The Pantheon has arrived in Destiny 2 as a time-sensitive endgame activity, launched as part of the Into the Light update. This limited-time challenge is available only for a few weeks, until the servers go offline in preparation for the highly anticipated The Final Shape expansion on June 3rd. This Pantheon Guide Destiny 2 will provide you with everything you need to know to tackle this gauntlet and reap its rewards.
Pantheon serves as both a grueling test for veteran Guardians and a fantastic catch-up mechanic for raid loot. It features escalating difficulty across four tiers, released weekly. The initial Pantheon difficulty commenced on April 30th, imposing a 5 Power disadvantage, while the ultimate challenge on May 21st ramps up to a formidable 20 Power disadvantage.
Understanding Destiny 2’s Pantheon: How it Works
Image: Bungie via Polygon
Pantheon is essentially a raid boss rush mode, drawing encounters from various Destiny 2 raids. You begin each run with a sequence of raid bosses, starting with Golgoroth from the King’s Fall raid. Upon defeating Golgoroth, you’ll claim your rewards and be immediately transported to the next encounter, the Caretaker from Vow of the Disciple. This process continues until you’ve overcome all the bosses for the current week’s Pantheon challenge.
The difficulty and number of bosses increase each week. Week one, “Atraks Sovereign,” starts with four bosses. Week two expands upon this, requiring you to defeat the initial four plus a fifth, and so on. Week four culminates in the ultimate test, demanding the defeat of eight endgame bosses in a single run. Furthermore, each boss encounter is tweaked to be even more challenging than their original raid versions, ensuring a true test of skill and coordination.
To visualize the first Pantheon iteration, Atraks Sovereign, consider watching a full playthrough by renowned Destiny 2 content creator Esoterickk on YouTube. This can provide valuable insights into encounter mechanics and strategies.
Despite the daunting difficulty, Pantheon offers boons to aid your Fireteam. Similar to Master raids, Pantheon features elemental burns, amplifying damage from specific elements. Unique modifiers are also active, such as buffs granted to your Fireteam when a member uses their class ability nearby, promoting teamwork and strategic ability usage.
Pantheon Rewards: Loot and Exotic Weapons Await
Image: Bungie via Polygon
The rewards for conquering Pantheon are highly desirable. Defeating each boss unleashes a shower of raid loot from the raids featured in the Pantheon rotation. This presents an exceptional opportunity to acquire missing raid weapons or complete crafting patterns for enhanced versions.
The most coveted reward within Pantheon is the “Divine Weaponry” quest. Successfully clearing all bosses in the Atraks Sovereign Pantheon (Week 1) grants you a choice of raid Exotics that you might have previously missed. This quest guarantees one raid Exotic weapon of your choosing, a significant benefit considering these powerful weapons typically rely on random drops and can require numerous raid clears to obtain.
Week 1 of Pantheon (Atraks Sovereign) offers the following Exotic weapon choices upon completing the “Divine Weaponry” quest:
- Eyes of Tomorrow rocket launcher (Deep Stone Crypt raid)
- Touch of Malice scout rifle (King’s Fall raid)
Completing Pantheon in Week 3 or Week 4 unlocks a second Exotic selection from an expanded pool:
- Collective Obligation pulse rifle (Vow of the Disciple raid)
- Conditional Finality shotgun (Root of Nightmares raid)
- One Thousand Voices fusion rifle (Last Wish raid)
Beyond Exotic weapons, the prestigious Godslayer title is attainable for those who truly master Pantheon. Earning this title requires not only defeating all Pantheon bosses before June 3rd but also doing so with speed and efficiency. Each boss encounter includes a bonus timer; defeating bosses within this timer and accumulating enough points awards a Platinum medal. These Platinum medals contribute to Triumphs needed for the Godslayer title and also grant a free Adept raid weapon once per week, further incentivizing optimized and fast clears.
The Pantheon Boss Order and Weekly Progression
Image: Bungie
Pantheon introduces a new boss encounter each week leading up to The Final Shape release. Each week’s Pantheon builds upon the previous week, adding a new final boss while including all previous encounters in the sequence, alongside an escalating Power level disadvantage.
Here’s a breakdown of the Pantheon boss encounters as they are introduced each week:
| Week | Pantheon Name | Bosses (in order) | Key Changes & Difficulty Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atraks Sovereign | Golgoroth (King’s Fall), Caretaker (Vow of Disciple), Atraks-1 (Deep Stone Crypt), Explicator of Planets, Rhulk (Vow of Disciple) | Initial Pantheon release, 5 Power disadvantage. Introduces the core Pantheon mechanics and reward structure. |
| 2 | Oryx Ascendant | Golgoroth, Caretaker, Atraks-1, Rhulk, Oryx (King’s Fall) | Increased difficulty, adds Oryx from King’s Fall as the final boss. Power disadvantage likely increases. |
| 3 | Nezarec Sublime | Golgoroth, Caretaker, Atraks-1, Rhulk, Oryx, Nezarec (Root of Nightmares) | Further difficulty increase, featuring Nezarec from Root of Nightmares as the final boss. Power disadvantage continues to rise. |
| 4 | Rhulk Indomitable | Golgoroth, Caretaker, Atraks-1, Rhulk, Oryx, Nezarec, Warpriest (King’s Fall), Sorrow of Rhulk, The Witness (Vow of Disciple) | Peak Pantheon difficulty, culminating in a gauntlet of eight bosses including The Witness. Maximum Power disadvantage (20). Ultimate challenge. |
Are you prepared for the Pantheon challenge? As you await The Final Shape, consider revisiting the returning “Zero Hour” mission to acquire the Outbreak Perfected Exotic weapon pattern, or delve into “The Whisper” mission for the craftable Whisper of the Worm Exotic sniper rifle. Once you obtain Whisper of the Worm, be sure to locate all the Oracle locations to unlock upgrades using Taken Blights.
This Pantheon guide Destiny 2 aims to equip you with the knowledge to conquer this challenging, yet rewarding, endgame activity. Gather your Fireteam, prepare your builds, and step into the Pantheon to claim your divine rewards!
