Destiny 2‘s first 12-player activity has been completed solo on its hardest difficulty less than 24 hours after it was added to the game.
Grandmaster Excision dropped with weekly reset on June 18, bringing with it new rewards and an even greater challenge for Fireteams to surmount.
The mission, an epilogue to the final encounter from The Final Shape’s Salvation’s Edge Raid, serves as the true final encounter with The Witness. Grandmaster difficulty introduces Champions, limited revives, and harsher Power Caps over its easier counterpart.
Clearly, though, some Guardians are just built differently, as Destiny 2 streamer Esoterickk has toppled The Witness without requiring the help of 11 other players.
The secret? Hunter. No doubt, clearing Excision solo as a Warlock or Titan is possible, but judging from the above footage, the successful attempt relies heavily on near-constant invisibility made possible by Hunter’s Void subclass and Exotic helmet Graviton Forfeit.
As far as weapons go, there was no one-size-fits-all loadout. Numerous times throughout the encounter, Esoterickk switches weapons. Wish-Ender, Witherhoard and Outbreak Perfected are some notable workhorses, especially the latter, which is used primarily during damage phases for The Witness.
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Community reaction to the feat has expectedly been one punctuated with awe.
“Actually insane to even attempt it in the first place,” reads one comment on Reddit, with another adding “No freaking way. I was convinced no one could solo it but lo and behold, he did it.”
Whether Esoterickk is the first player to beat GM Excision solo remains to be seen. Bungie didn’t hold a race for the challenge and hasn’t commented on this particular clear.
Anyone who manages to clear Grandmaster Excision — regardless of Fireteam size — will be rewarded for their efforts with the Catalyst for Exotic sword Ergo Sum.