Destiny 2 Root of Nightmares Raid Guide

Root of Nightmares is the Lightfall raid released on March 10, 2023. Its four encounters are Cataclysm, Scission, Macrocosm and Nezarec. This guide covers their core mechanics for a six-player fireteam. Check the activity screen for current Power requirements and modifiers before launching.

Agree on runner, enemy-control and boss-attention roles before starting. Use short, consistent callouts for nodes, sides and planets. Build for the job you are doing: staying alive and completing mechanics matters more than copying an old seasonal loadout.

A runner gains Field of Light by standing in the glowing node aura and shooting it, then shoots the next indicated node while buffed. Activating that node consumes the buff. Return to the node that currently has the aura and repeat until the chain is complete.

Other players clear enemies and defeat the two shielded Psions to spawn a Tormentor. Killing it extends Sweeping Terror; letting that timer expire wipes the team. Complete four chains. Coordinate buff refreshes: shooting the source while another runner is carrying its buff outside the aura can disrupt the network.

Split across the two sides of the chasm. Assign a runner to Field of Light and another to Flux of Darkness. Follow each network across the gap using the launchers, refreshing the appropriate buff between connections.

Both networks must finish before Imminent Expulsion expires. Enemy-control players need the matching buff to defeat protected Redolence enemies. Clear the required enemies, take the launcher to the next floor and repeat across all three levels.

Assign four planet movers and two players to enemy control. Defeat the Centurions, then the Terrestrial Lieutenants. The player who lands a Lieutenant’s final blow gains Planetary Insight and can identify the misplaced planets.

Swap the mismatched planets with a partner across the room so Light planets occupy the left and Darkness planets the right. After another Lieutenant wave, match planets from the sides to the three centre positions. During damage, use a plate matching the boss’s shield colour; move together as the damage windows change. Repeat until the final stand.

Complete the Light and Darkness node chains while teammates control enemies and shoot Nezarec’s chest to manage his attention. Breaking his shoulders reveals whether the team needs Light’s Refuge or Darkness’s Refuge.

If you cannot finish the networks before his wipe attack, create the indicated refuge. Carry Flux of Darkness to a connected Light node without an active source aura for Light’s Refuge, or Field of Light to a connected Darkness node for Darkness’s Refuge. Everyone must collect the refuge buff before the blast.

Once both chains are complete and the beam strikes Nezarec, group up for damage. Reset positions when he becomes immune. Keep enough damage available to finish his final stand.

For encounter diagrams and additional detail, see the Shacknews raid walkthrough, PCGamesN encounter guide, and Destinypedia mechanics reference. This guide replaces an earlier version that incorrectly mixed in encounters from other activities.