Blighted Chalice is a strike in Destiny: The Taken King. It takes place in Ocean of Storms, Moon.^[1]

Objectives

• Enter the Hellmouth
• Enter the Circle of Bones
• Destroy Minions of Darkness
• Hunt Malok
• Reach the Shrine
• Clear a Path
• Kill the Acolytes
• Destroy Malok, Pride of Oryx

Transcript

{Loading Screen}

• ERIS MORN: The Taken King is dead, yet still his armies writhe and claw at our worlds. Even as you led the assault on the Dreadnaught, a powerful Taken warbeast fled for the safety of the Shrine of Oryx. The would-be prince Malok works to perfect a dark sorcery. He must be destroyed.

{Gameplay}

The fireteam lands in the Summoning Pits. Malok summons Taken reinforcements. The fireteam kills the Taken and heads to the locked door. One of the following lines is said at random:

• GHOST: They've sealed the door with Hive runes. Of course they have.
• GHOST: Anybody home? Right. The door's sealed with runes. Let's get to work.
• GHOST: Sealed door, Hive runes... know what we need? A Tomb Husk.

The fireteam eliminates three waves of Hive or Taken reinforcements. After each wave, a Tomb Husk appears, which the fireteam uses to unlock the runes. After the runes are unlocked, the door opens. The fireteam continues on through the Circle of Bones to the Hall of Wisdom, encountering enemies along the way. One of the following sets of lines is said at random:

• ERIS: The Taken exude blight wherever they go. Just one of the agonies of their existence. Malok has begun to control that blight, empowering it at his command.
• GHOST: (awkwardly) So... now we know.

Or:

• ERIS: Oryx may be gone, but the sympathetic vibrations of his shrine still resonate across the cosmos. There is power here. Great power.
• GHOST: I was wondering why we were here.

Or:

• ERIS: Toland hinted at secret pathways between our realm and the Ascendant. Malok crawled through the wall of our world to reach these caverns.
• GHOST: I think she's just being deliberately creepy now.

The fireteam reaches the Shrine of Oryx. One of the following sets of lines is said at random:

• ERIS: The Taken power twists, shapes. The average Thrall does not live long enough to see its frame re-formed. Malok has lived with his power for many, many years. His hideous skin is a sign of his age, his cruelty.

Or:

• ERIS: Beware the blight, Guardian. Malok's power is absolute here.
• GHOST: The blight is the black goo, right? What is that stuff, anyway?
• ERIS: Darkness, given form by Malok's cruel will.

Or:

• ERIS: The beast is close. I can sense the blight that drips and seethes within.
• GHOST: How can she see this stuff, with that whole... 'blindfold' thing?
• ERIS: I see far better now than I ever did with my own eyes.

The fireteam reaches the shrine.

• ERIS: Beware, Guardian. The blight will drain your strength, your speed. Do not let Malok dominate this shrine!

The fireteam kills the enemies in the area. Malok appears and attacks the Guardian. As Malok is weakened, he summons Taken reinforcements and uses different attacks against the Guardians. Eventually, the fireteam kills Malok. One of the following sets of lines is said at random:

• ERIS: Again and again, we have held back the Darkness, though the Gods and princes of the Hive hunger for our Light. This is our charge, Guardian. This is our fight.

Or:

• GHOST: We've taken back the shrine from the Taken... that they took through... taking.
• ERIS: Without Malok to channel Taken energy here, the blight will abate. And Oryx's shrine will quiet. That is my dream, Guardian: that one day the Moon will lie dead and still like the tomb it is.

Or:

• ERIS: Malok's power over the blight was impressive. You are a credit to the Tower, Guardian.
• GHOST: Did she.... did she just compliment us?
• ERIS: (sighs)

{Mission Ends}

Tactics

Circle of Bones

• The narrow hallway leading out of the Summoning Pits is perfect for a Guardian to use their charged Super ability. With the right modifiers, a Shadowshot or Hammer of Sol can cleanse the entire area in seconds, dashing any chances of an early death.
• When possible, focus on the blights first. As long as they are still on the field, they can prevent you from healing and spawn more Taken enemies. Their destruction is paramount.

Hall of Wisdom

• Attempting to rush through the flood of blights will usually only get you killed, especially if you are of a lower Light level. The wise decision would be to let the concussion grenades play out, then destroy enemies at a controlled pace.

Malok, Pride of Oryx

• Malok will constantly blanket the area in a dark mist that will disable recovery and agility; this causes a large amount of overconfident fireteams to quickly panic and lose their lives when their health does not recover and find themselves bombarded with reinforcements. Do not go into battle with a one-track mind; either take down minors as they appear, or destroy the blights to create safe zones for you and your teammates. Rush-attacking the Prince will only lead to you rapidly becoming overwhelmed due to his Fist of Darkness.
• Malok changes tactics. He is a combination of several Taken entities, and uses their powers against the player. Communicate which phase of damage he is in with your teammates. After Malok drops his Boomer, he will changes phases. He will then begin to fire Solar Jets that erupt on contact with a surface and create a lingering flame spot. After reaching a certain health threshold he changes tactics one more time. His last phase is his most dangerous; he runs at a blindingly fast pace, and shoots clusters of Axion Darts that track for a shockingly long amount of time, and will instantly kill their target if they all land a hit. Don't let the enemies distract you.

Strike Hoard Loot

• Hood of Malok

References