Destiny’s very first Raid activity, Vault of Glass, returns with updated mechanics and rewards in Destiny 2. Before even getting to the first true encounter of the Raid, players need to open the vault in the Waking Ruins encounter on Venus.
The Vault of Glass is a fan-favorite Raid, and many players have spent years trying to learn its secrets. In its Destiny 2 incarnation, Bungie has also been adding weekly rotating Raid challenges that add more complexity to the encounters but offer even more loot if they are completed.
Opening the Vault of Glass in the Waking Ruins is the first objective of the Raid. This is not even a true encounter and is not very challenging, but it does introduce Destiny 2 players to some key Vex enemies and mechanics that appear elsewhere.
In short, players are attempting to construct a Vex spire that opens the huge vault door. This is achieved by having players capture three sync plates in the area and protecting them from incoming Vex enemies. The team will need to hold all three plates for a few minutes to allow the spire to fully form and the vault door to open. Here is a basic rundown of all the steps that need to happen to open the Vault of Glass:
How to Open the Vault of Glass in the Waking Ruins
- The six players will split into three pairs with each pair assigning themselves a sync plate to capture and protect.
- The pairs must stand on the plates to bring them under Guardian control. The spire will begin forming.
- All players must protect their plate from the incoming Vex enemies, especially the Praetorian Minotaurs.
- After a few minutes of holding the plates, the spire will be fully formed, and the vault door will open.
Loadouts:
This encounter does not require any particular Subclasses or weapon loadouts, but some abilities and items will be more useful than others. Getting this encounter done quickly and easily relies on all players staying alive and defeating the Vex fast. Well of Radiance Warlocks and Warm of Dawn Titans are helpful but not essential. For Hunters, Shadowshot or Silence and Squall are great Supers for crowd control that will slow the Vex down as they approach the plates.
As for weapons, a good heavy weapon or hard-hitting special weapon will be enough as players only need to focus on tougher Praetorian Minotaurs and Cyclopes. Rocket Launchers like Deathbringer can easily clear large groups of Vex and more resilient enemies. Alternatively, using Anarchy to set up traps and having a Shotgun or Fusion Rifle such as Plug One.1 on hand for any enemies that get close is another good loadout.
Mechanics:
For this encounter, players need to stand on the three Vex sync plates around the area to construct a spire that opens the vault door: the left plate is at ground level, the middle plate is the furthest away and is right in front of the vault door, and the right plate is high up on some rocky ruins.
Standing on a plate will create a white ring which indicates that the plate is under Guardian control. When players get on or near a sync plate to capture it, Vex will also start to spawn in. For each plate, there are two possible spawn points for them to appear from and they are always opposite each other.
Praetorian Minotaurs will also periodically spawn in to reclaim the sync plate. They can be a bit of a challenge to take down solo due to their aggressive attacks and frequent teleporting. If they touch a plate for more than a few seconds, the white ring will disappear and a red ring will form instead, indicating that the Vex now controls the sync plate.
Messages in the text feed in the bottom-left of the screen will inform players of when the Vex are attempting to reclaim a plate. If a plate is lost, the pair of players need to destroy the Praetorian and then stand on the plate to recapture it. If the Vex take control of the plates, the spire’s progress can stop and even regress. Vex Cyclopes will also spawn very close to the sync plates and they can easily kill the defending Guardians. They need to be defeated as quickly as possible.
The spire takes a few minutes to fully form, so Destiny 2 players just need to patiently defend the plates from the Vex until the vault door opens. The spire forms near the right sync plate and all platers can see it to monitor their progress towards opening the vault.
Strategy:
As soon as all six players load into the Waking Ruins, they all need to pair up and decide which plate they are going to protect. When the Vex spawn in, they can be easily spawn-killed with heavy weapons, Sniper Rifles, Fusion Rifles, and special ammo Grenade Launchers, although Praetorians should be prioritized.
Just to make sure that the plate is safe, at least one person should be on the plate at all times. The other player can roam around nearby to gather ammo and defeat the Vex as they spawn. The players in each pair should communicate whenever they spot a Praetorian or Cyclops so that they can defeat it together very quickly.
After a few minutes, the vault door will open and players can leave their plates to head inside. Players should make sure they open the not-so-secret secret chest behind the vault door. This chest rewards Spoils of Conquest, Vault of Glass-specific Raid Armor Mods, and any previously obtained Vault of Glass gear.
Once inside the vault, Destiny 2 players will be faced with the true encounters of the Raid and will eventually face Atheon in the final encounter. Bungie will soon be adding a Master difficulty mode for the Vault of Glass which will offer Timelost variants of the Raid’s iconic weapons.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light and Season of the Splicer are available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
