Destiny 2 - Argos boss fight strategy: How to deal damage and kill Argos, Planetary Core

Destiny 2's Argos boss fight is the final part of the Eater of Worlds Raid Lair that's part of Curse of Osiris, following Break the Barrier.

If you want help on other parts of the expansion, our Curse of Osiris walkthrough can help, including how to solve Lost Prophecy Verses.

Argos boss fight strategy explained

Once you have completed the Break the Barrier part of the Raid, you'll then come up against the boss itself - Argos, a massive Vex and 'Planetary Core' - and not a fixture on UK highstreets.

Here's a summary of the steps required to beat Argos:

• One of three sides of the boss will have three elemental orbs.
• Charge the required amount of cannons in the corresponding elemental torches.
• Have three players fire at the orbs at the same time, moving them to the centre to break open the shield.
• At the same time, the remaining players will also have charged cannons ready to fire at the boss itself in the following damage phase.
• After the shield goes down and a short additional shielded period after the damage phase, climb the platforms that appear around the boss and destroy two of the six weak points to avoid being wiped.
• Return to your positions and repeat.

Argos boss encounter in detail

As mentioned on the Break the Barrier part of the encounter, there is a lot of crossover in terms of who is doing what with the Argos boss battle.

Again, you have two players per set of elemental torches. Though you can still have one person in a pair look after cannons, we think it would be easier to have everyone have a cannon to look after, since you'll all need one during the damage phase this time (though only three will continue to fire them at the orbs).

Once everyone is in position, have all players must keep an eye on which side the orbs will appear, and then call out their elements.

The orbs that appear can be any combination - up to three on one side - so you need to quickly work out which cannons need charging at which altars.

Again, though everyone is charging one cannon, it'll be easier to dedicate one person per pair to look after the orbs - who then may need to travel to another altar to match them, especially as in some cases all three will be on one side.

However, in all other cases (two orbs of the same colour, or one of each) everyone can just charge a cannon at their altar, as if you're not firing a cannon at an orb, then any element will be effective when it comes to damaging the boss itself.

All the while, both players keep an eye on enemies that appear, and when you all are ready to take down the shield, ensure there are no Minotaurs nearby which can cause you hassle, then fire at the orbs at the same time, 'dragging' them towards the centre to drop the shield.

With the shield down, all players then fire cannons at the centre of the boss for critical damage. Cannons deliver a lot of damage, so ensuring everyone has a cannon and isn't interuppted by enemies is key. Quickly switch to Supers and Power ammo afterward to get in a little more damage before the shield goes down.

In the damage phase, as well as the shielded part that briefly follows, there are two particular obstacles; Argos will fire a 'net', which can suspend them and float them through the air. You can see this coming quickly easily, so jump if it's flying toward you, otherwise have your team shoot you down so you can rejoin the fight.

The other are Harpys that divebomb in waves. These are much harder to detect, but if you keep an eye on the top of your screen, you should be able to leap out of the way in time. Get it wrong, and there is the potential for multiple players to go down. With a very limited window to deal damage, and the usual one revive token per player, you'll want to avoid this as much as possible.

After this, the shield will go down and platforms will surround Argos. There are six glowing white weak spots on the boss; two on his head, two on his arms, and two on his back, both left and right. You must take down two of these weakspots each round before it wipes the team.

The key to this is causing sustained damage over time (not intermittant, such as firing rockets) to turn the white spots into red, before exploding. The easiest way to co-ordinate is to go after one side at a time - say the Arm, then the Head - based on the direction Argos turns.

So if Argos turns left, the right side is exposed. Concentrate on firing first the right arm, then right side of the head. (You may need to leap up a higher platform to easily see the head weakpoint). The next damage phase, target the opposite side, then with the final phase, target the two on the back - which are the easiest to reach.

Looking for more help? When you're not looking forward to Destiny 2's Crimson Days event, our Curse of Osiris guide and walkthrough can explain everything with the recent expansion, including the new Eater of Worlds Raid Lair and how to get Lost Prophecy Forge weapons, new Destiny 2 Exotics and Masterworks weapons and armour. We can also help you reach the 330 / 335 max Power level cap , decide what to spend Glimmer and Legendary Shards on, how Mods, Infusion, and Engrams work, plus a full walkthrough of the Destiny 2 Leviathan Raid.

After the two weak points are down, you can also briefly move to the front and fire at its 'nose' - doing a little bit of damage. It's not as much as during the damage phase - again, the cannons will deliver most of your damage output in this fight - but if you are down to the wire, it can make a difference between success and failure.

The encounter will then repeat over. You have four attempts to take down all its health - after the third set of weak points, you just have a final damage phase before it wipes your team.

Two areas of failure are co-ordination and communication of the cannons that need preparing - you need to quickly work out who is going where to match the elements of the orbs - and the other is the damage phase, both in terms of ammo and as well as keeping an eye on Harpies and other enemies.

It's this post-shield drop and pre-weak point part of the boss battle where you need to concentrate to deal damage and stay alive. Certain Supers may help - Warlock's Arc Soul will help with additional firepower, as well as being aware of what's coming at you when you're firing at the boss.

It's an initially overwhelming boss, but once you get the pattern down, the difficulty will be one of dealing damage. Learn how to overcome these elements that get in the way (and, if you are struggling in terms of output, consider waiting to increase your Power Level) and Argos should be done for.

Once the boss is over, you'll have one more chest to open, completing the encounter. Well done!