The Spire of the Watcher dungeon in Destiny 2 presents a formidable challenge, especially on the Ultimatum difficulty. This guide aims to provide clear, step-by-step instructions to help you navigate and conquer this dungeon.
Before entering the dungeon, ensure your Guardian is well-equipped and ready for battle. Preparation can be the deciding factor between success and failure.
Power Level:
Aim for at least 1570 for the standard difficulty. However, for Ultimatum (Master) difficulty, your power level should be at least 1610. This ensures you can survive high-damage attacks and deal enough damage in return.
Recommended Weapons:
- Primary Weapon: Witherhoard is ideal for area control and sustained damage.
- Secondary Weapon: A reliable SMG, like Funnelweb or IKELOS SMG, is great for close-range combat.
- Heavy Weapon: Linear Fusion Rifles such as Taipan-4FR or Cataclysmic are excellent for boss DPS.
Subclasses and Roles:
- Hunter: Use Gunslinger with Celestial Nighthawk to land high-damage precision shots during damage phases.
- Warlock: Dawnblade with Well of Radiance helps keep your team alive while boosting damage.
- Titan: Opt for Striker with Thundercrash, especially when paired with Cuirass of the Falling Star, to deliver burst damage to bosses.
Encounter 1: Reestablishing Power
As you enter the dungeon, you’ll see a locked central hatch with several inactive nodes linked by yellow power cables.
Step-by-Step:
- Defeat Conduit Minotaurs: These enemies drop a white pool when defeated. Stepping into the pool grants the Arctrician buff for 30 seconds, which lets you activate nodes.
- Activate Nodes: With the buff active, follow the yellow cable from the central hatch to a node with a flashing arrow. Shoot it to activate it. Follow the cable’s path to the next node, and shoot it as well. Each successful activation adds five seconds to the timer.
- Complete Circuits: There are four different circuits to activate. Once you power all of them, the central hatch opens.
Stay alert for enemies throughout the encounter, and rotate buff responsibilities with your teammates for efficiency.
Encounter 2: Akelous, the Siren’s Current
This encounter takes place at the top of the spire. The area has a central platform with four arms extending outward, each ending in a fuel rod.
How to Proceed:
- Get Arctrician Buff: Again, defeat a Conduit Minotaur to obtain the buff.
- Power the Rods: From the central area, follow the yellow cables out toward each rod. Shoot all the connected nodes along each walkway to activate the fuel rods.
- Initiate Damage Phase: Once all four rods are active, Akelous will hover near the last one powered.
Damage Phase Details:
- Aim for the red eyes on Akelous’s wings. Destroying them opens up its core.
- Shoot the exposed core to inflict real damage.
- Watch out for its concussive blast at the end of the phase. Move back toward the center or one of the walkways to avoid getting knocked off the platform.
Repeat this cycle until the boss is taken down. Teamwork and positioning are crucial here due to the risk of falling.
Encounter 3: Persys, Primordial Ruin
This final boss resides in a two-room area: the reactor room and the safe room.
Starting the Encounter:
- Clear Hydras and Conduit Minotaurs: Obtain the Arctrician buff.
- Activate Red Nodes: Use the buff to power red nodes on the pillars and around the door to gain access to the reactor.
Mechanics:
- Lure Persys: Draw the boss into the reactor room.
- Activate Yellow Nodes: As Persys moves into the room, activate yellow nodes connected to the reactor’s generators. Be careful not to activate the final node until Persys is completely inside.
- Seal the Door: Once ready, quickly retreat to the safe room and use the Arctrician buff to power red nodes and shut the reactor door.
Damage Phase:
- After the reactor explodes, Persys’s shield will break.
- Re-enter and do as much damage as possible before the shield returns.
- Rinse and repeat until the boss is defeated.
This fight is all about timing. If the door closes too late or too early, the cycle will reset, and you’ll waste time. Assign roles to your fireteam to handle buff collection, node activation, and boss aggro.
Additional Tips for Success
- Stay Mobile: Many of the boss attacks have strong knockback. Keep moving and avoid lingering near ledges.
- Rotate Buff Roles: Sharing responsibility for collecting the Arctrician buff keeps the pace smooth.
- Communicate Constantly: Call out which nodes are active and coordinate your attacks during the damage phase.
- Target Prioritization: Eliminate enemies that drop buffs first. Keep your field clear so node activation isn’t interrupted.
Reward for Victory
After defeating Persys, you’ll have a shot at earning the Hierarchy of Needs, a unique Solar Exotic combat bow that fires guidance ring projectiles. Along with new armor pieces, completing this dungeon on Master difficulty also gives a Triumph towards the WANTED title, making the effort worthwhile for dedicated players.
