Destiny 2: Root of Nightmares Full Raid Guide 

Here for the music

Datto being the absolute MVP with a raid guide right after the first day. Great job on the race, and can’t wait to get in here with my own team and give it a go

2 things for 3rd encounter 1- there is a darkness switch above mid that you can shoot to manually trigger a planet swap, this is very useful if you are going for 1 pair of runners or if you mess up a swap. 2- the boss will always have a starting shield corresponding to which ever planets in mid have majority. 2 dark planets means he'll start on dark, 2 light planets means he'll start on light

Easily one of the most beautiful spaces/activities in the entire game. I can't wait to go through it myself.

Just a heads up! At the end of each level, in the second encounter, the orbs become available infinitely. You don’t have to worry about disrupting them once there’s no more plates to run to. Rebuff your team as much as needed to clear the last squad and there is no timer until about a minute after they’re dead. Take your time at each end and grab ammo before killing them

We now live in a time where datto can put out a full raid guide before contest mode even ends because it's no longer 24 hours

People can say that you haven't worlds first in a while, but you're the only one who seems to have a true understanding of the encounters and can make an intelligent guide. Thank you.

The order the nodes must be shot in is: Buff node (glowing one) > New node (small one) > Buff node > New node, etc. Each new node will only spawn after the buff node is shot, regardless of who has what buff. Breaking this rotation and shooting the buff node twice in a row is what causes them to become disrupted. The only exception is if no player holds the respective buff for the chain (flux/field), requiring you to reobtain it via shooting the buff node again.

For encounter 1: A new orb spawns every time you hit the buffed “traveler” looking orb. Hitting the traveler orb twice before hitting the next orb in line will disrupt the nodes.

10:55 if you go backwards while getting launched by a launcher on the second encounter you'll get more height and it should be very consistent, from my experience at least.

Great guide! Fun raid, super frenetic, always moving. Congratulations to everyone who managed a contest clear!

Massive tip for the first encounter! If your runner is close to the 4th orb, wait to complete it and let a tormentor spawn in, get it low and complete the ball and then wait out the timer as soon as the wipe mechanic starts counting down kill the tormentor and you will be a whole 30 seconds ahead so you'll have 1 minute until you wipe. Makes it very easy if you get overwhelmed with enemies or the tormentor!

I wish the Nezarec fight was a bit more true to his theme. I would've never thought he was some immensely powerful telepath here. He only seemed like a super Tormentor. I wish there was some mechanic were half the raid team would be sucked into a dream world where they had to fight nightmares or phantoms while the other half had to defend the sleepers and wake them up. Or maybe Nezarec could control a horde of enemies in perfect synchronization.

Glad casuals like me can seed how to run the raid, thanks for treeting us to this knowledge and not leafing us in the dark Datto

Needed this music to motivate me through my time on the toilet.

Your guys comms are SO clear, I couldn’t imagine being in a raid team this chill. Our 3am hectic insanity was WAY more the mood here for that Nez fight 😂

5:45 my team believes that these orbs despawn if you shoot the buff granting orb before someone shoots the next spiral in a sequence. So if you grant the buff and someone is running to activate the next orb and you try to grant the buff again, it will take the buff from everyone and lock out the orbs. So just wait for a teammate to say they’ve shot the next node before trying to get the buff again.

It’s that time of the year again where my ears are blessed by the iconic raid guide music!

My favorite part of any expansion, Datto’s guide and that sweet music

*3rd encounter* The power to move worlds will soon be yours. -Savathun, 2022

Beat the raid Day 1 myself, but here I am, as is tradition. Thanks for the guide Datto, and good luck to anyone wanting to get the new exotic. Don’t forget to do those encounter triumphs!

I’ve watched 4 of these videos already but no one explains it so simply like you Datto keep doing whatcha doing

Great guide - expect nothing less from the GOAT!

Just wanted to say thank you for putting this up so dang quick after running this bad boy yourself, really appreciate it!!

Love you man! Thanks for the guide and all the funny moments in yesterday's stream. Now please take that well deserved rest.

you explain the orb part perfectly. my it's hard for me to get into raid with my clan and I always want to try and do the orb running but dont want to screw it up. nice guide datto!

you make the best guides because you show encounters being done and thoroughly explain mechanics and what to do in each encounter

The tormentors when they die while in the air and go flying is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen in a raid to date.

Annual raid guide music listen along! You're an absolute champ for this Datto

This was the first time I got a contest mode clear, I was on ad-clear for most of it; but these videos give me and so many others the confidence to try it

I’ve been waiting for another Datto guide! I always look forward to these vids😂

my group decided on referring to the "orb person" as the "ball fondler" and I will accept nothing else.

Actually looks quite straight forward. Also props to you for the grind!

Awesome guide! Thank you! Also, my group figured out an easy strategy for the first encounter: First sequence: do NOT kill psions to spawn the tormentor, if you have two runners alternating the sequence, they should easily be able to finish before the timer reaches zero. If you do this, the psions will DESPAWN during the little pause period between sequence 1 and 2. Sequence 2: this one requires three runners. Runner 1 + 2 will alternate rapidly until the runner 1 hits the 3rd node. Then, runner 2 + 3 will get the buff together at the same time. Runner 2 will go to whichever is the 4th node and runner 3 will go to the final node on the little flower at the end of the sequence. Meanwhile, runner 1 goes to the node that is meant to give the buff for the final node. Once runner 2 has shot their 4th node, then runner 1 shoots the buff giving node, then runner 3 will be able to use the buff he got previously to get the node at the end. The rest of the team will wait to kill psions until the 10 second mark of the debuff. This will spawn the tormentor before the runners finish. Do NOT kill the tormentor. Get him weak and "save" his death for sequence 3. As soon as sequence 3's debuff begins, kill the tormentor. This will extend the time for runners while also giving tormentor team extra time to dmg the tormentor during the "in-between" phase. For the 3rd and 4th sequences, have 2 runners alternating like normal and proceed normally, though if the runners are fast enough, you can "save" the next tormentor for the beginning of the 4th sequence. Similar to what you did going from sequence 2 to sequence 3.

this is 100% the first guide i have fully understood of any raids, very very well explained and put together! thanks very much!!

From my experience, the orb network disruptions are caused by one thing and one thing only: Trying to get a new buff while a small orb is still available. This is because shooting the buffing orb does 2 things, give the buff to the players around it and spawn a small orb to the next in line node. Every time you shoot the buffing orb, it will attempt to spawn a small orb at the next node, if there is already a small orb there, the network will be disrupted. I suspect this is to prevent players from forcing the encounter along without having to interact with the other mechanics. Because if you could devote 3-4 people to cycle buffs while leaving only a skeleton crew to shoot mobs, then you could finish the encounter easily without ever having to spawn a tormentor. At least, without having a relative mastery over the encounter.

Amazing how quick this guide is. Thanks allot.

Datto, you're a lifesaver, me and my team have been stuck on the last boss for like 7+ hours, getting close everytime, but survival was the downfalls tho i'm surprised thunderlords does that much, we barely got half of that dmg you guys did, but, thanks for this

The Blueskip is Goated

Was looking at another guide, it was so f**cking wordy and confusing,Datto the real MVP, straight to the point!

Just an awesome and beautiful raid. While short, still awesome. Also we've got to make the Blueskip commonplace

Important Note: Damage phase for the first boss (the one with the planets) begins at whatever color has 2 planets. So, if there are 2 dark planets and 1 light, you should start at a dark plate. However, the order it goes in does seem to be random after that. This means there is no chance (to my knowledge) of there being 3 of the same color.

Never get tired of hearing that song in the background for these guides

Thanks Datto! Thunderlord strat was amazing for my team

Got my clear day 1, but I'm watching for the music and because Datto puts in a lot of effort for these.

The only Destiny Content Creator who can explain this without having a stroke while giving the info.

the video I needed, even after the clear

Love the detail on the cataclysm part 👌....

The iconic background music. Yup, Datto raid guide time

I wonder how people are gonna argue about call outs for planets. Our group used R1 L1 R2 L2 designations for the triangles and standardized the positions by labeling the left corner 1, the right 2, and the top of the triangle 3 (instead of something like 1s being towards the center of the arena).

Thank you datto for this guide being out so early! You literally saved us for the last encounter because we've been doing it wrong and finally got the day 1 done! Great job on the race and I hope you get it next time!

Beat day one. Still here to watch. Can’t miss a Datto video.

Hear's the classic datto raid guide elevator music. BABE DATTO POSTED ANOTHER RAID GUIDE. truly one of the best and most dedicated d2 creator. You'll get your day 1 win champ. Only a matter of when

Not sure if you noticed this, but you said that in the first encounter, you will always have Sweeping Terror, but that is untrue, once you complete one phase, the timer goes away, then returns to the base timer - so if youre fast enough with the Light leap frog, you can leave a Tormentor alive and have it ready to kill in second phase for more time Also couple of things for second encounter: 1) For the runners, you don’t actually have to keep going back to the other side - if your team is confident enough and everybody understands all the mechanics, you can have the runner that initially launches stay on the side they launched and become a runner for the opposite side and voice versa. You will still have to send someone back over with buff again, but this way you’re only going once per buff, not back and forth multiple times This minimizes the amount crossing with the buggy launcher. 2) The buffs at the end become infinite, so you can keep refreshing to damage the last waves of ads + boss For the third encounter, it is always 2 of one color, and one of the other. Which ever one (light or dark) has 2 for the middle planets, that’s the one you will start at. And then the boss switches back and forth the shield colors. So if it’s 2 light, 1 dark, you will start at a light plate, then go to the dark one, the go the second light plate. For Nezarec, if your runners are having a hard time being fast enough, throw in another player, or have one of the other ad-clearers jump in for a couple nodes to speed it up. Once you learn the paths, single runners should be just fine tho

Great raid guide datto, thank you

Been waiting for this!!!

Came for the guide music. Best time of the year.

I am genuinely here just for the music even thought I've finished it!

Many other Destinytubers already habe their guides uploaded, but I'm aleays gonna wait till Datto's guide for reference. My go to channel for Destiny guides ando more.

I feel a jez explanation for this raid will be one of his best

Already cleared, still gonna watch for the music and vibes

One of the coolest looking raids.

I always took a step backwards on the launchers right as I shot on warlock, It was way more consistent but I still ran strand during that encounter for when it decided to dunk me. We also used a different strat for orb running on the second encounter, whenever we swapped sides we stayed there to grab the opposite sides buff, shot the orb on that side, then buffed again and jumped back. It required 3 jumps instead of 6 like your path so we had half the chance of getting screwed by the launchers.

Really appreciated the map/layout. Get a better understanding of where things are and need to go.

Watched your stream on Twitch from the beginning. Ggs Datto!

Can't wait for the thoughts video

Man this raid guide for Nez was perfection.

Going to try this for the first time on Monday when I finally have a day off work.

AHHH YEAH BABY, FAVORITE TIME OF THE YEAR

>be me >be stuck on damage on nezerac >take a break last night >wake up >datto guide >thunderlord? >clear in 45 mins after reconvening Datto is just the best. Thanks for helping us get our first contest emblem!

The most visually stunning location Bungie had ever made, and it's not even close. Despite final boss being low health, he did some INSANE stuff that ruined DPS for us. Once he decided to run TO THE OTHER SIDE of the entire map, then activate. And stayed there for half the phase. Another time he hid behind the only obstruction. And when I mention those 2 things, we were stuck at him for 4hrs and he did this on 80% of our fights. We killed him twice, but died at the same time and didn't complete it. But our weapon levels triggered and we got engrams for killing him. So in reality, we killed him 3 times in 4hrs last night.

Thanks, finally understood what to do on third encounter 😅

Commemoration with reconstruction as a void heavy is OP. Love it.

If I may add something to the first encounter as a bit of advance strategy, the first set of plates can usually be completed without needing the tormenter's additional time. As such, spawning this tormenter and getting them low to have one ready to pop when needed is a great safety net.

Came for the music, stayed for the video xD

My yearly dose of the datto raid guide music

Thank you Datto what would we do without you

Love to see the comments in a guide. As the commentors tell you what to do instead of what the actual video says

The raid has only been out for a day and LFG groups are already putting KWTD on their posts

My team found that orbs will despawn if you shoot them before they have an aura around them. Additionally, there’s a little darkness crystal in the air during the planets encounter. You can shoot it to clear everyone’s buffs and immediately make the planets move.

Saw everyone else put their raid guides up 😒 *Instantly clicks on Dattos raid guide*

Finally i can hear the raid guide music again

The music has become a legendary meme and im all for it

The thing that causes the orb lockout is shooting the aura orb while the buff is already on the field. This is true across all encounters w/ the orb chain mechanics, so for the fastest way to get through the chain is to have 2 players alterneting orbs, making sure to call out once the orb has been activated to avoid disruption. This should make it easier to skip the refuge on nezarec once contest is over and add managment doesn't need to be as intensive.

Thanks for the guide, go take a well earned rest 👑

Already beat the raid, but it’s tradition to watch Dattos raid videos

Best part of a Datto raid video is the music

Love that the orbs don't point to the next one even while you're explaining it never once saw the beam pointing at the orb you hit lol so I'm still confused:)

WOOOOO, THE RAID MUSIC IS BACK!!!!

Tips for a few encounters: Second Encounter: My two teams had two runners. One that crossed the gap to get the nodes on the other side and one that took the buff to get the nodes on the same side the buff was on. This made it significantly faster and easier as the person who got the buff on their side could kill the shielded enemies that spawned while the gap crosser made their way back and killed ads on the opposite side. We ended up getting done with around a minute on the timer this way with little to no trouble with the ads.

I will never play this raid but I am still watching LETS GOOOO

Shatterskating across the gap as a runner in the second encounter is really fun

Everyone doing guides Only Datto doing the Math and giving us Examples Gg´z good man

Fun Fact: In the first encounter, you can manipulate which side the Tormentors spawn based on what "side" the final Psion you punch/kill is on (at least that seems to be the pattern I've noticed)

hey datto love your vids been watching for years. watching this vid as a refresher before i attempt a flawless run. i have to say your idea of the buff is a bit off... you can shoot the orb with buff old or new as long a someone else shoot the buff orb before you shoot the next 1, its a lot faster than 1 person. running orbs

Thank you Datto. That’s all. Thank you.

This makes me wanna play the game again even to im like 3 expansions behind

God this tune scratches my brain in the best ways

loved this raid, this was my first day one, idc if it was rlly easy, I'm just happy my team got a day one

Fyi, the wipe avoidence mechanic can also be determined by what color nezarez himself is, he himself will glow either light blue or orange, i think this is better as the glow on weakpoint break is funky as far as i could tell on my clear