Typically, the mechanics of a raid in Destiny 2 will be consistent across the whole activity. If symbols are part of the mechanics for one encounter, they will usually be part of every encounter in the raid. The symbols used in Vow of the Disciple and Last Wish stayed the same for every encounter. But that isn't always the case, especially with Root of Nightmares.
The third encounter in the newest raid in Destiny 2 mixes things up significantly by having its own completely unique mechanics in a very familiar looking room. As players face off against the first actual boss of the raid, here is how to beat the Macrocosm encounter.
How to Beat Zo'aurc, Explicator of Planets
So far, players have been doing nothing but puzzles throughout this new raid. Now, as they arrive at the third encounter, they face off against a large Cabal boss. This room looks very complicated due to the planets floating on the left, right, and middle parts of the room. Before beginnig this encounter, it is important to remember the layout.
The left side of the room is the Light side, and the right side of the room is the Dark side. There are three plates in the middle of the room, and they will be important later. Four players will go to the four triangles in the room, which are all under a group of three planets. The other two players will stay in the middle and be on add clear duty.
As the encounter begins, players will have to kill all four Centurions that spawn. Once they are dead, an enemy called a Terrestrial Lieutenant will spawn on each of the four triangles. The four players on the triangles (runners/planet movers) must be the ones to get the killing blow on the Lieutenant that spawned on their triangle. The reason for this is that whoever gets the killing blow gets the Planetary Insight buff. Upon getting the buff, that player should look up and see the brief flash of color of the three planets above them.
On left side each triangle will have two light planets and one dark planet. On right side, each triangle will have two dark planets and one light planet. Basically, players must identify which planets are on the wrong side. After that, they must move under that planet. There will be an option to attune to the planet, allowing players to move that planet. From there, swap sides with the player across the room. Players on the left will go the right, and players on the right will go to the left. Call out where on the triangle the planet goes, and then dunk the planets in the right spot.
If this is done correctly, a message will appear in the lower left-hand corner of the screen that says: "The indexes planets reveal themselves". At this time, players will need to kill Centurions to spawn more Terrestrial Lieutenants. Players who get the Planetary Insight buff will see the three planets in the middle of the room light up either light or dark. This indicates what kind of planet needs to be moved to that plate.
As an example, if players see two dark planets under two of the plates and light under the third plate, that means that players will need to move any two dark planets and one light planet to the plates in the middle of the room. Once all three planets have been correctly dunked on the plates, the damage phase will begin, just like with Warpriest in King's Fall. The plates will get either a white or orange aura and the boss will gain a shield that matches one of those colors.
To damage the boss, players must stand on a plate to get the aura that matches the shield the boss currently has. Once players have the aura, they do not necessarily have to stay on the plate. Having a Warlock well or Titan bubble can help boost damage during the damage phase. Once all three plates are used, the damage phase will end and mechanics will repeat. Once the boss reaches its final stand, players must use all three plates to kill the boss before it kills them.
Destiny 2 is available now on Epic Games Store, PS4, PS5, Steam, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.