The Summoning Pits

"Something dark stirs in the depths of the Hellmouth. We can feel it. A Hive abomination bred for unthinkable evil. We must pierce the veil of their Summoning Pits and destroy this creature...before the Hive unleash it upon us all."

- Ikora Rey

The Summoning Pits is a Level 12 Strike located on the Moon, deep within the Hellmouth. The fireteam's objective is to kill the enormous Ogre named Phogoth, the Untamed.

Objectives

 * Enter Hive Fortress
 * Approach the Gate
 * Open the Gate
 * Repel the Hive
 * Find the Summoning Pits
 * Enter the Summoning Pits
 * Defeat Phogoth

Transcript
{Loading screen}

Ikora Rey: Something dark stirs in the depths of the Hellmouth; we can feel it. A Hive abomination bred for unthinkable evil. We must pierce the veil of their Summoning Pits, and destroy this creature before the Hive unleash it upon us all.

The team of Guardians land outside the Hellmouth.

Ghost: Well, this was your idea. Let's go find this abomination.

The Guardians traverse through the entrance to the Hellmouth, and into the Gatehouse.

Ghost: There's no telling how far down we'll have to go to find the Summoning Pits.

After fighting their way through battling Hive and Fallen, they come upon a sanctum with a locked door.

Ghost: We need to get through. I'll try to open that gate.

One of the Guardians sends their Ghost to crack the multiple locks.

Ghost: A triptych of Hive runes...said to be uncrackable...

Several doors open, and Hive Thrall come pouring out.

Ghost: They know we're here—I'll get to work!

The Guardians fight off more Thrall and a few Knights.

Ghost: It's reconfiguring...hang tight.

Hive Acolytes and Wizards appear, and the Guardians eliminate them.

Ghost: I'm starting to sense a pattern! Shouldn't be long.

The Guardians defend against Cursed Thrall, Knights and Wizards, including Mormu, the Xol Spawn. They are all eliminated as the Ghost finishes its work.

Ghost: Got it. The gate's opening.

The Guardians travel further downwards, into the Circle of Bones.

Ghost: Sounds like we're getting closer.

A deafening roar shakes the entire cave, shaking loose some rocks and stalactites. The Guardians press on, eventually finding the Summoning Pits. Another roar rumbles throughout the cave system, and a door opens, revealing Phogoth, the Untamed. It stands in the middle of a large arena-sized room, four chains holding it down in the center as it screams in anger.

Ghost: Well, at least it's chained up.

Moments later, the abomination breaks loose of its chains and attacks the Guardians. They eventually defeat him,

Ghost: Finally. The abomination has been destroyed. The Vanguard will be grateful.

Ikora Rey: A creature of the Dark has been slain, and our worlds spared another atrocity. But how many more Hive abominations are still out there? Growing among the Darkness? I fear we may find out all too soon.

Mission ends.

Hive

 * Thrall
 * Cursed Thrall


 * Acolyte
 * Knight
 * Wizard
 * Ogre
 * Shrieker

Gatehouse
Players begin in the public space outside the Hellmouth. Entering the area is not terribly difficult as it is lightly guarded. Leveled enemies will first start appearing in the room past the three Knights, but the first Darkness Zone will not appear until the room afterward.

Open the Gate
Objective: Decrypt the lock while defending against three enemy waves.

Ghost will start decrypting the lock on the gate. Three waves of enemies will attack the fireteam; the first wave will consist of Thralls with a few Cursed Thralls mixed in, followed by Knights armed with Boomers. The second wave consists of Acolytes followed by three Wizards and Knights armed with Swords. Wave three will have all enemy types as before, plus the Wizard Mormu, Xol Spawn. Once all enemies are defeated, the door will open.

Circle of Bones
Continue further into the Gatehouse. Enemy resistance is comparatively light, though in the next room be aware that there is a single Ogre guarding the exit with a few Cursed Thralls and one Hallowed Knight nearby as well. The next area, the Circle of Bones, has enemies that can be largely avoided (including two waves of reinforcements that arrive by Tombship near the balcony). There are however two Hallowed Knights blocking the entrance to the final room, which should be dispatched.

The Summoning Pits
Boss: Phogoth, the Untamed

The final room contains Phogoth, who is initially chained up. The room also has multiple balconies with enemies on them, including Knights and Acolytes armed with Boomers. Players should take advantage of the situation and take out the Boomer-equipped enemies before engaging Phogoth, as he will not attack until he breaks free which will only happen if he is damaged. Players can hang back in the initial doorway, though a Shrieker will periodically spawn in that room, and Thralls and Knights will try to swarm them. The narrow doorway also makes it difficult to hit Phogoth without being exposed to its Eye Beam attack. The sides offer more protection than the entryway, though in a pinch Guardians can hide behind the narrow columns on the entryway balcony.

Inside the room itself, Phogoth is partially penned in by large walls, three on either side. So long as players keep the walls between Phogoth and themselves, they are relatively safe from its Eye Beam attack. Stronger Light-level players can utilize the balconies on these walls to get a better angle on Phogoth or distract it to allow weaker players to deal more damage; be advised that its Eye Beams will target them, so this tactic should be used with caution. Many waves of Hive reinforcements will appear periodically to assist Phogoth, either from doorways on the second-floor balconies or by Tombship. Players should stay alert for these reinforcements as they typically include Cursed Thralls, Sword Knights, and Wizards, and can easily overwhelm distracted players.

Eventually, if players defeat all waves of enemies, no more will spawn, allowing them to focus on Phogoth. Its weak spot is a large bulge on its chest rather than its head like on most other Ogres. Killing Phogoth will destroy any remaining enemies.

Trivia
There is a variant of this strike that is only available for the exotic weapon bounty A Light in the Dark. To complete the bounty, the players must defeat a wizard named Xyor, the Unwed, who only appears on the last wave of reinforcements if Phogoth is still alive.