apparently offerings only drop if you don't have one already. while playing archon's forge, fill your consumables up via the app so that you cannot pick any up. This way, you should get several offerings to drop on the ground. As you need them, move a consumable to your vault, grab the offering, use it, and then plug the consumable space back up so more will continue to drop.

https://www.reddit.com/r/DestinyTheGame/comments/54w9db/when_grinding_archons_forge_leave_siva_offerings/

I had a thought last night after playing. Is it possible to start the raid with 6 people, and then leave and go into the patrol areas like with VoG? Would be interesting to see if you could do this to get 6 friends into Archon's Forge.

It doesn't work. The terminal doesn't work and the domes are down.

I have tried to play it, but most of the time it's empty or just one other person showed up. We spent our offerings then sat around waiting for other people because we didn't get any more to drop. Every time I have just given up and went somewhere else.

Mal, Red Robber and I played Archon's Forge for nearly an hr last night with one other random fireteam, and I think it was pretty fun. I popped a perfected offering at one point, and we just couldn't get it done, but i think everyone was just too underleveled. I did end up getting the pencil sharpener-looking sniper rifle. Also had my inventory and postmaster full of blue engrams afterwards.

I did a 2 perfected runs with a couple buddies and 3 randos. Still couldn't kill the guy in time. Of course we were like 340-345 range so that doesn't surprised me, but it was hard!

Mal, Red Robber and I played Archon's Forge for nearly an hr last night with one other random fireteam, and I think it was pretty fun. I popped a perfected offering at one point, and we just couldn't get it done, but i think everyone was just too underleveled. I did end up getting the pencil sharpener-looking sniper rifle.

But Not Forgotten is a pretty great rifle. Spindle-class (more impact than Eirene), it's definitely helpful during the raid if you're running a Gjallarhorn or other exotic weapon.

Raga and I played last night for quite a while with 4 randos and at one point a perfected offering was put in. I jumped into the pit as it opened to do the typical smash and finish method only to be curb stomped by the perfected captain or whatever they were. We managed to finish the perfected offering with around 4 seconds left. That was an awesome time.

You could all go into the patrol area at the same time, then head to archon's forge and hope a couple of you get in the same instance by sheer luck. Then just invite the rest to your fireteams.