Destiny: The Taken King - Court of Oryx Tier 3 - Defeat Balwur

This guide will help you through a treacherous battle against Balwur, one of the current rotating bosses that can be encountered in the Court of Oryx Tier 3 Public Event. At first it seems that Balwur can use the entire Court to her advantage, but once you learn the trick to maneuvering throughout the deadly arena, you’ll be able to defeat this wicked Wizard in no time.

The battle begins with Balwur spawning at the portal on the main center platform, as Tier 3 bosses usually do. However, what makes this fight unique is that the entire floor of the area is shrouded in toxicity. Several Acolytes of Balwur will spawn throughout the arena, who come in handy very shortly. A few Cursed Thrall are also tossed into the fight for good measure.

The only safe zone available at the start of the battle is in the circular space just below the portal platform where the boss spawns. Once your team activates the event with an Antiquated Rune, your team should gather in this area below the platform to prepare for the fight.

If you venture out into the arena, the toxicity will hurt you rather quickly. The key to this fight is to kill the Acolytes of Balwur, causing a temporary safe zone to form in the spot where they died. The more Acolytes you kill, the more safe zones there will be throughout the arena.

You will have a brief opportunity to attack Balwur while standing in these safe zones. If possible, it helps to eliminate Acolytes while they are near or behind the large rocks at the front of the arena, so that you can conveniently take cover behind the rocks while standing in the subsequent safe zones.

Since the boss tends to stay up near the platform, your best bet is to equip a long range weapon to deal damage to Balwur from a distance, such as a powerful sniper rifle or a rocket launcher. Take out Balwur’s Kinetic shield, and pummel the Wizard with as much firepower as you can before the safe zones disappear. Once they do, run back to the safe area below the center platform to begin the process again.

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The safe zones will disappear as more Acolytes spawn. However, the safe zone beneath the center platform is permanent, so you can retreat to this spot if you get overwhelmed. It also seems that more enemy mobs will spawn while Acolytes are still alive in the arena, so it’s best to just take out as many Acolytes as possible to reduce their spawn rates and to ensure you have safe zones available throughout the battle.

The general pattern is to kill the Acolytes, run to the safe zones, and deal damage to Balwur when you have the chance. Once you get the hang of maneuvering about the safe zones, you should be able to conquer this Tier 3 boss fairly easily. When you defeat Balwur, a chest will spawn on the center platform. Keep in mind that the player who activated their Antiquated Rune for the event will earn more valuable loot, including (possibly) Calcified Fragment 48. Go get ‘em, Guardian!

If you still think you need some help, check out the video below, or visit our Destiny: The Taken King Walkthrough and Guide.