So about the Warpriest, ProbablyLast ... (Destiny)
by Kermit 
, Raleigh, NC, Monday, February 29, 2016, 18:25 (3284 days ago)
Is failing for no good reason a thing?
I'm asking because the (admittedly) deeply flawed team has failed at this dozens of times now with some of the best ringers in the community helping. It's not always been my fault either, even though I suck at holding the aura (I've never gotten enough practice and for now anyway have written it off like Crota's sword wielding as a skill I might live without acquiring.)
Yup
I think it's 'a thing', especially for fireteams that haven't played together. When King's Fall was new, Golgoroth was the barrier to success. With low-light teams, everyone had to pull their weight to down him in time (especially when running multiple orbs where there was more communication required and literally more balls in the air to juggle). These days Golgoroth is pretty straightforward - light levels are high so the damage gets done even if one or two players are slacking or dead, and the single-orb strategy reduces complexity to just two different roles/steps.
While Golgoroth got easier, the Warpriest still requires the same level of communication and team integration that it always had. Higher light levels make it easier to drop him during the second DPS phase when everything is working, but there are still a lot of moving parts and not much room for any goofing off or missteps.
One or two weeks ago there was an ad-hoc Raid from hell on the XBox that collapsed at the Warpriest. There was no common cause, we just never clicked. It seems like we must have failed it 20 times. Surviving "ogre face" adepts, aura failures (missed kills, double and triple kills), misplaced titan bubbles, miscommunications, missed sequences, guardian deaths... we probably tried every possible way to fail.
All that being said, when you've got a team that meshes well, the Warpriest falls quickly. This week's Wednesday night run on the XBox completed the Warpriest challenge 3 times in 4 attempts, and the wipe was just the regular sort of cascading failure after an early death (and even then we almost had him with two men down).
Everyone should learn to hold the Aura, though
The Warpriest Challenge does reinforce the idea that everyone needs to be able to hold the aura, though. Even if you're not the first or second person in line for the Aura, you can get an unlucky sequence, or someone could die. So if you get the Aura, have a machine gun equipped, get into position and get that first kill in time. If you're unsure of yourself, duck behind cover until 5-4 seconds are left, then pop up/out and find a target (don't aim down sights). At 3-2 seconds you should have your target spotted - aim down sights and fire. It'll only take 2-3 bullets to drop him and you can duck behind cover and repeat. Once you're feeling better about the last 5 seconds of the "stack", you may feel silly just hiding behind cover for the first 5 seconds - feel free to swap to your sniper and take a few shots in between.
And sometimes there just aren't any enemies to kill and you die (and that's not your fault).
Everyone should learn to hold the Aura, though
by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Monday, February 29, 2016, 21:19 (3284 days ago) @ Chappy
The Warpriest Challenge does reinforce the idea that everyone needs to be able to hold the aura, though. Even if you're not the first or second person in line for the Aura, you can get an unlucky sequence, or someone could die. So if you get the Aura, have a machine gun equipped, get into position and get that first kill in time. If you're unsure of yourself, duck behind cover until 5-4 seconds are left, then pop up/out and find a target (don't aim down sights). At 3-2 seconds you should have your target spotted - aim down sights and fire. It'll only take 2-3 bullets to drop him and you can duck behind cover and repeat. Once you're feeling better about the last 5 seconds of the "stack", you may feel silly just hiding behind cover for the first 5 seconds - feel free to swap to your sniper and take a few shots in between.
And sometimes there just aren't any enemies to kill and you die (and that's not your fault).
Thanks for the tip. I hadn't thought about using my machine gun for some stupid reason. I don't know why--it's what I do when I hold the gaze for Golgoroth.
About The Auras
by Morpheus , High Charity, Wednesday, March 02, 2016, 02:53 (3283 days ago) @ Chappy
I'll be the first to tell you--that "no-down-the-sights" stuff isn't a 100% workaround. It helps, of course--but sometimes those enemies will hide, whether you're zoomed in or not. It's worse on the right, I know from experience--but a good idea actually spawned from a twice-near lethal mistake.
If you have any Defenders with the Helm of Saint-14, they can use their Ward of Dawn someplace out of the way, so that the enemies can be blinded and--more importantly--can't hide. It's really an effective strategy! I was surprised at how well it worked...when it was done in the right place.
That's definitely something to go for.
Hunters' Smoke Bombs work for that too
by ZackDark , Not behind you. NO! Don't look., Wednesday, March 02, 2016, 03:11 (3283 days ago) @ Morpheus
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About that right side
In my experience the person on the right (whether they're just activating the plate or holding the aura) will get shot to bits by the Warpriest almost as soon as they step on the plate.you collectively have to be really on the ball to stop that death.
If the right plate is the first or second, it's just a simple case of getting through the sequence nice and quickly so R can move out the firing line, but if R is the aura holder thats not really an option. The only reliable way to keep R safe (and really this applies throughout the fight, but the right plate is the worst) is to start placing shots on the Warpriests face ASAP to stagger him. A well-timed smoke grenade or crouch-invis can give you a few extra seconds, but the only reliable/consistent solution is to be quick on your feet.
As a general rule, when we're going to be holding the Aura on the right, we have everyone who isn't needed to stand on a plate move over there in advance so they can start staggering him asap. It seems obvious, but people oftem get married to the idea of sticking with their plate-buddy.
About that right side
by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Wednesday, March 02, 2016, 16:38 (3282 days ago) @ someotherguy
In my experience the person on the right (whether they're just activating the plate or holding the aura) will get shot to bits by the Warpriest almost as soon as they step on the plate.you collectively have to be really on the ball to stop that death.
In my experience, Right can be the easiest, since you can crouch on the edge of the Platform completely behind cover both while you're activating the panels, and while you're holding stacks.
If the right plate is the first or second, it's just a simple case of getting through the sequence nice and quickly so R can move out the firing line, but if R is the aura holder thats not really an option. The only reliable way to keep R safe (and really this applies throughout the fight, but the right plate is the worst) is to start placing shots on the Warpriests face ASAP to stagger him. A well-timed smoke grenade or crouch-invis can give you a few extra seconds, but the only reliable/consistent solution is to be quick on your feet.As a general rule, when we're going to be holding the Aura on the right, we have everyone who isn't needed to stand on a plate move over there in advance so they can start staggering him asap. It seems obvious, but people oftem get married to the idea of sticking with their plate-buddy.
Yeah, it can be frustrating sometimes when Left and Middle are activated, and the non-platform folks are still waiting for the Right callout. Still, It's not as bad as folks are making it sound. Middle is the least-protected point (especially if you make it to the Taken round).
Weirdly, Ive always found middle easiest
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Ditto.
by CyberKN 
, Oh no, Destiny 2 is bad, Wednesday, March 02, 2016, 16:58 (3282 days ago) @ someotherguy
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Weirdly, Ive always found middle easiest
by Korny , Dalton, Ga. US. Earth, Sol System, Wednesday, March 02, 2016, 17:40 (3282 days ago) @ someotherguy
Generally it is. You have nothing but Thrall and two knights to deal with, and you're 100% safe from the Warpriest if you don't go too far out. The first platform can also grant you plenty of cover. During the Taken phase is when it gets tough, and more so when the middle pillar is missing.
I say right has the least to worry about when it comes to the Gaze, though, as top Left can make it difficult to find enemies to shoot when you're holding Aura, and Middle can get you killed by the Warpriest since you're front-and-center.
It's a matter of perspective and strategy, though. Nobody goes top left during the damage phase.
About that right side
Another good strategy to avoid death when going through the sequence is to have whoever is the second person on the top left distract the Warpriest by shooting him. I do this whenever I'm top left, and I rarely have trouble keeping his attention on me.
Excellent idea!
by Kermit , Raleigh, NC, Wednesday, March 02, 2016, 20:55 (3282 days ago) @ squidnh3
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Clarification
I just meant it makes no sense to me how much the groups I'm in struggle with Warpriest, compared to how well we accomplish more complex fights in the same raid. Not saying it is a skill error, it just puzzles me that we struggle (myself included).
At any given time I'm likely the worst player in my raids.