So we all remember crota's end right? It's that one raid that everybody seems to know how to cheese but not how to actually do. Well we're going to talk about that today. I'll be discussing the mechanics of the raid and try to tie it in with known lore and try to tie up some plot holes mentioned before. So let's start with the mechanics. The very first part of the raid, the abyss: [quote]Here's a map: [url]http://i.imgur.com/k53gi3Q.jpg[/url][/quote] [spoiler]This is the part where you need to run around in a pitch black area and stand close to lamps to take off something called "the weight of darkness". After a few seconds the lamp will explode. While doing this you have to fight off an endless horde of thralls. Once you make it up the to the top you then have to start the bridge which forces the entire fire team to turn heads and hold the line. An ogre gets thrown in the mix of thralls here. After a while the bridge becomes fully formed and displays the text "the path forward is clear" players then have to run face first into a wall of super bright light. This is the keyhole into Crota's throne world.[/spoiler] The 2nd part, The bridge: (this is the point when everybody almost always cheeses) [spoiler]At this part you have to have at least one person on two totems (one person per totem) and you need two people on the bridge plate. One of those two is going to kill the sword bearer, take his sword, cross the bridge, then kill the gate keeper on the other side. The other guy will stay on the bridge plate. You have to repeat this process 6 times to get everyone across. If someone isn't holding a totem, you'll die If someone isn't holding the bridge plate, the bridge disappears. If you don't kill the gate keeper, I think you just die (the gatekeeper can only be killed by the sword bearer's sword, BTW) If you attempt to cross the bridge without a sword you will die. Once everyone is across you have to kill two major ogres then the gates to crota's throne will open.[/spoiler] The 3rd part, the hallway: (better known as reenacting Indiana Jones.) [spoiler]At this bit you have to kill shreikers in order to take down shields that block the path. There is another endless horde of thralls in this hallway so you have to fight them too. If you do this fast enough then you might be able to reach a secret loot chest room which is behind a door that is on a timer. If you get it or not, doesn't really matter. something to note about that room, there's a statue of Oryx in there.[/spoiler] The 4th part, The death singer: [spoiler]This room houses the summoning crystal and the death singer. You have to kill a wizard on both sides of the crystal room which will activate the shiekers that are holding up the shields. you then kill both of those shiekers which will then lower the shields. then you have to go in there and kill the death singer.[/spoiler] The 5th part, crota, eater of hope, son of Oryx: [spoiler]Once everybody stands next to the summoning crystal you summon crota's soul into his throne. Your health no longer regenerates here because of the "presence of Crota" de-buff There only way to get health back is by exotic weapons/armor or by picking up the chalice of light. The only way to hurt/kill crota is with another sword bearer's sword. (forgot to mention, these swords are ascendant). You can use any means to take down his shield. Kick down his sheilds then hammer him with a sword a couple times and he'll die. If any one person dies, Crota will summon the oversoul which will kill everybody if you don't kill it. (the oversoul is the giant ball thing behind crota)[/spoiler] Now that you know how to do the raid (properly) let move on to some of the lore behind this. To get this off right off the bat, [b]"why couldn't we talk with Eris in the raid but we could talk with her in the one mission"[/b] Through a bit of investigation one could conclude that the presence of Crota or the oversoul was jamming our comms. Why does the weight of darkness disappear once the path forward is clear? The hive seem to have a system in place to determine if you are worthy to fight them (much like the warpreist in king's fall). If you can carry the crushing weight of darkness and live, then you are deemed worthy to enter Crota's throne. What's with the bridge part? The bridge is likely another test, specifically a team test. It could be Crota didn't like lone wolves. So he placed the gate keepers and sword bearers on either side to allow you access to the other side and a challenge of blades. If you fail, your whole team dies. You mentioned a statue of Oryx? there's a statue in that room I mentioned. Crota wanted a statue of his old man in his throne world. Not much to that. The bit about the deathsinger? That is not a test. I think that's just crota's defense for his summoning crystal. The wizards sense that you are getting too close so they go out and try to kill you, they summon two knights in the process. Once they die the back-up is the shieker. if that goes down the deathsinger begins an emergency liturgy of ruin to try and kill you quick. After that you force wounded Crota (wounded from you destroying his soul in the temple of Crota) to come out and fight you. Then he tries to make his experiments pay off by breaking out his special shield and the oversoul. [spoiler](BTW Crota invented the oversoul from a failed experiment with his sisters, who were playing around with a killing word. Crota accidentally opened up a rupture and let Vex onto the dreadnought. The shield comes from the sword logic that Crota has obtain over the years, especially during the great disaster. The warpriest thought the oversoul was cool and so he basically made a taken edition of it, called the oculus)[/spoiler] For some reason an ascendant blade can cut through his shield. That's because it is ascendant and holds the sword logic. We are weak in the throne world and can't do much outside bringing Crota to his knees. The sword however carries sword logic with it, so when we pick it up, we can use the power it's gained to hurt Crota. Why doesn't the deathsinger just outright kill us with it's song right off the bat? It has to sing the lyrics of a death song. In the book of sorrows it mentions that the killing word apparently kills everything that hears it. So in using that song it would kill all of her minions too. Why do these tests? It's likely that he shares his father's way of killing things. (through rituals and such) so he makes you test. (like GlaDos :D) ....Anyway, that's some of the lore behind the mechanics of Crota's end. Feel free to ask more questions that I may not have covered. I will answer them as best to my abilities.