Complete Guide to Kell’s Vengeance in Destiny 2

In the previous installment of Act 2 from Episode Revenant, the treacherous Fikrul has revived the notorious Scorn Barons, well-remembered foes from the Forsaken expansion. The narrative reaches an exhilarating climax as the ancient Kell of Kells, Skolas, returns, reigniting the rivalry from the House of Wolves chapter in the inaugural Destiny game.

With the curtain closing on Act 3 of Revenant, players of Destiny 2 are summoned back to the iconic Tomb of Elders for the latest challenge: Kell’s Vengeance. This new quest mandates confronting Skolas while grappling with his newfound powers as a Revenant.

It’s crucial to note that, similar to the Dual Destiny Exotic Class Item mission, Kell’s Vengeance cannot be tackled solo. A minimum of two players is necessary, and effective communication will be the cornerstone of your success. With coordination and teamwork, players will find this mission manageable, despite the added complexities of modifiers and level requirements.

Before diving into Kell’s Vengeance, ensure you have completed the entire Revenant story, which involves finishing Kell’s Fall on at least three occasions. Once these prerequisites are satisfied, you’ll be notified that Kell’s Vengeance is ready for you.

Modifiers and Recommended Loadout

Master Difficulty
Power Level	2040
Surges	Stasis, Void
Overcharge	Enabled
Threat	Arc
Champions	None
Modifiers
Co-Op Required (Unlisted)	You must have at least 2 players to start this activity.
Warden’s Punishment	Failing to complete secondary objectives will wipe your fireteam.
Galvanized	Enemies have increased HP and are harder to stun.
Chaff	Radar is disabled.
Randomized Banes	Combatants are granted random Banes.

Unlike the extended structure of Contest of Elders, which requires at least four laps to conclude, Kell’s Vengeance offers a more concise experience, culminating in a showdown with Skolas, the Scorned Wolf.

This activity presents heightened difficulty due to its specific modifiers and power level cap, reminiscent of the challenges faced in the original Destiny’s Skolas confrontations.

Team composition is essential; you must have a minimum of two fireteam members to initiate this mission, but you’re welcome to extend your squad to a maximum of three players.

Be aware that the mission incorporates a 15-second respawn timer. Players are advised to prioritize surviving over reviving fallen teammates unless the situation is secure.

During preparations, focus on equipping gear with high burst DPS and notable survivability attributes. While some may recommend Grenade Launchers featuring the Bait and Switch perk, melee weapons such as swords are also very viable options. Here are a few loadout tips to enhance your performance:

Prismatic Titan with Consecration is ideal when paired with an Exotic Class Item featuring perks like Point Contact, Synthoceps, or Inmost Light. These synergize well to facilitate add clearing and provide DPS backup against Skolas.
Warlocks equipped with Bleak Watcher turrets offer superb crowd control by freezing enemies, greatly easing Team load. Consider utilizing Rime-Coat Raiment to dominate specific areas with turrets or opting for a Prismatic Warlock wielding Song of Flame alongside pertinent Exotic Class Item perks for exceptional damage during critical encounters.
Hunters utilizing Invisibility can efficiently manage mechanics by avoiding enemy aggression and locating the Servitor to deposit ether.

Navigating Through Contest of Elders

The most significant distinction between Kell’s Vengeance and Contest of Elders lies in the strict penalty for failing secondary objectives, which will instantly wipe your team. Interestingly, the modifiers and objectives appear to follow a predetermined pattern rather than being fully randomized, simplifying strategy planning.

Expect a non-stop spawn of enemies until the encounter is completed, creating an ongoing challenge.

To effectively manage adds, a robust heavy weapon, such as a machine gun (for instance, Commemoration or Thunderlord), is extremely beneficial. The encounter’s climax will introduce a mini-boss confrontation.

Facing the Cabal will require you to disable the twin bosses’ shields by destroying five generators, which are scattered around the arena. This can only be accomplished using explosive cores dropped by Void-shielded Incendiors who yield three cores each.

Once you manage to destroy three generators, the Warden will activate a secondary objective: complete the mission within a strict time frame of one minute and thirty seconds. Failure to meet this objective, including eliminating any remaining enemies, results in an automatic wipe for your entire team—so efficiency is crucial.

An optimal approach is to focus on destroying the first two generators quickly, then throw the next explosive core to spawn additional Incendiors. The newly spawned cores will enable you to dismantle the remaining generators and immediately start the damage phase. If executed efficiently, the secondary objective coincides with the onset of your damage window.

Upon completing the Cabal phase, an airlock will grant access through the tunnels where you will encounter Scorn enemies. This section provides a breather to recuperate and strategize, as there’s no time constraint involved.

Eventually, you will arrive at the main boss room, poised to confront Skolas.

Skolas, The Scorned Wolf

The moment to battle Skolas has arrived! For veterans who recall the boss fight in House of Wolves, some mechanics will echo familiar patterns. The primary task is to distribute the Devouring Essence debuff and deposit Enhanced Essence into Servitors, temporarily rendering Skolas vulnerable to damage.

At the fight’s initiation, Skolas will make his appearance at the “stage”center. A random player will receive the Devouring Essence debuff, which triggers a 30-second countdown before their impending doom.

An audio prompt will signal when 10 seconds are left, emphasizing the need for clear communication among teammates.

If voice chat isn’t an option, establish a prearranged method of signaling—like emoting—to indicate the transfer of the debuff.

When one player passes the Devouring Essence, they’ll endure a 25-second cooldown (shown as “Drained of Essence”on the HUD) before they can reacquire it, allowing for other strategies to theoretically achieve a duo completion of Skolas.

Beyond managing the core mechanic, you must eliminate four Revenant Wraiths, leading to the emergence of a Revenant Baron miniboss.

Defeating a Baron and obliterating its totem will yield a mote on the ground, which can only be retrieved by the player currently afflicted with Devouring Essence, transforming it into Enhanced Essence and resetting the timer to 30 seconds.

Throughout the encounter, several enemies will generate red ether balls attracted to Skolas. These orbs heal him, so maintaining vigilance and eliminating them even when he’s not under threat becomes strategic.

After securing Enhanced Essence, aim to deposit it into one of three Servitors located throughout the arena, identifiable by a glowing red aura. Notably, you can only perceive which Servitor to deposit into while carrying Enhanced Essence, ensuring focused targeting.

Each successful deposit will fill the “Ether Levels” gauge by a third, as shown on the left side of your HUD. This process has to be repeated two more times.

Subsequent to each cycle, a wave of adds (including Wraiths) will spawn in the center area where Skolas first appears. A highly effective tactic is using Shadowshot (Deadfall) in this area, followed by clearing adds with powerful Consecrations.

Once your Ether Levels are maxed, Skolas will return to the “stage,”drawing in all Ether you deposited, making him vulnerable to damage.

During the damage window, expect a barrage of red orbs to head towards Skolas as he attempts to consume the Ether. If your DPS output is robust enough, you can safely disregard these healing orbs.

The damage phase lasts roughly thirty seconds, affording ample opportunity to inflict substantial damage upon the infamous Scorned Kell of Wolves.

Strategies for One-Phasing Skolas

One can circumvent the red orbs’ effects by deploying a Titan with Ward of Dawn. Indeed, this strategy may appear unconventional post-Final Shape, but it effectively prevents Skolas from healing while amplifying damage intake. Here’s an optimal team composition:

Void Titan equipped with Ward of Dawn and the Helm of Saint-14 to enhance damage output by 25% while shielding against healing orbs.
Void or Prismatic Hunter utilizing Deadfall Shadowshot to apply an additional layer of debuff, making Skolas 30% more susceptible to damage.
A conventional Thundercrash Titan or any other damage-focused Super to maximize DPS.

And the pièce de résistance: the Legend of Acrius, an exotic shotgun delivering colossal arc damage to unsuspecting foes in close proximity. Its Trench Barrel ability affords a 50% damage boost for the subsequent three shots following a successful melee.

Despite the active Void and Stasis Surges, Legend of Acrius can easily surpass the damage potential of any rival weapon.

Before initiating the damage phase, have your Void Titan maintain close proximity to Skolas while positioning their bubble. Meanwhile, the Hunter should project their Tether into the arena.

As soon as the damage phase kicks off, unleash the full force of Legend of Acrius. If the Acrius is unavailable, suggest using a sword featuring a Vortex Frame (e.g., Falling Guillotine or The Lament) for peak damage output.

A Behemoth Titan’s Glacial Quake Super may also serve as a strong damaging option within the protective bubble, although further testing is warranted.

By employing this strategy, you can effectively one-phase Skolas, if not significantly reduce his health to around 20%.

Rewards of Kell’s Vengeance

Upon defeating Skolas, the arena doors will unlock, guiding you back to the central airlock where your rewards await within the gilded treasure trove.

Interestingly, if you linger post-battle, you might witness Skolas respawning, hinting at potential future narrative developments concerning his character.

Completing Kell’s Vengeance grants the following rewards: