Beta Tester Edit #3: In no way have I encouraged people to invite low light players. If anything must have emblem should be the requirement (which means that player has knowledge/skill/expeirence.) ToM is not a "must have" item for oryx (since you take dmg from it which in turn denies proper use unless you are using blessings or are in aura. "Add role") *but dps is your focus to stagger.* Auto-rifles or high fire rate pulse-rifle work great too. w/ a good sniper and harrowed machinegun or rockets, you'd be just fine. Edit #2: I encourage readers to read the whole post and comprehend it. This was intended to explain the % values of light level and encourage players to be more accepting of lower in raid based on light level b/c individual skill matters more than light as well as knowledge of fights. (Im sure everyone has had 315+ people die more than 307s.) [b][i][u] The title is ment as a sense of shock propaganda to draw attention.[/u][/i][/b] Edit #1: Ok, yes, light is important in its own right but, this post details as to why. Individual skill and knowledge is more the priority. Knowledge is not spelled knawledge I have 3 315 chars 1 of each class which share weapons. In addition, if you wanna check make sure I have 3 320 weap equiped on that char and am not wearing PvP gear. Raid gear drops are RNG (Random Number Generator) Hello Gaurdians! So I'm sure you've read when LFG in the forums "LFG Hard Oryx Must Be 310" blah blah blah. Why? What does being 310 bring to a DPS based fight? This post is for those people. Keep in mind this is just an open discussion. My opinion is based on my experience traking both my dmg displayed and how much dmg I am taking from certain enemy attacks via capture card an watching the replay; playing around testing the difference 5, 10, & 15 light below recommended. How much does light level really matter? 1. First- Lets begin by understanding Light Level and how, stat wise, it has been modifyed from Year 1. Since year 1 the percentage drop or increase in your "attack" or "defence" when fighting an enemy is now changed compared to year 1 when dealing with the increase to 320 light max. This is called balancing and why most MMOs having issues with this, as they expand, due to increased numbers. WoW would be one great example. [b][i][u]2. Second- How much dmg is lost, being below reccomended light? About 1% per light. At 10 light below recommended, I generally see about a 10% drop in dmg. On Percision fights this can upwards of 10k dmg/sniper round depending. Over the course of one boss fight this can be a huge burden to your raid or fireteam. In year one beeing this was much different and being as close to reccomended mattered a great deal more. However, in a dps fight like oryx, its about 100dmg.[/u][/i][/b] --- [b][i][u] 3. Third- How much does Light Level affect in your ability to sustain dmg? About a 1-2% difference. To be put in perspective at 10 light below reccomended, an attack such as Axion Dart will nearly kill you if not stated into defence or "armor" either way you're less than 10% HP. 5 light below a little less than hlf. 15 light below, you get it.[/u][/i][/b] --- Lets talk about hard oryx. Keep in mind none of the raid bosses have a greater Health Pool they just have a higher defensive and attack capabilitie. So from previous discussion we know what we're dealing with. [b][i][u] Strats- "No Knight" and "Normal" both are viable strategies, but why? "No Knight" strat minimizes the over all amount of dmg threat to the raid. "Normal" strat requires high a.o.e dmg output to be most effective due to the amount of enemys. I.e. harrowed rocket on add spwn to destroy the threat that wave of adds will have on the raid. Most people fail to acknowledge this and is seen more as an issue if you have a slow "runner." [/u][/i][/b] Required dps to stagger- Do you know what that is? If not I suggest you find out for yourself because its the same as normal. Fact-A team of 6, 300 light level gaurdians, can complete hard oryx w/normal strat if everyone understands the focus of that strat. 1 person or a mistake will probably wipe the raid because you simply can not sustain any dmg. A team of 6 all 310 and up, 2 die, can 4 man hard oryx. ** Also if you are 310 w/ a 320 touch of malice you're only gonna see about 6-8% dmg drop (this is an example of balance changes). Instead of the around 10% drop. (Fun fact) Conclusion- [b][i][u]1. Below recommended lighl level, as far as dmg output, for a hard raid will not hinder your raids ability to complete in a dps fight however a precision fight the # are greater so you decide if someones not meeting the mark. 2. Below reccomended light will decrease your ability to sustain dmg which will hinder your raid (b/c you can't revive).[/u][/i][/b] [b][i][u] 3. Most reasons people die/wipe in hard mode is b/c of 2. Its not generally bosses that kill you, it's adds. Which means the majority of people need to start understanding add clear/a.o.e. USE YOUR SUPERS, plz!!!!!!! Use proper elemental dmg for that fight to eliminate high priority targets such as Wizards (witches b/c they're female according to lore). Use your rockets to clear taken adds with one shot (raid rocket launcher)[/u][/i][/b] I hope this gives people a better understanding of light level and its affects. This information can also be used in understanding light level in other modes such as Trials Or IB. Feel free to comment or ask queastions about anything from builds, weapon choices, strats, stat prioritys. . .