Vault of Glass Returns to Destiny 2 - Here's What You Need to Know

Some may remember the game changing event that launched just a week into the original Destiny game. The Vault of Glass Raid set the standard for Raids as we know them, and while some things may be familiar, Bungie guarantees to shake it up to keep the experience interesting for new players and veteran Guardians alike. Need some tips and tricks to claim victory with the Vault of Glass? Looking for a guide to give you the rundown? Here's what we know so far.

As players dive back in and revisit the Encounters found in Vault of Glass, you may be struggling to find the perfect balance for your fireteam. Often considered one of the hardest Raids in Destiny, you'll need to communicate and plan with your team to ensure success. (If you need an epic team to play with, get prepared and call on  CarrySquad )

The first task Guardians will face is opening the Vault. Upon entering the starting area, there will be 3 plates located around the Vault's Entrance. For optimal success, split into 3 groups of 2 to defend each plate. Your task here is simple enough: defend each plate long enough for a pillar to form in the center of the 3 plates. But don't let your guard down; enemies will attempt to attack the plates, and if they succeed in stepping on a plate and it turns red, you could face losing your progress and needing to restart the process all over.

Once you've entered the Vault, your next challenge will be to defend 3 Confluxes from Vex enemies. The Vex will rush the Conflux and attempt to sacrifice themselves, and if successful, your progress will be reset once more. Keep your 3 teams at the ready to split up and guard each Conflux, as all 3 will soon fall under attack. In addition, a new exclusive Raid enemy, the Fanatic, will shake things up by spreading a lethal green goop across the ground. If you step in it, you'll gain a status debuff that'll hinder your progress.

The next (and possibly most frustrating) Encounter tasks you with clearing Oracles from the map, small yellow orbs that will spawn around the map. At the beginning of the Encounter, 7 Oracles will appear around the map and audio cue in the form of a chime will alert you to a new Oracle spawn. Memorize their locations and split your team up to cover each area of the map, ensuring that no Oracles fall through the cracks. If you fail to eliminate even one during the 7 rounds, your progress will reset and you'll have to start from the beginning. Enemies will also spawn in waves with the Oracles, but make sure you deal with the Oracles first.

After clearing the Oracles, you'll encounter the first boss fight of this Raid, the Templar. The Templar has an impenetrable shield that will nullify all damage taken, so it's important to take advantage of the damage phases when you can and coordinate with your team to focus the firepower. To bring down the shield, you'll need to take control of the Relic that will spawn on the map. Not only does the Relic's Super bring down the shield when charged, but it can be used to cleanse allies of debuffs. It's critical to keep allies cleansed, as certain debuffs can result in an insta-kill for affected players. Once the Templar's shield is down, focus your attacks until it returns and your Super recharges. But be careful - when the shield goes down, some players will find themselves encased in a bubble that they'll need to shoot their way out of before being able to attack the Templar.

If you've managed to survive and take down the Templar, you'll be on to the next Encounter, the Gorgon's Labyrinth. Gorgons are another Raid exclusive enemy, similar to the Fanatic. The goal of this portion is to slip by the Gorgon's unnoticed, as they'll make quick work of wiping your team if you're spotted. You'll want to move as a close pack, keeping together and moving at the right time to avoid detection. If you're successful, you'll reach the next stage, which has you emulating a platformer by jumping from landing to landing. With some good timing and careful movements, you'll enter the final area of the Raid.

Upon entering the final area, you'll notice two plates similar to those found outside of the Vault. Standing in them triggers different effects: the left will send you to a planet commonly referred to by players as Mars and the right will send you to Venus. The first step of this Encounter is to bring down a Gatekeeper, so it's time to bring out the big guns and bring this enemy down quickly.

With the Gatekeeper down, it's time to split into 3 teams again. 2 teams will hold the plate portals open, while you send the final team through to advance. You'll need to move quickly to clear the Gatekeeper and retrieve the Relic that drops to return to the rest of the team, where you'll quickly need to use the Relic to cleanse your allies as they'll be marked with a debuff that hinders vision completely. Once all allies are cleansed, head to the next portal and repeat the process to obtain the Relic.

Back at the Vault, the teams left behind will have their hands full with keeping the portal open and defending a Conflux that will spawn from waves of Minotaurs and other enemies that are here to make sure you fail. Communication will be key for teams to rotate to avoid any deaths or wipes.

If you've managed to survive, it's time for the final Encounter of the Raid: the Atheon boss fight. This boss fight makes use of all the mechanics you've encountered so far, so everyone should be prepared to take on a different role as needed, and communication will be crucial to success. The Atheon will teleport 3 random players to 1 of the 2 planets at random, where they'll need to eliminate Oracles again to clear the area.

Back at the Vault, the 3 players will need to communicate with the ones on the other planets to know which plate to head to. Defend the plate and keep it open long enough for your teammates to return once they've cleared the Oracles. To shake things up, one more Raid exclusive enemy joins the fray: Supplicants. Be on the lookout for these fast moving Harpies, as they'll explode and deal significant damage if they get too close.

If both teams have been successful, all 6 players will be back in the Vault for the Atheon's damage phase, with an added Time's Vengeance buff. The relic holder will be able to active a shield to protect the team from damage, so group up and focus your Heavy weapons and Supers on the Atheon to chip away at its health. Rinse and repeat 2-3 times, and you'll have cleared the Vault of Glass.

But what do you get for your efforts you might ask? If you're successful in clearing the Vault, you'll have a plethora of loot to look forward to, from Exotic weapons to Armor and Mods. The infamous Vex Mythoclast, an Exotic Solar Fusion rifle, makes a comeback from the original Destiny, as well as 6 other Legendary Weapons.

The Vault of Glass is considered by many to be the most challenging Raid in Destiny, and it's sure to prove quite the feat to complete in Destiny 2.  Good luck, Guardians!

Source: Dexerto by Brad Norton