Best builds and strategies to beat Skolas in Destiny 2

Skolas is back with a vengeance, and it’s time to put him down for good. Kell’s Vengeance activity in Destiny 2 is one of the hardest seasonal activities in Revenant, and the final boss fight against Skolas doesn’t make it any easier.

If you made it through the first two encounters of the activity, it’s time to finally deal with Skolas. Here’s everything you need to know to beat Skolas in Destiny 2, including mechanics, strategies, and builds.

Skolas fight mechanics in Destiny 2

While the encounter doesn’t have a Warden’s challenge, it has dedicated mechanics for you to get to the damage phase. The main mechanic is the Devouring Essence debuff that a random player will get. It has a timer, and when the timer expires, you wipe.

To avoid the wipe, teammates can take the debuff, similar to the Chalice in Crota’s End or Fracture in The Final Shape co-op missions. Getting rid of the buff grants the Drained of Essence debuff, preventing you from taking the Essence for a limited time.

As you juggle the debuff, clear adds, and kill High Revenants (Orange bar Scorn with two torches) to spawn a Revenant Baron. Kill the Baron, track down its totem, and destroy it to drop a mote. Whoever currently has the Devouring Essence should pick up the mote.

Picking up the mote refreshes the debuff duration and grants Enhanced Essence. There are three destroyed servitors in the back area of the room. Whoever has the Enhanced Essence can see where to dunk the buff (the servitor will glow red). Dunk the buff at the servitor, then repeat the process twice to start the DPS phase.

During the DPS phase, Skolas will go to the back of the room and become vulnerable for a short time. Skolas doesn’t attack but pulls in red orbs that heal him. Defeat Skolas to complete the encounter and return to the central airlock to get your loot, which may include the Revenant Redress emblem.

Builds and strategies to beat Skolas in Destiny 2

During the prep phase with the Devouring Essence, everything is fairly straightforward. Stick together as a team, clear adds, and do the mechanics. Prismatic Titan with triple Consecrations is perfect for clearing all the enemies. Try not to wander off if you have the buff, and remember that two people can keep juggling the buff between them as the timer allows it.

For the damage phase, the healing orbs can be a pain. However, the Ward of Dawn (aka Titan’s bubble) can block them off, allowing you to deal damage with swords, shotguns, or melees. You can use something like the Legend of Acrius if you have it, too.

If you’re not going the bubble way, you can try the “just out damage the healing” approach, which is what we did. This can take an additional damage phase, but you should be fine if you have decent loadouts. Consider bringing Hunter’s Shadowshot, Warlock’s Nova Bomb, Titan’s Thundercrash with Cuirass of the Falling Stars, and some VS Chill Inhibitors for the damage phase. AoE damage from explosive weapons and abilities takes care of some healing orbs.