Vow of the Disciple raid guide

Vow of the Disciple launched on March 5, 2022, alongside The Witch Queen. It sends six Guardians into a sunken Pyramid in the swamps of Savathûn’s Throne World to stop Rhulk, the Disciple of the Witness. The whole raid revolves around reading symbols, splitting roles and sharing callouts, so a fireteam that talks well will have a much easier time than one that just shoots well. It comes in Normal and Master difficulty.

Before the first encounter: the swamp

After the entrance you push a barge through Disciple’s Bog. Two things to know: Pervading Darkness is a stacking debuff that kills you at ten stacks, and you clear it by staying close to the barge. To move the barge, kill the Knowledge Bearer Abominations and deposit the Knowledge they drop.

1. Acquisition

Shoot the floating Darkness crystal in the middle to start, which also changes which doors are open. Split into three pairs, one pair per obelisk. One player in each pair reads symbols while the partner keeps them safe from Abated Adherents and Unstoppable Abominations, so bring Unstoppable mods.

Every symbol belongs either to the Light (Traveler) side or the Dark (Pyramid) side. Each pair notes the three symbols shown by the Glyphkeepers in their room, then shoots all three on the matching obelisk in quick succession. Each obelisk slowly fills with a charge, and if it reaches the top, the team wipes. Wrong offerings speed that up, so double-check before you shoot.

2. Collection: The Caretaker

The Caretaker is a big, slow, relentless Taken construct, and the encounter is a chase up a tower. Roles split into stunners, symbol runners and add clear.

• Stunners shoot the Caretaker in the face, then in the back, and destroy the orbs it fires. That keeps it from marching forward.
• Runners go into the dark rooms, collect symbols and shoot them on the obelisk.
• When all nine symbols are purged, damage starts.

Damage happens on three plates per floor. The Caretaker only takes damage while you’re standing on a plate, and after each floor you move up the stairs and repeat. The top floor has its last set of plates, and the boss has to go down before the final plate runs out.

3. Exhibition

Exhibition is a relic-juggling encounter on a team timer called Terminal Resonance. If it reaches zero, the team wipes. Killing a Disciple’s Hourglass buys more time.

Doors are opened with symbols. Glyphkeepers reveal symbols that only half the team can see, so each half reports what it sees, you find the symbol both halves share, and shoot it on the doorframe.

Around the arena are relics with different jobs. One cleanses Pervading Darkness, another destroys Taken Blights with the grenade button. After dropping a relic you get Curbed Resonance, a 30-second lockout before you can pick up another one, so plan who carries what.

4. Dominion: Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness

Shoot the crystal above Rhulk (later in the fight, his glaive) to get Leeching Force. It runs on a timer, so players pass it between them, and someone should always be holding it. When a Leeching Force holder is hit by Rhulk’s Darkness beam, the buff turns into Emanating Force, which lets them pass through the forcefield and deposit at the obelisks.

Players on both sides call out symbols so depositors know where to go. Six correct deposits bring the field down. Rhulk is then stunned and four weak points appear on his shoulders and hips. Destroy them, then pour on damage until he goes immune. Repeat for up to three phases before he enrages. In the final stand Pervading Darkness starts stacking, and ten stacks still kills, so don’t hold back your best Supers.

Challenges

• Swift Destruction (Acquisition)
• Base Information (The Caretaker)
• Defenses Down (Exhibition)
• Looping Catalyst (Rhulk)

Raid triumphs here count toward the Disciple-Slayer title.

Collective Obligation

The raid exotic, Collective Obligation, is a Void pulse rifle that drops at random from Rhulk at the end of the raid. Its intrinsic, Void Leech, pulls Void debuffs off your targets and lets you put them to use yourself. The full loot table is below.