Destiny 2 Crota’s End Raid guide: How to defeat Crota

Rishov Mukherjee
A screenshot from the game Destiny 2

Crota’s End is officially out in Destiny 2 leading to several new players and first-timers diving into the raid to obtain all the lucrative loot it has to offer. Here is a deep dive into the final encounter of the raid which is Crota himself.

Crota’s End is not necessarily the hardest raid out there, but in Destiny 2 it has been quite a challenge. Crota especially has been a tough one to crack in this game as the boss hits hard and his massive health pool made contest mode quite difficult.

In fact, such was the contest difficulty that most Destiny veterans feel they have not felt challenged to this level in several years now. This meant that as soon as contest mode was over, the casual player base started to dive deep into the raid to not just experience it but also obtain the loot.

If you are a new player and have never done the raid, here is a full guide on the mechanics of Crota.

Guide to defeating Crota in Destiny 2 Crota’s End raid

A step-by-step guide on the various mechanics that you need to keep in mind in order to defeat Crota in Destiny 2 has been presented below:

Step 1: Clear out the towers

A screenshot from the game Destiny 2
Defeat the Hive Knights inside the towers

Once the encounter starts you will notice that there are two towers on both corners of the boss room. Inside those towers, there will be basic Hive knights. You must kill these Hive knights as the rest of the encounter depends on it.

Ideally, you want to divide your team into two sections to clear out the knights quickly. The knights aren’t hard, and a fusion rifle with a Strand grenade can quickly wipe them off.

Step 2: Ogres and Swordbearer

A screenshot from the game Destiny 2
Defeat the Ogres but do not kill the Swordbearer knight yet

Once the Hive knights in both towers are dead, two Ogres and a Swordbearer knight will spawn in the middle section of the room. Remember that in order to spawn them, you must kill the Hive knights in the towers. Therefore, it is recommended that you keep one player in charge of the towers at all times.

Now, once the Ogres spawn, you should clear them out but do not kill the Swordbearer knight yet.

Step 3: The Chalice of Light

A screenshot from the game Destiny 2
One player needs to pick up the Chalice of Light

You will notice that in the middle of the room, there will be a Chalice of Light (similar to the ones you must have noticed in every other encounter so far). Once you grab the Chalice a small bar will start to fill up. Once that bar fills up a 10-second timer will start.

Someone needs to take the buff from you before the timer runs out or else you will die.

Step 4: Become Enlightened

A screenshot from the game Destiny 2
The buff needs to be exchanged inside the Pool of Light

Once you pick up the Chalice of Light, you will notice one of the five sections in the room will glow brightly with white light. This glow will look like a pool of light as shown in the image above. Whoever picks up the Chalice of Light needs to stand in this pool of light.

Once the bar on the left-hand side of the screen fills up and the 10-second timer begins, you need to exchange the buff inside the pool of light. As soon as a player picks up the chalice of light from you, a message will pop up on the left-hand side of your screen saying that you are enlightened.

Step 5: Obtain the sword

A screenshot from the game Destiny 2
Obtain a sword after you are Enlightened

Once you are enlightened, kill the Swordbearer knight and get the sword. The reason why you should not kill the swordbearer knight before as the sword that it drops will disappear. However, you cannot pick up the sword unless you are enlightened.

Keep the sword with yourself and do not drop it or hit Crota with it. If you drop the sword or hit Crota, the sword will disappear and you will be unable to pick it up again.

Step 6: Cycle the Enlightened buff and deposit the Chalice of Light

A screenshot from the game Destiny 2
The buffs need to be cycled across multiple players

Repeat steps 1 to 5 to make sure that another player in your team gets access to a sword. At this point, your team should have two swords in your possession.

Now, your team needs to get a third player enlightened, but do not give them a sword. Just let them stay enlightened. Meanwhile, the fourth player who picked up the Chalice of Light from the third player needs to deposit it at a plate.

This way you preserve the Chalice for the next phase.

Step 7: Break Crota’s Shield

A screenshot from the game Destiny 2
Use your sword to break Crota’s shield

At this point, you should have two players with swords and one player who is enlightened. Walk up to Crota, place a Well of Radiance, and start beating down Crota’s shield.

Step 8: Crota’s DPS and Oversoul mechanic

A screenshot from the game Destiny 2
DPS Crota and break the Oversoul

Once Crota’s shield breaks, it is time to DPS the boss. Hit the boss as much as possible to make sure that you can take down his health bar to somewhere around 50%.

However, there is a catch to this DPS encounter. While the DPS begins, Crota’s oversoul mechanic will start. You will get a 30-second timer for the DPS. However, once the timer reaches somewhere around 5 seconds, the third enlightened member who did not pick up a sword should hit the oversoul with their weapon.

Once the oversoul breaks the DPS will stop. If you do not break the oversoul in time, Crota will wipe your entire fireteam.

Step 9: Final Stand

A screenshot from the game Destiny 2
Deal enough damage in final stand to take down Crota

Once Crota’s HP reaches the threshold, his Final Stand will begin. During the Final Stand, guard your swords and stand inside a Well of Radiance as Crota performs a small AoE attack that will push you away. His shield will appear and disappear after a few seconds and you need to finish him off right now.

Once you deal enough DPS, Crota will finally fall. It is important to mention here that Step 6 can be performed in two ways. You can collect two swords at once or even three and then take down Crota’s shield in one go.

Otherwise, you can take one sword, break Crota’s shield a little, and then repeat steps 1 to 5 again. This will depend on how comfortable your team is with collecting multiple swords. However, you must remember that breaking his shield at once is the encounter challenge.

If you learn it now, then it will be easier for you once Master version of the raid arrives later on.

Weapons for Crota DPS in Destiny 2 Crota’s End Raid

A screenshot from the game Destiny 2
The Lament is the best DPS option against Crota

In order to DPS Crota, Legend of Acrius and Lament are your best options. These weapons will deal an insane amount of damage and you can take down Crota very fast. These weapons worked the best in contest mode, which means they will work marvelously in normal mode.

However, one person in your fireteam needs to have access to Tractor Cannon. This weapon will help debuff Crota. The player using Tractor Cannon can run a good fusion rifle to DPS the boss from time to time.

Lastly, Oversoul can be broken quite easily with an autorifle or a fusion rifle.

This concludes our guide for the Crota encounter in the Crota’s End raid. If you found it informative, please check out some of our other guides at Dexerto.

Deepsight Harmonizers: How to farm, use, and what weapons to convert | Exotic Mission Rotator: What it is, how to access, schedule, loot table | Best Exotic weapons | Best PvP Weapons | Best PvE Weapons | Destiny 2 Season of the Witch: Release date, raid, power cap, & more | Best Titan Builds | Best Warlock Builds | Best Arc 3.0 Builds | Best Solar 3.0 Builds | Best Void 3.0 Builds  |  Best Stasis Builds

About The Author

Rishov is a Games Writer at Dexerto. He holds a Masters degree in Astrophysics from St Xavier's College in Kolkata, India, and has previously worked at Sportskeeda. In his spare time, he enjoys playing Street Fighter, Destiny 2, Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, the games he specializes in as well. If you want to get in touch, contact Rishov at rishov.mukherjee@dexerto.com