area. When facing hordes of tough enemies simultaneously, the devastating impact of multiple explosions can be a game-changer, offering a significant advantage.
Conquering the Leviathan Raid: From Castellum to Emperor Calus
Castellum: Gateway to the Leviathan
Your first task in the raid is navigating the entryway, which continuously fills with enemies. Throughout the Leviathan, you’ll venture into three different locations, occasionally returning to the entry room to open doorways leading to new encounters.
Progress through the room until you locate a door with a small glowing seal in front of it. Three keys are required to unlock this door, each obtained by defeating specific enemies. The seal displays three symbols, one of which levitates as a hologram, indicating the key you need and the enemy you must eliminate to obtain it.
Within the room, four symbols stand in front of doors where enemies will spawn: a chalice, two crossed battle axes, a beast, and a sun. Familiarize yourself with these symbols, as they continuously reappear throughout the raid. The hologram symbol on the seal specifies the door you must head towards.
Split your team into two groups: four players remain at the seal to protect it, while two players venture into the room to hunt down the keys. The players with keys should head to the doors designated by the hologram symbols. Each door presents various Cabal enemies, with a Standard Bearer among them. Eliminating the Standard Bearer will yield the necessary key, which must then be brought back to the seal.
Beware of Standard Liberators, a new enemy that appears after the first key is obtained. Liberators are tougher to defeat than regular Legionaries and will attempt to steal the last standard you retrieved, requiring you to recapture it. Assign several team members to protect the seal, as the fight intensifies and the difficulty progressively increases. Standing on the seal grants the Force of Will buff, enhancing your defensive capabilities.
Throughout the encounter, Consulars (also known as Projections) will occasionally appear. These Psion-like enemies float in round orbs and appear at specific points in the room. Quickly dispatch a player to locate and eliminate the Consular by using a melee attack while inside its bubble. Failure to do so allows the Consular to project invulnerable shields, protecting Standard Bearers and Liberators.
Once you’ve obtained and safeguarded all three standards, the first door opens, granting access to the Royal Pools.
Royal Pools: A Majestic Challenge
The Royal Pools are a mist-filled, vegetation-filled area that make the Castellum seem simple in comparison. This encounter represents the raid’s first major challenge, featuring mechanics that require each Fireteam member to assume specific roles.
The room is a large square with four emblems in each corner: crossed axes, a sun, a chalice, and a beast. Each emblem is situated in the middle of a corrosive purple water pool, which inflicts damage if stood in. The center of the room houses another emblem and three sets of chains, one in the back and two in the corners. Raising these three sets of chains is the main objective.
To raise the chains, four players must stand on the emblems in the corners. Standing on these emblems gradually raises the chains in their corresponding corners. The goal is to raise the chains until they lock into place, which causes three cisterns to ascend from the water in the center of the room. This process is time-consuming, and hordes of enemies will assault your team while attempting to raise the chains. Effectively dispatching these enemies is essential.
Bathers, massive blade-wielding enemies, emerge from the pools in each corner. Swiftly eliminating them is crucial, as they pose a significant threat and must be dealt with promptly. Utilize Power weapons like grenade launchers or even swords to efficiently eliminate Bathers. Don’t worry about depleting your Power weapon ammo on Bathers, as they consistently drop power ammo for resupplying. Keeping your ammo reserves stocked throughout the raid is crucial.
Emblem pedestal guardians should be cautious, as their water protection buff wears off over time. To recharge the buff, one of the remaining two players in the center of the room must retrieve it from the emblem in the middle before heading toward the emblem to replace the player about to lose their buff. It’s important to note that the pool at one end of the room is at a higher elevation than the other, resulting in Bathers spawning first on one side. Establishing a rotation between team members is essential to maintaining a continuous flow of buffs to the players raising the chains.
The process should look like this:
- Two players remain in the center of the room, picking one side (left or right) and grabbing the buff from the center emblem.
- The players with buffs head to the higher-elevation pool to replace the players there, while the departing players grab the buff from the center room, clear enemies en route, and proceed to the lower-elevation pool to take over from the players there.
- Once the lower-pool players finish, they head to the center, receive the buff again, and replace the players at the upper pool.
- Continue this rotation until the team has defeated three Bathers at each pool. Ideally, with a player consistently on the emblem, the chains will lock into place. Otherwise, further attempts will be necessary, potentially leading to more challenging encounters with Bathers.
With the chains secured and all enemies eliminated, gather in the center room to eradicate any remaining enemies. Four players step onto the center emblem simultaneously, where a water protection buff awaits. Collaborate as a team, focusing fire on a single cistern to destroy it. Designating the order of cistern takedowns beforehand enhances teamwork. It’s crucial to destroy at least one set of three cisterns before the water protection buff expires. Exit the water promptly to avoid excessive damage.
The two players not engaged in destroying the cisterns should focus on eliminating any Bathers or floating Projection enemies that spawn. These two players are responsible for protecting the team members in the water.
It’s imperative for the team to perform optimally, as dying during the encounter has severe consequences. Each player possesses a resurrection token, allowing them to revive another team member once. However, each player only has one revive to offer. Once a player has used their revive, it’s permanently consumed. Therefore, the team can only withstand a total of six deaths during the encounter.
Note that any player who dies in the Royal Pools loses their water protection buff. Therefore, any player eliminated while destroying the cisterns must exit the water immediately to preserve the buffs.
The encounter becomes relatively straightforward once the team establishes a rhythm, clears enemies effectively, and replenishes ammo strategically. With coordinated teamwork and smart decision-making, progress through the Royal Pools can be swift and successful.
To proceed, return to the Leviathan Castellum, unlock the next door featuring the Beast emblem, and prepare for the next challenge.
Pleasure Gardens: A Stealthy Challenge
The Pleasure Gardens awaits as your next destination—a misty, vegetation-filled area. Before initiating the encounter, eliminate the Legionaries and Hounds present upon entering. Utilize this time to gather power ammo dropped by the defeated enemies.
The primary objective of the Pleasure Gardens is to eliminate six Warhounds patrolling the area. This stealth-focused challenge mandates moving discreetly to gather damage buffs required to defeat the Hounds effectively. Thus, a sly approach is essential.
Divide your Fireteam into two groups: four players will remain on the ground, collecting buffs, while the remaining two players retrieve floating psionic orbs, transporting them to the outer ring. This area surrounds the central room, resembling a game show-like running challenge.
The path within each runner’s ring is frequently blocked by walls containing nine circular holes. The team outside, stationed at the emblem symbols, must shoot targets corresponding to the runner’s information. Each person on the outside should stand on their emblem symbol, facing a barrier with three triangular targets. If the runner identifies the red circle on the barrier as being in the top row, two players should simultaneously shoot the bottom two targets. Clearing the barrier enables the runner to progress.
Upon clearing each barrier, a floating Projection appears in the main room, in front of the corresponding emblem column. The player on the respective column must rush down, punch the Projection, and speedily return to the column to avoid wiping out the entire team.
The runners must be cautious of their psionic orb timer, as holding it too long results in an explosion, eliminating them. To reset the timer and prevent an explosion, runners must jump through the red circles within the barriers. Successfully clearing the barrier ensures the buff orb resets the timer, thus preserving the runner’s life.
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After acquiring the buffs, the runners return to the main room, while the ground team focuses on eliminating enemies, including majors that spawn regularly. The onus is on the ground team to stay alive since the total resurrection count remains at three for the entire encounter.
As the purple dimension team transitions from their gathering phase, the Calus head begins summoning flying skulls to attack them. Destroying these skulls not only ensures survival but also contributes to a damage multiplier for the subsequent phase.
Simultaneously, in the throne room, the ground team must clear as many enemies as possible, with a particular emphasis on defeating majors. Maintaining survival throughout this encounter is crucial, as the total number of resurrections remains limited to three. Additionally, Calus unleashes a laser attack and an area-of-effect explosion, which requires avoiding their devastating effects. Staying towards the back of the room, utilizing supers to eliminate enemies, and communicating effectively all contribute to a successful battle.
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During the phase in which the purple team targets skulls, Calus raises his arms, causing damage to everyone in the throne room. Utilizing a Warlock’s healing circle proves invaluable during this moment, as it provides protection against Calus’ field. Simultaneously, he raises a shield that the throne room team must destroy.
Once the purple dimension team has completed four cycles of calling out emblems, they will be drawn toward Calus, who releases flying skulls to attack them. It is crucial to shoot and destroy as many of these skulls as possible, as they contribute to a damage buff for the subsequent phase.
In the throne room, the focus remains on eliminating enemies and coordinating with the purple dimension team. Punching the correct Projection on the fourth pedestal proves essential. Coordination and effective communication between both teams ensure the survival of the purple dimension team and the subsequent appearance of a barrier, preventing their demise.
The cycle repeats, with the purple team calling out emblems and the throne team eliminating the corresponding Projection. Starting from the second cycle, psions appear, necessitating assigning two players to deal with them before focusing on Projections. The third player should focus primarily on eliminating Projections. After a brief interval, the barrier protecting the purple team vanishes, and they are swept towards Calus. Conversely, if the throne team successfully punches the correct Projection, a new barrier appears, safeguarding the purple team from being consumed by Calus.
With each cycle, the purple dimension team progresses closer to Calus. However, it becomes increasingly challenging due to the appearance of psions and the imminent threat of being devoured by Calus. Coordinating timing and effectively eliminating Projections allows the purple team to shoot and destroy skulls, which in turn boosts the damage dealt to Calus.
Upon destroying Calus’ shield in the throne room, the purple dimension team is transported back, and all players converge on one of four emblem pedestals. This triggers a damage phase during which standing on a pedestal grants the Force of Will buff, amplifying damage based on the number of skulls destroyed by the purple team.
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All six players must focus fire on Calus, aiming for critical hits by targeting his head. Utilize all available firepower until Calus raises his arm, indicating an imminent explosive attack that can eliminate players on the pedestals. Swiftly jump off the pedestal and move to the next one in a clockwise rotation: Crossed Axes, Beast, Sun, and Chalice. Timing is crucial, as the buff on each pedestal is timed, ensuring all players are in sync for maximum damage.
Completing one cycle marks significant progress. Clear out any remaining enemies flooding the room, as Calus will summon guards. Eliminating them is pivotal, as survival becomes paramount with only three resurrections available. Calus will subsequently clap, transporting all players back to the purple dimension to repeat the process.
Calus’ armor will eventually disintegrate when his health reaches two-thirds, exposing a glowing critical spot on his chest. Adjust your aim accordingly. At one-third health, Calus gains a new devastating attack that rains fire and burns the ground. This, alongside his new big gun replacing the laser and explosion attack, poses additional challenges for the throne team. Take caution to avoid these devastating onslaughts.
Throughout the encounter with Calus, effective communication, efficient elimination of enemies, and strategic use of buffs and abilities are paramount. Maintain focus and persistence, as it may take several cycles to deplete Calus’ health entirely. When Calus enters his last stand, redirect all firepower towards him. Utilize the center of the room, receive the final buff, and unleash everything you have. With coordinated effort, your Fireteam will prevail, concluding the raid and emerging victorious.
Exploring the Leviathan Underbelly
One last adventure awaits you—the maze-like Leviathan Underbelly. This portion of the ship holds hidden treasure chests accessible only with specific keys obtained throughout the raid. Navigating the Underbelly can be challenging, but fear not—a helpful Redditor has created a map to assist you.
To enter the Underbelly, descend directly below the raid’s starting point on the Embarkment and locate an open door containing six levers. Pull each lever in the correct order—1, 5, 3, 2, 4, 6—to unlock the door. Although a single fast character can potentially activate all the levers, coordinating with multiple players is much simpler.
Afterward, ascend the Embarkment until you reach a large pool of black water with two pipes running through it. If the levers were correctly triggered, a wall adjacent to the pipes will open, granting access to the Underbelly. From here, you can traverse the ship’s interior and discover hidden passages leading to each raid encounter, allowing for the bypassing of repeated Castellum fights.
The Underbelly contains several chests, with some requiring the eradication of all enemies within their respective rooms. Successfully eliminating enemies demands stealth, as Watcher robots inside the rooms project red light indicating their viewpoints. Detecting a player triggers the robots to summon reinforcements. However, if coordinated effectively, players can quickly destroy these Watchers, allowing for swift and safe chest acquisition.
Conclusion
With this comprehensive guide, you’re now equipped to tackle Destiny 2’s daunting Leviathan Raid. Arm yourself with the recommended gear, coordinate with your Fireteam, and conquer each encounter—from the Castellum to Emperor Calus himself. And don’t forget to explore the mysterious Leviathan Underbelly for hidden treasures.
Remember, perseverance, effective communication, and teamwork are key to triumphing over the challenges that await. Good luck, Guardian!
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