Solstice of Heroes has graced Destiny 2 once again with new armor challenges and the return of the European Aerial Zone, otherwise known as the EAZ. This activity is a boss rush against as many minibosses as players can find and defeat in five minutes, leading to a final boss and a treasure hunt soon after.
The EAZ is a nice change of pace from the typical PvE horde modes, but this activity has more to it than most give it credit for. Learning where the chests spawn, ways to traverse the map, as well as the Empowerment buff are key to defeating all 21 minibosses to obtain the most loot every run. Here are 10 tips for completing and maximizing European Aerial Zone runs in Destiny 2.
10 Split The Team Up
Reaching 21 miniboss defeats is the main goal of an EAZ run, as that is the maximum number of chest spawns that the map can support. To reach this limit within five minutes, it’s best to split the team to different parts of the map.
Players can either have one member for each section of the EAZ or have members rotate to different areas on the map on their own. The idea is to cut travel time down as low as possible to make sure the fireteam spends more time defeating minibosses. Making laps around the EAZ to find the next miniboss cuts down on time much more than most would think. This strategy can also be applied to chest hunts to make sure players can find all hidden chests in time.
9 Use Teleporters
On the edge of the floating island lies Fallen teleporters. Standing onto the glowing plate will teleport the player directly across the map while putting the player high into the air.
Use this time to figure out where the miniboss is hiding at. These teleporters are generally faster than using a Sparrow to cut across the map, so use them whenever possible!
8 Bring An Instant-Summon Sparrow
Speaking of Sparrows, players should bring an instant-summon 160 speed Sparrow to the EAZ. 160 Sparrows are the fastest in the game and rather common.
Instant-summon Sparrows are Sparrows with the Transmat Preloader perk, allowing them to be summoned instantly instead of needing a second to spawn. For players that don’t have any Sparrows with Transmat Preloader, they can instead use a Ghost Shell with the Speed Demon perk to replicate this effect on any Sparrow.
7 Learn Chest Spawns
Up to 21 chests can spawn at once in the EAZ, and they must spawn in pre-determined locations. Having all 21 chests spawn makes it rather easy to do a full clear during the time limit, but reaching under this can make finding these chests rather frustrating.
Fortunately, Reddit user u/Red_Head_Hippo has made a map of all 21 chest spawns inside of the EAZ that anyone can view here. Memorizing this map or playing the EAZ enough to learn every chest spawn is the best way to make the treasure hunt portion of the EAZ go by much faster.
6 Use Swords
Swords have received radical buffs in Season of the Worthy, which have been further cemented into the meta thanks to Falling Guillotine’s absurd damage potential that was introduced this season.
Any Falling Guillotine roll can take down any EAZ miniboss in a few strikes. Considering how ammo efficient Swords are and how seasonal Artifact mods better a Sword’s ammo economy, there is no reason not to use a sword. They will make runs go by much faster since minibosses will take only a few seconds to defeat.
5 Break Crystals For Elemental Orbs
Across the EAZ are various orange crystals that fracture when damaged. These crystals are a great way of building Elemental Empowerment, a buff that grants double duration to Supers, increased ability regeneration, and extra ability damage if its tied to said element.
Needless to say, this buff is incredible for taking down the final EAZ boss. These crystal spawns are somewhat random, but keep an eye out for them whenever a Super is needed.
4 Equip Mobility Exotics
Flying across rooftops is a core part of EAZ runs, which is why being mobile is core to this activity. Movement Exotics can go a long way towards speeding up EAZ runs.
Hunters can use STOMP-EE5, Warlocks have Transversive Steps and Astrocyte Verse, and Titans have Lion Rampants. These Exotics are fantastic at allowing players to climb up buildings or make jumps that would otherwise be impossible.
3 Stay On The Move
EAZ runs have a strict five-minute time limit that players cannot extend in any way. The best thing players can do is stay on the move and never standstill.
Defeating bosses as quickly as possible is key to achieving all 21 chest spawns, so weapons such as Anarchy during Arc singe or high damage weapons are fantastic for allowing players to stay mobile and quickly take down enemies. The more ground covered, the more enemies each player can takedown.
2 Take Advantage Of Mods
Most players will be completing EAZ runs for challenges tied to their Solstice armor. Consequently, it is a good idea to upgrade and apply mods to armor pieces during EAZ runs.
Hive and Fallen faction mods are incredible for this mode, particularly the Armament mods. Warmind Cells are also great, capable of weakening most minibosses while killing any red bars that stand nearby. Equip these mods to better suit the playstyle this mode encourages.
1 Defeat Prismatic Taken For Elemental Empowerment
Tied to the Solstice of Heroes event are daily elemental singes that provide a buff called Empowerment. Defeating enemies with abilities or weapons corresponding to said singe will drop Elemental Orbs. Grabbing 30 grants elemental Empowerment for 30 seconds.
This buff is incredible for defeating minibosses and bosses, but it can take some time to build up. Fortunately, Taken enemies will spawn a short time after the main EAZ bosses spawn in the form of a Public Event. Defeating these Prismatic Taken will automatically grant Empowerment for the next 30 seconds, making the boss fight dramatically easier.
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