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.
Destiny fans are eagerly awaiting more news about the game's fall expansion, Rise of Iron, but the Challenge of the Elders mode added in the April Update is one of the best ways to get characters up to the 335 Light level cap to prepare for Destiny's future—plus there are some really great weapons players can earn from completing it as well.
This week sees the third time the Grenade Kill Bonus has been active, and the second time that it has been perfectly paired with the Catapult modifier. Here are all the modifiers for the week:
- Catapult - Grenade recharge rate is greatly increased.
- Specialist - Special Weapon damage is favored.
- Grenade Kill Bonus - Grenade kills are worth more points.
Much like our guide for week 2, this week is all about explosions. Players will want to 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, like the Voidwalker with Nothing Manacles, almost instantaneously).
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. That timer has also been given a buff to incur harsher penalties in the last game update, 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.
Challenge of the Elders Bosses
The first boss players will face is Noru'usk, Servant of Oryx. Avoid his numerous exploding orbs while dolling out grenades on adds and Noru’usk to make quick work of this round.
The second boss is the Overmind Minotaur. Avoid its gaze to stay out of the containment fields the boss will deploy around players who stay in its line of sight.
Lastly, players will enter the Hive room to face the Wretched Knight. Watch for the exploding blights the Wretched Knight will summon around the entire map at a steady pace through the fight. Avoid them or run through a cluster of them quickly to set them off all at once.
Tips for High Scores
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 absolute best build is the Voidwalker with Scatter Grenades, The Hunger, Embrace the Void, and the Nothing Manacles exotic gauntlets. Due to getting a buff in the April Update, and combined with Catapult, players will be able to essentially throw infinite grenades.
For Titans, run Sunbreaker with Simmering Flames, Thermite Grenades, and The Armementarium exotic chest piece for an extra grenade. Fill the Super meter and leave it full to get faster charging grenades.
Hunters can choose Bladedancer with Arcbolt Grenades and equip the ATS/8 Tarentella chest piece, or Gunslinger with Swarm Grenades (Tripmines are not as strong after the recent nerf), 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!