Destiny Guide: How to Beat Aksis on Heroic
By Anthony Taormina 19 October 2016
It’s only been less than 24 hours since the launch of Wrath of the Machine’s Heroic Mode in Destiny and already players are conquering the latest endgame challenge. It didn’t take long for a fireteam to beat the encounter – less than an hour, in fact – but there may still be those looking for a little extra help.
To that end, we’ve put together a helpful guide to walk players through the new mechanics of Wrath of the Machine Heroic Mode’s final boss fight with Aksis and peppered it with hints that will help every Destiny player succeed.
Recommended Light Level
The good news is that Wrath of the Machine Heroic Mode is nowhere near as challenging as King’s Fall Heroic Mode was at launch. Thanks to the new smart loot system and the economy changes of the latest Destiny update, any player can hit the recommended 380 light level for the raid and even exceed it.
Although it’s entirely possible to beat the raid starting out at 380, we would recommend players try to get as high of light as possible. The final fight is both demanding on a player’s survivability and it requires a certain amount of DPS output, so the higher light a player is the better.
What’s Different in Heroic Mode Aksis
The Heroic Mode fight with Aksis isn’t that much different from the Normal Mode. Yes, there are more Shanks to kill and there are sniper Shanks as well, but there is only one really meaningful twist. Instead of having to throw three SIVA charges in order to trigger Aksis’ teleports, the fireteam will need to throw a total of 6.
Treat this first phase as you would the final phase of the first Aksis encounter, where three cannon holders are forced to rotate to different sides of the room to take down different elemental Servitors. The only difference is the cannon holders should be the players who do not have the Empowered buff.
The throwers and cannon holders will also need to move fast because it takes a lot more time to throw 7 charges, but keep calm even if Aksis calls forth SIVA. It’s still possible to trigger his teleport even as he is about to wipe the arena.
How to Do Max Damage
Once Aksis teleports everything should be business as usual for the Aksis stunning and damage phase. Make sure that there is an empowered player in each of the three zones that Aksis can teleport to, stun him, and then do a little damage until he teleports again.
On the final, third teleport, Aksis is now vulnerable to damage and past strategies once again apply. We still recommend that the highest light players operate the cannons, which unfortunately will have less ammo because of the additional Servitor kills, and the remaining players can use their highest DPS weapon of choice. If you have Dark Drinker that’s going to be the way to go because the swords special attack will damage Aksis at multiple points. That attack plus a Weapons of Light buff and a Tether debuff will lead to huge damage.
Once the damage phase is done get to a platform for protection from SIVA, wait until the SIVA dissipates, and return to your positions. Everything else is exactly the same as Normal Mode, only more damage is required of the team.
Heroid Mode Raid Loot
With Aksis down on Hard Mode, it’s time for players to collect their loot. On the first completion players should get a new Heroic Mode primary (the Pulse Rifle or Hand Cannon) or a Spliced helmet. Also there is a Heroic Loot Cache that you can open with a SIVA Cache Key for another drop.
Wrath of the Machine Hard Mode may not be the ultimate challenge players are looking for but it will still test the communication of the fireteam. It’s also very tough to complete with a player down so it’s imperative to stay alive if possible. Damaging Aksis comes second if it means popping a bubble or using a Tether to stay alive. Good luck Guardians!
