Week 2: Heist Battlegrounds Mars Grandmaster Nightfall Guide and Builds

Week 2 Grandmaster Nightfall Guide and Builds (Season of Defiance)

Week 2 will hit hard. The strike on the docket will arguably be the most difficult of all of the Grandmaster Nightfalls this season.

With the proper loadouts this strike can be completed by any team.

Get ready and prepared…This one’s a doozy.

For more builds, weapon god rolls, and tier lists, head to our new Destiny 2 site. If you missed last week, check out our Week 1 Proving Grounds guide.

Strike Details

• Strike: Heist Battlegrounds: Mars
• Champions: Barrier and Unstoppable
• Surges: Void and Strand (25% bonus to outgoing damage)
• Overcharged Weapon: Machine Gun (25% bonus to outgoing damage)
• Threat: Solar (25% increase to incoming damage)
• Weapon Reward: Mindbender’s Ambition (Adept)

Strike Section Breakdowns

3 Plate Start

Three plates need to be cleansed to get to the next section. If it wasn’t obvious, all 3 players should be doing each plate together.

Clear the enemies before shooting the gunk off the Seraph Tower, as this will spawn in extra enemies.

Start at the A Tower, and once the gunk is removed from the Tower, go to the back of the landing pad to kill the Deathtongue as quickly as possible.

When doing the plates you do NOT have to stand in the circle to progress its status. Your team just needs to prevent enemies from getting into the circle.

If using the recommended loadouts, spam Void Machine Guns to clear out enemies and use Strand for Unstoppable Champions.

Futurescape Lobby

Champions will spawn at the 25% and 50%. Be sure to kill all Champions before reaching 100% to receive Platinum Rewards

When being pressed by enemies, go to the balcony above where you first entered the room. This area is the safest.

Catwalks

Take your time, this part works exactly the same in any level of the Strike.

The first landing has knights. Using a Well here to kill the knights while in cover from the laser is best.

Vault Security Door

Only 2 cores are needed to unlock the seals on the door. Your team can stand on top of the entry door for 3 minutes to wait for the door to open automatically.

An unstoppable Champion is behind the door.

Boss Room

The boss, Kelgorath, is very mobile and is a melee enemy. The melee attack can be baited and dodged fairly easily if anticipated, just be aware of his location at all times to avoid unexpectedly being one-shot by him.

At 50% health, Champions will spawn in the center of the room alongside waves of enemies on both sides of the room. Group up on one side of the arena to clear the other enemies of one side.

When the other enemies are taken care of, kill the Champions in the center.

To continue damaging the boss, 5 arc charges are needed to be deposited in the center. Take your time with these, make sure the center platform is clear, and the player with the charge is being escorted by the other two members so they can safely deposit a charge.

The center of the room should be avoided other than when needed to deposit the charges. It is important to move as a group to the center, as a revive in this area is very annoying to secure.

In the corners of the room there are pillars that can be stood upon where Kelgorath cannot reach you.

Best Builds for Heist Battlegrounds Mars Grandmaster Nightfall (Week 2, Season 20)

Heist Battlegrounds Mars GM Titan Build

[See detailed Titan build]

Build Highlights

• Kelgorath is not fazed by the bubble, he will kill you in it anyway.
• Makes the Void Titan defensive super an offensive option with Ursa Furiosa. It can double up as wave clear, or allow teammates to quickly clear waves of enemies in a safe manner.
• Super is still great for defense, and can be rotated alongside Well of Radiance availability. It will help teammates get their supers faster.

• Give Overshields with casting Barricade for extra defenses
• Void Heavy Machine Gun will get a 25% damage boost, can stun Barrier Champions with Volatile Rounds from Volatile Flow, and will have a lot of ammo available with Bricks from Beyond.
• Grenades will weaken targets so they take extra damage

Heist Battlegrounds Mars GM Hunter Build

[See detailed Hunter build]

Build Highlights

• Takes advantage of Strand Suspend for stunning Unstoppable Champions. Through Ensnaring Slam and Shackle Grenade. Beware of using Ensnaring Slam out in the open if other enemies that will not be suspended have line of sight in this area.
• Weaponry allows this build to take out Barrier Champions with Wish-Ender. Arbalest is a good alternative if that is not available. Both will get a 25% weapon boost because they are Kinetic and paired with a Strand subclass.
• Utilizes a Void Heavy Machine Gun for all the same benefits as mentioned in the Titan build.
• Can pair super with a Well of Radiance or Banner Shield to safely burst down a close range target.

Heist Battlegrounds Mars GM Warlock Build

[See detailed Warlock build]

Build Highlights

• Well of Radiance is very important due to the lack of cover in some areas. Phoenix Protocol will allow Warlocks to have access to Well more often.
• Utilizes Healing Grenade for safety as a last resort when no supers are available.
• Once again a Void Machine Gun is fantastic for quick enemy clear as it receives a 25% damage boost and seasonal artifact mods Volatile Flow and Bricks from Beyond synergize with them.
• Getting Volatile Rounds via Volatile Flow or by being Radiant from a melee will open up being able to handle Barrier Champions.
• Witherhoard is for passive damage in the final boss room. An anti-barrier option such as Wish-Ender or Arbalest is also a good option.
• A Void Scout Rifle is mostly used for Unstoppable Champions.

Closing Thoughts

This is a very difficult strike, but can be completed by any team as long as cooldowns are managed properly and is played patiently. Check in next week for the builds to the next Grandmaster in rotation.

For more builds, weapon god rolls, and tier lists, head to our new Destiny 2 site.