Okay so Ill admit I beat the VOG for the first time last night, having said that I have made it to the boss thousands of times, this being rendered futile because of the groups I was with. I noticed the #1 thing that caused failure on the final boss was random people in the group not understanding the relic. I am usually the guy who gets the relic because I understand how to use it best in my group, but this is not acceptable. Shit happens sometimes. Main relic holder dies. Main relic holder doesn't get teleported. So here is a small guide to using the relic and everyone should read even if it is not your job. Why? Because you might get stuck with the relic and knowing how to use it could save your group from having to repeat the atheon battle 4000 -blam!-ing times. Ok so here it is first the basic, then your job as the relic holder: [b]Basics [/b] [b]-Cleansing:[/b] Cleansing is used to cleanse teammates who have been marked (red/purplish smoke above head). To cleanse you hit [b]L1[/b], or whatever button you have designated for grenades. You CANNOT do this right away. Just like a grenade, it has to charge. In the bottom left of the screen you can see your cleansing ability charging up. Same box where your grenade charges up. Once charged, hold the button for your grenade toss and boom, a bubble appears and everyone in that bubbles is cleansed. Do not hold for too long a to not waste charge, just enough to cleanse (usually 1 second) [b]Attacking: [/b]Holding the shield does not leave you defenseless. On the contrary, it is rather powerful and one hit kills most enemies. There are three different ways you can attack with the shield. [b]-R2[/b] A.k.a. tackle(or whatever button you have designated for firing a gun) : This produces a swift jab forward and does the most damage. One hit kills most enemies. [b]Jump/R2 [/b]a.k.a. Ground impact explosion: This is one of my faves and can one hit kill multiple enemies depending on how close they are. Also the higher you jump, the more damage this does. Ex. jumping form a pillar would cause much more damage than just from the ground. [b]R1[/b] a.k.a. Melee : This is a simple melee with your shield. It's not that great I don;t recommend it. Usually takes 1-2 hits to kill average enemy. [b]BUT[/b] supposedly you can use R1 to sort of fly through the air and then use your shield slam. [b]Shield Super[/b]: This is just like using your super, Aim the shield at whatever you are firing at (atheon, oracles, minator, etc.) then press [b]L1/R1[/b]. This will shoot a ball of light that deals heavy damage. [b]YOUR JOB[/b] Okay so now that the basics are covered it is time to apply them. First off, the mistake most first-timers make. Once teleported and you have the relic, it is [b]YOUR JOB [/b]to fight off the minions. Don't just stand in the back with the shield. Your team may help you some, but you are the most effective against minions. Your team mates focus should be the oracles. Especially in the jungle when you have the minataur/pres whatever it's called. Tip for minatour in jungle. Jump over him, R2 from behind. It takes about 4 hits. Don't let him melee you it takes away most of your health. And as shield bearer it is important you don't die. Next, continuously cleanse team mates as they fight the oracles. Personally I fight off the minions and then cleanse my teammates, since the cleanse has to charge anyways. P.s. YOU CAN drop the shield to help kill oracles, BUT only for a short period of time before it kills your team so be careful if you attempt this. [b]NEXT[/b] After returning from the time warp, run straight to the floating middle pillar in front of atheon. Immediately throw up the cleansing shield. [b]L2[/b]. [b]HOLD L2[/b] do not release the button. The cleansing shield (unlike other times) will stay charged until the next time warp. So don't worry about running out of charge. Your teammates will jump in this shield and atheon cannot damage them or you. [b]IMPORTANT NOTE[/b]: This is how I beat the VOG, but it seems popular opinion that this tactic is less effective then dodging Atheon, while relic holder uses his super. Another popular tactic is titans using their bubble to get extra bonus damage. Just keep in mind this guide is a super basic use of the relic and there are many effective strategies. Hopefully, this enlightens some new players to the VOG. I don't know why, but typically in groups people designate one shield holder and this is a terrible idea. Especially since the talk of the possible hot fix where everyone is teleported randomly. Everyone should know how to use it, and use it effectively. I hope this helps/ makes sense. I have different control config. and tried my best to use default controls in my post. Feel free to correct me if anything I said was false. Good luck, guardians. [b]Edit via LordShaftV:[/b] If using the shield method on the middle pillar, when there are roughly 3-5 seconds left (via small timer in bottom left of screen) everyone should jump out as to not get blasted in the face by atheon, and die. [b]Edit via Caveman Titan:[/b] As soon as you are teleported call out what side so the people on the otherside know which gate to open, mars (left gate facing atheon) which is desert-y or Venus (right gate facing atheon) which is jungle like. sometimes people who go in Venus with the Minotaur should throw grenades down at the Minotaur to help weaken him for the relic runner, especially if they are all spread out. On Mars side occasionally the hobgoblins will be spread out too much and someone should try to hit a hobgoblin or two in the chest so they armor lock and don't one shot the relic runner. As people are sent into the gates, there are supplicants (self-destructing harpy) the come out and go towards the portals and gate pads, For them stay up high off the ground and only one person is needed to open gates so the other 2 stay near by, but up high so not everyone dies from one blast.[b] Try to keep the gates clear of supplicants [/b]especially when the teleported people are coming through because one can take all 3 ppl out. Id suggest fist of havoc from a titan to keep it clear ;) and by then supers would be almost unlimited. [b]Edit via MartinOfRedwall:[/b] Tip for the people outside guarding the teleporters: Look at your radar when the team gets teleported! If their cluster of dots are north (seemingly way behind atheon) they are in the jungle, the right gate. If their cluster is south (seemingly from the gate you entered the boss room) they are I the desert, the left gate. [b]Edit via Surt Gods End[/b]: In short- DO NOT FIRE ROCKET LAUNCHERS INSIDE RELIC SHIELD BUBBLE. You will die a horrible death. [b]Edit:[/b] Don't know how I forgot this, but a couple of people mentioned it. Using your super while holding the shield will shoot a large ball of light at the boss, dealing roughly 20,000 according to [b]HJ[/b]. In addition, instead of using the shield bubble method, some prefer to dodge Atheon and shoot him regularly. Apparently not being in the bubble during times vengeance still grants bonus damage and allows the shield use to use his super multiple times. I prefer the shield method, but this is valid as well. Every team will have their own strategy. [b]EDIT[/b] Super glad this post was successful/helpful to people. I am reading tons of great tips in the comments, a lot that I didn't even know about. Unfortunately I don't have time to sift through and read them all. So whoever makes it to the end of this long @$$ post should read the comments as well. There are some really good tips/strategies other players use. This guide is just the basics/my way of doing things. Thanks everyone for commenting and offering your knowledge, making this post even more helpful to new people.