This post is about killing Oryx on Hard Mode and will lay out in great detail the strategies that my fire team have used. As a forewarning, I'm going to take a moment to talk about the strategies we used that we couldn't make work before I get into the one that did - so, I apologize for a taking a minute to get to the point. [spoiler]After wiping a few times using the "regular" strategy, we tried "No Knights." I think everyone knows how this works (skip to next paragraph if you already know), but briefly, that's when you do a traditional strategy, but instead of killing the Ogres, you take them down to (or below) their "rage" and let them be (plate people mostly hide). Everyone then jumps up on a daughter plate after the runner gets the relic, stagger Oryx, simultaneously kill ogres, and detonate bombs, thus, ignoring knights altogether. "No Knights" looks good on paper - sounds like a good idea. However, it was far too RANDOM and people were getting smoked by adds/knights/Vessel while detonating the bombs or worse, the runner was dying before he could steal the Vessel shield. We spent hours on this strategy wipe after wipe. Maybe we're just not good enough at communicating or <<insert reason here>>. Point is, we couldn't get it done. So, eventually, we came up with what we are calling the [b]WHORE PLATE STRATEGY[/b]: (It's a small twist on the "regular" strategy) [b]Fire Team Composition:[/b] 1 Runner (preferably hunter, but whoever's the best jumper) 3 Plate people (Warlocks are good for self-res to counteract ship randomness or Oryx holding a grudge, but not required) 2 Adds people (Recommend you use your highest light level people and preferably at least one weapons bubble titan) [b]Runner Duty:[/b] Just like the "regular" strategy. The runner jumps on the plate after Oryx slams and runs the platforms to get the relic. After the runner has obtained the relic, they should call out "Get off the plates." Then, they will quickly get to the Vessel and steal the aura. Once they've got the aura, they will help kill the Vessel. After Oryx slams the second time, they will shoot his chest until he falls off the side after detonation (Touch of malice is nice here!!). [b]Plate Duty:[/b] Figure out what you're calling your plates. We call the plates nearest Oryx (or Saturn, or Space, or whatever helps you orient) the "Front" and the plates by the door you come in on the "Back." So, the room orientation is right and left, facing Oryx. Assign your 3 plate people to Front right and left, and back left. To keep things simple, the plate you're assigned to initially is your "home" plate. That leaves the back right plate open. Here's why it's the "whore plate." "Everyone gets a turn on the whore plate." If the relic is above your plate, you go to the whore plate. If the relic is above the whore plate, you stay home. Of the three dedicated plate people, assign one who is most aware who can call out who is going to the whore plate (if anyone is) and from there, quickly figure out what number you are in the rotation. [b]Ogres/Knights:[/b] Your two adds people will help team kill each ogre from whatever daughter plate is opposite Oryx (hence, you want your 2 strongest players and preferably a weapons bubble to maximize damage). The 3 plate people will kill the knight that spawns after their ogre dies. The adds people are responsible for the 4th knight. Usually, the way the timing happens, the two adds people will take care of the 4th ogre themselves because the runner will have gotten the relic by then. AS SOON AS the runner gets the relic, everyone gets off their plate and runs at the Vessel (gets hairy here). AS SOON AS the runner steals the knight's invincibility, the 3 plate people should already be there so they're protected. This needs to happen fast. The adds, the ship, and Oryx are all real pissed at you at this point. Go to the middle with the "aura" and team kill the Vessel. The 2 adds people are on the daughter plate, taking care of the 4th knight - when he's down, they jump down to the middle with everyone else. By this time, Oryx will likely have slammed his fist again. EVERYONE SHOOTS HIS CHEST. After he's staggered, clear adds outside the aura. Call out when adds are "clear front" and "clear back" (remember, the runner is still shooting Oryx's chest throughout). [b]Detonate Blights:[/b] You will always detonate the blight at your home plate. Assign the whore plate blight to one of the adds people. Dedicate someone to call out when you're leaving the aura and again to count down when you're entering the blight. This ensures that everyone makes it back to the aura during detonation. Upon your return to the aura, shoot Oryx until the blights detonate. Adds people, take this time to hit a synth if you're low. [b]Running Around like a Moron:[/b] Run around your home plate. Runner runs up and down the middle or in the front or back of the map - as long as they're out of the way of the other people. The adds person you assigned to the whore blight can run around the whore plate. The other adds person can jump back and forth on the daughter plates. [b]Dark Dimension:[/b] Nothing new here. Try to save Hammer of Sol, Golden Gun, or a Blessings Bubble for this encounter. Make sure you're calling out when you're entering the dimension and also, when you see the Echo come into the middle so the people getting 'ported in know to jump. Remember, you don't regenerate health in the Dark Dimension so if you're using the Touch of Malice, try not to chew through your health before you get 'ported. [b]Kill the Bastard![/b] Helpful notes: If you miss your knight or you can't get him before the runner gets the relic, call it out. Usually, the adds people can take care of him before jumping down to the middle. The MOST important thing here is to STAY ALIVE. [/spoiler] Again, sorry for the "War and Peace" post. We really struggled with this and so I just wanted to be clear on what we tried in case your fire team was having the same problems we were, and what we ended up doing to get it done.