There are many activities to play in Destiny. If you love PvP, exploring large worlds, or just shooting some aliens with friends, there is something for everyone in this game.
Those who love PvE content will likely gravitate towards Strikes, Destiny’s 3-player activity that focuses on multiple objectives leading up to an epic boss. These Strikes can reward powerful gear, exclusive armor from Zavala, and the harder Nightfall variants can even drop unique guns and cosmetics! The harder Strikes typically have the cooler items to get, but they require technical mastery of the game to beat. Here are the 10 hardest Strikes in Destiny 2, ranked.
10 Exodus Crash
Bosses with excessive invulnerability phases are frustrating in any video game, but the “Exodus Crash” strike in Destiny 2 takes it to a whole new level.
This Strike begins with players having to drive through an open environment on Nessus that is littered with exploding Vex enemies. Defending objectives and killing dozens of Fallen follow this part, but it’s the final arena against a massive Fallen Captain that frustrates most. This enemy pops out of the shadows from time to time, giving you 5 seconds to damage him before he vanishes for half a minute. During this downtime, Explosive Shanks that shock the floor and Servitors make this fight unpleasant on lower difficulties and a downright pain with Nightfall modifiers.
9 The Insight Terminus
While “Exodus Crash” was difficult mainly due to its boss fight, “The Insight Terminus” is the direct opposite, having some tough encounters before a rather easy boss fight.
Once again, players begin this Strike on Nessus while trying to uncover the plot of an evil Cabal Psion who’s just a little too big for his own good. While the opening encounter against Vex is rather easy, it is when the Cabal Red Legion gets involved that this Strike gets tough. Dogs, Gladiators, and Cabal wielding heavy armaments will take you down in seconds if not careful. Watch your head, as the encounter halfway through this Strike drops enemies in through drop pods that can instantly kill you if you get in their way.
8 The Arms Dealer
“The Arms Dealer” Strike is a good example of how radically a Strike can change based on modifiers. Bungie seems to know this well, as there are multiple augmented variants of this Strike tied to Exotic quests.
On paper, this Strike is incredibly easy, requiring your fireteam to make their way inside of a Red Legion ship and kill a Cabal boss named Braccus Zann. In practice, this Strike is terrifying because of the sheer number of Cabal. It is arguably the hardest when players first enter the ship two-thirds of the way through the Strike, requiring the team to kill not one but two Cabal tanks to proceed while being pelted away by two dozen Cabal soldiers at the same time. When modifiers like Famine or Arc Singe gets involved on a Master-tier Nightfall, this Strike is incredibly hard to beat.
7 The Hollowed Lair
If you are used to using the double primary loadout system from Year 1 of Destiny 2, you are going to find this Strike rather hard to beat.
No other Strike in Destiny 2 throws so many enemies at you at once. From the very start, players fight against dozens of Scorn as they make their way to The Fanatic. The encounters in this Strike ask for constant Supers and Special ammo. When you make it past the Fallen Walker and the hordes of enemies preceding the boss, prepare for Arc storms made by The Fanatic and his hundreds of minions. If Arc Singe or any damage-enhancing modifiers are on, this boss fight can easily kill you if you’re caught off guard, requiring you to start the boss over again.
6 The Inverted Spire
Players have mastered this Strike since the Destiny 2 beta where it was first shown. While it hasn’t received an Ordeal variant just yet, this Strike is sure to give players trouble on higher difficulties.
Unlike most Strikes in Destiny 2, there is a section that has an environmental hazard. Players must make their way through a massive drill before fighting the final boss, and this drill can instantly kill friend and foe alike. The boss itself is also interesting in that it alters the arena as his health lowers, shifting the battle further and further into the core of Nessus where the final arena is covered in Vex minions and a damaging floor.
5 The Pyramidion
The Vex has some of the toughest enemies in the Destiny series, using time as a way to teleport towards you or regenerate their health on a whim.
You’ll have to fight hundreds of them in “The Pyramidion” Strike while dodging death lasers. When this Strike is the Nightfall of the week, the Vex can easily tear your team apart with amplified Void damage. This Nightfall can get especially rough in the 980 version with Togetherness active, effectively removing health regeneration if you are by yourself or not near an ally.
4 Warden of Nothing
Players go back to the Prison of Elders in the “Warden of Nothing” Strike, complete with the iconic game mode introduced in the “House of Wolves” DLC for the original Destiny.
Cabal are the main enemies you’ll fight in this Strike with the occasional Vex enemies intervening. Besides fighting both factions at once, bullet trains will fly by you during the opening encounters which, of course, can instantly kill you if not careful. The final boss, which is a massive Servitor, can ignite the arena on fire, leaving only the shadows as safe locations to take cover in.
3 The Corrupted
Before “Shadowkeep” released and overhauled Nightfalls, The Corrupted was the hardest Strike in Destiny 2 by a large margin.
This Strike introduces some mechanics that you’d expect in 6-man activities. Players have to damage impenetrable shields by throwing balls at them, but these balls can be charged to deal extra damage when tossed between players. The final boss requires mastery of this mechanic to take down, making this one of the few Strikes that requires team coordination to do well on. Oh, and the final boss uses attacks from one of the bosses in the “Last Wish” Raid as well, making this Strike even more daunting.
2 The Scarlet Keep
Since “Shadowkeep” introduced Champions into the game and an overhauled Nightfall system, it makes sense that “The Scarlet Keep” Strike introduced with that DLC uses those changes to their highest potential.
The result is an incredibly difficult Strike that requires Raid-like coordination to succeed when modifiers are present. Even without, this Strike is one of Destiny’s longer missions. Champion enemies require specific guns to take down and are capable of instantly wiping your fireteam in a second if you aren’t careful.
1 Savathun’s Song
“Savathun’s Song” is easily the hardest Strike in Destiny 2 because of the way modifiers from the Ordeal Nightfall interact with it.
Modifiers for this Strike can make the Ogres and Shriekers, already some of the toughest enemies in all of Destiny, instantly kill the player. The boss can instantly kill the player as well while swarming them with dozens of Hive at the same time. Combined with Match Game and the high 980 Power requirement, it is easy to see why so many players have trouble with this Strike. You’ll have to power through an augmented version of this Strike to get Thorn as well.
NEXT: Destiny 2: Top 10 Pinnacle Weapons, Ranked
