With another major Destiny expansion released comes a new raid to conquer. Taking place in the Deep Stone Crypt, Beyond Light's new raid has many players farming for a higher Power Level and better gear to beat this raid when it launches.
For those looking to beat this raid on November 21st or beyond, there are several things you can do to prepare while you wait for the Deep Stone Crypt to arrive. From upgrading your gear to obtaining powerful Aspects and Fragments, here are ten tips to help you prepare for the Deep Stone Crypt raid in Destiny 2.
10 Reach 1,230 Power Level
Every Guardian that wants to attempt the Deep Stone Crypt raid when it launches will want to reach a Power Level of 1,230 or higher. Contest modifier will not let Guardians benefit from a level higher than this until the raid has been out for at least a day. For those that are attempting the raid after the first day, reach as high of a power level as possible.
As for leveling itself, focus on reaching the soft cap of 1,200 first by farming Nightmares and public events on the Moon. Once at the soft cap, you can either complete weekly milestones on the Director or play the Glory Crucible playlist—typically either Elimination or Survival. The latter is highly recommended as every rank-up reward from Glory grants gear at a higher Power Level.
9 Farm Master Lost Sectors
Lost Sectors have seen new difficulty variants in Beyond Light on Europa and the Cosmodrome. These locations offer the same modifiers that veterans experienced in Season of the Worthy, only these Lost Sectors are worth running now since they grant Exotic armor.
As long as they are completed solo, these Master-tier Lost Sectors will grant Exotic armor in a certain armor slot with an absurdly high drop rate. Once you reach a high enough Power Level, farm these Lost Sectors out to obtain high-stat Exotics to perfect your raid build.
8 Obtain Xenophage
Compared to other entries on this list, this is a rather specific tip. Out of every Exotic you can bring to the raid, make sure you have a 1,230 or higher Power Level Xenophage ready to go.
Xenophage is one of the strongest Power weapon Exotics in Destiny 2 currently. It deals fantastic boss damage, can kill majors in a couple of shots, and has the ability to generate Warmind Cells with the Wrath of Rasputin Mod installed. Titans can use this weapon with no downtime with Axium War Rig equipped, and Hunters can bypass reloading Xenophage with Marskman's Dodge. Warlocks will still want this weapon since it annihilates tougher major opponents.
7 Complete Master Nightfalls
Masterworking armor is key to making the best character builds in Destiny 2. Every armor upgrade will grant an extra energy point that can be spent on game-changing Combat Style Mods.
To prepare for the raid, you will want to have a set of Masterworked armor at the ready. Farm Legend or Master Nightfalls to obtain high-stat Exotic armor and Masterwork materials to upgrade armor.
6 Obtain Stasis Aspects And Fragments
While it is unlikely that the new raid will force fireteams to use Stasis, there is a good chance that the raid is going to have so many enemies that freezing enemies will become important.
Aspects and Fragments are key to making Stasis a consideration in endgame activities. Players can earn their first Aspect from completing the Aspect of Control quest granted after the campaign. Fragments are earned by completing unique bounties from the Exo Stranger. She only sells two of these bounties a week. Use Aspects and Fragments to increase the lethality and uptime of your Stasis powers.
5 Find A Team Or Clan
No raid can be completed solo. One of the toughest aspects of raiding is finding a team to raid with. For those that don't have other players to raid with, consider joining an active clan or using various LFG services such as the Destiny 2 PC LFG Discord server to find a raid-ready team to play with. Clans can typically be found on the Bungie.net forums.
4 Play Previous Raids
Bungie tends to structure all of their raids similarly. Most raids start with an introductory encounter explaining a new mechanic. The second and third encounters are either bosses or puzzles, then the final encounter is a boss fight. Most Destiny 2 raids have either four or five encounters.
The reason that's important is that those design tendencies will likely appear again in the Deep Stone Crypt raid. To get a feel for the flow of a raid, consider getting a fireteam together and playing through Destiny 2's previous raids. Garden of Salvation is arguably the best to practice since it's the most recent raid introduced in Destiny 2. Get comfortable with multiple roles and team callouts.
3 Unlock Artifact Mods
If the Garden of Salvation raid is anything to go by, Champions will be used in future raids as tough major foes. Considering how terrifying the likes of Overload Fallen Captain Champions are, unlocking anti-Champion Mods is going to be crucial for the raid.
The first column of available Mods will let you counter Champions with certain weapon categories. Progressing further in the Artifact will reveal Mods that grant benefits upon defeating Champions such as free ability energy or Heavy ammo for your fireteam. These Mods will prove invaluable for making the raid easier.
2 Use Combat Style Mods
Seasonal Mods have been renamed to Combat Style Mods in Beyond Light. These Mods manipulate a new resource named Charged with Light to provide potent bonuses such as bonus damage or damage resistance. These Mods can also allow certain weapons to generate Warmind Cells, orange balls that can be detonated to provide a high-damage explosion over a large area.
Use these Combat Style Mods on your armor to make the raid much easier. If the Deep Stone Crypt raid will be filled with adds, use the Wrath of Rasputin and Rage of the Warmind Mods to make Warmind Cell detonations spawn additional Warmind Cells. Charged with Light builds should use Surprise Attack, Lucent Blade, or Protective Light based on their preference.
1 Make Sure You Have Time To Raid
While not an in-game preparation, make sure you have a solid amount of time to attempt a raid. If you have never completed a raid before, these activities can take multiple hours to complete. Most raids are going to have points of frustration or moments where your fireteam gets stumped. Remember to take breaks and stay positive. Keep this in mind if you are going for a day-one completion.