Destiny Nightfall Tips

Destiny Nightfall Tips by Cheetah998

So this is going to be a long post. And this is for the solo players. I’ll be outlining what and how to solo every Nightfall in text.

This post uses a key, so you can skip to the sections you want to read! bold represents a new topic or Strike. Italic writing represents a new sub-topic. x) or 0) Represents new parts of a sub-topic or Strike.

Right, down to the Character and Subclass selection.

Warlock:

Sunsinger and Self Revive. Using Voidwalker is simply greedy, so don’t do it, unless you’re 250.4589% confident in your own ability. AND. NEVER. USE. FIREBOLT IN PVE. I recommend:

• Fusion / Solar / Vortex / Scatter grenade. Fireborn / Lance / Vortex super. Flame Shield / Life Steal / Surge melee. Touch of Flame + Viking Funeral / Radiant Will + Gift of the Sun / Annihilate + Bloom trees.
• Maximise Recovery and Toughness. Agility is at a cost – stay your charge.
• HotPF, Skull (No, not Obsidian Mind), Apotheosis Veil.

Titan:

Striker and Defender are suitable. It depends on what Strike you’re doing. ALWAYS use Flashbang or Suppression grenade when against Hive. They completely disable Wizards. I recommend:

• Magnetic / Suppression / Flashbang grenades. Any super ability. Any tree ability – whatever you prefer is good (No Iron Harvest, obviously). Recharging overshield / Healing kills.
• Maximise Toughness and Agility. As a Titan, you have no Agility and Armour is your main stat. Don’t think for a second this will save you from more than one bullet. Ever.
• Armamentarium, Ruin Wings (Heavy MUST be with the burn), NB Plans.

Hunter:

Don’t even use Bladedancer. Ever. Unless you’re up against Fallen – oh wait, Shank. Never use it solo. I despair when Hunters solo as a bladedancer – it’s invisibility helps to revive, not to keep alive. ONLY use Incendiary / Flux. Gunfighter on Solar burn. Vanish / Combustion. Gambler’s Dagger / Scavenger / Shadowjack / Stalker. Incendiary Blade / Escape Artist. (That’s if you really like the Bladedancer).

• Maximise Armour.
• Don’t Touch Me, Radiant Dance Machines, Mask / Symbiote.

Banned weapons:

• Primary Exotics (Excluding Vex / Necrochasm) – there’s no way you don’t have at least some VoG legendaries, even if they’re not the right burn: Always try and use an element. Even if there is no burn, prioritise shields.
• Exotic Fusion rifles (Vex excluded). Never.
• Rubbish exotics (SGA, NLB, TLW)
• < 300 attack incorrect burn, < 272 burn.

Moving on, let’s look at the tactics. Remind yourself of the key if you must.

Earth – Devils’ Lair

1. Fusion Rifle for the first part, sniper after and on the Walker. Always use Black Hammer on the walker, even if it isn’t solar burn. It’ll die quick enough. Alright, sparrow to the first room. Kill everything. Move to the battle, prioritise the Hive and then the Fallen sniper. Don’t jump off the metal grate platform where the Fallen snipe from later on. Deploy your ghost, and run back to where you came (The heart of the Hive stands where I’m talking about).
2. Fusion Rifle with Arc is excellent here. Spray down Captains’ Shields with it and finish them off with Heavy or Special. Use the same on the Reaver Stealth Vandal snipers. Use grenades on Shanks. Always stay back, and NEVER jump down from the metal grate sniping position. If Stealth Vandals approach – Jump, Grenade, Slide, Sprint.
3. That part should be easy. The Walker is also easy. Go all the way to the left, where the Vandals snipe on the first DLC mission. Don’t move from there. Get your sniper out, and if you need ammo for your (Black Hammer) sniper, use a Synth or Ice Breaker. Snipe the legs, this couldn’t be easier, you literally can’t die (move out the way if you see a laser – just be safe!). Once he’s dead, snipe the remaining enemies, or go uo to the massive ditch and peek over the top of it, periodically killing stuff. DO NOT RUN unless it’s mostly safe. Hunters can go invisible.
4. Sepiks. Plenty of Reaver enemies here. Clear the room, and then move into the room on the left. Use primary and special on Sepiks, and when you can, go underneath him in the Pit – make sure you always have overhead cover. Use grenades on Shank, and use Heavy on all the Reavers. Stay back in the room, and you’ll be just fine!

Earth – That screaming !@£!

Don’t solo this Strike. I’m not joking, it’s near-impossible. Just LFG it. I really have no tactics but to just stay back and take ages to do it. I solo’d it in 2 and a quarter hours. HOURS.

Moon – Spongebullet Chainpants

1. Run to the runes room. Kill all enemies and move quickly. Do not skip the room with the leveled Wizards and Thrall etc. etc., it doesn’t even have Darkness. When you get into the runes room hide next to the door and take your time. Kill in this order: Cursed Thralls next to groups of enemies, Thralls (even w/ out Lightswitch), Cursed Thralls, Rusher Knights, Exploder Acolytes, Normal Acolytes. Use your own Judgement though – if you’re on 1 quarter and there are 3 Boomers, just run away. Use elemental weapons. This is EASILY the hardest part of the strike. The first two waves are easy if you’re patient. The Wizards at the end must be dealt with alone. Suppression or Flash grenade are borderline OP here – and all grenades help. USE ALL OF YOUR HEAVY ROCKETS. DON’T BE STINGY. Preferably, you’ll want to rocket them as they come out.
2. Run past everything and get to Phogoth. Watch for Cursed Thralls. It really helps to throw a grenade in the room just behind that ogre. If Lightswitch is active, kill everything in the Ogre room. Always run past that second room, unless the wizard cuts you off. Always run past the two Hallowed Knights in the hallway.
3. Kill spongebullet squarepants. This is actually extremely easy – You know that if you stay in the room in front of phogoth a shrieker spawns? Well in the room behind that you’re safe. Pop out of the room and shoot phogoth, go back, regenerate, reload and wait out enemies or the shrieker (Takes around 10s) and go back. Don’t stay in the Shrieker room for too long. 1 mag is pushing it with snipers. A fusion with the right burn is better than any weapon, heavy included (Jellyhorrnnnnn). Note that knights and thralls WILL annoy you, so kill them from inside the safe room. If you want use some Heavy Ammo Synthesisers to hurry it up, do it. The Knights may not despawn. Don’t rocket yourself…

Venus – The awfully quiet boss. Contemplative, perhaps?

1. Run past anything and everything to the Servitors Room. When you’re there go forward and Firefly / grenade the Dregs that spawn. Stay near the entrance door. The shank are approaching, so use your special and stand near or in the door. When tons of enemies spawn in the building directly in front of you, rockets. 2 should do just fine. Target the Servitors last, they can’t hit the broadside of a barn.
2. Run past more of everything and when you get to the room with the Vex and the two sniping hobgoblins use your Launcher, Fusion Rifle or Auto rifle to kill the long line of vex when you get past those hob snipers. Stay in the room with the harpies, and Fusion Rifle or Snipe the Axis Goblins. They deal damage, especially on Void Burn. Use rockets on the Minotaurs – don’t even compromise. Snipe the Hobs (vengeance) and spray down remaining enemies. Don’t use heavy on the billion goblins in that tunnel thing – use a quick grenade, retreat and finish any off. After that you’ll be in that dark tunnel. Run though and when you get outside there will be that huge clump of goblins. Stay back and use grenades and DO NOT USE HEAVY AMMO. When they’re done equip your Void Fusion rifle (Optional of course) and jump down. Kill the Minotaurs one by one. DO NOT rush them all at once.
3. The hardest boss in the game to fight solo. DO NOT USE YOUR HEAVY ON THE BOSS. THE WAVES OF VEX ARE BASED ON HIS HEALTH REMAINING. USE YOUR HEAVY AMMO ON THEM. Use grenades early after each wave of Vex on the boss if you have them left, so they can recharge.
4. When you’ve killed all those minotaurs run to the area on the left of the jump down. It is the ELEVATED area of the room with a long wall covering most of it. You can cheese this by going as far left as possible, jumping up on a rock, then jumping up. I won’t tell you how to do this, just search it if you must. When Vex spawn in first target the close wave on the right side, then turn around kill the left wave and then focus on any remaining enemies. Shoot hobgoblins first, and as they are in shield mode kill goblins. Amounts of Harpy will rush you, kill them before you shoot hobs. When all vex are dead, take your damage on the boss. Use primary ammo on him. Use the wall for cover and never attack the boss unless you have full health. Use sticky grenades again. NEVER. EVER! Peek without full health. You will be destroyed. Immediately. Thank the Bungievision if it’s Arc Burn, it makes it the EASIEST boss to solo.

Venus – The Pseudo-Captain

1. Run past everything until the Ketch. Exterminate Vex. Prioritise Minotaur and Captain – but watch for Hobgoblins. Then, kill Fallen enemies. Send Ghost out to the door.
2. Move to the right side, jump on the rock in front of the darkness door that spawns Hobgoblins, and jump up high to the huge rock above and in front of this rock. You’ll be relatively safe here. Target hobgoblins first, as well as Harpy. This part can be hard with the second wave spawning three Axis Hobgoblins on the right side. Just make sure you keep on your toes and always regenerate before fighting large waves of hobgoblins. Use grenades on Miner-bots (Minotaurs) and pick at those pesky Goblins.
3. Run past everything until the boss fight area. Unless it’s void burn. Or solar burn. In which case, just be patient and snipe everything in the Pike part (“Think they’d mind if we took their pikes?” – Dopey Ghost). And no, no Pikes even if it is Arc. Those Hobs will decimate you on it. Everything will. In the second to last area there will be two Hydra, if you must kill the one on the top using a sniper rifle. The bottom as well. Jump up on the rightmost ledge, closest to the entry area of the room. Run past enemies if possible. Primary down the large wave of Vex atop after killing Hydra if not, and waltz to the “prison” (yeah, so he keeps a gun in his cell).
4. Fighting the Archon Priest is SUPER EASY. All you need to do is clean out all enemies and go to the start area. Kill shank and vandals that aim at you. Prioritise Stealth Vandals and Melee Captains. Use as much Heavy ammo on the boss as possible. If everything comes at you at once, jump up on the rock behind you (where you came from) and run back. You’ll be safe, honestly!

Mars – We do not speak, of the beast, of his disproportionate skull, nor of his infinite Wolfpack Gjallarhorns.

1. Get to the “ambush room”. Run past everyone before here. Hide at the very back of the room (near where you entered) and target Colossi first. Hide behind rocks and don’t even think of popping out quickly. Take out “advanced” (Major) Phalanx, Legionaries and Psion in that order. Slowly move up the room and keep as close to the door as possible after you leave the back of the room. if you die, you’re okay, it’s not Darkness yet. You can run past everything because of this.
2. The leftenants (I’m British (technically Libyan)) part of the strike is hard. When you get to that room with the interceptors target the colossus first. Use a grenade on him. Next target advancing enemies in order of close… ness. Whatever. Ignore the interceptors. As you exit the room, target the legionaries on the right side. Ignore that colossus in the centre. Keep out his LoS or range. There will be about 6 of them, one of them may be Imperial depending on difficulty.
3. Next target those Centurions that have inevitably been spamming you with their fiery noob tubes. Use a sniper or a fire fusion rifle. If you use the rifle then yes, rush them. If they keep hiding be patient or Grenade + Heavy rush them. As soon as they are dead retreat to the rocks just outside the Interceptor room. Kill the Colossus in the centre of the area. Kill everyone else while moving forward slowly, avoiding the centre of the map. Go up through the left of the map, using the ramps to get to the leftenant boss. Kill the leftenant using primary spam or secondary if you’re still using a fusion rifle. As soon as you kill him go into the building he was in. (Most elevated part covered with cover, where the big holo computer is). The dropship will arrive. As soon as it drops troops, thrown a nade at the colossus and finish him off. Use a rocket just before all the troops drop. Turn to your right, check for enemies. Then kill advancing enemies, followed by other enemies in order: Imperials, Legionaries, Phalanx, Psions. The mini-boss will approach you, so jump down if he gets near. Watch the right side, there will be supporting Majors coming.
4. The tank. Use a Black Hammer or a burn – related sniper (or any old sniper if all else fails). Snipe the tanks’ jets from a distance and jump just before he shoots the big cannon. He shouldn’t use any other weapons. Jump back up the ledge if he is. This means stay in the area with the dead leftenants. After you kill the tank, jump down but be conservative and cautious still. Don’t be cocky, 6 enemies can still end you. Get on (your dancing shoes) your sparrow and go straight to Valus, avoiding everyone else except in the room before him. Kill all these enemies by staying right next to the door you entered from. Play conservatively and kill in this order: Rushing enemies, Centurions, Yellows, Legionaries, Phalanx, Psions.
5. Valus. Everyone’s most hated boss. Shall we get started? Don’t shoot Valus until the door behind him is fully closed, because even though he can shoot you, you can’t shoot him. If you really want, cheese it by jumping behind the ramps. That’s time consuming. I recommend staying on the right. Hide at the opposite platform from him, and stay on the platform that is on the right from the entrance (or the one you see first). Stay on the back most ramp on the the platforms, and head glitch Valus (you know he deserves this). Use your sniper on him. When people spawn in target rushing enemies first, then Psions, Legionaries and Phalanx in that order.

Keep your distance. The Psions deal serious damage – I’d recommend switching to a Void MG here (Corrective is PERFECT).

Don’t rush too far, but a little rushing may be required or Valus could switch sides while you fight. Kill all ads except for phalanx in the centre of the map. Kill them when they become troublesome. When Valus switches wait until he is 3/4 way across, then sprint to the ramp on the opposite side of the platform you are on. If Valus is on the side you came in on, go to the entrance, and stand behind a cart of missiles (?), jump up on a smaller, upturned cart near it. You can head glitch him more easily here. Otherwise, stay on the opposite side of the area that Valus is on. Rinse and repeat the same method and use cover of the ramp at all times. Kill enemies to the side of you first, and then enemies above or below you, or in front. Keep sniping Valus when you can. Aim for his unusually small head. Although it seems it is unlikely he will die.

Thank you for reading and I hope I helped. Power to the Jellyhorn!