Yesterday on December 9th Bungie released The Dark Below, the first expansion for Destiny. Many have taken up arms in order to further their legends in all new story missions, a new strike and even some new crucible maps were they can show their fellow guardians who is truly number one. There is one challenge that will test even the strongest of resolves.
That challenge is Crota’s End, the all new level 30 raid available to all those who purchased the new expansion. Crota’s End offers a whole new type of challenge that will do much more than just require you to solve puzzles. The fights are harder, faster and much more relentless. The enemies are deadlier than ever and the deeper you dive into the pits of the moon, the more difficult it will become for you to emerge victorious.
You will have to prepare you guardian to face a god within the hive, and you must also be ready to watch the backs of your fireteam more than ever. It may seem like a daunting task to overcome Crota’s End, but have no fear. Here are a few tips to get you started as you embark on Destiny’s latest endeavor.
Crota’s End Is Level 30, You May Also Want to Be Level 30
As you may already know if you’ve been playing Destiny for some time, Crota’s End is endgame content. It is meant to be a challenge that not everyone can overcome and in return you are rewarded with the most powerful gear available. Destiny’s previous raid,The Vault of Glass, became available shortly after launch of the game pushed guardians to their limits. Then it was the pinnacle of challenges in Destiny for guardians as they fought to obtain raid gear that was needed to reach that highly coveted level cap.
What better way to flaunt that level cap then to make it pretty much necessary for Crota’s End. Since the raid is level 30, you cannot participate unless you are at least level 28. While being level 28 will grant you entry, you will quickly realize that you are severely outmatched by the swarms of enemies thrown at you. To be completely honest, not even a level 30 guardian is guaranteed survival as you get closer to facing Crota.
For those of you worried since gear drops were sort of broken you can breathe easy…sort of. In order to prepare players for the newest challenges including Crota’s End new gear was made available for purchase from your Vanguard rep. Although some require you to obtain a new currency in order to grab them they will allow you to not only reach level 30, but if you have a full set you can hit level 31.
It may take you a bit of time to reach this milestone if you haven’t already done so but it is imperative that you do. As with the Vault of Glass, Crota’s End may start at one level but it increases as you progress, leaving you with a level 32 boss to deal with. You both receive more damage and dish out less with every level between you and your enemy. A gap of four levels will make your mission almost impossible. You want to allow yourself and your team the greatest possible chance of beating the latest raid.
Complete the New Story Missions and Strike
It’s very likely that you’ve been waiting for this latest expansion for the sole purpose of tackling a new raid. Who could blame you, the Vault of Glass was fun but since it was the only raid available for the past 3 months it just makes sense that you would want something new. There were probably many who flocked to the Crota’s End on the moon only to realize that they were sorely unprepared for what awaited them.
Playing through the story missions and new strike allow for 2 solid benefits. The first one comes in the form of a gun. Completing the first 3 missions given to you by Eris Morn in the tower awards you with Murmur, a hive fusion rifle capable of firing two different elements. If the prospect of being ready to dish out the needed element whenever necessary with the same gun isn’t enough to pique your interest, how about the fact that it is also super steady. The gun fires with almost no recoil and allows for some seriously deadly shots.
The only fusion rifle that would probably be better is the Vex Mythoclast, which can only be obtained by completing the Vault of Glass on hard. There is however no guarantee that it will even drop for you. The Murmur is a sure thing and stronger than any legendary fusion rifle you may have obtained up to this point. It even manages to put some exotic ones to shame.
The second reason you may want to check out something other than Crota’s End first is to get in some practice. Sure you’ve already faced thousands of enemies since the launch of Destiny but missions prior to The Dark Below were a bit different from what you have now. Combat has seen its intensity ramped up and you will need to get used to maneuvering around tons of quick-moving, extremely dangerous enemies. There is less breathing room this time around and Crota’s End magnifies what you experience.
Running through The Will of Crota strike a few times will get you used to battling in really tight areas. It will take some getting used to but you will be grateful when you find yourself in a tight, dark corridor as hundreds of thrall try to tear your face off.
Fireteam Subclasses Will Decide Your Fate
By now you have probably gotten really comfortable with the guardian you created. Sure most players have created more than one, but everyone has their favorite. It is either the first one you brought to life, or perhaps the one who brought you the most success during brutal Nightfall strikes and the Vault of Glass. You may end up sad to hear that your favorite is not necessarily best suited to tackling Crota’s End.
Just as intended for the raid, Crota’s End has an extremely emphasis on teamwork. The thing is that it may work a bit differently than what you’re used to. The Vault of Glass required you to work together on every task, moving mostly in unison as you came across each obstacle. Although you were separated at times, you never seemed to be too far from help. Even when Atheon teleported half of your team during the final fight you had 2 other guardians standing with you as you took down groups of enemies that honestly weren’t to difficult to overcome.
In Crota’s End teamwork sometimes means ensuring that your fireteam doesn’t have to worry about you. You will need to be able to survive on your own more often than not if you want any hope of coming out victorious at the end. In order to do so, you will need to choose the subclass that has the best chance of keeping you alive on your own.
Some subclasses don’t have the required effect unfortunately. For example the Titan’s defender class is a powerful asset to pretty much any fireteam, when being chased down by thrall while under the weight of darkness however it doesn’t fare so well. Yes it provides a layer of defense but it doesn’t stop swarms of enemies from entering the bubble and tearing you apart.
The same can be said of the Hunter’s Bladedancer subclass. Getting up-close and personal with the toughest enemies the hive as ever thrown your way isn’t the best idea when you can sit back and deal massive amounts of solar damage with the Gunslinger. Remember that the end goal is to survive while your fireteam does the same as you all figure out how to advance to the next obstacle.
Take some time to grow accustomed to some of the other subclasses, specifically those that allow you to either deal lots of damage from a decent range or, in the Warlock’s case, allow you to revive yourself. The stronger you are as an individual, the better your team will be.
These 3 tips will get help prepare you for all that awaits in Crota’s End. It won’t be easy, but with a little bit of practice and dedication you will soon be able to add your name to the list of those who have managed to send Crota, Son or Oryx, to his grave.
Have you already attempted to best the Hive and their god? How have you fared? Feel free to share below. For more info on Destiny and its new expansion The Dark Below be sure to check out the official site.
Safe travels Guardians.
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