Onslaught is a fantastic mode that allows Guardians to try all kinds of creative builds. While I love trying new things, you may have to rely on proven loadouts to beat Legend Onslaught. With this in mind, here’s our Destiny 2 Legend Onslaught guide: Best loadouts and tips for all 50 waves.
What is Legend Onslaught in Destiny 2?
Let me quickly explain how Onslaught and Legend Onslaught work so we’re all on the same page. Onslaught is a wave-based Horde Mode accessible from the Into the Light section of the Star Map. Enemies rush in to attack an ADU that you must defend. If they destroy it or your entire team is dead at any point, it’s game over.
Confusingly, there are two Onslaught playlists. The one on the left is like a quickplay mode and is limited to 10 rounds. I like using this as a warmup, and it’s perfect for short sessions. The playlist on the right has a list of modes where you can pick the map and the Legend difficulty if you wish. This playlist goes all the way to round 50 and can take an hour to finish.
In Onslaught, you face a boss every ten waves and an offensive round every five. During the offensive round, a member of the Fireteam must run a “Spark” into a target to defeat the boss. The 10th wave is a regular encounter with a large enemy and reinforcements.Â
Onslaught gets more challenging the longer you play. The Legend difficulty follows the same gameplay loop, but the enemies are far tougher, and the difference is very noticeable in later waves.
How to win Legend Onslaught in Destiny 2: Tips and Tricks
Before we dive into class specifics, you can put plenty of things into effect for Onslaught in general. These tips will help regardless of whether you’re playing regular or Legend difficulty:
Map selection matters
You can choose from a small selection of maps, but Midtown is arguably the easiest. It has many tight corridors and streets that funnel enemies into predictable paths. You can still be caught off guard but less likely to take fire from targets you’ve not seen.
Batteries do more than you think
If your ADU takes damage, you can heal it with batteries that drop from enemies, but it’s essential to know how they work. Batteries track toward the ADU, so you can throw them to repair it from a distance. Even if the ADU has full health, you should still throw batteries at it as they grant a brief period of bonus “Scrap” which ties in nicely with my next tip.
Learn the defense Meta
You can buy defenses between designated rounds of Onslaught, which costs Scrap. Tripwires, Decoys, and Turrets are up for grabs and can be upgraded. Tripwires are the cheapest, but I rarely see much value from them, and they feel almost useless during higher waves.
Decoys, however, are fantastic as they draw enemy fire, and you should prioritize them if possible. At max level, the Decoy even becomes a hologram of Shaxx, so you know it means business. Turrets are decent and deal respectable damage, but I recommend buying Decoys first.
Tripwires are a cute way to spend your change, but I ignore them entirely.
Beware of Tormentors
Tormentors can spawn in later waves of Onslaught and Legend Onslaught. These enemies are dangerous but also seem to have one fatal weakness.
In my experience, Tormentors love Decoys and prioritize them over anything else. You can use this time to thin out enemy mobs before focusing on the Tormentor in battle.
Invisible Hunters are broken
Invisible Hunters are unquestionably the best class for Spark-running during offensive waves. If you have a Hunter on the team, let them take the Spark. The Hunter can go invisible and run past the enemies for an effortless wave.
Best loadouts for Legend Onslaught
I’ve had success with all of these builds, but don’t feel like you’re just limited to the loadouts below. Keep in mind that synergies are important. For bosses specifically, the classic Warlock Well of Radiance combined with the Hunter’s Tether are great to use before your team attacks. This combo means you can stand in the Well for healing while dealing additional damage thanks to the Tether.
Here are the builds I’ve had the best luck with in Legend Onslaught, starting with the Titan:
Best Titan build for Legend Onslaught
This build feels a little squishy toward the later waves of Onslaught, but it makes the Titan an absolute powerhouse with tons of damage resistance and regenerative health.
Aspects and Fragments
- Strand Aspect: Banner of War
- Strand Aspect: Into the Fray
- Thread of Warding
- Thread of Fury
- Thread of Transmutation
- Thread of Generation
Titan Abilities
- Super Ability: Bladefury
- Class Ability: Towering Barricade
- Strafe Lift
- Frenzied Blade
- Grapple Grenade
Recommended Exotics
- Synthoceps Exotic Gauntlets
- Sunshot Exotic Hand Cannon
If you played during the Season of the Witch, almost every Titan you saw was using a Banner of War build. Since then, Banner of War has been heavily nerfed, but it is still surprisingly effective in Legend Onslaught.
The Synthoceps are incredible and increase damage when we’re surrounded, which happens frequently. I also recommend the Sunshot, as it’s one of the best mob clearers in the game. Feel free to swap this out for an Exotic Heavy weapon, like the Gjallarhorn, for extra damage in boss waves.
Best Warlock build for Legend Onslaught
I won’t win an award for creativity with this build, but hear me out. The Well of Radiance is arguably the best Super for Onslaught. Nothing else comes close to its utility, and while you’re keeping your Fire Team alive, you can all focus on dealing damage.
Aspect and Fragments
- Solar Aspect: Touch of Flame
- Solar Aspect: Icarus Dash
- Ember of Ashes
- Ember of Solace
- Ember of Empyrean
- Ember of Searing
Warlock Abilities
- Super Ability: Well of Radiance
- Class Ability: Healing Rift
- Balanced Glide
- Incinerator Snap
- Solar Grenade
Recommended Exotics
- Phoenix Protocol Exotic Chest Armor
- Sunshot Exotic Hand Cannon
The Phoenix Protocol is an iconic chest piece that turns the Warlock into a Super battery. This Exotic grants Super energy when your friends defeat enemies inside the Well of Radiance. It works so well in Onslaught that you can often refill your Super before your current one even runs out!
As with the Titan build, I recommend the Sunshot as it’s such a powerful mob clearer. The Sunshot is also a Solar weapon and pairs nicely with our Ember of Empyrean to give extra Radiance and Restoration.
Best Hunter build for Legend Onslaught
Last but by no means least, we have the Hunter, who completes that devastating combo I mentioned earlier. The Hunter is instrumental in phenomenal damage phases and is the undisputed champion of Spark running.
Aspect and Fragments
- Void Aspect: Stylish Executioner
- Void Aspect: Vanishing Step
- Echo of Persistence
- Echo of Instability
- Echo of Starvation
- Echo of Obscurity
Hunter Abilities
- Super Ability: Shadowshot Deadfall
- Class Ability: Marksman Dodge
- Triple Jump
- Snare Bomb
- Vortex Grenade
Recommended Exotics
- Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk Exotic Chest Armor
- Graviton Lance Exotic Pulse Rifle
The Gyrfalcon’s Hauberk grants the Hunter Volatile Rounds after being invisible, which makes enemies explode. Invisible Finishers also grant bonus weapon damage and overshield for allies. The Graviton Lance may seem like an odd choice, but it’s a punchy Pulse Rifle that synergizes with our Void Fragments.
These are the loadouts I’ve had success with, but I’ve seen creative players do well with weird and wonderful builds. If you’re feeling spicy, you can swap between premade builds when you enter and exit the boss phase instead of manually changing your weapons each time.
Onslaught is a fantastic addition to Into the Light, but don’t skip the incredible Whisper Exotic quest. Your jumping skills will be tested here, but you’ll earn a sought-after Exotic Sniper Rifle for your troubles.
