Strikes
Strikes are 3-player activities that follow a series of objectives culminating into a boss battle.
Overview
Strikes can be launched directly from a destination, or from the Vanguard Director, which contains two playlists.
The Vanguard Strike playlist loads the player into a random Strike. If there are vacant spots in the fireteam, the matchmaking system will search for additional players before launching the activity. It is possible to join a Strike that is already in progress, if there are less than 3 players in the activity. Strikes launched from this playlist are affected by three modifiers: one determines which element deals more damage, second provides an advantage to the players, and the third gives the team a disadvantage.
The Nightfall: the Ordeal playlist contains a single Strike, which changes weekly. Players can select the Strike's difficulty, which affects its modifiers and enemy power. Nightfalls of legend difficulty and higher do not have matchmaking. Grandmaster difficulty become available a few weeks after the season begins. Near the end of the season, all Grandmaster Nightfalls become freely available to launch outside of the normal weekly rotation.
Nightfall Strikes use a score system, which determines the team's rewards and is affected by the time spent in a Strike and the active modifiers. Players gain score mostly by defeating enemies, but actions like collecting Orbs of Power also contribute to the team's score. Players cannot edit their loadout during a Nightfall, the equipment locks the moment a Strike is launched.
Most Strikes prior to Shadowkeep have strike-specific rewards which can be obtained only by completing their Nightfall versions.
Players on PS4 and PS5 require a PlayStation Plus subscription to access strikes.
Active Strikes
Red War | ||
---|---|---|
![]() |
Name: | The Arms Dealer |
Location: | EDZ | |
Boss: | Bracus Zahn (Legionary) | |
Enemies: | Cabal, Fallen | |
Nightfall loot: | Tilt Fuse (Sparrow) | |
![]() |
Name: | Lake of Shadows |
Location: | EDZ | |
Boss: | Grask, the Consumed (Taken Phalanx) | |
Enemies: | Taken, Cabal, Fallen | |
Nightfall loot: | The Militia's Birthright (Grenade Launcher) | |
![]() |
Name: | Exodus Crash |
Location: | Nessus | |
Boss: | Thaviks, the Depraved (Marauder) | |
Enemies: | Fallen, Vex | |
Nightfall loot: | Impact Velocity (Sparrow) | |
![]() |
Name: | The Inverted Spire |
Location: | Nessus | |
Boss: | Protheon, Modular Mind (Minotaur) | |
Enemies: | Vex, Cabal | |
Nightfall loot: | Trichromatica (Ghost Shell) | |
Warmind | ||
![]() |
Name: | The Insight Terminus |
Location: | Nessus | |
Boss: | Kargen the Technocrat (Psion) | |
Enemies: | Cabal, Vex | |
Nightfall loot: | The Long Goodbye (Sniper Rifle) | |
Forsaken | ||
![]() |
Name: | Warden of Nothing |
Location: | Tangled Shore[1] | |
Boss: | The Mad Warden (Servitor) | |
Enemies: | Vex, Cabal | |
Nightfall loot: | Warden's Law (Hand Cannon) | |
![]() |
Name: | The Corrupted |
Location: | Dreaming City | |
Boss: | Sedia, the Corrupted | |
Enemies: | Taken, Hive, Scorn | |
Nightfall loot: | Horror's Least (Pulse Rifle) | |
Shadowkeep | ||
![]() |
Name: | The Scarlet Keep |
Location: | Moon | |
Boss: | Hashladûn (Wizard) | |
Enemies: | Hive | |
Beyond Light | ||
![]() |
Name: | The Glassway |
Location: | Europa | |
Bosses: | Transcendent Hydra (Hydra) Belmon, Transcendent Mind (Hydra) | |
Enemies: | Fallen, Vex | |
![]() |
Name: | The Disgraced |
Location: | Cosmodrome | |
Boss: | Navôta, Eir Spawn (Wizard) | |
Enemies: | Fallen, Hive | |
![]() |
Name: | The Devils' Lair |
Location: | Cosmodrome | |
Boss: | Sepiks Prime (Servitor) | |
Enemies: | Fallen, Hive | |
![]() |
Name: | Fallen S.A.B.E.R. |
Location: | Cosmodrome | |
Boss: | S.A.B.E.R.-2 (Heavy Shank) | |
Enemies: | Fallen | |
![]() |
Name: | Battleground: Behemoth |
Location: | Nessus[2] | |
Boss: | Commander Dracus (Legionary) | |
Enemies: | Cabal, Vex | |
![]() |
Name: | Battleground: Hailstone |
Location: | Europa[2] | |
Boss: | Basilius the Golem (Colossus) | |
Enemies: | Cabal, Vex | |
![]() |
Name: | Battleground: Foothold |
Location: | Cosmodrome[2] | |
Boss: | Val Ma'rag (Incendior) | |
Enemies: | Cabal, Hive | |
![]() |
Name: | Battleground: Oracle |
Location: | Nessus[2] | |
Boss: | Ixel, the Far-Reaching (Psion) | |
Enemies: | Cabal, Vex | |
![]() |
Name: | Proving Grounds |
Location: | Nessus | |
Boss: | Ignovun, Chosen of Caiatl (Centurion) | |
Enemies: | Cabal | |
The Witch Queen | ||
![]() |
Name: | The Lightblade |
Location: | Savathûn's Throne World | |
Boss: | Alak-Hul, the Lightblade (Knight) | |
Enemies: | Hive, Scorn | |
![]() |
Name: | Birthplace of the Vile |
Location: | Savathûn's Throne World | |
Boss: | Heimiks, Warden of the Harvest (Chieftain) | |
Enemies: | Scorn |
Vaulted Strikes
Red War | ||
---|---|---|
![]() |
Name: | Savathûn's Song |
Location: | Titan | |
Boss: | Savathûn's Song (Shrieker) | |
Enemies: | Hive, Fallen | |
Nightfall loot: | Duty Bound (Auto Rifle) | |
![]() |
Name: | The Pyramidion |
Location: | Io | |
Boss: | Brakion, Genesis Mind (Hobgoblin) | |
Enemies: | Vex, Taken | |
Nightfall loot: | Silicon Neuroma (Sniper Rifle) | |
Curse of Osiris | ||
![]() |
Name: | Tree of Probabilities |
Location: | Mercury | |
Boss: | Valus Thuun (Centurion) | |
Enemies: | Cabal, Vex | |
Nightfall loot: | D.F.A. (Hand Cannon) | |
![]() |
Name: | A Garden World |
Location: | Mercury | |
Boss: | Dendron, Root Mind (Cyclops) | |
Enemies: | Vex | |
Nightfall loot: | Universal Wavefunction (Ship) | |
Warmind | ||
![]() |
Name: | Strange Terrain |
Location: | Mars | |
Boss: | Nokris, Herald of Xol (Wizard) | |
Enemies: | Hive | |
Nightfall loot: | BrayTech Osprey (Rocket Launcher) | |
![]() |
Name: | Will of the Thousands |
Location: | Mars | |
Boss: | Xol, Will of the Thousands | |
Enemies: | Hive | |
Nightfall loot: | Worm God Incarnation (Transmat Effect) | |
Forsaken | ||
![]() |
Name: | Broodhold |
Location: | Tangled Shore | |
Boss: | In Anânh, Brood Queen (Wizard) | |
Enemies: | Hive, Fallen | |
![]() |
Name: | The Hollowed Lair |
Location: | Tangled Shore | |
Boss: | The Fanatic (Chieftain) | |
Enemies: | Scorn | |
Nightfall loot: | Mindbender's Ambition (Shotgun) | |
Shadowkeep | ||
![]() |
Name: | The Festering Core |
Location: | Io | |
Boss: | Baurisk, Envoy of Savathûn (Taken Incendior) | |
Enemies: | Taken, Vex |
See Also
Notes
- Prior to Beyond Light, Nightfall Strikes used to have their own playlist separate from the Ordeal. It consisted of three Strikes which updated weekly. These Nightfalls had lower power requirement and allowed the fireteam leader to select Strike modifiers using the Five of Swords Challenge Card. There was no ordinary matchmaking in Nightfalls, but Clans or Seekers could queue up for a Guided Game.
References
- ↑ Upon the release of The Witch Queen, the Tangled Shore was Vaulted. As a result, the launch icon for Warden of Nothing now appears on the Dreaming City map on the Director.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 With the release of The Witch Queen, the Battlegrounds Arenas are only available as randomly-chosen Strikes through the Vanguard Ops playlist. They cannot be launched as missions from the Director.