First time VOG hard mode - Struggling with Gatekeepers (Destiny)
by c0ld vengeance 
, UK, Monday, December 22, 2014, 18:03 (3866 days ago)
edited by c0ld vengeance, Monday, December 22, 2014, 18:06
So my raiding group have all finally hit 31 and we decided to try our luck at The Vault of Glass hard mode. We got all the way up to the gatekeepers right before Atheon and got no further. Now I know what we need to do but we always get overwhelmed at the sync plate/Conflux so we tried another method that I've read about.
The idea is to progress as normal and activate a sync plate. You then send a couple of people in the left/past/Mars gate to eliminate everything but leave the Gatekeeper in there with a small amount of health, then exit and send your team over to the right/future/Venus gate and fetch the relic from there. Now obviously this leaves the Venus side vulnerable to capture and an oracle will spawn... Here's where stuff gets confusing for me...
No matter how efficiently the outside team destroys the oracle after it spawns, we always seem to wipe due to being "succumbed to the ocracles" after a short amount of time, usually after we pick up the relic in venus.
Is the a limit to the amount of time you are allowed to let a red ocracle spawn? Are there other oracles spawning that I don't know about that we are missing? Has anyone had any luck with this idea?
Occurring to the method, after you pick up the Venus relic, it's then very easy to quickly send one guy back into Mars, rocket the low health gatekeeper and grab the other relic before he goes blind.
Sorry if this has been brought up before but it's the first time I've really struggled enough to ask.
Cheers Guardians
First time VOG hard mode - Struggling with Gatekeepers
by Ragashingo 
, Official DBO Cryptarch, Monday, December 22, 2014, 19:22 (3866 days ago) @ c0ld vengeance
Seems like an odd way to do it to me. My teams have always attacked the left side with three, grabbed the Relic, attacked the right with 2 + the relic guy who does a single cleanse once the gatekeeper is down. Then the right side away team grabs the second relic while the first relic guy defends the Conflux with whoever can be spared. Both relics safe. Survive the onslaught. Atheon.
Odd that the oracle is killing you. Perhaps the scripting never anticipated people weakening one side but not grabbing that relic?
First time VOG hard mode - Struggling with Gatekeepers
Seems like an odd way to do it to me. My teams have always attacked the left side with three, grabbed the Relic, attacked the right with 2 + the relic guy who does a single cleanse once the gatekeeper is down. Then the right side away team grabs the second relic while the first relic guy defends the Conflux with whoever can be spared. Both relics safe. Survive the onslaught. Atheon.
Odd that the oracle is killing you. Perhaps the scripting never anticipated people weakening one side but not grabbing that relic?
Yeah, our regular Raid crew has a similar strategy: Desert, then 2 to center while the rest handle Jungle. I always push for having a Relic on each gate in the final phase, they're super effective.
The simultaneous strategy introduces two potential issues: oracles when a portal is reclaimed and blinding one team if they're too slow destroying their gatekeeper.
First time VOG hard mode - Struggling with Gatekeepers
by ZackDark , Not behind you. NO! Don't look., Tuesday, December 23, 2014, 07:03 (3865 days ago) @ petetheduck
blinding one team if they're too slow destroying their gatekeeper.
That's why I lean towards having 3 people handling the Conflux while the Relic-holder and the Gjallarhorn-holder (or someone similarly over-equipped) go for the jungle. The Relic can keep the other unmarked while also helping with its super.
First time VOG hard mode - Struggling with Gatekeepers
by CruelLEGACEY , Toronto, Tuesday, December 23, 2014, 09:19 (3865 days ago) @ ZackDark
My group has used a few strategies. We typically send 1 person through each portal simultaneously. They each grab the relics and get out ASAP so we can all crash the middle conflux as quickly as possible.
Another strategy that worked quite well was sending 3 people through left portal; person would take a couple quick shots at the gatekeeper then leave before getting marked. So we'd end up with 4 people defending outside the portal. Then, once the 2 portal runners emerged with the relic, everyone would go to the right portal except for 1 person who stayed back on the left side. We would ignore the middle completely until we had both relics in hand.
The reasoning behind this approach:
As soon as you leave the left portal with the relic, hobgoblins begin emerging from the enemy spawns on the left side. These snipers will shred anyone who goes to defend the conflux in the middle, AND they'll harass the people defending the right portal. So we had someone stay back to deal with the snipers as they spawned, preventing them from causing problems for the rest of the team. Meanwhile, the other 5 players can handle grabbing the right relic/defending the right portal fairly easily.
"But what about the middle?" You might ask. If the team on the right portal grabs the relic quickly (which should be doable considering most of the team is over there) then you can get both relics to the middle fast enough that only 1 or 2 sacrifices will have gone through. It's a bit of a gamble, but it makes keeping everyone alive much easier than splitting the team between the middle and right portal.
First time VOG hard mode - Struggling with Gatekeepers
by Ragashingo , Official DBO Cryptarch, Tuesday, December 23, 2014, 09:57 (3865 days ago) @ CruelLEGACEY
Ha. I just go to the middle myself, throw down a Ward of Dawn to cover my back, then shred the Minotaurs coming from the stairs. It's nice to be a defender. :)
First time VOG hard mode - Struggling with Gatekeepers
by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Tuesday, December 23, 2014, 13:59 (3865 days ago) @ CruelLEGACEY
As soon as you leave the left portal with the relic, hobgoblins begin emerging from the enemy spawns on the left side. These snipers will shred anyone who goes to defend the conflux in the middle, AND they'll harass the people defending the right portal. So we had someone stay back to deal with the snipers as they spawned, preventing them from causing problems for the rest of the team. Meanwhile, the other 5 players can handle grabbing the right relic/defending the right portal fairly easily.
Alternatively, you can run all the way BEHIND where the minotaurs spawn and take them out from there. The snipers cannot hit you, and you are very safe.
First time VOG hard mode - Struggling with Gatekeepers
by Cody Miller , Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Tuesday, December 23, 2014, 14:04 (3865 days ago) @ c0ld vengeance
Sorry if this has been brought up before but it's the first time I've really struggled enough to ask.
It depends on how strong your weapons are.
If you don't have strong weapons:
I'd say 3 in the left portal, and 2 leave right before the gatekeeper dies so they don't get marked. Last one in goes and grabs relic, then comes out. Everybody moves to right side. Someone either handle snipers, or run up behind the minotaur spawn to take them out. Relic holder and someone else goes into the right portal. Relic holder uses his super on the gatekeeper, cleanses the other guy, and leaves to help outside. Last person kills gatekeeper. The gatekeeper will fall and explode killing all the Vex, leaving the area clear. Grab the relic and head to middle.
If you have strong weapons:
Go one in each portal simultaneously. Margin for error is less, but I think it's ultimately easier