Destiny 2’s Salvation’s Edge race is over, and as the dust of Contest Mode clears, players can get into the Raid without a massive power disadvantage. That said, Salvation’s Edge will test even the most seasoned Fireteam, with The Witness, or the Zenith encounter, capping off the experience.
Salvation’s Edge focuses on puzzles and problem-solving throughout most of the Raid, forgoing actual bosses for all but two encounters. Substratum acquainted players with plates and Resonance mechanics, and Dissipation threw a boss into the mix. Repository crossed wires, and Verity confused Guardians with statues and 3D shapes. Finally, Guardians reach the final and fifth encounter in Zenith, but Bungie didn’t ease off the gas.
Loadouts and gear for Zenith, Salvation’s Edge
Zenith is an interesting encounter to prepare for, as Guardians need both phenomenal enemy control and suitable damage to eliminate The Witness within three damage phases. For most players, using the Still Hunt Exotic sniper is recommended, and it’s even better if you’re a Hunter and can combine the weapon with the Celestial Nighthawk Exotic helm. This Exotic typically powers a Hunter’s Golden Gun Super but also works for the empowered Still Hunt shots. Still, Hunt puts out massive damage even if you’re not a Hunter. It’s also easy to fire from the hip, allowing players to see incoming attacks.
Aside from Still Hunt, a machine gun works wonders to stem the tide of Subjugators, and it can be used effectively enough in a DPS pinch. Outside of weaponry, survival is still the name of the game in Salvation’s Edge — even more so in Zenith. Players only have six revives, and dying is easy in this encounter. So, Guardians will want to do everything they can to stay alive, including equipping some healing potential.
Zenith setup and layout
The Zenith encounter occurs in one large chamber separated into a left and right side, with a small platform in the center. The Fireteam will want to split into two teams of three, with one runner and two clearers on each side. Enemies spawn at the back of the left and right sides, running towards players and the Rally flag at the front of the arena.
Non-runners should only have to worry about moving away from their side if they accidentally get a Resonance debuff and need a cleanse in the middle. The Runners, on the other hand, will move all across the area and shouldn’t rightly think of themselves as belonging to the left or right side.
Zenith, Glyphbreaker phase
The first part of the Zenith encounter involves the two runners destroying the six buttons (or glyphs) on The Witness’ robes. To do this, they’ll need the Glyphbreaker buff. Acquire Glyphbreaker by destroying one of The Witness’ hands, which appear around the arena to blast AoE attacks.
To destroy one of The Witness’ hands, runners must hop into the AOE the hand is casting, wait to receive the corresponding Resonance buff, and then shoot the bracelet on that hand. The bracelet changes color, showing either red, green, or yellow.
These colors correspond to the buff runners need next. Red means players need Hexahedron Resonance, green is for Pyramidal, and yellow is for Spherical. Once players get the needed buff by standing in another AoE, they must run back to the original hand, stand in its AoE again, and shoot the bracelet once more.
For example, if a runner heads into a circle AoE, they’ll get Spherical Resonance. They can then shoot the hand that created that circle AoE to reveal the color of its bracelet. If the bracelet is green, the runner will look for a triangle AoE in the arena and stand in it until their Resonance changes to Pyramidal. Then, with Pyramidal Resonance, the runner will head back to the original hand and stand in its circle AoE to shoot the green bracelet with Pyramidal Resonance. The trick is to avoid standing in the circle AoE long enough for Pyramidal Resonance to change back to Spherical.
If done correctly, the runner should see the hand recoil from the broken bracelet and wither away, rewarding the Glyphbreaker buff in the process. When a runner has Glyphbreaker, they can head to the center platform and stand in the pool of light to shoot one of The Witness’ buttons. When the button breaks, it will cleanse the runner and anyone else in the pool of Resonance, and then the runner is free to start hunting for the next arm. A Subjugator will appear on each side when a runner breaks a button. However, groups can avoid a set of spawns if both runners shoot their buttons at the same time.
Zenith, Test phase
The Witness will test the Fireteam at some point between the first and last button breaking. When this happens, the boss will create a sheet of Cruxes in front of the middle platform. Players need to shoot away the excess Cruxes so that those remaining create a specific shape. The shape in question will depend on the last arm destroyed before the test happened, corresponding to the type of Resonance that arm provides.
An arm coming vertically up from the ground creates circle AoEs and provides Spherical Resonance. If this was the last arm destroyed, players need to create a circle. Arms coming vertically down from the sky create triangle AoEs and provide Pyramidal Resonance, so players would make a triangle. And the horizontal arms create rectangular AoEs, providing Hexahedron Resonance, requiring players to form a square.
It’s advised to have the runners take care of shooting the Cruxes, as they’re the best players to know what the last arm destroyed was. Of course, if runners need help, they can ask for it, but each shape should only require six Cruxes to be destroyed to form the test’s answer. After correctly responding to the test, The Witness will ready a slam attack that will kill anyone standing on the ground. Just before The Witness makes the attack, an audible tone will ring through the arena, and the boss’ eyes will briefly glow yellow. This is the Fireteam’s cue to jump and stay in the air until the animation ends.
Zenith, Damage phase
After players have survived The Witness’ test and have successfully destroyed all six of his buttons, the damage phase will start. All players should head to the center platform before the runner pops the last button so no one misses the phase. When damage starts, the Witness will raise the platform, and a glowing crit spot will appear on its chest. This is the Fireteam’s target, but The Witness will fight back.
Throughout the damage phase, The Witness will signal it’s about to attack by raising a hand. Soon after, a large AoE will bisect the platform diagonally. Shortly after the first attack, The Witness will launch another with the other hand, followed by a slam players must jump to avoid. After the flurry, the Fireteam will have a few seconds to do damage before The Witness unleashes another combo. After a few attacks, The Witness will reel back and get ready to slam the plate with multiple hands. At this point, players should return to their positions or risk getting bounced off the map.
Once enough damage has been dealt to The Witness; it will enter an extremely short final stand. Here, Guardians should go all out, as The Witness will wipe the team if they don’t defeat him. If players do not push The Witness to the final stand, they will have three opportunities to do so before the boss wipes the Fireteam after the third damage phase.
