If you‘re a Destiny 2 player, you‘ve likely heard the exciting news that King‘s Fall, one of the most beloved raids from Destiny 1, has made its triumphant return in Destiny 2 as of August 26, 2022 with the launch of Season of Plunder. Even better, Bungie has made King‘s Fall completely free for all players, regardless of whether you own any DLC. This allows every Guardian to experience this iconic raid and earn powerful rewards.
Let‘s dive deeper into what you need to know about the free King‘s Fall raid so you can gather your fireteam and take on this pinnacle, must-play Destiny 2 activity.
A Legacy Raid Reborn
For Destiny veterans, few raids stir up nostalgia like King‘s Fall. This sprawling six-player activity first released in 2015 as part of The Taken King expansion for Destiny 1, serving as the capstone to that content drop. King‘s Fall became renowned for its intense teamwork-driven encounters, challenging bosses, and sweet loot.
Who could forget desperately trying to take down Warpriest before the buff expired? Or precariously navigating the jumping puzzle after Golgoroth to reach the Deathsingers? The final battle against Oryx still stands as one of the most complex and mechanically demanding boss fights Bungie has ever designed.
So when Bungie announced they would be bringing a reprisal of King‘s Fall into Destiny 2 as part of the Season of Plunder roadmap, excitement exploded within the game‘s community. Players fondly reminisced about late nights spent raiding the Dreadnaught with their clanmates. Content creatorseagerly speculated on how Bungie might update the raid while retaining its magic.
After two months of anticipation, Guardians can experience this iconic piece of Destiny history firsthand in Destiny 2. While Bungie has refreshed the raid with new visuals and some fight tweaks, all the beloved mechanics and challenges return. Let‘s explore what awaits you in King‘s Fall 2.0.
Free For All Players – No DLC Needed
The best part about the arrival of King‘s Fall in Destiny 2 is that it‘s completely free for all players, regardless of whether you own any expansions or season passes. Yup, even if you‘re on the free-to-play New Light track, you can still access this raid and earn its epic loot. Bungie explicitly confirmed King‘s Fall would not be locked behind any DLC paywall.
This furthers Bungie‘s ongoing mission to make Destiny 2‘s raids and other endgame content more accessible to the whole community. Removing barriers to entry allows more players to experience these pinnacle co-op activities and rewards. It also helps keep the game feeling alive and thriving for both newbies and veterans.
Other free raids in Destiny 2 include Vault of Glass from Destiny 1 and Vow of the Disciple added earlier this year. Making these marquee activities free unlocks Destiny 2‘s true strength – its phenomenal raiding scene that demands tight teamwork and communication.
So gather up your squad and prepare to take on King‘s Fall no matter what content you own. As long as you meet the Power requirement, it‘s go time!
Recommended Power Level and Contest Mode
Speaking of Power level, all players attempting King‘s Fall should strive for at least 1560 Power before jumping in. This soft cap ensures your Guardian has unlocked enough subclass trees, armor mods, and acquired sufficiently strong weapons to survive.
During the first 24 hours after King‘s Fall launched, Bungie enabled Contest Mode, capping players at 15 levels under each encounter. This made the activity extremely challenging for the hundreds of fireteams racing for World‘s First glory. Contest Mode has now been disabled, but 1560 remains the recommended Power.
At 1560 you may still find some encounters difficult, but with skill and teamwork it‘s very possible to clear. If you want to overlevel and trivialize the mechanics, shoot for the hard cap of 1580. However, Contest Mode proved that King‘s Fall is plenty beatable at 1545.
Reprised Raid with New Twists
As mentioned above, King‘s Fall in Destiny 2 closely recreates the most memorable fights from the Destiny 1 raid while providing some new mechanics and twists. Here is a quick overview of the encounters and challenges you‘ll face:
Opening – Make your way through the open-air Hanging Crypts into the foreboding Hellmouth. Navigate jumping puzzles as a team to proceed.
Totems – Split into pairs to capture and hold sacrificial plates while defending against hordes of Hive.
Warpriest – Damage an ascendant Hive champion before he absorbs too much darkness.
Golgoroth – Burst down a massive ogre‘s critical spot then dismantle unstable corrupted light.
Deathsingers – Survive against two deadly singers of the Deathsong while their defenses slowly drop.
Oryx – The Taken King himself. Stagger Oryx then detonate corrupted light orbs to damage him. Watch out for add waves!
Bungie injected new challenges into each fight so veterans can‘t simply sleepwalk to victory. There are also weekly Challenge Modes that modify encounters and grant extra rewards.
Overall, King‘s Fall retains the mechanical intricacy and coordination required to overwhelm Oryx‘s fortress. Expect familiar levels of difficulty mixed with fresh curveballs. Now let‘s look at the prizes awaiting teams who conquer this raid.
Exclusive Loot and Rewards
Vanquishing King‘s Fall allows your fireteam to earn exclusive legendary weapons, armor, materials, and the Touch of Malice exotic scout rifle. This powerful prize channels Oryx‘s dark essence into a beam of continuous damage.
On normal mode, gear drops range from 1550 to 1560 Power, serving as excellent progression into the endgame. Once you hit the pinnacle cap, duplicates provide high stat rolls. Master difficulty introduces Harrowed gear with extra perks.
The raid also offers spoils of conquest to purchase Exotics like Collective Obligation pulse rifle from hidden chests. Various Triumphs award emblems, shaders, sparrows and Destiny 2‘s new plundered elemental rhinos.
Outside the game, completing King‘s Fall milestones makes you eligible for special Bungie Rewards. These included physical collectibles like raid rings and belts. There will likely be more IRL prizes for future King‘s Fall events.
However, the true rewards are the memories made with your fireteam while mastering each complex encounter through teamwork and communication.
World First Race Recap
Before we dive further into strategies and tips, let‘s look back on the exciting World First race that took place during King‘s Fall‘s launch weekend.
Hundreds of teams representing clans and communities across the globe raced to clinch the title belt and etch their names into Destiny history. Here are some key stats:
Over 500 teams registered on raid.report‘s World First tracker
57 teams passed Totems encounter in first 24 hours
Only 6 teams reached final boss Oryx within 24 hours
Winning run took 4 hours and 58 minutes to complete
Clan Elysium averaged 1530 Power during contest mode cap
After an intense opening day of progression and heartbreak, one veteran clan managed to defeat King‘s Fall before any other – Clan Elysium.
Clan Elysium‘s World First Victory
[table] |Clan Member|Class||-|-|
|Ehroar|Titan|
|Gigz|Hunter|
|Anasazi|Warlock|
|ZK|Warlock|
|Leopard|Titan|
|Claw|Hunter|
[/table]
The winning fireteam consisted of long-time Destiny raiders including prominent community figures like Ehroar and Gigz. Their flawless execution and mastery of encounters like Warpriest and Golgoroth allowed them to reach Oryx while many others struggled.
After remaining neck and neck with rival Squid Squad for much of the race, Elysium‘s consistent team play paid off. They finally defeated Oryx after nearly 5 hours at an average of 15 levels below contest cap.
For Clan Elysium, this marked their third Destiny 2 World First raid victory, cementing their dominance in PvE challenges. Their flawless run proved both skill and experience still win out when tackling brand new content. Elysium‘s victory underlined the team‘s chemistry and capability to adapt and optimize under extreme pressure.
In interviews after their World First, Elysium members emphasized how communication and staying emotionally grounded were just as key as mechanical execution. Each encounter required extensive strategizing and troubleshooting to identify optimal loadouts and subclass choices.
Overall, Elysium‘s feat inspires all Destiny 2 teams to work together and avoid toxicity even in the most difficult moments. Their words ring true – focus on the team, not individual glory.
One of Destiny‘s Most Challenging Raids
Across both Destiny 1 and 2, King‘s Fall remains one of the most mechanically complex and unforgiving raids ever crafted by Bungie. Even after years of experience beating King‘s Fall back in 2015, most players agree the Destiny 2 reprisal feels just as difficult.
While King‘s Fall doesn‘t necessarily have the most punishing damage checks or endless add waves of something like Day 1 Vow of the Disciple, its coordination requirements are sky high. Missing even a single dunk, bomb throw, or orb detonation can quickly snowball into a wipe. Communication and timing must be flawless across the entire team.
Let‘s look at a few key examples of the razor thin margins between success and failure in King‘s Fall:
Warpriest‘s DPS windows leave only seconds to optimize damage with buff stacking.
Golgoroth‘s unstable corrupted light orbs detonate faster on each rotation.
The Daughters of Oryx enrage after absorbing too much damage.
During the Oryx fight, even one missed knight or detonation plunges the arena into darkness.
Simply put, King‘s Fall features little forgiveness for mistakes. Containment and recovery from any deaths or missed cues is crucial. But with practice, the satisfaction of perfect execution is immense. Once your team syncs up, victories feel hard-earned and well-deserved.
Leveling Up Your King‘s Fall Fireteam
Based on community feedback and Day 1 performances, we can determine some best practices for tackling King‘s Fall as a fireteam:
Warlocks – Well of Radiance essential for protection. Empowering rift helpful. Stasis turrets can manage adds.
Titans – Banner Shield and Ursa Furiosa synergize with Wells. Thundercrash and Hammer Strike burst damage.
Hunters – Invis and Shadowshot shine. Mobeus Quiver tethers groups. Gathering Storm suppresses foes.
Weapons – Lament, Gjallarhorn, Divinity, Triple Tap sniper rifles. Bring Arbalest for Match Game shields.
Exotics – Starfire Protocol, Lunafaction Boots, Celestial Nighthawk, and more boost damage and ability regen.
While King‘s Fall is absolutely completable with any class makeup, consciously aligning your subclasses and gear boosts effectiveness. Play to each Guardian‘s strengths and bring both boss melt power and add clear utility.
Master Difficulty Awaits
For teams seeking the ultimate challenge, the Master difficulty of King‘s Fall launches on November 22, 2022. Master tests even seasoned raiders with both contest mode level caps and new mechanical twists.
To have a fighting chance, your fireteam‘s average Power should reach at least 1580. All enemies in Master are much more lethal, but teamwork can still overcome the inflated Power gaps. The activity also offers chances at Adept weapons and armor for your trouble.
Similar to past Master raids in Destiny 2, expect King‘s Fall Master to push your coordination and focus to their limits. But keeping calm and working together will be the difference between glorious triumph and crushing defeat.
The Joy of Free Destiny 2 Raids
While the challenges within King‘s Fall are steep, the fact that Bungie made it free-to-play for all is incredibly player friendly. Accessibility allows more Guardians to experience Destiny 2‘s crown jewel game mode – co-op raiding.
Raids aren‘t just the pinnacle of challenge in Destiny 2; they are a vibrant social experience. The connections forged while raiding leave an impression as strong as any loot you earn. Making activities like King‘s Fall and Vault of Glass free unlocks those unforgettable memories for the whole community.
And if you still need proof that free-to-play players can absolutely demolish raid content, just look at recent Vow of the Disciple race finishes. Multiple teams with zero DLC purchases completed Vow just minutes behind the winners.
So don‘t feel intimidated if you‘re new to Destiny 2 raiding and anxious to try King‘s Fall. Join LFG groups, be honest about your experience, and find a supportive team to learn with. The Destiny community‘s amazing sherpas exist to guide you through these iconic adventures.
Conquer the King Once Again
Hopefully this guide has prepped you to dive into Destiny 2‘s replay of King‘s Fall. Recapture the magic alongside your fireteam and etch your name into Destiny lore. Study up on each encounter‘s intricacies. Sharpen your reaction times and communication until you operate as a single unit.
Most importantly, cherish the experience of overcoming adversities together. Bond through shared hardship and triumph. Prove your coordinate domination against Oryx‘s elite Taken legions.
Rise up, Guardians. The Taken King awaits. Go forth and claim your destiny!
