I cannot stand the King’s Fall raid in Destiny: The Taken King. Not because it’s bad mind you, but because it’s just so damn challenging. And at the same time, I’d be properly disappointed if it wasn’t. While the original Destiny raid, Vault of Glass, laid the groundwork for these encounters the follow-up sequel Crota’s End was a bit of an easy challenge.
It gathered a fair share of criticism from Destiny fans for that lack of technical precision needed, something that developer Bungie decided to fix with the hard as nails King’s Fall raid that I’ll one day, one day finally succeed at completing. For anyone who has played that raid, you know exactly what I’m talking about. A mission that lasts hours, is devious, tricky and if any member of your team stuffs up at any point then a checkpoint reset is cycled in.
It’s like the morning after on the toilet after having eaten an entire tray of adamantium burritos: So damn tough to pass.
Wrath of the Machine however, will be a bit less technical, emphasising individual player light levels instead of nailing precise feats to help survive it. It’s still going to be a challenge however, as lead raid designer Gavin Irby explained to Game Informer via Destructoid:
It’s hard. It’s largely a function of what your light level is versus the raid. King’s Fall has this property of where even if you’re over-leveling the mechanics don’t get easier so it still maintains this high difficulty, which at the time we felt was a virtue because people specifically wanted it and had been asking for it, and I think maybe now the community might be ready for something a little different that they can actually overlevel and get some mastery over.
Like how mechanical do we want to get? It’s been my goal for each raid to push the boundary in some direction and explore a new space. For example, for Crota’s End, it was very much like let’s explore action, let’s explore the idea of just basic superhero action – Indiana Jones, swinging swords, all these kind of action tropes.
And then with King’s Fall we really wanted to push the boundaries of mechanics, and I felt like Vault of Glass is sort of like raid middle school. Now it’s like, ‘let’s do raid high school and raid college, you know?’ Let’s take a higher level class and sort of see what we can do with it. That feels like sort of the limit that I want to go in that direction so. It’s always like what is some new way of looking at the raid experience with some new lens.
The biggest challenge with these raids is always nailing that sweet spot between actual challenge and feeling like a legend. It’s a balance that Vault of Glass managed to brilliantly achieve, while King’s Fall made me rage at my TV every time Golgoroth smashed my face into atoms and threw me into the wind. Hopefully Wrath of the Machine can find that balance between difficulty and joy, to deliver a raid that you want to revisit over and over again.
Last Updated: August 24, 2016
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 24, 2016 at 12:04
The problem with the King’s Fall raid is unexpected random friggin LAG! You can be expertly coordinated but if one switch doesn’t flip or pressure pad triggers a few seconds late you’re f******d. That being said. Finishing the Raid had to be one of the best gaming experiences ever.
Ir0nseraph
August 24, 2016 at 12:22
Deserter 😛
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 24, 2016 at 12:55
I finished it, have you? 😛
Ir0nseraph
August 24, 2016 at 13:00
NO waiting for the team , not taking the easy way out.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 24, 2016 at 13:02
I’m ready anytime the team is o/
Ir0nseraph
August 24, 2016 at 13:04
Yeah we might need to rebuild, once you return from your holiday, I think we might be a few peeps short.
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 24, 2016 at 13:51
Indeed, if we were to rebuild then the other members will need to download the game first
Jonah Cash
August 24, 2016 at 14:28
I want to do a raid as well!! Still haven’t finished any of them… @ir0nseraph:disqus
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 24, 2016 at 14:37
I have you on my friends list, just need to get you on Whatsapp
*Runs
Jonah Cash
August 24, 2016 at 14:53
#$%&…. #$%&!!!!
Ir0nseraph
August 25, 2016 at 13:11
You must join are group when rise of iron comes around.
Jonah Cash
August 25, 2016 at 15:40
I am not allowed as I don’t have Whatsapp!! @hammersteyn:disqus doesn’t want non Whatsapp people in his group…
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 26, 2016 at 08:51
LIES! It’s just easier to keep in contact and smses are expensive 😛
Jonah Cash
August 26, 2016 at 09:38
Get an iPhone 0_o Hahahaha
Hammersteyn_hates_Raid0
August 26, 2016 at 09:51
Sies
Ir0nseraph
August 26, 2016 at 11:19
Nooo
Ir0nseraph
August 26, 2016 at 11:16
XD PSN Messaging is fine and very quiet.
Allykhat
August 24, 2016 at 12:15
King’s fall is by far the best raid in the game to be honest. There are so many factors that go into success that actually pulling it off feels like an achievement. I finished my Moments of Triumph last night with the Warpriest Challenge. I actually called a time out before fighting Golgoroth so I could sit and celebrate a little bit. Then the PUG I was with kept FREAKING DYING…. Technically speaking KF was amazingly brutal. I loved fulfilling a role, like the runner in the Oryx fight. I met a lot of people in the last 3 weeks while grinding the raid, made some good friends and learned the entire Hard Mode raid WITH the challenge mechanics. Even though collectively over the past 3 weekends I’ve sunk almost 30 hours into King’s Fall alone (roughly the same amount to do The Mountaintop…), I never once had a moment where I regretted it. And shooting old boomerang head while his busted ass floats off towards Saturn with a newly acquired Hallowed gun feels so. damn. good.
I can’t wait to jump into WotM and see what Bungo have in store for us.
Oh and BLACK GALLY!!!!!
The D
August 24, 2016 at 12:38
…Jebus, you’re a machine.
Allykhat
August 24, 2016 at 12:47
I’m not a Vex, I promise 😉
Maganondorf
August 27, 2016 at 14:21
Dude, Kings Fall is easy if you have someone who sherpas you well. The mechanics are fairly straightforward you just gotta have a decent team….