Takedown on the Almighty

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Takedown on the Almighty
Game:	Destiny 2
Player(s):	1-6
Recommended Power Level:	960+
Location:	The Almighty, Interplanetary Space
Objective(s):	Board the Almighty and neutralize the source of the psionic shielding.
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“

Time is of the essence. End the threat of the Almighty to our city once and for all.

”

The Takedown on the Almighty is a Cabal Takedown released following the Season of the Worthy. A culmination of every feat in the Season of the Worthy, Guardians must return to the Almighty and destroy the source of a psionic barrier that the Red Legion had unleashed in a desperate effort to prevent the destruction of the Almighty. Players are prompted to carve through the fierce Cabal opposition and race through the rusted machinery of the massive war ship, gathering new, unique Red Legion themed gear and weaponry, as well as an opportunity to gain the Heir Apparent through fiercer opposition and more relentless encounters.

Overview

After the culmination of all of the Guardians' efforts, Rasputin was finally ready to blow the Almighty off its collision course towards Earth. However, the remaining sister of the Red Legion Flayers, Amtec, caught on to the Vanguard's goal and made a desperate ploy to shield the Almighty and keep it on its path down. After discovering the recent development, Zavala would reach out to any Guardian capable, asking them to board the Almighty and take down its shielding and end the Red Legion's threat to the Solar System once and for all.

Unlike Raids and Dungeons, the Takedown lacks heavily mechanic based encounters, instead, relying on numerous enemies and the progression through them, save for the boss encounters, in a similar fashion to that of Strikes. For balancing, the difficulty of the Takedown will scale to the number of present players and the Fireteam Leader's power level and choice of modifiers. Most prominent of these features is the unforgiving checkpoint system, only offering three save spots: the beginning, after defeating Val Sartuum and after defeating Primus Kala'tam for those who embarked on the Heir Apparent weapon quest.

Gameplay

Boarding

When players first land on the Almighty, they will first be met with a path leading to a room with ammo crates, an orb generator, a hastily placed vault and a bunch of constantly flickering security terminals, depicting the many chambers and hallways of the Almighty bustling with Red Legion patrols, all getting into positions, placing defenses and activating weaponry and vehicles, as well as one, if the players are playing the Takedown before it's release, slowly counting down in Cabal numerals, showing the time remaining before the activation of the Takedown. For players prepping for World's First, once the timer hits "zero", the door automatically opens, while players returning to or playing the Takedown later will be given the option to pull a lever to start it, opening the door to the rest of the Almighty.

Vex Siege

Once the door opens, players will be greeted by three looming Thresher gunships and a Harvester approaching a skirmish on a distant, lower platform, where Cabal guards can be seen engaging rampant Vex units emerging from a breach in the adjacent wall. Players will then be greeted by a small Vex contingent revealing themselves from another nearby breach, providing the Guardian(s) a way to reach the carnage. After entering the breach, the team will be met with a massive force of disheveled, headless Vex flanked by seemingly mint-condition Vex units. While simple grunts such as Goblins, Laser Rifle Hobgoblins and Harpies don't pose much of a threat, enemies such as Cyclopses, berserk Line Rifle Hobgoblins and berserk Minotaurs will easily end a run then and there. For more difficult runs or if more player are present, there is a greater chance a Champion will spawn, so the player(s) should remain vigilant for any game-changing factors such as that. After deposing the massive Vex army, the barrier blocking deeper access will open but before a massive flock of Harpies and an Ultra Hydra emerge from it. After either killing the Vex's response or evading them, players should be met with a massive rocky slope leading down to a blown-open Cabal door. There will be a bunch of Vex adds on the slope that can be ignored, but shouldn't be, as well as a decently sized group of Cabal reinforcements at the bottom. Usually, the squad will consist of a bunch of Legionaries, a line of Phalanxes creating a massive barrier that envelops the distant door, two Incendiors and a Centurion, but on higher difficulties or with a larger squad, a Colossus or two will be present or Cabal Champions will replace a few of them. From above the carnage on a catwalk above, Psions might provide sniper fire for their allies. Once the squad guarding the door is killed, a new squad will emerge to replace them, mostly armed with close-range or melee weaponry such as War Beasts, Gladiators, Slug Shotgun troops as well as some berserk Legionaries and Blood Guard Centurions. Once the reinforcements are killed, the player(s) will then be granted access to the platform they first saw after leaving the "safe-room".

Once the player(s) approach the platform, they will overhear Cabal chatter from two of the three Blood Guard Elites commenting on the Vex onslaught on their position. From the doorway looking onto the platform, they will see a massive Sol Imminent Hydra, named The Vindictive Mind, protected by overhead Vex Lenses flanked by other Sol Divisive units belonging to it's subtype, all taking fire from the Cabal units protecting the door in the back. After exiting the hallway approaching the platform, the final elite will discover the Guardian intruder(s), demanding the guards to focus fire on them and reveals the presence of a mysterious commander. Most of the platform will be sealed off by Cabal Barriers; to shut them down, player(s) must kill the Vex Mind besieging the Cabal encampments. The Hydra will mainly be protected by frequently summoning Vex cubes that must be destroyed to strip it of its immune shield. Even after then, the Vindictive Mind will retain the 3 rotational temporal shields. But, after disposing of it, the lockdown hiding the Cabal reinforcements will lift, allowing the player(s) to move in on the field commanders. Most of the platform will be littered with Scorpius Turrets, droves of Cabal reinforcements, especially around the Blood Guard units commanding them, as well as at least two Cabal Champions. Here, though, to progress quickly through the Takedown, the player(s) should focus on the named Blood Guard units they overheard on comms. Usually posted in a bunker or a hallway, they can be found by following the source of seemingly endless reinforcements. The named Blood Guard units are resilient and powerful by their own right, and will enter an immune state once they lose half of their health, summoning more reinforcements to back them up. Once the entire squad arrives, the named guards will lose their immune shield. Once two of the commanders are killed, the remaining one will immediately gain an immune shield and run for the overlook above the door. Once they reach the door, they will summon one last major wave of reinforcements backed by Scorpius turrets, Threshers and Cannon-armed Harvesters. Once the squad is depleted, the Threshers are brought down and the Harvesters are forced away, the commander will demand back-up and the deployment of the "elites", and thus begins the next encounter.

The Response

Following the remaining commanders plea for back-up, a psionic rift in front of the door will reveal the Retiarius, one of the new Psion units introduced with the Takedown. Here, the Retiarius will summon their Cabal subordinates and begin engaging the Guardian intruders there. The most dangerous trait about the Retiarius is there ability to entrap and draw out Guardian(s) in cover or in the heat of the battle, either way, their powers make even the most powerful Guardians easy pickings for even something as simple as a War Beast, so it should be a priority to escape those entrapments and kill the Retiarius and any powerful add first. However, a tremendous health pool and its vast amount of reinforcements makes that priority an issue, so it would be advisable to have any weapon or ability that weakens or even just mitigates the threat of the Retiarius. After the Retiarius and its subordinates have been killed, a new special variant of the Psion emerges from a rift on the right side of the arena, the Murmillo. Unlike the support role the Retiarius plays for its allies, the Murmillo plays a more defensive role, constantly creating incendiary cover to protect their allies while torching any unwanted enemy that passes through them. Much like the Retiarius, the immense health pool and constant flow of reinforcements are the most notorious problem these units pose, so player(s) should slowly make their way past any frustrating Cabal add and avoid the burning defenses before making any move against the Murmillo. Though most of the Murmillo's abilities are defensive, Guardian(s) should look out for the Psion's Barbican Targe ability, which temporarily provides cover for their Cabal allies before unleashing a jagged and incendiary wave in the direction it was cast, thus giving the Murmillo minimal offensive capabilities. Once the Murmillo is disposed of, the final Psion variant, the Hoplomachus, will emerge from a rift on the left side of the arena. What makes the Hoplomachus stand out from its brethren's more supportive roles is its expansive offensive capabilities. Most notable and dangerous, but riskiest of which is it's dash ability, which allows it to rapidly zoom towards a destination before emitting a massive pulse of electricity, and repeats it for a maximum of 8 times before stopping for a moment to "catch their breath", briefly exposing them to attacks without the ability to evade or retaliate for a while. Despite the more exposed and combat oriented gameplay of the Hoplomachus, however, their health pool, combat capabilities and reinforcements should not be underestimated, though the dash ability does put them at risk nonetheless.

After facing off one of each Psion, the Cabal will then begin to deploy two of the three variants on the field, creating an even greater threat than before, ramping the once slowly escalating difficulties to near impossible without an optimal set-up. To alleviate the threat of the dynamic duos, however, players should prioritize each Psion in the following order, from least problematic to most problematic: Murmilloes -> Retiarii -> Hoplomachii. If two of the same units teleport in on one of the waves, then prioritize one of them before moving onto the other (if two Hoplomachii are present, the Guardian(s) should prioritize one of them unless the other one begins a dash, there, players should make every attempt to avoid them and the trails they make and focus fire on them). Here, the player(s) shouldn't have to worry about Champions (unless set to the highest difficulty and/or there is a decent number of players present), so they should only have to worry about dealing with the Psion Elites for a while. During these waves, players should also make every attempt to watch out for the Harvesters deploying reinforcements due to their Cannons which can quickly bring down the most adamant of Guardians. On higher difficulties, if the modifier is active, there will also be a frequent barrage of missiles that should be avoided at all costs as well. After the 3rd wave of duos, all three of the Elites will emerge from the rifts at each side of the arena. As long as the player(s) remember the Psions that should be prioritized, how to avoid the Harvesters and constant barrage of missiles, things, for the most part, should be smooth sailing after this. Once all of the Elites are killed, the door will open up, revealing one last challenge before the next encounter, a Goliath Tank piloted by the remaining Blood Guard Commander. Once the (slightly more durable) Goliath and its pilot have been destroyed, the energy barrier protecting the door will subside, allowing players access to the hallways leading to the Almighty's immense and powerful Pyroducts.

The Pyroducts

With all other paths leading to the central bridge of the ship barred off, the Guardian(s) now must enter the Ship's vast Pyroducts. Reaching a massive storage room locked down on all sides and catwalks by doors, the Guardian(s) must seek out a ventilation shaft in the northern section of the room and progress through it before falling into a maintenance catwalk overlooking the massive channels originally used to siphon the power of planets and turn them into fuel. Connecting to a terminal within the massive system, the Guardian(s) can summon sparrows to make traversal through the massive system faster. The fireteam can continue down the seemingly endless and winding passageways until Cabal chatter will demand the activation of the Pyroducts. Players will start hearing a droning sound in the distance, as well as notice glowing within the channel's grooves. If the team remains within the Pyroducts for too long, searing energies will engulf the Pyroducts and vaporize whoever remains inside. To avoid this, the fireteam must duck and weave into saferooms, vents and maintenance by-ways on the sides or above the ducts themselves. While a single person might not find any problem attempting to avoid disintegration, multiple Guardians may need to coordinate the activation of the saferooms by destroying circuits at the same time. The Pyroducts will remain ablaze for about 10 seconds before powering down to recharge. While the activation time is random, the minimum time to activation is usually 10 seconds to a max of 20, while the activation itself takes about 15 seconds to fully ignite the passages. While avoiding the sheer power of the ducts, the Guardian(s) will have to also deal with Cabal teams dispatched to those rooms in the hopes of eliminating the trapped fireteam, in addition to one of the new Psion variants; greater numbers of resilient hostiles and even the new Psion archetypes will show up the higher the number of players. Once all forces are eliminated, the team can exit their hiding spots and progress further through the Pyroducts.

The layout of the Pyroducts will change the further in the team goes, as the ducts dip and rise according to the layout of the vessel. Sometimes, the sparrow-riding Guardian(s) must choose a path of the Pyroducts and either ford a massive chasm connected to the ducts or abandon the sparrow outright to make a sheer climb, while some portions will have unfurled service panels supporting Scorpius turrets to hail fire on the progressing team. Irregardless, the fireteam must progress further and further into the system, all the while avoiding being incinerated and racing against the clock to get to the other side. Once the team collectively gathers to a plug in the system, they must make one last push up the system, lest they get burned up by the Pyroducts entirely, as they reach a pair of connecting saferooms and deal with the reinforcements there. However, they will notice that the Pyroducts will remain ablaze and the flow of reinforcements will not stop pouring into the rooms. To end the flow of Cabal forces, shut down the Pyroducts and further progress through the craft, the Guardian(s) must eliminate necessary forces and interface with terminals to lock down doors and shut down the flow of heat. While one may be able to deal with this one at a time, a team may need to coordinate activations to see it through. Once successfully shut down, the Pyroducts will stop their flow and the team may further progress deeper into the system, accessing another plug door and reaching a door that allows access into a maintenance hallway, locked doors, terminals and loose wires hanging all around, as the team is lead to an unlocked door leading to a catwalk overlooking a debris-littered silo.

Val Sartuum, Insatiable Strife

Upon descending into the silo, the fireteam can attempt to approach one of four doors on each side of the cylindrical arena to attempt to progress, only to find it quickly close on them. After hearing cackling from above, the team will be confronted by Val Sartuum, Insatiable Strife, who will taunt the team before attacking and his health bar appears at the bottom of the screen. While Val Sartuum bears a lot of health for the fireteam to attempt to chew through, he can be damaged at the team's leisure without having to worry about complex mechanics to reach a damage phase. As a Centurion, he will maintain a medium distance from the team and hose into them with a Red Legion Slug Rifle and slam the ground if any happen to get too close in order to knock them away. However, Val Sartuum will also attempt to blast the team with cluster Mortars fired off from his backpack, which will impact a wide area and deal nigh-fatal damage to any individual caught in the blast of the attack.

Additionally, he will attempt to slam the ground on his own volition with his modified gauntlet and cause the very earth of the silo to shake violently, applying the Tremor debuff to any individual still on the ground, and will stack as he continues to power the gauntlet into the earth, mitigating movement and removing the ability to jump, thus making any Guardian target easy pickings for Val Sartuum and his allies. Cabal reinforcements will continue to pour from the ceiling and vents dumping into the silo, so the Guardian(s) should split their attention on Val Sartuum himself when things are tame and move on to the reinforcements if they prove overwhelming. Sometimes, after slamming the ground, Val Sartuum will launch a special shell from his backpack that will coat a sliver of the arena in a toxic gas that will slowly chip away at health. While not significant at first, after enough time has elapsed, Val Sartuum will trigger an alternate firing mode on his Red Legion Slug Rifle and ignite the gas in an instant, killing any Guardian still in the area of the gas and coating the area in scorching flame for around 20 seconds. At lower health, Val Sartuum will fire more of these shells, often linking them together to affect a far bigger area. He is also capable of generating a dome shield around him to protect him and his allies from assault, while also being able to retaliate against their attackers, which can be disrupted upon entering the shield and dealing enough damage to him or waiting it out long enough.

The arena will appear relatively open for players and the Cabal attackers. However, once a third of Val Sartuum's health is lost, he will enter a state of temporary immunity and enter the center of the arena before interfacing with a personal terminal, after which the entire arena will be marked as a target for bombardment. If any player remains in the silo, they will be blasted to pieces by a saturation bombardment from Sartuum's volley. In these temporary moments, the Guardian(s) must seek out the new Psion variants and quickly eliminate them to acquire passkeys to the sealed doors on the four sides of the arena. After quickly eliminating either the Retiarius, Hoplomachus or Murmillo, the Guardian(s) should seek out the nearest door, insert the keys, seek refuge inside and manually close the door after pulling a lever. If the fireteam successfully manages to evade pulverization, they will hear the sheer volume of explosive and laser weaponry eviscerating the silo outside, after which, the door will automatically open up, allowing the team to slightly descend into a new arena changed by the bombardment; once the door opens up, Sartuum will fire off a Cloudburst shell into the room and ignite it, killing any Guardian who remains inside. The new arena in question will have changed drastically, with stone cover and Vex debris being far more prevalent, but new vents have opened up for Cabal reinforcements, which will become more close-quarters focused, with many either being shotgun-armed Legionaries or Incendiors. Val Sartuum will do another bombardment again once he loses another third of his health and the Guardian fireteam's method of escape remaining the same, the only caveat being that they need to maneuver up some debris in order to access one of the doors. The final arena will be further down into the silo and will bear tall stone pillars from which Sartuum will assault his opponents and cover is a bit more prevalent, but now reinforcements will be mainly melee focused, with a high volume of War Beasts and Gladiators. Once Val Sartuum is dispatched all Cabal reinforcements will retreat and the team can receive keycodes from the slain bodyguard to access a newly revealed door in the changed Silo, allowing access further into the Almighty's systems.

The Long March

Bypassing the mechanical components of the Almighty at long last, thanks to Val Sartuum's codes, the team now makes it to the long bridges leading to the very bridge of the ship. The team can see now that the ship itself is closer to Earth, signifying that their time is running out. Here, however in their way on the bridge itself, a massive contingent of Cabal await them, with scattered cover here and there providing both Guardian and Cabal protection from each other's wrath. This section is a massive gauntlet of combat, with the Guardian's main objective to reach the end and access the bridge and hopefully end this madness once and for all. The Cabal will throw everything they have at the Guardian, from onslaught after onslaught of Legionnaires, Phalanxes, War Beasts, Incendiors, Gladiators, Centurions and Colossi. Further down the bridge, Harvesters will deploy Interceptors and even Goliaths in their vain goal of stopping the Guardians from reaching the source of the shielding. On top of that, Harvesters will attempt to blast the Guardians with their Turrets, aided by Thresher support as well.

As the team moves further down the bridge, they will soon find only more and more support incoming, on top of incoming bombardment from nearby turrets, further enhancing the madness the team must endure on that bridge. This time, even the new Psion variants will join in on the fray; anything to keep the Guardians away, even the elite of the Psionic insurgency commanding the ship. Upon reaching the halfway point on the bridge, however, the entire bridge will be marked for detonation. In order to evade certain death, the Guardian(s) must seek out a nearby Harvester and board the top of it. Following which, the Guardian(s) can look back and see the entire bridge get destroyed in a hail of fire. On top the Harvester, the team must be wary of Psion snipers in roosts between their former bridge and an upcoming new one. Once the new bridge is reachable, players must disembark before the Harvester flips and dives. Upon landing, the team must deal with a whole new onslaught of Cabal and progress on this newly reinforced bridge, now supported by far more resilient and aggressive units, on top of fortifications with Scorpius turrets. The team endures the hardships and, at long last, through sheer perseverance against Interceptor-backed Goliaths, heavy Cabal forces and immense psionic might, reaches the other side, now within reach of the bridge. But now, they should notice the way is blocked by more fortifications and the door is locked not just under mechanical security, but also through psionic power too.

Last Stand

Facing one last obstacle before their final confrontation with the mastermind of this operation, the Guardian(s) must now attempt to open the door to the bridge by gathering both command keys and dispersing psionic power. Additionally, a nonstop flow of reinforcements will continue to pour into the arena in an effort to stop the Fireteam from accessing the bridge, and even defense systems will activate to deny them access. Distant mortars will hail the arena with explosive fire, eviscerating any opponent in their blast radius or, at the least, forcing them into the open. Beside the door are two inactive Cabal turrets that will spark to life every once in a while, signified by a loud series of beeps. Upon activation, the turrets will begin to spool up their weapons with a discernible drone before clicking and firing, sweeping the arena from left to right, back and forth three times, killing any being still in the open and in their barrage instantly before powering down. Thus, players must seek cover from the barrage all the while contending with their Cabal adversaries, too seeking cover from the barrage.

In order to properly open the door, as previously mentioned, it requires a mix of both gathering key codes and splintering the psionic grip on the door. For the keys, they must be acquired from boss Cabal units or vehicles that will also make an appearance in the arena. The more keys acquired, the more complicated acquiring them will be. For example, some units will be shielded by Psion Commander backup while other Incendiors will utilize Dome Shield with scorching effects, forcing players into a possible killzone for keys. Irregardless, upon gathering enough keys, the players must form them into a single access code that can be used on the door, interfacing with a terminal and holding the line until it is completed. Upon completion, the singular key can be input into the door, beginning to unlock it. This process must be completed three times.

Meanwhile, the psionics forcing the door shut must be done through eliminating the Psion back up. In order to do that, the Guardians must provoke the elite Psion units out from hiding by either slaying special Psion Commanders, eliminating Flayer Guard or neutralizing Psion Covens hidden around the arena. Upon doing so, the Elites will arrive to deal with the Guardians, and can be disposed of at the Guardians' leisure. When the turrets activate however, the Elites will envelop themselves in a psionic shield much like a Psion Commander, albeit larger, and gain full immunity; this immune shield can be exploited by Guardians so that they too can avoid being shredded by the turrets. Each Elite elimination will slowly but surely drain the door of it's psionic influence until at least five of the elites are eliminated.

Once both physical and psionic security mechanisms have been dealt with, the fireteam will have to endure one last challenge, as psionic energy will bolster once more and a trio of the Elites and a massive contingent of Cabal forces will challenge the fireteam one last time. While dealing with the Psions, the turrets will still activate in an attempt to shred the Guardians and the Psions will also shield themselves from them; however, their Cabal backup will also seek shelter in the larger bubbles created by the psion elites (cover can still be sought out by the Guardians if they wish to avoid possibly far threatening Cabal units such as Majors or Blood Guard. Mortars will continue to rain down on the arena, forcing the Guardians to continue being on their toes. Once all three elites have been, altogether, dispatched, the door at last will open, allowing the team progression into the very bridge itself. After winding through some hallways, the team at long last enters the bridge of the ship itself and comes face to face with the mastermind behind the Almighty's Descent and source of the Psionic Shielding of the ship, Amtec.

Amtec, Equilibrium's Ward

Heir Apparent Side-Quest

Bosses

Amtec, Equilibrium's Ward
Val Sartuum, Insatiable Strife
Volam, Adamant Bastion (Mini-Boss)
Talan, Enduring Shield (Mini-Boss)
Novak, Durable Rampart (Mini-Boss)
The Vindictive Mind (Mini-Boss)
Primus Kala'tam, Harbinger of the Domina (Heir Apparent Side-Quest)

Unique Enemies

Retiarius: A specialized Psion unit that channels Void energy for the purpose of trapping enemy units. Armed with a Cabal Bronto Cannon, these units specialize in creating a singularity that draws in opponents, hurls a leash at a target and pull their opponents towards them or conjure a sphere that traps enemies within it, leaving them so until the Retiarius is killed or the white, rapidly rotating weak point is damaged.

Murmillo: A specialized Psion unit that wields Solar energy with the intent of conjuring barrier for their allies. Usually armed with a Slug Rifle (though there is a chance to encounter ones wielding Cabal Headhunters, Projection Rifles, and, extremely rarely, Cabal Magma Launchers), these units have the ability to create barrier shields, a massive dome shield focalized around them, or a massive spiked barbican that temporarily creates cover before unleashing a wave of burning energy in the direction its faced.

Hoplomachus: A specialized Psion unit that utilizes Arc energy with the goal of unleashing projectiles and waves of energy against their enemies. Armed with a Cabal Slug Shotgun, these units will either unleash a directed bolt of energy, launch bolts of lightning into the air before quickly coming back down, or dash to a location, creating a trail of damaging electricity before exploding at their destination.