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For the first time inDestiny 2, a seasonal activity, Heist Battlegrounds: Mars, from Season of the Seraph, has been elevated into a Grandmaster Nightfall (GMs). Aside from the Lightblade, it’s a safe assumption that this activity on Grandmaster difficulty is the most brutal strike in the game to complete.
With that in mind, some players need help completing this activity efficiently. ThisDestiny 2guide will help players easily determine the best loadout and strategies for completing the Grandmaster Heist Battlegrounds: Mars.
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Best Destiny 2 Builds to Use in Heist Battlegrounds: Mars GM Nightfall in Season 20
First, players must determine what loadout/setup to use, starting with Warlocks. Given the difficulty level, it goes without saying that Warlocks will be glued to the Starfire ProtocolSolar build that hasbeen so dominant for multiple seasons now. Since there are hundreds of enemies throughout the activity, running double Ashes to Asset mods with Fusion Grenades will allow players to gain their Well of Radiance constantly. Running at least two, if not a whole team of Warlocks running this setup would be ideal.
As mentioned in the Proving Grounds Grandmaster Nightfall guide,Hunters are giventhe short end of the stick when it comes to viable builds in PvE content like GMs. That said, they can be a great support class using a Void or Strand build. Void Hunters should revolve around the Orpheus Rig Exotic leg piece, which generates an abundance of Orbs of Power when Tethering enemies with their Shadowshot super. Strand is also a good option for suspending enemies.
Given the sheer enemy density throughout the Grandmaster, the best options for a Titan would be to run either an Arc, Void,or Strand build,which all specialize in enemy control. Arc Titans will provide the best results in slaying enemies but don’t provide many defensive options, leaving them vulnerable in tight situations. Void Titan is arguably the best setup for offense and defense but doesn’t specialize in either, so it’s up to the Guardian for that. Strand Titan provides excellent protection and support for the team but can’t “slay out” as the other subclasses can. In the end, either build will do just fine, and it’s up to the player’s play style on which setup they choose.
How to Beat Heist Battlegrounds: Mars GM Nightfall in Season 20 - Opening Area
Moving onto the GMitself, the activity can be broken down into three significant sectors of importance, the Opening Area, Defending the Door, and the Boss Room. Starting with the Opening Area, arguably the most challenging part of the activity, the team should coordinate and move to each Zone, A, B, and C, one at a time.
Starting with Zone A, the team should clear out the enemies in the area, then before destroying the gunk from the tower, they should move over to the far right side of the complex, near the giant Shrieker. When the gunk is cleared, a yellow-bar Acolyte will spawn, and if it reaches the Shrieker, the team will lose all of their abilities and cause the Shrieker eye to open, essentially guaranteeing the group to wipe. The team should, by any means necessary, kill the Acolyte before that happens. After the Acolyte is destroyed, the team can proceed to protect the Zone from incoming hostiles, including two Unstoppable champions, which should be dealt with swiftly before anything else.
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After Zone A is completed, the group should move over to Zone B, where they will be with a giant yellow-bar Knight whom, as one would expect, should be dealt with immediately before clearing the gunk from the tower. When the Knight is defeated and the gunk removed, two Anti-Barrier and one Unstoppable champion will spawn, along with an army of Thrall. Use Grenades on the Thrall and Heavy ammo to swiftly stun and destroy the champions before they become a problem. A Well of Radiance for this section would be great as well.
For Zone C, players should remove the gunk immediately and back away from the tower. Unless the team sits in multiple Wells of Radiance, standing on the Zone until it finishes will assuredly wipe the team, given the number of enemies that spawn. Instead, they should back off and pick them individually, including the Unstoppable champion that spawns soon after the gunk is removed. When the Zone is cleared, it’s time to defend the door.
How to Beat Heist Battlegrounds: Mars GM Nightfall in Season 20 - Defending the Door
Defending the door is the closest thingDestiny 2hasto a “horde mode,“as the team must protect Ghost while he is opening the door from waves of incoming Hive. There’s no real way to sugarcoat that completing this section efficiently comes down to how good the player’s build is at spamming abilities, as the sheer number of enemies that spawn as the fight progresses is mind-boggling to the point where it seems almost unfair.
If it becomes too much, the team can escape from where they entered out into the Opening Area, but then it will become challenging to take the room back. That said, with the proper setup and coordination, team-shotting each enemy will prove highly effective in this section, especially against the numerous champions and giant yellow-bar Ogre that spawns. When the progress point reaches 100%, all the enemies will despawn, and players can begin heading toward the final Boss Room.
How to Beat Heist Battlegrounds: Mars GM Nightfall in Season 20 - Boss Room
Unsurprisingly, the most challenging bosses in the game, starting with the Lightblade and now the “Kelgorath” boss, are modeled after the Darkblade, who does not hesitate to run at full speed toward players. However, unlike the Lightblade, Kelgorath does not shoot projectiles that can one-shot a Guardian, making the fight easier to manage.
Players who have faced off against a “Darkblade” boss before should know the attack patterns by now, where essentially all the boss does is run at Guardians and swing down its axe, which will one-shot them if they are too close. Accompanying this along with never-ending waves of Hive Wizards and Acolytes, the final boss fight is nothing short of a chaotic mess. However, there are multiple ways to “cheese” this fight.
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The first method would be to run all the way to the bottom left or right sides of the arena to the pillars, then jump up on the ledge behind it. Standing here keeps the boss stationary and the player safe from melee attacks. However, if another player gets too close to the boss, it will turn around and run at them instead, so the rest of the team should keep their distance if the group uses this method.
The second option would be to have one player run back and forth along the arena entrance in a straight line. While getting too close to the boss leads to death, more often than not, this can be avoided by jumping over it. The player distracting the boss can run back and forth, hopping over the boss to keep it distracted, while the other two members of the team chip at its health or deal with incoming enemies. It’s not perfect by any means, but it will keep the boss in line if the other two members are confident in their ability to survive.
Remember that when the boss’s health reaches 50%, it will gain an immunity shield that can only be removed by depositing five Arc charges into the center console in the arena. However, at this time, an Unstoppable and Anti-Barrier champion will spawn in the middle as well. The team should group up and try to dispose of them as quickly as possible; otherwise, the fight will be much more chaotic with champions involved. When the champions are slain and the Arc charges deposited, the team can rinse and repeat their previous strategy until the boss dies.
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