Garden of Salvation Guide – Complete Destiny 2 Raid Walkthrough

Introduction

The Garden of Salvation raid was released in Destiny 2 with the Shadowkeep expansion. The guide will take you through every step needed to complete it, covering all mechanics, strategies, and loadouts.

Table of Contents

In this guide, we will cover the following subjects:

• Raid Preparation
• How to access the raid
• First Encounter
• Second Encounter
• Third Encounter
• Fourth Encounter
• Boss Encounter
• Loot Table
• Extras & Challenges
• FAQ
• Conclusion

How to access the raid

To access the Garden of Salvation raid, you need to have the Shadowkeep expansion purchased on your account.

You must open the destination menu and find the activity icon in the Moon destination.

Raid Preparation

Garden of Salvation raid features unique mechanics, so being prepared with the best meta loadouts will help you out immensely during each encounter. I’ll be going over some of the best weapons & subclasses that you should be using to ensure your success.

Best subclasses & builds

Getting started

Once you're ready, navigate to the Moon and locate the raid marker in the bottom left section of the map.

Best weapons loadouts

Here, I’ll be going over some of the best meta weapons to use in the Garden of Salvation raid:

Reaching the first encounter

Once you spawn into the raid, you will have to just walk forward a bit to reach the first encounter, no platforming needed.

First encounter - Consecrated Mind Chase

General Objective Overview

The first encounter in Garden of Salvation is a chase sequence where your fireteam must escape the Consecrated Mind while managing tether mechanics and defending against Vex enemies. Players must build relay points using the Enlightened buff to keep the team moving forward.

Arena & Layout

The encounter takes place in a long, open pathway with multiple relay nodes that must be activated in sequence. The team will move through different zones while fighting Vex waves and ensuring tethers are completed.

Team Roles & Asignments

• Tether Builders (2-3 players): They activate relay nodes by forming tethers to open the path forward.


• Ad-clear Team (3 players): They defend against Vex enemies, especially Overload Minotaurs & spawned Cyclops.

Mechanics

• Tether Builders stand near the relay nodes to form a line and activate each tether, allowing the team to progress.
• Enemies spawn in waves, including Minotaurs that drop the Enlightened buff when killed.
• Players with the Enlightened buff can destroy the Barrier Champion shields blocking progress.
• The fireteam must continue this process until they reach the final relay node and exit safely before Consecrated Mind catches up with them.

DPS Phase

This encounter does not have a DPS phase. Instead, your fireteam must focus on activating relays, killing Vex efficiently, and staying ahead of the Consecrated Mind.

Tips & Mistakes to Avoid

✔️ - Assign roles beforehand: Knowing which players will tether makes the mechanic much smoother.

✔️ - Kill Minotaurs quickly: This will ensure a steady supply of Enlightened buffs for your team.

❌ - Don’t leave tethers incomplete: This will halt progress and cause a wipe.

❌ - Avoid falling behind: Getting caught by the boss results in instant death, so be on the move.

Reaching the second encounter

To reach the second encounter, after you get your rewards from the chest, move forward and do some platforming, activate a tether mechanic to open a door and continue through the cave system.

General Objective Overview

Second Encounter - Undergrowth

General Objective Overview

The third encounter requires your fireteam to defend the relay from waves of Vex, manage tether mechanics, and prevent enemies from sacrificing at the relay. Players must rotate roles, clear enemies efficiently, and use the Enlightened buff to handle Barrier Champions.

Arena & Layout

The encounter takes place in a symmetrical arena with a central relay that must be defended.

• The arena has two sides (Left and Right), each with relay points that must be activated via tethers.
• Enemies spawn in waves and attempt to reach the central relay.
• Barrier Champions & Shielded Vex require the Enlightened buff to be defeated.

Team Roles & Asignments

• Relay Defenders: They use the tether mechanic to refresh Enlightened buffs for the team while also defending the relays.
• Floaters: Moves between sides to assist with ad-clearing and tether activation.

Mechanics

• Relay Defenders link the tether from the central relay to charge their teammates with Enlightened while ad-clearing.
• Enlightened players destroy Barrier Champion shields and kill shielded Vex to prevent sacrifices at the relay.
• After a short duration, Enlightened players lose their buff and must refresh it using the tether again. The Floaters will help them out with the tether activation since it can't be done solo.
• The process repeats as waves of enemies become more frequent.
• Once enough waves are completed, the encounter is finished.

DPS Phase

This encounter does not have a DPS phase. The objective is to survive, cycle buffs, and prevent enemy sacrifices until the encounter ends.

Tips & Mistakes to Avoid

✔️ - Rotate Enlightened buffs frequently: Players without it can’t break Barrier Champion shields or prevent Vex from sacrificing.

✔️ - Assign players to specific sides: This avoids confusion during tether activations.

❌ - Don’t let too many Vex sacrifice at the relay: Too many sacrifices will cause a team wipe.

❌ - Avoid disrupting tethers: Standing in the wrong spot can break the chain and delay buffs.

Reaching the third encounter

The third encounter takes place in the same arena as the second encounter.

Third Encounter - Consecrated Mind

General Objective Overview

The third encounter requires your fireteam to summon the Consecrated Mind by managing tethers, motes, and enemy waves while preventing Vex sacrifices. The team must coordinate to collect and deposit motes while clearing enemies.

Arena & Layout

The fight takes place in a large open arena with 4 deposit points (labeled L1, L2, R1, R2).

• The Consecrated Mind moves between deposit points, spawning enemies.
• Players must collect Voltaic Motes from defeated Vex and deposit them at the active bank.
• Tether mechanics are required to activate the banks and progress the fight.

Team Roles & Asignments

• Mote Collectors (3 players): Kill spawned enemies, collect Voltaic Motes, and deposit them.
• Eye Killers (3 players): Their job is to follow the Consecrated Mind and destroy her eyes to prevent the wipe mechanic.

Mechanics

• The Consecrated Mind moves between deposit points, spawning enemies.
• Mote Collectors defeat glowing Vex units (Cyclops, Minotaurs, Goblins) to obtain Voltaic Motes.
• Eye Killers follow the Consecrated Mind and have to collect the cube she drops in order to shoot her eyes. Your partner will need to call out which eyes you need to shoot. Check the picture below to understand the mechanic better:


• Mote Collectors deposit 30 total motes at the active bank to progress.
• Repeat this process until all four banks are charged, triggering the damage phase.

DPS Phase

Once all banks are filled, the Consecrated Mind moves to the center and becomes vulnerable. You and your fireteam will have to follow her and start DPS. After DPS, repeat the mote collection and deposit process until the boss is defeated.

Tips & Mistakes to Avoid

✔️ - Assign dedicated Mote Collectors: Make sure you know who collects the Motes and keep count to avoid over-collecting.

✔️ - Make sure you destroy the correct eyes: Shooting the wrong ones will instantly kill you.

❌ - Don’t let Vex sacrifice at the banks: Too many sacrifices will cause a team wipe.

❌ - Avoid holding motes too long: Deposit them quickly to keep progressing.

Reaching the boss encounter

After completing the third encounter, a pathway opens leading into a large chasm with floating platforms. The platforms are arranged in a spiral pattern, requiring careful jumps. Some of them will shift or disappear, so time your jumps correctly. Continue forward through caverns and pathways until you reach a massive open chamber.

Boss Encounter - Sanctified Mind

General Objective Overview

The final encounter against Sanctified Mind requires your team to manage tethers, collect motes, break boss shields, and execute high burst DPS phases. The fight revolves around 2 designated zones (Blue & Orange) and precise coordination to cycle Enlightened buffs.

Arena & Layout

The arena consists of a central platform and 2 side islands (Blue/Orange). The boss has 2 glowing shapes on his arm & leg, which must be broken to progress. Players will collect Motes, rotate between sides, and use tethers to summon DPS plates.

Team Roles & Asignments

• Mote Collectors (Blue Team & Orange Team): Their job is to enter portals, defeat Vex, collect motes, and deposit them at the correct relay.
• Bridge Builders: Their job is to keep the platforms that the boss despawns together, keeping the arena intact while doing ad-clearing.

Mechanics

• To open the Orange portal, you need to shoot the boss's glowing shoulder, and for the Blue portal, his glowing left leg.
• The 2 teams enter their respective portals, Blue & Orange, and start collecting Motes.
• Once they are done, they call out and the players outside will once again shoot his shoulder and leg to open the portals so the Mote Collectors can get out and deposit.
• Depositing 30 Motes into the right relay will let your team tether the boss and start the DPS phase.

DPS Phase

Once the boss becomes vulnerable, use your Supers and heavy weapons to wither his health bar and easily take him down, since he doesn't have much HP, leading to an easy one-phase if everyone does decent damage.

Tips & Mistakes to Avoid

✔️ - Assign Mote Collectors: Make sure you do this before the encounter starts to avoid confusion.

✔️ - Keep building the bridges: Even tho its not mandatory, it will make your life a lot easier to have platforms to sit on and not take damage.

❌ - Don't open portals rekklessly: This only wastes time and can lead to wipes.

❌ - Don't forget to deposit Motes: The DPS phase won't start until 30 Motes are deposited.

Loot Table

Here we'll be showing you every piece of loot you can acquire from the raid. Garden of Salvation features 7 legendary weapons, 1 exotic & 1 normal armour set. Below you will find a list with all the weapons & armour pieces:

Evade (1st Encounter)	Summon (2nd Encounter)	Consecrated Mind (3rd Encounter)	Sanctified Mind (Final Encounter)
Zealot's Reward Fusion Rifle Void |	Prophet of Doom Shotgun Arc |	Ancient Gospel Hand Cannon Void |	Omniscient Eye Sniper Rifle Solar |
Accrued Redemption Combat Bow Kinetic |	Reckless Oracle Auto Rifle Void |		Sacred Provenance Pulse Rifle Kinetic |
Greaves of Ascendancy	Gauntlets of Exaltation	Plate of Transcendence	Helm of Righteousness
			Temptation's Mark

Extras & Challenges

Garden of Salvation also has a certain number of collectables, a title (or seal), & specific triumphs that awards a unique special badges on your dungeon report. We’ll be going over each of them and tell you what are the best tips & tricks on acquiring them.

Title & Seal

The title for the Garden of Salvation is called Enlightened. Below you will find the list with all the required triumphs needed to acquire your seal:

• Sacred Duty - Complete the associated badge on the Collection screen to claim this Triumph.
• Garden of Salvation - Complete the “Garden of Salvation” raid.
• Clan Night: Garden of Salvation - Complete the “Garden of Salvation” raid with a team made entirely of clanmates.
• Fluorescent Foliage - Complete all raid encounters with a fireteam made entirely of Arc subclasses.
• Shade in the Garden - Complete all raid encounters with a fireteam made entirely of Void subclasses.
• Photosynthesis - Complete all raid encounters with a fireteam made entirely of Solar subclasses.
• Secret Garden - Loot hidden chests in the “Garden of Salvation” raid.
• Leftovers - Complete the Staying Alive challenge.
• Voltaic Tether - Escape the Consecrated Mind while allowing only players with Voltaic Overflow to tether.
• A Link to the Chain - Complete the A Link to the Chain challenge.
• Repulsion Theory - Summon the Consecrated Mind without tethering to a relay while Enlightened.
• To the Top - Complete the Top the Top challenge.
• Relay Rally - Defeat the Consecrated Mind without allowing any player with the Relay buff to kill a combatant.
• Zero to One Hundred - Complete the Zero to One Hundred Challenge.
• Stop Hitting Yourself - Defeat the Sanctified Mind after killing 20 enemies with Vex Instantiation.
• Divinity’s Call - Acquire the Exotic Trace Rifle Divinity.

After you complete all 16 triumphs, the Enlightened seal will be unlocked so you can equip it on all your guardians.

Cosmetics

Ancient Believer Shader

The Ancient Believer shader is awarded for completing all challenges within the raid. This can now be done only when the Garden of Salvation raid is on rotation.

Ancient Defender Shader

The Ancient Defender shader is awarded for completing the ''Inherent Perfection'' where you need to complete the raid flawlessly (no one in your fireteam can die).

FAQs

The Garden of Salvation raid is located on the Moon.

No, the Garden of Salvation raid is not farmable, unless it is the featured raid on rotation that week.

No, the Garden of Salvation raid is one of the older raids in Destiny 2 and doesn't have hard mechanics.

Yes, the Garden of Salvation raid requires ownership of the Shadowkeep expansion in Destiny 2.

Final Thoughts

I hope this guide will ease your experience with the Garden of Salvation raid encounters and help you get one step further to success. We did all the research, and now it’s your turn to show your skill. Give it a try, Guardian!

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