Destiny: How to defeat Golgoroth challenge mode
Though the least practical strategy to take into a normal Raid, slaying the Exalted Hive Ogre in Challenge Mode is still surprisingly simple when you know how, and the team is sharp.
The puzzle here is to have all six members of your fireteam hold Golgoroth’s gaze during each DPS round. But that is as far as it goes. Which means that the single-orb strategy still applies, favoured by many teams, so this is only a matter of figuring out the gaze to-and-fro.
Choose your team
As ever, your main consideration is maximum DPS enhanced by Hunter tethers and a Titan’s Weapons of Light. There’s another key concern however, being the onslaught of Taken adds during the final rounds. So your team will ideally comprise at least one Defender Titan, two Nightstalker Hunters and a Stormcaller Warlock. Nominate one main gaze grabber, and then who’s going to take it second, third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Seriously, don’t sweat it.
Arrange your team
First of all, anyone nervous about holding Golgoroth’s gaze – don’t be. Most of the team will have teammates helping to shoot down the Axiom Darts after the main DPS phase. But to begin with, you need to split into two teams of three as usual to clear the Hive adds phase. These teams support each other as best they can, bearing in mind that there are more adds for Challenge Mode, notably enthusiastic Thrall that tend to flank you if you’re not careful.
The main consideration is that these teams need to account for the order of gaze grabbers, with the second, fourth and sixth positioned right; first, third and fifth positioned left. Just remember your number in the order of the upcoming to-and-fro and you’ll be golden. Gaze-grabber number one has most of the work to do, so be sure that they’re 100% confident.
The routine (to me, to you…)
After the adds are cleared, it’s time to get to work on Golgoroth. We based our strategy on the single-orb technique that’s become the norm. Only the front-left orb is used to drop the pool of Reclaimed Light that provides the damage buff. Therefore, your first gaze grabber takes up position on the crates front-left to aim at Golgoroth’s pulsating back. While he/she is getting comfortable, the rest of the team heads right in readiness to shoot down the orb.
On the first gaze-grabber’s say-so, the team shoots at the orb, which ought to attract the Ogre’s attention long enough for him to turn his back. The gaze-grabber takes the shot, Golgoroth focuses his rage and the team jumps into the pit, Defender Titan first who pops Weapons of Light just on the edge. This can also go up before taking Golgoroth’s gaze, but is an added distraction, forcing the firing squad to work harder at having him look their way.
Gaze-grabber uno provides a clear audible count down, and at 10 grabber two hops out of the pit to take up position at the bridge on the right hand side. From here there is a clear view of the Ogre’s exposed back. When the count down reaches three, grabber two takes the shot. This is also the point at which the rest of the pit crew evacuates to take up their positions left and right, ready to grab the gaze and help to shoot down Axiom Darts.
Gaze grabber three is now aiming at the Ogre’s back, waiting for the moment that it opens. As soon as it does, they take the shot. Next, it’s gaze grabber four on the far side, and so on until it reaches gaze grabber six who’s responsibility is to run a full lap of the room, pursued by Axiom Darts that the kind-hearted fireteam duly shoots out of the air. Everyone is now safe, the orbs have reset and the next wave of Hive adds are on the way. Take up positions.
The second wave
A strong DPS team is likely to have stripped around a third of Golgoroth’s health, so it’s best to prepare for at least two more attempts at the kill. This second wave is exactly as before. You’ll need to rearrange if somebody has already died, but don’t let it come to that. Oh, and in case anyone needs reminding, be extra vigilant about who gets the Tainted Light!
The Taken round, final hurdle
Experienced fireteams will know that once the Taken arrive, it’s open season on Golgoroth provided that the pit area is clear and everyone has enough ammo to sustain the DPS. For the final one or two times that the pit crew is at work, Taken adds appear directly behind them within seconds of opening fire. This stage is trickier in Challenge Mode because the person nominated to provide area-of-effect clearance duties cannot realistically be gaze-grabber two, and is ideally gaze grabber six, but runs the risk of dying after containing things long enough for the others to escape. In the interest of safety you may decided to shorten the final DPS rounds, just to keep everyone alive – a fine line between success and Enrage.
Contingency plan
Really you can only afford one death in the later stages and still pull through with this Challenge. Your contingency plan must be figured out on the fly, quickly rearranging the order of gaze grabbers, communicating this clearly and receiving the acknowledgements. Rallying around like this is not at all comfortable, but calm in a storm carries you through.
When Golgoroth crumbles, you’ll look back and laugh about how straightforward it all was. But while in the thick of it, the routine quickly descends into chaos if fear and desperation take over. It’s almost laughable to say so, but the deal is that nobody should die. Lock down this one ingredient and Golgoroth goes down nice and smooth.
For your efforts, you’ll receive Calcified Fragment XLIV Strict Proof Eternal, and very likely an attractive piece of Light 320 armour to boost character stats: boots, chests and gloves.