Destiny 2 The Scarlet Keep Grandmaster guide (Season 22): Best loadouts, tips, and more

Destiny 2's The Scarlet Keep is the final Nightfall in Week 9, as far as the Grandmaster rotation goes. Once this week is over, the next reset's Grandmaster list will restart with Heist Battlegrounds Europa once again, repeating the cycle until the end of the season. Although The Scarlet Keep is one of the oldest Strikes on the list, it is difficult to beat without proper builds and coordination.

The following article will guide you through the basics of The Scarlet Keep Grandmaster in 2023, its modifiers, best builds, and tips for certain encounters. The deadly combination of trash mobs, Champions, and incoming Arc damage can even easily overwhelm the strongest fire team. Hence, it is important to have prior knowledge before running the Strike.

Disclaimer: The following article is subjective and relies solely on the writer's opinion.

Best loadouts for Destiny 2 The Scarlet Keep Grandmaster Nightfall

Based on some very specific modifiers, The Scarlet Keep can be considered a nightmare for speedrunners. Here is a list of the exclusive modifiers tied to the Grandmaster version of The Scarlet Keep:

Surges include Strand and Void, for 25% increased damage to enemies.
Overcharged for Sniper Rifles.
Arc threat, meaning 25% more incoming damage from enemies.
Barrier and Unstoppable Champions.
Arc and Solar shielded enemies.
Fire Pit: Acolytes will spawn fire pools upon getting killed.

Based on the aforementioned modifiers, here is a list of builds that everyone can try in different encounters:

Well of Radiance Phoenix Protocol Warlock.
Omnioculus Void Hunter.
Woven Mail, Banner of War, and Suspend Titan.

Weapons can include a Wish Ender for Anti Barriers, as it is currently the best gear piece to have against Barrier Champions. However, Arbalest can be a great pick as well, considering your inventory can be made up with a good Primary Energy weapon.

Void Scout Rifle, Doom of Chelchis, is recommended solely based on the fact that the Strike has Void Surge and Unstoppable Champions. For heavy weapons, a Linear Fusion Rifle is recommended for damage, alongside a Machine Gun for the Well of Radiance Phoenix Warlock.

Tips and tricks to make The Scarlet Keep Grandmaster run easier in Destiny 2

Here are some tricks to make things easier in each Scarlet Keep Grandmaster run:

Just before depositing the Void balls, it is recommended to take care of the Champions first.
2x Arc resist mods and a Concussive Dampner mod are must-haves for this Grandmaster Nightfall Strike.
In the plates room, note that enemies spawn every time you move on a plate or capture it. This is the case for all three plates, so sticking together and prioritizing the Barrier Champion is recommended.
In the boss room, hang back and take cover behind the pillars. Note that the adds in the boss arena will spawn every time Hashladun's health drops 1/6th of the yellow bar. These waves include Knights that take priority, followed by Unstoppable Ogre Champions. Once all enemies in the arena are dead, focus on killing the boss.
Do not damage the boss once adds start spawning. Draining further health while keeping adds alive will stack the enemy numbers, making survival very tough. Hence, it is very important to clear out the arena and then focus on the boss.

Wish Ender against Hashladun (Image via Destiny 2)

The Scarlet Keep is the final Nightfall that players will need to clear before the Grandmaster rotation restarts with Heist Battleground Europa next week.