Destiny 2 Prestige Raid Lair guide, Aug. 7-13

The new prestige system for the Destiny 2 raid lairs challenges players in brand new way. Instead of adding new mechanics to each fight, players will need to adjust their loadout in very specific, unique ways. But the rewards are great: an exclusive 400 power raid weapon.

Our guide for Destiny 2’s Prestige Raid Lair, Aug. 7-13, 2018, will take you through the prestige affixes and loadout requirements. We’ll also offer suggestions on weapons you may want to take with you into battle.

The loadout

Kinetic: Sidearm

This week is going to be difficult, and it all centers around your kinetic weapon. It’s no secret how weak and useless most sidearms — especially kinetic ones — are in Destiny 2. This weapon type isn’t great at any range, but is especially useless past medium range. You’ll want to use it to clear Goblins or Psions out, but basically nothing else. You don’t really have any great options here, although Rat King will at least be rid of its ammo quickly.

We recommend: Rat King Exotic, Last of the Legion, or Spoiler Alert

Energy: Scout rifle

It’s unfortunate to see sidearm week and scout rifle week line up. Both weapon classes are fairly weak, although scout rifles are at least usable. You want to try and use these guns for medium to long-range engagements. Clear out enemies as they walk through doors and, in emergencies, use it to deal boss damage. There are a few great options here, with Conspirator being particularly good with full-auto.

We recommend: Polaris Lance Exotic, Pleiades Corrector, or Conspirator

Power: Rocket launcher

Rocket launchers are perfect in raids, but only when you can pool your ammo. Since the affix this week hinders that, you’ll be able to use your rocket more frequently to deal far less damage. When it comes time to switch to your rocket, find a group of enemies and blow them to hell. Otherwise, aim it at a boss or a major to take them down as quickly as possible.

We recommend: Wardcliff Coil Exotic, Sins of the Past, or Curtain Call

The affix

Arsenal

Arsenal causes you to have no reserve ammo, instead generating ammo instantly for your next weapon when you empty the clip of the first. The rotation is kinetic, energy. power and then back to kinetic.

Arsenal is going to make this week a serious pain to deal with. Scout rifles aren’t particularly known for their ability to fire all their ammo quickly, making it hard to rotate. We learned the first week of Arsenal that the goal should be to never stop firing — even if it’s into a wall — especially with your kinetic and energy guns. Depending on the fight, you may want to use low ammo or rapid fire weapons in those two slots to maximize your rocket up-time.

This week’s strategy

Argos, Eater of Worlds

Argos is a pain with Arsenal. Because of the boss’ never ending waves of adds, you’ll need to be keenly aware of when your rocket is coming up and what element your scout rifle is on. For boss damage, you won’t be able to rely on your weapons, so Supers are going to be key here. Use a single Nightstalker with Orpheus Rig to generate as many orbs as possible on the damage platform, then have Golden Gun and hammer users slam the boss while Warlocks throw Nova Bombs or just clear enemies.

Destroying Argos’ appendages is particularly difficult with this affix. Make sure that all raid members are targeting the same piece at the same time for maximum damage.

If you need help, check out our Argos guide.

Val Ca’uor, Spire of Stars

Much like Argos, Val Ca’uor is no fun with Arsenal turned on. However, he’s a bit easier to deal damage to with this week’s loadout. The main concern players should have when facing Val Ca’uor this week is how they plan to clear adds out. Aside from rockets, this week’s weapons are horrible for add clear. However, the intrinsic perk for Rat King could potentially be very useful, especially in Ca’uor’s small arena. The close proximity to other players should help ensure a full fireteam of Rat King users will have the perk up almost constantly.

If you need help, check out our Val Ca’uor guide.