The Summoning Pits

The Summoning Pits is a strike in Destiny. It takes place in Ocean of Storms, Moon.

Objectives

 * Enter Hive Fortress
 * Approach the Gate
 * Open the Gate
 * Repel the Hive
 * Find the Summoning Pits
 * Enter the Summoning Pits
 * Defeat Phogoth

Transcript
{Loading Screen}


 * IKORA REY: Something dark stirs in the depths of the Hellmouth. We can feel it. A Hive abomination bred for unthinkable evil. We must pierce the veil of their Summoning Pits and destroy this creature before the Hive unleash it upon us all.

{Gameplay}


 * GHOST: Well, this was your idea. Let's go find this abomination.

The fireteam heads into The Gatehouse.


 * GHOST: There's no telling how far down we'll have to go to find the Summoning Pits.

The fireteam comes to a locked door.


 * GHOST: We need to get through. I'll try to open that gate.

The fireteam sends a Ghost to crack the lock.


 * GHOST: A triptych of Hive runes said to be uncrackable.

Hive begin entering the room.


 * GHOST: They know we're here. I'll get to work!

The fireteam kills a wave of Hive, and the Ghost finishes decoding the first rune.


 * GHOST: It's reconfiguring. Hang tight.

The fireteam kills another wave of Hive, and the Ghost finishes decoding the second rune.


 * GHOST: I'm starting to sense a pattern! Shouldn't be long!

''The fireteam kills a third wave of Hive, including Mormu, Xol Spawn. The Ghost decodes the final rune.''


 * GHOST: Got it! The gate's opening.

''The fireteam heads through the door and through the next room. Phogoth's roar can be heard in the distance, shaking the ground.''


 * GHOST: Sounds like we're getting closer.

''The fireteam heads through the Circle of Bones and reaches the Summoning Pits. Phogoth, the Untamed is chained to the ground in the middle of the room.''


 * GHOST: Well, at least it's chained up.

''The fireteam fires at Phogoth, who then breaks from his chains and fights back. The fireteam eventually kills him.''


 * GHOST: Finally. The abomination has been destroyed. The Vanguard will be grateful.
 * IKORA REY: A creature of the Dark has been slain, and our worlds spared another atrocity. But how many more Hive abominations are still out there, growing among the Darkness? I fear we may find out all too soon.

{Mission Ends}

Phogoth, the Untamed

 * Phogoth's critical hit area is a lump on his chest.
 * Phogoth will seemingly only become unchained after:
 * The player approaches him (proximity hasn't been established yet, but it does appear to be very close)
 * The player shoots at him enough (seems to be <10% overall health lost, though the player can continue to deal damage during his "unchaining" animation)
 * This means that the player can focus on clearing the room before unchaining him and starting the battle proper.
 * There is an end to the waves (outlined below), so if the player would rather fight Phogoth in peace, they can focus on the Hive mobs first and clear out all the waves before killing Phogoth. This may save your life, due to the many Knights and Wizards.

Waves

 * The battle has three distinct 'stages' once you reach the main boss battle (independent of Phogoth's health, though it should be noted that subsequent waves will obviously stop if you kill him):
 * Initial minions - These enemies are in the room when you reach it. They include Acolytes, Knights, and Thrall, positioned around the room and on various scaffoldings.
 * After Phogoth is Unchained - Knights, Acolytes, Thralls, and Cursed Thralls. This wave is technically two waves that somewhat overlap, but the spawning locations and enemy types don't change too much between the waves.
 * Watch out for the Knights up top. They often have splash damage guns which make maintaining cover a difficult game (especially if playing with modifiers)
 * Keep an eye out for reinforcements on the lowest platform at the open-ended edge of the map. These are brought in by dropship, so you should at least be aware of them dropping in if you're keeping an eye on the area every couple minutes.
 * Sword Knights. They seem to spawn in threes on the "left" side of the map (left in relation to your initial perspective on entering the Summoning Pits)
 * The worst areas to hang out in during wave spawns are likely:
 * Yellow-lit alcove to the left, next to the spawning cave under an overhang with a spawning cave. This area is quickly filled with Knights and Thrall (both normal and cursed).
 * Top platform to the far right. This area is not only difficult to reach (some double jumps will not even reach the narrow ledge leading to it from the center platform), but is also a prime spawning point for Knights, Thrall, and, later on, Wizards.
 * All of the previous waves, plus Wizards.
 * If you are playing a level 26 version of this strike and do not kill Phogoth before this wave, Xyor, The Unwed, a named Wizard, will spawn alongside upwards of three wizards.
 * As the Wizards seem to spawn from the same location, they tend to clump up on the map, often leading to them focusing all of their efforts on one guardian at a time. During this wave, other guardians' primary objective should be the elimination of the Wizards. It goes without saying, but focusing your efforts on one Wizard at a time is ideal, as these often have incredible shield regeneration at higher level strikes.

Map Control

 * While this is true of many strikes, having a Bladedancer on your fireteam can be invaluable on this map, since their stealth abilities can allow them to revive downed guardians in otherwise overwhelmed zones.
 * As there is no cover to be had there, and Phogoth is prone to stomping on anything near him (likely a one-hit-kill attack), the center of the map should be considered largely off limits.
 * Though, as mentioned above, the Bladedancer can stealth across it if a guardian is down across the map.
 * The top-most platform on the far right of the map, while occasionally overrun with Hive, can be a good place to take cover from minions once they've moved down to the lower levels.
 * A narrow path extends from this platform all the way to above the right of the mid-level platform (the platform you enter on). If your double jump does not reach it immediately, you should first continue on, as you've likely drawn fire on your position from Phogoth or others. On your second attempt, you can stand on a bit of rubble near the wall towards the spawning cave there to give yourself an extra foot or two of starting height to jump from.
 * Alternatively: using the middle platforms may be an easier double jump to manage, as the landing area is a tad wider, though you will be an easy target for Phogoth up here.
 * The lit alcove in the far corner of the map can be useful for briefly taking cover to regenerate your health. Be careful here though because:
 * If you are too far away from the wall, enemies above you on the top platform can shoot down at you.
 * Enemies spawning on the top platform will drop down in front of this position, often leading to you getting boxed in.
 * Enemies leaving from the dropship platform often head right up the stairs here and will have clear line of fire on you.
 * At the back left behind the rock, you will usually have a clear line of sight to Phogoth, no enemies will spawn directly on top of you, and you can take cover from Phogoth's mind beam just by going behind the rock and crouching.
 * Attempting to camp in the hallway leading up to the Summoning Pits will spawn a Shrieker after a few seconds. The Shrieker will despawn a few seconds after players leave the room.
 * For an easy but time-consuming method of clearing adds, a player can camp in the room, and when the Shrieker spawns, retreat even further back into the hallway. This is especially useful when soloing the level 26 version of this strike to kill Xyor during the exotic bounty A Light in the Dark.
 * The platforms over the center of the map offer very little cover in all directions, so they are not advisable for extended camping.
 * A player with a sniper rifle can stun lock Phogoth by shooting at his critical hit area. Ice Breaker fits this job well, as the player can regenerate ammo between shots. Teammates can choose to deal extra damage to Phogoth in his stunlocked position or help the sniper by fending off minions. A second stun locker can help prevent Phogoth from dealing damage after a missed shot.