When Destiny 2's Season of the Seraph sent Guardians into forgotten Warmind bunkers back in late 2022, Operation: Diocles became the second weekly Operation in that story. Even in 2026, players who revisit old recordings or seasonal guides remember the fight for its crystal-breaking rhythm and sudden immunity shields.
Could a fireteam survive the approach? The answer lay in patience and cover.
Infiltrating the Launch Control Facility
At the start, the fireteam spawned on a rocky overlook. The objective was not to fight every Hive on the surface but to slip toward the facility entrance. Jumping down to the right gave the best route, but the Seraph towers punished careless movement. Guardians hugged rocks, cliff faces, and overhangs, popping out only to clear the nearest Hive. A well-placed sniper shot or fusion burst could remove a sentry before it alerted the swarm.
Inside the air ducts, the mission shifted from combat to precision. The facility was lined with lasers. Touching one meant instant death, no resurrection timer could save a careless Guardian. Those who slid under waist-high beams and jumped over floor-level lasers advanced cleanly. Could a fireteam rush through? Only if they enjoyed seeing the Darkness screen. The best approach was slow, single-file, and deliberate.
Clearing Hive Runes and Crystals
Deeper in, Xivu Arath's forces guarded passageways sealed by Hive runes. Each sealed path required three crystals to be destroyed. But the crystals could not simply be shot from the start. The area had to be cleared first. Adds swarmed from side tunnels, majors pressed the fireteam, and the runes remained until every crystal shattered.
A smart Guardian focused on crowd control:
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🎯 Kill the red-bar Hive before engaging majors.
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🧊 Use Stasis or blinding grenades to slow aggressive Knights.
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💎 Identify all three crystals before firing, then break them in quick succession.
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🚩 Plant a Rally Flag before the final room to refill ammo and abilities.
The rock caverns became a checklist of crystals and corpses. Once the last rune faded, the path opened into the bunker's heart.
Defeating the Scourges of Xivu Arath
The final arena held two witches, the Scourges of Xivu Arath. Veterans of the Broodhold strike from Forsaken recognized the pattern immediately. The witches hurled hard-hitting projectiles from a distance. A fireteam that ignored the Hive adds would be overwhelmed. The first rule was simple: clear the room before damaging the boss.
Loadout choices made the fight easier:
| Combat Style | Recommended Tool | Why It Worked |
|---|---|---|
| Long range | Linear Fusion Rifle | Safe headshots against floating witches |
| Close range | Sword or Glaive | High burst damage when the boss drifted low |
| Add clear | Roaming Super or wave-frame grenade launcher | Kept the arena from becoming a death trap |
At half health, the active witch raised an immunity shield. The only way to break it was to destroy three Hive crystals. This was the moment when a fireteam's rhythm mattered. Could one Guardian split off to break crystals while the others kited the boss? Yes, but the adds had to be cleared first. The crystals became destructible only after nearby enemies fell.
The final push was not about flashy plays. The fireteam focused one witch at a time, used Heavy ammo and Supers without hesitation, and ignored the instinct to spread damage across both bosses. When the second witch collapsed, the bunker data was ready for download. The mission ended the way all good strikes do: with a spent fireteam, a loot drop, and the quiet hum of a cleared Seraph facility.
Why does Operation: Diocles still get mentioned in old raid-clear stories? Because it taught the same lesson the Seraph season repeated often: speed means nothing if you cannot read the room. Lasers ended runs. Crystals blocked progress. And the Scourges punished anyone who forgot to clear adds first.