Crota's End
Destiny 2 · Hive Raid · The Moon · Reprised from D1

Crota's
End

A full visual field guide to all four encounters — with the Chalice / Enlightened buff loop, the relic-sword discipline that drops Crota's shield, and refreshed reward notes. Carry your light through the Abyss and put the Son of Oryx back in the dirt.

Status
CurrentReprised 2023 (orig. D1)
Fireteam
6Non-matchmade · comms-heavy
Encounters
4+ jumping puzzle & hidden chest
Complexity
MediumD1 nostalgia, new discipline
Exotic Chase
NecrochasmAuto Rifle · via quest †
Read the full lore of Crota's End →

† Necrochasm is earned through the Bottomless Pit exotic quest — granted free from the sword relic after your first Crota kill — not a random drop.

00 · Before You Drop

Read this first

Crota's End is short for a raid but unforgiving with its timers. Two ideas carry the whole thing: a Hive sword is the only thing that drops Crota's shield and damages him, and almost every encounter runs on a buff you can lose — the Enlightened light from the Chalice, or the crushing Weight of Darkness in the Abyss.

Stable truths

  • It is current and launchable. The raid lives in the Director on the Moon (Hellmouth). Reprised in Season of the Witch (2023); you do not need the original D1.
  • Six players, no matchmaking. Bring comms. Fireteam Finder exists, but plan roles and callouts first — this raid punishes silence.
  • The sword is the boss. Your guns do zero to Crota until his shield is down, and only a relic Hive sword drops the shield and chunks his health.
  • Buffs expire. The Chalice of Light grants Enlightened to one player at a time, and it ticks down — pass it before it lapses or the holder dies.
  • Weekly checkpoint. Progress saves per encounter weekly. A wipe sends you to the start of the current encounter, not the raid.

D1 vs D2 & what stale guides miss

Reprised, not identical. The classic "sword cheese" (lamp-skip stacking and the old solo-sword Crota melt) was deliberately reworked for D2. Crota now spawns a wipe-causing Oversoul and needs his shield broken with the relic before sword damage lands — old D1 muscle memory will get you wiped.

The Bridge changed too. D2 ties the bridge build to Enlightened, the center construction plate, and Annihilator Totem coverage, with crossing safety handled by the Chalice or relic sword. Treat any "stand here and ignore mechanics" video from D1 as wrong.

Necrochasm is a quest, not a drop. It's earned through the Bottomless Pit exotic quest — granted free from the sword relic after your first Crota kill — rather than a random raid drop. You start with the Husk of the Pit white auto rifle and work up through the D1-heritage line (Husk of the Pit / Eidolon Ally) to Necrochasm.

The Fiction

Why you're here

The Abyss, the Bridge, and the god-knight aren't a haunted-house set — they're a Hive death-realm running on Sword Logic. Here's the story the raid tells while you descend.

The Oversoul Throne

Deep in the Hellmouth beneath the Moon lies the ascendant seat of Crota, Son of Oryx — the Hive prince who slaughtered a generation of Guardians in the Great Disaster. This is a Hive death-realm where the god's will is physics: only the Enlightened may perceive and act, and the Weight of Darkness is the Throne snuffing out anyone unascended.

You descend to sever his soul from reality — through his light-devouring Abyss, across a bridge that must be conjured with the Hive's own ritual power, past the Deathsinger whose chant can end the fireteam.

This is vengeance for the Moon's dead — festering since Eris Morn's fireteam died here. Crota is immortal while his soul is anchored, so he must fall to a Swordbearer's ascendant blade: the only death Sword Logic accepts as real.

Core Mechanic

The three light states

Crota's End is a raid about holding light against darkness. Three repeating states decide every encounter: the Chalice / Enlightened buff that lets you act, the Weight of Darkness stack that crushes you in the Abyss, and the relic sword that is the only thing that breaks shields and kills bosses. Memorize which one each room runs on.

Buff · light

Enlightened

› Hold & pass the Chalice
Picking up the Chalice of Light grants Enlightened — needed to deposit and to see/do mechanics. It ticks down; pass it to a teammate before it lapses or you die.
Debuff · dark

Weight

› Stay lit, keep moving
In the Abyss, Weight of Darkness stacks the longer you're in the dark — high stacks slow you and finally wipe. Standing in a lamp's light resets it. Don't sit; sprint lamp to lamp.
Relic · the kill tool

Sword

› Break shield, then swing
Kill a Swordbearer Knight to drop a relic Hive sword. Crota's shield only drops when he's stunned/kneeling — then a sword-holder swings. Guns alone never touch the boss.
One mnemonic for the team: Light → Carry → Cut. First someone is Enlightened (or lit by a lamp), then someone carries the sword, then they cut the boss the moment his shield is down. Almost every wipe in this raid is one of those three handed off badly — the buff lapsed, the sword-bearer died, or someone swung into a still-shielded Crota. Give the Chalice-holder and the sword-holder loud, named callouts.
Mechanic Checkpoints

What moves the encounter

Crota's End is short, but every room has a hard answer to "what makes us advance?" and "what kills the pull?" Say those answers out loud before each start.

Low-man / speedrun read: the Chalice and Enlightened economy is the raid. Fewer players means every holder needs the next handoff, sword job, or Oversoul job planned before damage starts; speed comes from not wasting a Chalice cycle, not from ignoring the wipe call.

The Abyss

Progress: move lamp to lamp, use light to shed Weight of Darkness, and reach the Bridge plate room as a group.

Fail/wipe: standing in darkness stacks Weight until movement dies and the team wipes. Falls off the path end the run even faster.

The Bridge

Progress: cover the Annihilator Totems, hold the center construction plate, keep the Chalice/Enlightened chain alive, carry the relic sword over, and kill the Gatekeeper.

Fail/wipe: anyone crossing without the Chalice or a relic sword is killed by Bane of the Swordless; the Chalice expiring or the sword carrier dying leaves the far side unable to clear the Gatekeeper.

Ir Yut

Progress: Enlightened players enter green doors, kill every Shieldsinger inside the Dark Liturgy window, then Expunge and burn Ir Yut.

Fail/wipe: Liturgy of Ruin fills if the team is slow, and the shorter Dark Liturgy wipes if the Shieldsingers do not die together.

Crota

Progress: keep Enlightened available, kill Swordbearer, kneel Crota, swing the relic sword only while his shield is down, then repeat.

Fail/wipe: the Oversoul fully charging wipes the team, and only the Enlightened player can destroy it — keep the Chalice/Enlightened holder free to break off and kill it each cycle. Greedy sword swings into a shielded Crota waste the relic timer.

Field Maps

The descent at a glance

Crota's End is a straight line down into the Hellmouth — a pitch-black lamp run, a chasm you have to bridge, a Deathsinger's chant room, and Crota's throne. Here's the whole route top-to-bottom; each encounter below carries its own detailed map next to the walkthrough.

Full descent routeHellmouth → Crota's Throne
Crota's End full descent route A top-to-bottom route through four areas: 1 The Abyss, a dark lamp run where Weight of Darkness stacks; 2 The Bridge, built from the center plate and crossed by players carrying the Chalice or a relic sword; 3 Ir Yut the Deathsinger, a chant-timer room where an Enlightened player enters green-gated towers to kill the Shieldsinger Wizards before the Liturgy of Ruin wipes the team; 4 Crota Son of Oryx, the throne where the relic sword breaks his shield. A hidden chest sits after the Bridge. ▼ deeper 1 Encounter · Hellmouth The Abyss Sprint lamp to lamp · keep Weight of Darkness low lamps reset weight 2 Encounter · The Chasm The Bridge Hold plates · build bridge · sword the Gatekeeper Chalice / Enlightened 3 Encounter · The Trials Ir Yût, Deathsinger Enlightened kills the Shieldsingers before the chant fills · then burst her Liturgy = wipe timer 4 Boss · Crota's Throne Crota, Son of Oryx Drop shield with sword · cut · clear Oversoul before wipe relic sword kills Shrieker Hall chest
Route · green light Hidden chest Wipe timer Boss / sword kill
Hidden Loot

Every secret chest

Three chests sit on the descent, and one is the weekly Deepsight chest that needs a memory job. Each is a route choice, so call it before the group commits.

1 · Abyss door chest

Where: the Abyss, along the left wall of the dark chasm. Reach: hug the left wall and check the large doorways marked by a faint light above the frame. The chest sits behind one of seven, and the door can change from run to run but stays put through a wipe.

Route choice: one player checks doors on the left wall while the rest stay on the lamp line, since Weight of Darkness keeps stacking off the lamps.

2 · Shrieker Hallway chest

Where: the Shrieker Hallway straight after the Bridge, on the way to Ir Yût. Reach: run the Chalice relay: players take turns holding the Chalice for Empowered, pass the green forcefields and kill the Shriekers. When the final doorway opens, the last Chalice holder deposits it before the door at the back of the room closes. Make it in time and the door reopens onto the chest.

Route choice: it is a speed call for the whole team, so decide before the hallway whether you are chasing it and nobody stops to loot.

3 · Deepsight chest, after Crota

Where: the end of the raid. It spawns after Crota falls and always drops a Deepsight weapon, once a week. Reach: at the Hellmouth start, note the lit statue in each of three pairs (left or right). The pairs sit above a cave on your left, on the right-hand overlook near the derelict Moon facilities, and on a ledge below you on the right. Later, activate the statue on the same side: the lower platform of the Bridge, the upper platform after the Bridge, and the platform outside the rally-flag room after Ir Yût. The last pair is inverted, so your left is the right.

Route choice: name one note-taker at the start and have one player per stop make the call. The statues sit off the fight path.

Who leaves the route

Abyss chest: one scout on the left wall. Shrieker Hallway: everyone, fast. Deepsight chest: a note-taker at the start and a statue-activator at each stop.

The Descent

Four encounters, top to bottom

A literal descent into the Hellmouth. Each room hands the team a new version of the same lesson — hold the light, carry the relic, and don't get greedy when a timer is filling. Beginner-safe roles are called out per encounter.

1
Encounter · Hellmouth

The Abyss

"The dark is heavy. Stay in the light, and keep moving."
Lore lens · why it works

Crota's realm literally devours the light away from the lamps — in a Throne World the god's will is physics, and Crota wills that nothing bright survives. The Weight of Darkness crushing you in the black is the Abyss itself rejecting intruders who step outside the lamp-light he cannot extinguish.

The loop
  1. Drop into the pitch-black chasm. A line of lamps marks the path forward — the room is a timed traversal, not a fight.
  2. Standing in the dark stacks Weight of Darkness: it slows you and, at high stacks, wipes the team. Standing in a lamp's light reduces your stacks.
  3. Sprint lamp to lamp. Shooting a lamp pops a bright pulse but then darkens it — coordinate so you don't blind your own runners.
  4. At the far end, reach the Bridge plate room before the dark crushes the team. A green path leads up and out.
WipeWeight of Darkness is the killer here, not enemies. Too many stacks = team wipe. Never park in the dark to fight — keep advancing toward the next lamp.
RolesDesignate a caller who names the next lamp. Mobility / movement tools (Strand grapple, Heat Rises, Lightning Surge) close lamp gaps fast and keep stacks low. Falls off the path end runs — land on solid ground.
Secret chestAbyss chest. Hug the left wall of the chasm and check each large doorway with a faint light above the frame; the chest is behind one of seven. The door can change between runs but holds through a wipe.
RouteStay on the lamp line. The lamps are the only safe stops for Weight of Darkness, and the left-wall door search is a detour from them. Send one scout and keep everyone else lit.
Map · The AbyssEncounter 1 · Lamp run
The Abyss lamp-run map From the entry on the left, a row of lamps leads across a dark chasm to the Bridge plate room on the right. Standing in the dark stacks Weight of Darkness which slows and finally wipes the team; standing in a lamp's light reduces stacks. Sprint lamp to lamp without falling. — pitch-black chasm — Drop lamp 1 lamp 2 lamp 3 lamp 4 Bridgeplate room→ exit ⚠ Weight of Darkness stacks in the dark → slows, then wipes — stay lit, keep sprinting falls off the path end the run — land on solid ground
Route / lamps Weight of Darkness Fall hazard
2
Encounter · The Chasm

The Bridge

"Build the path, carry the light across, and guard the far side."
Lore lens · why it works

Passage across the chasm must be conjured, not crossed — the ascendant space grants a way only to a worthy sword-bearer. Building the bridge with the Hive's own ritual power is you seizing Crota's machinery, forcing the Throne to admit you the way it admits his knights.

The loop
  1. Hold the center construction plate to build the bridge while players cover the side circles under the Annihilator Totems. Empty totems wipe the room.
  2. Use the Chalice of Light to make a player Enlightened; Enlightened lets that player build progress and pick up the relic sword.
  3. Once the bridge spans the gap, crossing is safe only while carrying the Chalice or a relic sword. Anyone stepping on with neither is killed by Bane of the Swordless.
  4. Kill the Swordbearer Knight, have an Enlightened player pick up the relic sword, then carry it across and use it to kill the Gatekeeper Knight on the far side.
  5. Pass the Chalice and rotate players across until the whole team is over. Defend both ends from Boomer Knights the entire time.
BuffEnlightened is required to build progress and pick up a relic sword. Crossing safety is separate: carry the Chalice or the sword, or Bane of the Swordless kills you.
GatekeeperThe Swordbearer drops the relic sword; the far-side Gatekeeper Knight can only be killed with that sword. Don't send your first runner over until the sword is in hand.
RouteShrieker Hallway. The tunnel after the Bridge is a gauntlet: Chalice carriers take turns for Empowered, pass the green forcefields and clear the Shriekers to open the far door.
Secret chestShrieker Hallway chest. When the final doorway opens, the last Chalice holder deposits the Chalice before the door at the back of the room shuts. Be quick enough and the door reopens onto the chest.
Deepsight statuesOn the Bridge's lower platform, activate the left or right statue to match the one you saw lit at the Hellmouth, then do the same on the upper platform after the Bridge. Completing all three stops spawns the Deepsight chest after Crota.
Map · The BridgeEncounter 2 · The Chasm
The Bridge encounter map A center construction plate builds the bridge across a chasm while players cover the side circles under the Annihilator Totems. Empty totems wipe the room. Chalice handoffs create Enlightened players, who can build progress and pick up the relic sword. Crossing is safe for Chalice holders or relic sword carriers; anyone with neither is killed by Bane of the Swordless. The sword kills the far-side Gatekeeper Knight while Boomer Knights pressure both ends. Near side (start) Far side (Gatekeeper) — chasm — Plate Plate Chalice→ Enlightened cross with Chalice or relic sword Swordbearer → drops sword Gatekeeper (kill with sword) Boomer Knights Boomers ⚠ cover the totems, keep Chalice moving — no Chalice/sword crossing = Bane of the Swordless Shrieker Hallway chest (just past the Bridge)
Plate / bridge / Chalice Hidden chest Boomers / Bane
3
Encounter · The Trials

Ir Yût, the Deathsinger

"Carry the light into the towers, silence the Shieldsingers, then end her song."
Lore lens · why it works

Ir Yût's Liturgy of Ruin is weaponized Sword Logic given voice — a Deathsinger's chant that ends the fireteam and shields Crota's soul while it sings. Silencing her is severing the spell keeping the god-knight untouchable; her song is the ritual, not just a wipe timer.

The loop
  1. On entry, Ir Yût begins the Liturgy of Ruin — a chant with a visible progress bar. When it fills, the whole team wipes.
  2. An Enlightened player (carrying the Chalice of Light from the Bridge) passes through the green barrier doors — only Enlightened players can enter — into the side towers, where Shieldsinger Wizards hide behind shields. Unhallowed Shriekers and Boomer Knights block the way in; clear them to reach the towers.
  3. Killing a Shieldsinger applies the Dark Liturgy wipe timer (~45s) — every remaining Shieldsinger Wizard must die inside that window to lower Ir Yût's protection and open the damage phase.
  4. With her protection down, burst Ir Yût (a Wizard) in the back chamber — during DPS an Enlightened player approaches her and uses the Expunge interaction to weaken her. Kill her to open the path to Crota.
TimerThe Liturgy of Ruin chant is a hard wipe timer, and killing the first Shieldsinger starts the shorter Dark Liturgy timer. If either bar fills before you finish, everyone dies — coordinate so all Shieldsingers drop together.
BuffOnly an Enlightened player can pass the green barrier doors into the towers — keep the Chalice of Light from the Bridge alive and pass it before it lapses. No light, no access to the Shieldsingers.
RolesAssign two pairs: each pair clears the Shriekers and Knights at a side tower so the Enlightened player can slip in and delete its Shieldsinger. The last two cover the middle from Boomers. Speed beats firepower here.
Deepsight statuesAfter Ir Yût, step out past the rally-flag room and jump up to the final statue pair. These are inverted, so match the opposite side of the one you saw lit at the Hellmouth.
Map · Ir Yût Chant RoomEncounter 3 · The Trials
Ir Yut the Deathsinger chant room map On entry Ir Yut begins the Liturgy of Ruin chant which wipes the team when its progress bar fills. Each side tower is sealed by a green barrier door that only an Enlightened Chalice-holder can pass; inside hide Shieldsinger Wizards. Two pairs clear the Unhallowed Shriekers and Boomer Knights blocking each tower so the Enlightened player can enter and kill the Shieldsingers, which lowers Ir Yut's protection. Killing the first Shieldsinger starts the shorter Dark Liturgy timer. Once her protection is down Ir Yut becomes vulnerable in the back chamber and must be burst down while an Enlightened player uses Expunge. Shieldsinger Lgreen door · Enlightened only Shieldsinger Rgreen door · Enlightened only Enter Ir Yût (Wizard) vulnerable after chant breaks Liturgy of Ruin — fills = wipe pair → L pair → R ⚠ Enlightened enters the green doors — kill every Shieldsinger before the Dark Liturgy timer, then burst Ir Yût
Split routes / Enlightened doors Shieldsingers / chant Ir Yût / Boomers
4
Boss · Crota's Throne

Crota, Son of Oryx

"Slay Crota, Son of Oryx — but only with the Enlightened's light, and a Swordbearer's blade."
Lore lens · why it works

Crota, Son of Oryx is immortal while his soul is anchored to the Throne — ordinary damage means nothing to a god in his own death-realm. He must fall to an ascendant Hive blade — the relic sword pried from a slain Swordbearer, powerful enough in his own Throne to wound him, because that is the only death the Sword Logic will accept as real.

The loop — everything you've learned, at once
  1. Killing the right enemy grants the Chalice / Enlightened buff — the team needs a lit player to make the throne safe and to deposit progress.
  2. A Swordbearer Knight spawns. Kill it to drop the relic sword; assign one dedicated sword-bearer.
  3. Drop Crota to a kneel by suppressing/stunning him (concentrated fire + the right Supers). His shield only breaks when he kneels — that's your window.
  4. The sword-bearer rushes in and swings while the shield is down, chunking his health. Everyone else feeds damage and clears adds around the sword-bearer.
  5. When the Oversoul appears (green crystal, ~30s timer), the Enlightened player must destroy it — non-Enlightened fire does nothing, and if it fully charges it wipes the team. In the normal loop, destroying the Oversoul ends the damage phase, so squeeze in every sword swing first, then kill it as a wipe-save.
  6. Repeat the kneel → sword → Oversoul cycle until Crota hits final stand (~10% health, a tick on his bar). Now the Oversoul returns on a shorter ~20s timer and destroying it extends the phase ~10s instead of ending it — keep the Enlightened player killing each Oversoul to stretch the final burn until Crota falls. Final chest opens behind the throne.
OversoulThe Oversoul crystal is the #1 wipe cause, and only the Enlightened player can destroy it — everyone else's fire does nothing. In the normal loop, killing it ends the damage phase, so drop it as a wipe-save once your sword swings are in; in final stand that flips — killing it extends the phase. Keep the Chalice/Enlightened holder free to break off and kill it the instant it lights green.
Sword timingSwing only when the shield is down (Crota kneeling). Swinging into a shielded Crota does nothing and burns your relic timer. Stun him first, then cut.
RolesOne Chalice-holder, one sword-bearer, the rest stun + add-clear + Oversoul watch. A coordinated team drops Crota in two or three sword cycles; rotate the sword if the bearer dies.
Map · Crota's ThroneEncounter 4 · Boss
Crota Son of Oryx throne map A throne arena with Crota at the centre. The team grants the Chalice Enlightened buff, kills a Swordbearer Knight for the relic sword, then stuns Crota to a kneel which drops his shield. The sword-bearer swings during that window. When the Oversoul crystal appears overhead the Enlightened player must shoot it down before it charges and wipes the team. The final chest sits behind the throne. Crota kneel = shield down = cut Oversoul — Enlightened shoots it fully charged = wipe Swordbearer→ relic sword Chalice→ Enlightened Boomer Knights pressure the throne floor final chest ⚠ swing only when Crota kneels (shield down) · watch the Oversoul every cycle
Sword / Chalice / Oversoul Final chest Crota / wipe state
Loadouts

Meta loadouts (mid-2026)

Crota's End is a medium raid where add-clear, sword survivability, and burst on the kneel window matter more than raw sustained DPS. Build around one boss-burst option + one add-clear + a survivable subclass. Treat named weapons as archetype jobs first — the role matters more than the exact gun.

Boss DPS

Crota kneel window & shriekers
Heavy GL / Rocket (Bait-and-Switch)
A Heavy-ammo burst archetype to chunk Crota in the brief kneel windows between sword swings. Highest legendary burst.
Linear Fusion / Heavy sniper
Precision Heavy archetype — fast Oversoul deletion and reliable shrieker damage from range.
Still Hunt Exotic + Celestial
Golden-Gun mode burst on the Hunter; pairs with Nighthawk for a big single-cycle hit.
Suppressing Super / stun tools
What actually brings Crota to a kneel — coordinate so the sword swings the instant the shield drops.

Add Clear

Abyss, Bridge, Ir Yût room
Chain-explosion Primary
Sunshot / Graviton-style exotics delete Thrall and Acolyte packs across every room.
Add-clear auto / SMG
Reliable, ammo-light room sweeping — keeps Boomer Knights off your plate and sword-bearer.
Wave-frame / breach GL
Special-ammo crowd control for the Bridge defense and the Ir Yût flood.
Witherhoard Exotic
Passive area damage you can lob into add waves, then swap to your burst.

Survivability

Sword carries & the Abyss
Movement exotics
Anything that closes lamp gaps in the Abyss and keeps Weight of Darkness stacks low keeps clean runs alive.
Healing / restoration tools
Keep the sword-bearer alive inside Crota's melee range — a Well or restoration source is the safest anchor.
Tractor Cannon / debuff Exotic
Stack a weaken on Crota during the kneel to make each sword cycle count for more.
Warlock
Well of Radiance / Prismatic

Drop a Well under the sword-bearer for survivability and a damage buff during the kneel. The safest team anchor in the Crota fight.

Titan
Prismatic / Thundercrash

Thundercrash and suppressing tools help bring Crota to a kneel; Prismatic gives healing and ad-clear aspects to taste for the Abyss and Bridge.

Hunter
Prismatic + Golden Gun

Golden Gun (with Celestial Nighthawk) burst into the kneel window; invis aspects make the sword carries and Ir Yût split safer.

Loadout note: these are the mid-2026 (Renegades / Monument-era) picks. Crota's kill is gated behind a relic sword and a stun, not raw DPS, so the gap between "meta" and "what you already own" is small here — fill the three jobs, keep your sword-bearer alive, and you're set.
Rewards

What you're farming for

The chase: Necrochasm

The headline chase is Necrochasm, an exotic Auto Rifle from the Bottomless Pit exotic quest — granted free from the sword relic after your first Crota kill (the modern revival of the D1 Husk of the Pit / Eidolon Ally line) rather than a random drop. You begin with the Husk of the Pit white auto and work the quest up to Necrochasm and its catalyst.

2026 loot & farm posture

Crota's End drops a reprised Moon/Hive weapon set plus the Crota's Memory armor set. Two raids are featured each week. Featured: Standard encounters and challenges drop Deepsight weapons or Tier 5 armor, hidden chests drop Tier 5 armor on a weekly lockout, and Master adds Adept weapons from challenges. Not featured: Standard gives a chance at Deepsight weapons and Tier 3 armor; Master and challenges still give Deepsight weapons and Tier 5 armor. Feats raise the reward grade (Grade 0: Tier 3; 1: Tier 3+4; 2: Tier 4+5; 3: two Tier 5; 4: Tier 4 + two Tier 5; 5: three Tier 5; Cutthroat Combatants +4, Challenges +3, Shocktroopers +2, Token Limit and Phase Limit +1). Standard mode earns the weekly tiered reward without Feats.

Reprised-raid note: this is the Destiny 2 version, not D1. Necrochasm's acquisition, challenge names, Master modifiers, and the loot model all differ from the original — and from older D2 patches.
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