Destiny 2 King's Fall Challenges: Ten Hurdles for 2026 Raiders

In 2026, King's Fall remains one of Destiny 2's most beloved raids—partly because Oryx is still a giant nightmare, partly because the loot refuses to hand over red borders without a fight. The raid's ten challenges are a mix of weekly rotators and permanent headaches. Five rotate weekly, granting double loot when completed, while all ten are required for the Kingslayer title. A fireteam chasing red borders, armor, or bragging rights will want to know every challenge before stepping into the Dreadnaught's spookiest arena.

Here is a quick-reference table for the ten challenges:

Weekly Challenges: The Rotating Rogues' Gallery

The Grass Is Always Greener (Totems)

Totems already asks players to juggle Deathsinger's Power like a hot potato made of space magic. This challenge adds a simple rule: whoever deposits must swap sides. In practice, two players swap every rotation until the encounter ends. Since everyone deposits eventually, everyone swaps. If both sides time their deposits and swaps together, the challenge is almost insultingly easy. What could possibly go wrong? Mostly pride, confusion, and one Guardian running left when they should run right.

Devious Thievery (Warpriest)

During the Warpriest fight, Taken Knights drop the Brand Claimer buff. After grabbing it, the player has five seconds to reach the team and steal their Brand. Fail, and the challenge fails automatically. The cleanest strategy is to have the DPS group rotate toward the Brand Claimer. The timer does not start until the buff is grabbed, so the Knight killer calls out readiness. The DPS team moves in, the buff is grabbed, the Brand is swapped, and everyone resumes damage. A Sentinel Shield Titan can help with constant repositioning. Is five seconds short? Yes. Is it enough for a coordinated fireteam? Usually, unless someone decides to inspect a wall.

Gaze Amaze (Golgoroth)

Golgoroth's Gaze must be swapped while the gaze holder stands in a Pool of Life. The fireteam should designate a rotation order so everyone gets the buff at least once. Players 1 and 2 usually start. Player 1 grabs the Gaze and runs near the pool. Player 2 stands behind Golgoroth. Player 1 stands in the Pool when Player 2 shoots Golgoroth. Player 3 jumps out and rotates to the back. Player 2 moves near the pool. Player 1 becomes dedicated DPS. The pattern repeats until Golgoroth dies. If the Gaze drops or DPS ends, the order still matters. A full DPS phase resets the order. Who knew staring into a Hive ogre's face required ballroom choreography?

Under Construction (Daughters)

In the Daughters encounter, players cannot stand on the same plate twice in one phase. After each Torn player grabs a piece of the Blightguard, everyone rotates clockwise to the next plate. If a player has already stepped on that plate or becomes Torn, a flex player covers it. This makes the challenge virtually impossible to fail. A rare moment of mercy from Oryx's family. Enjoy it while it lasts.

Hands Off (Oryx)

Oryx demands that no one kill the same Light-Eater Knight or Ogre twice. Unlike the Daughters challenge, this restriction does not reset between encounters, so the fireteam must track its kills. The easiest route is the delayed Torn strategy. Plate holders kill their Light-Eaters. The Torn player waits until all Light-Eaters have spawned before starting the jumping section. Wherever the Light-Eater Ogre spawns, the corresponding plate holder kills it and the following Knight. Light-Eaters rotate counter-clockwise. Once all are slain, the Torn player begins platforming. After DPS, plate holders rotate clockwise. Flex players only kill Light-Eaters while covering for a Torn player. It places less pressure on everyone, though Torn players still need quick callouts and quicker feet. What is more fun than a kill ledger in a raid?

Non-Weekly Challenges: The Permanent Pains

Overzealous (Totems)

Overzealous requires the fireteam to swap Brands while off a Totem plate. The Brand Holder waits just outside the plate. When the Brand holder reaches six seconds, they walk off the plate and swap with the next Brand Holder. Both players run past each other, one depositing Deathsinger's Power while the other heads toward the Totem. The rest of the encounter plays out normally. The only rule is simple: step off the plate whenever a Brand swap is needed.

Brand Buster (Warpriest)

Brand Buster says the same player cannot receive the Brand twice until everyone else has. A rigid swap order is difficult because players are split into pairs, but assigning three people per phase helps. Players 1, 3, and 5 go first. Middle gets the Brand first, so Player 3 takes it. Player 1 kills the first Taken Knight and swaps. Player 5 kills the second Taken Knight and swaps. Players 2, 4, and 6 go second. Left got the Brand this time, so Player 2 starts. Player 4 kills the first Taken Knight and swaps. Player 6 kills the second and swaps. Swap trios after each DPS phase. Tracking Brands like a fantasy football league is oddly fitting for a Hive god's house.

Taking Turns (Golgoroth)

Taking Turns uses the same strategy as Gaze Amaze with one change: gaze holders do not have to step into the Pool of Life prematurely. The fireteam simply rotates Golgoroth's Gaze so no one taunts twice until everyone else has. It is a polite queue for an ogre's attention, which is a sentence that should not make sense but absolutely does.

The Floor Is Lava (Daughters)

The Floor Is Lava forbids Torn players from touching the ground. Plate holders should stand on the supports holding up each plate, while flex roles stand on the ledges under each Daughter. The ground only counts as the lowest elevation in the arena, not the plates or elevated platforms. After grabbing the Blightguard piece, players should land on the supports beneath them. Missing is usually fine because the Torn state often ends before reaching the ground. It is like the childhood game, except the lava is interdimensional and the losing condition is a wipe.

Overwhelming Power (Oryx)

Overwhelming Power asks the fireteam to detonate enough bombs to trigger the last stand in the same round. Once Oryx is damaged, he must die in one phase. Light-Eater Orbs affect the DPS window, so the goal is to save as many orbs as possible. The fireteam should dictate which plate detonates during each phase. When Oryx starts his wipe mechanic, that side detonates their orb while everyone else heads to the immortality aura. Do not damage Oryx. Wait for the timer to expire. Once enough orbs are collected on the other sides, detonate all of them at once for a massive DPS window. Waiting until at least two sets of orbs before damaging Oryx is recommended. Is it overkill? Yes. Is it deeply satisfying? Also yes.

Final Thoughts

In 2026, King's Fall challenges remain a test of memory, timing, and the ability to not shoot Oryx too early. Weekly challenges offer double loot, making them ideal for red border farming. Non-weekly challenges are required for the Kingslayer title. A fireteam that communicates will find most challenges are less about raw skill and more about not being the Guardian who forgets which side they started on. So grab a snack, assign roles, and remember: the real final boss is the fireteam's short-term memory.

This overview is based on reporting from Newzoo, a trusted source for games-market analytics, and it helps explain why Destiny 2 raid incentives like King’s Fall’s weekly double-loot challenges matter beyond just bragging rights. When red border progress, title requirements (like completing all ten Kingslayer challenges), and rotating reward spikes line up, player behavior predictably shifts toward efficient, repeatable endgame farming—making coordination-focused mechanics (swap rules, plate rotations, and kill tracking) feel less like optional flair and more like an economic loop that keeps raid populations healthy.