A Hunter with the Lord of Wolves exotic shotgun in Destiny 2
A Hunter with the Lord of Wolves exotic shotgun in Destiny 2

With the return of Lake of Shadows as well as adept drops for the Swarm and Palindrome in “Destiny 2” this week, players will want to bring their best gear and best teammates to bear if they want to clear this strike as quickly and easily as possible.

The Lake of Shadows strike has remained mostly the same even after the last sandbox update, but players need to keep in mind that the first three blights can no longer be cheesed and that the final boss received around 300% more health, as Bungie deemed him to be way too easy.

Fortunately for players, this buff resulted in almost no change at all following the buffs to linear fusion rifles and the return of Gjallarhorn. With these said, here are some of the best builds to run in Grandmaster Lake of Shadows in the current “Destiny 2” sandbox.

Armor Mods and Weapon Loadouts

Starting with the mods, players have a variety of options when it comes to this strike that also depends on their preferred loadout.

Withering Heat is a great all-around mod for Solar subclasses. This mod lets Solar abilities make champions take 35% more damage from all sources.

This mod pairs well with any weapon loadout, and it’s well worth considering. Bring a weapon with Unstoppable and Overload mods and consider having someone use Blinding Grenades for extra crowd control.

Bows and pulse rifles are extremely useful for the long-ranged engagements in this strike. Ticuu’s Divination is particularly useful for the clusters of Taken Scions and Goblins.

Gjallarhorn - Destiny 2

Gjallarhorn - Destiny 2 Photo: Destiny 2

Gjallarhorn is arguably the best heavy weapon to use for this strike because of its raw firepower. It’s great against groups, and three of these can wipe the boss in seconds. Alternatively, a Falling Guillotine with Whirlwind Blade remains a great choice against the boss and champions despite the nerf to Whirlwind Blade.

Best Team Setups

A Well of Radiance with either two Stasis classes or one Thundercrash Titan can clear this GM strike with ease. Stasis abilities, especially Duskfield Grenades, can help freeze Unstoppable champions in place, giving the team enough time to take them out safely.

Golden Gun Hunters are also useful for clearing priority targets from a safe distance. Celestial Nighthawk with Focusing Lens can make quick work of champions and take a large chunk of the boss’ HP in one shot, though this is only advisable if there’s at least one Well of Radiance and one Stasis class in the fireteam.