The Desert Perpetual raid is the core endgame challenge introduced in Destiny 2: Edge of Fate, and it's as brutal as it is intricate. This raid is a test of coordination, communication, and deep understanding of temporality-based mechanics unlike anything Bungie has built before.
In this extensive guide, we’ll walk you through each boss fight, mechanic, and wipe condition. Whether you're chasing your first clear or optimizing for flawless runs, this breakdown is crafted to elevate your raid game.
Understanding Temporality: Core Raid Mechanic
At the heart of this raid lies the temporality system, which introduces three key debuffs:
Cyclical: Interacts with blue-coded mechanisms and grants access to upward-pointing elements.
Constant: Links to red elements, focused on downward mechanics.
Absolute: Interacts with both, acting as a wild card but with more risk.
These debuffs aren't just labels. Each player can see different things depending on their temporality. If your timer runs out? You're gone. Dead. No revives.
Chronal Plates grant temporality when all are activated simultaneously. The key is synchronized timing and clear communication.
Cronons are collectible elements linked to colored rings. You must match the cronon to the ring:
Cobalt (Blue, upward)
Cineabar (Red, downward)
Antimony (White, dual-directional)
Collect six cronons, jump through their ring, and fully charge the hourglass. This activates crucial progression and often determines boss vulnerability.
Starting the Raid: Enter the Ribbon Bridge
As your team enters the Desert Perpetual, you’ll find yourself crossing a long ribbon bridge toward the central tower. Kill everything in your path. Once inside, use the launcher to ascend the tower and activate one of the three available chronal plates.
Left Plate → Apopt Hydra Encounter
Middle Plate → Agreos Hobgoblin Encounter
Right Plate → Iatro's Withered Encounter
Each encounter can be tackled in any order. Let’s break down each one.
Apopt Hydra Encounter: Temporal Perception Warfare
Map Prep:
2 Side Plates (left/right)
Side rooms off each plate
Center pillar with readouts
Roles:
Teams of 3 per side
Assign: Spotter, Breaker, Gunner
Loadout Tips:
Void resist
Crowd control tools
Mid-range precision damage
Phase One: Hydras and Cyclopses
The central Apopauts Hydra remains immune.
Two additional Hydras teleport into side rooms.
Eliminate Cyclopses on both sides to activate plates.
Spotters must stand on plates to gain Temporality:
Cyclic = Right Side Mechanics
Constant = Left Side Mechanics
Phase Two: The Eye Puzzle
Each Hydra has a shield with 6 eyes (hexagon), and a center spotlight eye.
Spotters must stand in the spotlight to pause their death timer.
Call out which eye is lit on your Hydra.
Your partner shoots the corresponding eye on their Hydra.
Break 3 correct eyes per side, then a fourth on either to proceed.
Phase Three: Dual Shield Sequence
Apopt spawns twin rotating shields with spotlight eyes.
Breakers take Temporality and stand in their spotlight.
Read 3-slot code. Call out which eye is NOT lit.
On the opposite side, destroy the 2 eyes that are lit.
Spotters break the floating orb above the Hydra matching the callout.
Once all eyes on each Hydra are destroyed, you'll receive the Lancet Buff. This allows:
Break the shield's spotlight.
Kill the Hydra.
Return to center to break Apopt's spotlight and strip its shield.
Final Phase: Rotate and Repeat
Apopt enters the spotlight-shield phase again.
Two players receive Temporality and must repeat their spotlight routine.
Break another six eyes to regain the Lancet and bring it down.
Failure Points:
Inactive plates = No progress.
Wrong eye = Reset.
Slow orb/eye destruction = Team wipe.
Agreos Encounter: Coil Stabilization and Alignment Mayhem
Map Overview:
3 Plates (center)
5 Accelerator Coils
5 Platforms with Bosses
Roles:
3 Teams of 2
Each has a Caller and a Runner
Loadout Tips:
High mobility
Short-range DPS
Strong CC options
Phase One: Collect Cronons
Kill Hydra to spawn Time-Burdened Minotaurs.
These drop Cobalt Cronons.
Runners grab them and pass through all 5 coils.
Phase Two: Alignment Process
Callers stand on plates to receive Temporality.
Match the overhead Hobgoblin boss with your debuff.
Stand under the correct pillar to receive a 5-slot alignment meter.
Timing Mechanic:
All players now have a 9-second Eliminate Variable timer.
Break line of sight to reset it.
Stabilization:
Unaligned Callers shout which 2 coils are blue-lit.
Runners stabilize these coils by running cronons through them.
Meet back at center.
Phase Three: Boss Stun and Damage
Aligned Caller charges all 5 coils.
Another player steps into line of sight of the boss.
At 1 second left on timer, the Caller detonates a stun grenade.
Boss is stunned, and Temporality is cleared.
All players gain Alignment Meter.
Extend Damage Phase:
Any player can now repeat coil charging.
Stun the boss again to add extra damage time.
Failure Points:
Charging all coils prematurely spawns Wyverns.
Misaligned coil? Instakill.
Late Alignment = Random boss elimination.
Iatro's Withered Encounter: Hourglass Climbing and Box Breaking
Map Overview:
3 Chronal Plates: Low / Mid / High
3 Columns with 3 stacked diamonds each
A floating Hourglass near the entrance
Roles:
3 Teams of 2 (One Breaker, One Runner)
Loadout Tips:
Close-range burst
Ad clear priority
Phase One: Activating the Hourglass
Boss spawns in center and remains immune.
Identify the cronon type inside the hourglass:
Cineabar = Low plate
Cobalt = Mid plate
Antimony = High plate
Kill Time Baritars on the center plate to get matching cronons.
Dunk into Hourglass to activate.
Phase Two: Diastilly Timing Puzzle
A 4-beat rhythm begins (visual and audio cue).
Breakers must destroy bottom boxes on columns on beat 4.
Breaking all 3 bottom boxes builds platforms to the designated plate.
Climbing Mechanics:
Each correct break reveals another diamond level.
Runners break boxes near the boss to spawn cronons.
These refill the Hourglass.
Target Runner:
Gains Absolute Temporality.
Climbs platform stack and activates the cube.
Do this 3 times.
Phase Three: Boss Damage
Boss appears above the target plate.
Burn it down.
If the Neomutation timer starts, dunk a cronon to extend.
Continue until boss goes immune.
Failure Points:
Wrong box = Hourglass drains faster.
Empty Hourglass = Wipe.
Activating a cube spawns add swarms.
Final Encounter: Coros, Devourer of Time
This is the culmination of the Desert Perpetual raid. Expect chaos.
Map Review:
Center stage with 3 Chronal Plates (Left = Constant, Mid = Absolute, Right = Cyclical)
4 Oculus Platforms surrounding the boss
Roles:
Two teams of 3
Every team needs one player with each temporality
Loadout Tips:
Arc resistance
Long-range burst
High mobility
Phase One: Initiating the Battle
Activate the cube to begin.
Kill the Hydras on each plate.
Players receive their respective temporalities.
Constant:
Boss fires an arc beam.
Destroy 4 prongs to interrupt it.
This triggers 4 Vex Pools on Oculus Platforms.
Oculus Work:
Team 1 stuns boss; Team 2 uses Oculus Pools.
Absolute: Identifies hourglass cron type
Constant: Calls out the mine matching that cron
Cyclic: Confirms if the mine is highlighted
Sequence:
Absolute breaks the mine.
Cyclic picks up unobserved yellow cronon.
Deposit into Hourglass.
Switch roles and repeat until hourglass is full.
Phase Two: The Cubes and the Arena
Climb to the central arena.
Each boss prong has a triangle of 3 cubes.
Constant/Cyclic see 2 each. Absolute sees both views.
Absolute must activate the shared cube visible to both.
Do this for all 4 prongs to proceed.
Phase Three: Burn Phase
Damage the boss’s exposed red crit spots.
Rings and cronons appear randomly.
Matching cronons + ring jumps = extended DPS time.
Final Stand:
When Coros becomes vulnerable, go all in.
Kill it before Digitization Timer runs out.
Jump off the platform fast before it detonates.
Failure Points:
Misread mines = Lost hourglass progress.
Wrong cronon jump = Instant death.
Slow cube activations = Wipe.
Arc circles in boss room = Fatal if mispositioned.
Final Thoughts: Conquer the Desert
The Desert Perpetual is a true test of Destiny 2 mastery. Communication, synergy, and speed are everything here. Master the temporalities, callouts, and timing, and you’ll walk away with some of the best gear Edge of Fate has to offer.
Now get out there, Guardian. Eyes up, and keep the clock on your side.
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