Destiny 2 Episode Heresy Court of Blades Guide: Tips, Modifiers & Loot Strategies

Experience Destiny 2's thrilling Court of Blades activity, a boss-rush mode with intense combat, exclusive loot, and strategic chaos management!

Man, grinding the new Court of Blades activity in Destiny 2’s Episode Heresy feels like returning to the Dreadnaught’s glory days! 💥 With Oryx back as the Echo of Navigation, this boss-rush mode is literally the ONLY way to snag Act 2’s exclusive weapons – sorry Nether explorers, this ain’t your loot pool. I’ve been smashing through Expert runs nonstop since launch, and let me tell you, those 10-minute adrenaline rushes where you fight 13 Challengers back-to-back? Pure chaos. Absolute bliss.

So what’s Court of Blades? Imagine Destiny 1’s Court of Oryx had a rogue-like baby with Guardian Games’ Rushdown. You load into a private fireteam instance (no randoms stealing your heavy ammo!), pick Standard or Expert, then dive into portals leading to wild arenas like Io’s Remnant of Silver or a Hive Warship. Big difference from Nether? Unlimited healing! No more panic-dodging behind rocks when your health bar vanishes.

🔥 Expert Mode: Where Real Guardians Shine

Don’t waste time on Standard – bosses melt like butter. Expert’s where the god-roll farming happens, BUT:

• Enemy factions rotate weekly 💀

• Everything hits harder than a Cabal drop-pod

• Requires S-tier loadouts (I’ll share mine later)

Pro tip: Find the activity node in The Last City director.

⏳ How the Madness Unfolds

You spawn near Court of Oryx, clear some adds, then stand on one of three circles to activate a portal. Boom – you’re teleported to a boss arena!

Each encounter’s simple: KILL → REST → REPEAT. After melting a boss (or multiple yellows), you get 45 seconds to:

• Grab ammo crates (they don’t fully restock unless upgraded 💢)

• Buy armaments

• Prep for next round

OR skip waiting by jumping on circles early. Maximum loot requires beating ALL 13 Challengers before the timer ends. Missed it? Deposit five Metastasized Essentia at that creepy dark podium for consolation loot.

🧩 Modifiers: Chaos Management 101

Between rounds, check those Hive statues holding flaming balls! Each ball represents an active Augmentation or Hazard. Read them unless you enjoy dying to unexplained mechanics.

💫 Augmentations (Bonus Objectives = Runes!)

Complete these for extra Runes – critical for upgrades. My encounters:

• Bound 😤: Two bosses with shared immunity. Lure one away using marked zones!

• Sharpen ⚔️: Destroy Hive crystals → kill knights → grab swords → break boss shield.

• Bulwark 🟣: Throw Taken balls into giant blights. Feels like Oryx raid nostalgia!

• Swarm 🐜: Kill 45 adds while dodging Grims. Bring add-clear builds!

• Banish 👻: Murder casters FAST or get yeeted to Ascendant Realm.

☠️ Hazards (Passive Nightmares)

Environmental dangers like Taken goo (insta-boss immunity if touched) or void zones. ALWAYS check statues before charging in!

💎 Runes & Armaments: Your Power Curve

Spot those six Hive statues in the entrance corridor? That’s your run-long buff shop! Rune tips:

• Earn Runes via encounters + Augmentation bonuses

• Left-screen meter shows Tier progress (higher Tier = better Armaments)

• Tier 3 Antiquated Rune = access ALL Armaments 🎯

Priority buys:

1. Damage buffs

2. Ability regen

3. Ammo efficiency

🛠️ My Expert Loadouts & Pro-Tips

After 50+ runs, here’s what works:

Weapons

• ALWAYS pack anti-Champion mods

• One ranged weapon (shred Shriekers!)

• Heavy DPS + add-clear combo (e.g., Rocket + SMG)

Class Builds

• Titan 🛡️: Bolt Charge + Synthoceps melee spam OR Stronghold + Flash Counter sword tanking.

• Warlock 🔮: Prismatic Bleakwatcher/Devour for infinite healing + nades. Arc Geomags + Delicate Tomb melts!

• Hunter 🏹: Void Gyrfalcon’s or Prismatic Gifted Conviction for volatile explosions.

Must-Do Upgrades

Visit Eris’s Shaping Slab! Spend Sigil Shards on:

1. Sigil Rune (more Rune drops)

2. Armament Rune (stronger buffs)

3. Adamantine Rune (damage resistance)

Seriously, Court of Blades is peak Destiny PvE – but what wild build combinations have YOU used to crush those 13 Challengers? 🤔