Guide: How To Complete The Proving Grounds Grandmaster Strike

Proving Grounds has now opened up for the first time as a Nightfall Strike. This seemingly short strike now offers waves of difficulty as you fight to obtain your loot. The Adept Palindrome lies at the end of this battle but to get there you are going to need some solid communication and teamwork.

Nightfall: The Ordeal - Proving Grounds

Modifiers:

• Scorched Earth - Enemies throw grenades significantly more often.
• Champions: Unstoppable - This mode contains Unstoppable Champions, which cannot be stopped without an Unstoppable mod.
• Champions: Barrier - This mode contains Barrier Champions, which cannot be stopped without an Anti-Barrier mod.
• Chaff - Radar is disabled.
• Match Game - Enemy shields are highly resistant to all unmatched elemental damage.
• Equipment Locked
• Extinguish - If your Fireteam falls in a restricted zone, your team is returned to Orbit.
• Limited Revives - Gain additional revives by defeating Champions.
• Champions Mob - This mode contains additional Champions.
• Ignovun's Challenge - Incoming Splash Damage Increased. Knockback Damage and Distance Increased.

Classes:

This Grandmaster is one of the first where we will need to focus specifically on a couple of important classes / Exotics.

2x Middle Tree Void Titans with Ursa Exotic Arms / 1x Middle Tree Arc Warlock with Geomag Stabilizers Exotic Boots

1x Middle Tree Void Titan with Ursa Exotic Arms / 1x Middle Tree Solar Warlock with Pheonix Protocol Chest Exotic  / 1x Bottom Tree Void Hunter with Omnioculus Chest Exotic

The key for the Ursa Titan and Well Warlock will be to provide safety and coverage for your team for every fight. Make sure to remind your team to stay close to the shield or Well to ensure that you get all the orbs possible from these supers.

If you do utilize two Ursa titans, make sure to start a countdown from 5 when your Super drains to the last bar so the other Titan can switch with you and a shield will never be down.  Chaos reach will be best utilized on Vehicles and Enemy Clearing, and remember it can not go through the Titan Shield.

Weapons:

Anarchy -  This strike utilizes a lot of cover. Grab Anarchy so you can stick the tanks and champions before ducking into cover. Pay attention to when your damage numbers say "Immune" so you know when to pop out to burst their shields. Anarchy is also able to take down Shield Generators and will come in handy at the beginning and end of this Strike.

Dead Man's Tale - Though this isn't my go to weapon, DMT does make for a really strong anti barrier weapon and can provide a high amount of damage if paired correctly with Sundering Glare.

Your legendary weapons for this strike should aim to be Void or Solar. I highly recommend a Sniper with the Vorpal Perk and a good Pulse Rifle.

Armor and Weapon Mods:

For the best results run Anti Barrier Sniper and Unstoppable Pulse Rifle. I highly recommend making sure everyone on the team has an Anti Barrier weapon.

Concussive Dampener, and Melee Resistance will all come in handy since this strike has a ton of splash damage and a few bosses have a throwback mechanic.

Sniper Rifle Scavenger and Reserves will be critical to making sure you stay ahead on the ammo economy for this strike.

Sundering Glare - Sundering Glare is my favorite Artifact Mod and once again it is coming in handy. Use this to help provide extra damage as most of this strike takes place from afar.

Strategy:

Spawn -

Upon spawning in run up the hill to the left. Take it out and begin clearing the Cabal enemies around you. The troops fighting the Vex should leave you alone as you climb higher to locate the Unstoppable Champion.

Once it is defeated cross to the left side where you can now take out the Scorpion Turrets over here and look for the Barrier Champion. After this Champion is defeated take out the remainder of the enemies until the Mini Boss spawns from the ship.

I recommend using your Banner Shields here to fight off the enemies quickly and to take down the Champions first. After the Unstoppable Champion has fallen weaken the Boss until it pops its shield and hides in the Bubble. Stick One Anarchy onto the Shield to do damage till it pops and avoid being knockbacked by the boss.

Hangar -

This area is the first major obstacle for many in this Grandmaster. The key here is to control as much as you can. Post up at the large blast shield to the left when you drop down. This big obstacle will provide you plenty of cover while your Ursa Titans alternate covering the left lane of the room. Take out Barrier Champions first, they will be the biggest pain. Whatever you do, do not lose control of this area, keep everything away from you and fight off enemies as a team to protect it.

Make sure you have all three supers fully charged on your team before you kill the last marked enemy in this area, because once you do its gonna get crazy.

Hangar but with Tanks -

So this is going to seem impossible at first but I promise if you focus this room right you will get it done with ease.

Two Tanks are going to come out of the bay, have your Chaos Reach melt the first one immediately while your team takes down the snipers off their perches. Have a Barrier shield pop as well. Continue alternating Ursas while you take down the left most Barrier Champion as well as the rest of the enemies. Once that Chaos Reach is charged again take down the right tank and just cycle shields while you take down enemies. Again, control of this left area is what will keep you alive.

Charges -

This next area will just be fetching charges while you take out Champions and VIPs. Utilize your Ursa Titans to clear enemies before going into rooms and make sure to take out turrets first. Oh and watch out for rocks...

Pre-Boss Hallway -

After dunking the two charges you will be confronted with a swarm of War Beasts as well as an Unstoppable Champion and Barrier Champion. Have the Ursa Titans rotate turns while you fight the enemies as the push through the doorway. There is no need to run into the room until both Champions are dead. Use Supers as much as you want, you will get them when you rally in the boss room.

Boss Room -

The Boss Room here will provide you with even less cover than the Tank Room. Here you will need to focus on the flying fire orbs as the rain death that tracks you from above. These pop when shot rather easily but if you have Ursa Titans have them catch the orbs for an easy Super regeneration tactic.

When you start the encounter head to the back left of the boss room and utilize the incline in the ground to avoid the void shots from the boss. Have your Ursa Titans alternate turns catching the orbs while you take shots at the boss. When enemies spawn use your Chaos Reach to clear them immediately so you do not have to worry about grenades.

Once you have damaged the boss enough to where they retreat in the shield prepare for the Unstoppable that will come out of the door to the right. One will also spawn across the map. Take the closest one down as fast as possible but keep an eye on the right as it does have a tendency to teleport in this room.

After they are dead have one person run through the tunnel in the back to place Anarchy on the shield generator. Once the generator is down move back to where you entered the room at down the hill. Take down the Boss and enemies using the same Ursa / Chaos strategy till the boss retreats to its last shield. Once again two champions will spawn so prepare for those, don't worry about the fireballs here, they can not hit you.

Use an Ursa Barrier to get close to the boss and draw its attention while one person jumps up on the opposite side to place anarchy down. Once the shield is down its just staying alive and clearing enemies. Use the tunnel if its not lit up to move from side to side while you take shots on the boss. Do not get comfortable with the boss even if you have an Ursa shield, the stomp can send you flying and kill you. At all cost avoid getting close to the boss.

Keep Anarchy on and snipe and you should have it down in no time.

Possible Loot -

Palindrome (Adept) Void Hand Cannon

Adept Mods - You can earn any previously unearned Adept Mod as well as the new “Big One Spec” which provides a 7-8% Damage Boost against enemies.

Exotic Gear

Enhancement Prisms

Ascendant Shards

Have any questions about running or need help running the Strike? Let me know in the comments or @Suttledge on Twitter.

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