Destiny 2: How Do You Beat The Vault Of Glass Raid And How Long Does It Take?

The Vault of Glass Raid has made its way into "Destiny 2" via the controversial "Destiny" Content Vault, but it's not quite the same Raid players might remember from the original "Destiny." Featuring new mechanics, updated encounters and some new rewards, the current Vault of Glass is a very different beast from its predecessor. It currently stands as the pinnacle of Raid content in Destiny 2 — at least until "The Witch Queen" expansion — and it'll take both time and skill to master. 

Even with a coordinated fireteam, the Vault of Glass will require precise timing and a full understanding of each encounter to overcome the bosses and challenges present within. Here's a breakdown of what to expect, how to emerge victorious and how long it will take.

This raid takes players deep into the Vex-controlled Vault and gives Guardians their first glimpse at the power these machine entities could wield. The Vault of Glass set the pace for the "Destiny" Raids that would come later, making cooperative puzzles, intense combat and precise timing all a staple of the endgame activities. Guardians have spent countless hours trying to unravel the Vault's mysteries and best its bosses, but arming oneself with the right knowledge is the key to victory.

Getting into the Vault of Glass is a little more complicated than simply loading into the area and running through a door; Guardians will first need to complete a puzzle before they're even able to enter the Raid. This first encounter, The Spire, requires the Fireteam to split into three groups of two players and then defend three Sync Plates until the way forward is opened. It's not unlike the Seraph Tower quest players may have begrudgingly participated in during Season 10. 

The plates are spread out across the area, positioned in the zone's North, West, and East sections. Once players have started the process of capturing the Plate, they won't need to remain on it any longer, but if they let any Vex Minotaurs step onto the area, they'll lose their progress.

The Vex will start their assault as soon as the Fireteam loads into the area, so hastily dashing to the Plate offers Guardians the best chance at establishing an early lead. If players are able to hold all three plates for long enough, a sound will signal the completion of their task and the gates to the Vault of Glass will open.

After gaining entry to the Vault proper and making their way through some platforming sections, Guardians will find themselves on a ledge overlooking the arena for the next three boss encounters. 

The first of these will charge Guardians with defending three separate areas, as they had in the previous encounter. This time, each area has a Conflux (brass towers with a glowing sphere) which the Vex will try to retake. Also, like the previous encounter, only certain Vex can sacrifice themselves to the Confluxes, and those are the yellow-barred Wyverns. Players shouldn't have too much difficulty grasping this battle after the last, but as noted by PC Gamer, the Confluxes encounter adds a new trick with mechanics around a Negation debuff. 

Throughout the encounter, special Vex called Fanatics will spawn and attempt to bum-rush defending Guardians. When Fanatics are killed, they leave behind a puddle of goo that delivers a debuff to any Guardian unlucky enough to stand in it. The debuff, Mark of Negation, is harmless on its own — but considering the invincible Templar boss in the stage's rear periodically uses the Ritual of Negation, which instantly kills anyone with the Mark, it behooves players to keep their distance. If players do get marked for Negation, however, they can clear the ailment by running through the pool of light in the back of the stage.

Once the Confluxes are defended, the Fireteam will have to band together for a puzzle relying on their combined perception and agility. Across the arena, there are seven specific locations with an Oracle, but they're not always visible. The encounter revolves around shooting the Oracles in the same order that they appear. Starting with three Oracles, they'll spawn one at a time with a randomized location. After each successful round, another Oracle will be added, until eventually Guardians face all seven Oracles appear in the final round. Guardians will need to take positions watching for specific Oracles (one player will have to watch two) and clearly communicate as soon as someone sees an Oracle appear.

Now players finally get to take on The Templar. The fight takes a cue from the previous two encounters (Oracles appear periodically plus lesser Vex invade the stage) and introduces a new mechanic via the Relic. The encounter begins when someone grabs the Relic, and they're the key to damaging the boss. Once they have their Super Ability fully charged, the Relic holder can unleash an attack the breaks The Templar's shields. The Templar will eventually attempt to teleport away, indicated when a nearby platform begins glowing, and players can stop it by beating it to the punch. It's the perfect job for someone with Detain and opens the boss up for a much longer damage window.

Guardians will next encounter the Gorgon's Labyrinth. This area is patrolled by powerful Harpies called Gorgons — and even at full strength, Fireteams will struggle to eliminate just one. Players must make their way to the exit without being discovered by the Gorgons. Heading towards the left from the start, players should move forward as a group, avoiding the Gorgons patrolling the center, until reaching another Gorgon blocking the way ahead. Here, Hunters can use a Smoke Grenade to imbue the group with invisibility, or the Fireteam can take the elevated cliffs on the left. Once past the Gorgon, the exit is little more than a crack in the wall along the right side.

Before taking on Aetheon, Guardians will need to defend a final set of Confluxes via gateways. Splitting into two groups, players should position around the Sync Plates that activate nearby portals. A Gatekeeper will appear when the encounter begins, deactivating Sync Plates and dropping a Relic when defeated. Once the gateways are opened, someone on each side needs to enter to defend the Conflux inside. Eventually, a shielded Praetorian will appear and the Relic holder must defeat them. However, Relic holders get can't use the gateway repeatedly without waiting a bit. They'll need to pass the Relic to whoever is inside the gateway and take over defense. This is repeated, eliminating any Gatekeepers along the way, until all six Praetorians are defeated, then all players will return to the center of the arena to protect the final Conflux.

The Vault of Glass' final encounter combines a little bit from every fight that's come before. Aetheon starts the match with invulnerability, summoning Vex swarms for players to contend with. Eventually, the boss will teleport three randomly chosen Guardians to the other side of a gateway, depositing a Relic at their feet. The Relic clears a debuff for those who were spirited away and must be picked up. Teleported players will have to call out their location so their teammates can work on opening the correct portal, but they'll have to deal with some Oracles before they can leave. However, only the Guardians outside can see the order in which the Oracles appear.

While two players outside the gateway activate the Sync Plate, a third should get to higher ground and await Oracles. Three Oracles appear and, like previously, order is everything. Inside the gateway, Guardians should move opposite of where Aetheon teleported them to ensure they see the Oracles from the same perspective as their teammates. After three sets of Oracles are dealt with, the trio is free to leave via the activated gateway and group up with their allies for a damage phase. Guardians will only have four chances to eliminate Aetheon before it enrages and wipes out the team, and they'll have to watch for that pesky Detain debuff too.

Coordinated Fireteams can complete the Vault of Glass in just about an hour. For those taking the plunge for the first time, expect two or three hours to accommodate the learning process and getting used to the enemy strategies.