🧭 What Gauntlet: Onslaught is (and how it fits your week)

Onslaught is Destiny Rising’s raid: a multi-encounter, mechanics-heavy, six-player challenge with weekly lockouts/flags. It landed in the early live cycle and even had a World First race announcement—so expect tight tuning and evolving strats week-to-week. Slot it as your weekly spike after you warm up in Strikes/Singularity.

Quick facts you can trust (no spoilers):

• Three encounters with distinct objectives and add density; guides list them as Break In, The Menace Above, and Issakis’s Tabernacle.
• Unlock comes via early story progression (guides mention an unlock at Chapter 4-3).
• Season notes and patch posts regularly reference Gauntlet modules and challenge-style weeks—plan around reset.

⚙️ Roles & team comp (lock these before you queue)

Controller (Add-Control/Space-Maker)

• Job: keep lanes clear, tag/prioritize elites, set safe windows for mechanics.
• Loadout: forgiving primary (stability first) + AoE/chain special + flexible heavy.
• Mods: sustain DR vs common adds → ability regen → AoE amp.
• Habits: own choke points; call “path clear / path hot”; peel for revives.

Burst Lead (Boss DPS Caller)

• Job: count down vulnerability windows and stack the team’s damage.
• Loadout: crit-friendly primary → single-target special → boss-window heavy.
• Mods: DR first → reload/handling → boss/crit amp.
• Habits: mark debuff timing, call “pre-burst,” “burst,” “off,” track ammo/supers.

Support (Debuff/Rez/Economy)

• Job: apply debuffs, manage finishers/ammo bricks, keep revive coverage.
• Loadout: stable anchor primary + debuff/utility special + flex heavy.
• Mods: DR while aiming → ability economy (finishers/energy) → team debuff amp.
• Habits: save lives, not meters; call “debuff on / off,” “rez path safe.”

This role triad mirrors successful clears documented across community raid coverage. It’s simple, repeatable, and easy to coach.

🧩 Waves 101 — how Onslaught stresses your team

Onslaught piles on structured add waves between mechanics checks. What matters isn’t raw DPS; it’s lane discipline, priority targets, and reset habits.

• Spawn literacy: adds enter in predictable bursts—pre-aim and pre-place utility where they flow.
• Priority tags: champions/elites get marked out loud (“Elite left, stagger two”).
• Wave math: a “safe” wave is 80% cleared before you rotate mechanics; resist the urge to greed DPS on the boss.
• Reset rule: after any downed player, call “stabilize” and re-establish lanes before touching an objective.

Controller’s checklist for every wave: choke → CC → cleanup → path check → “safe.”

🔌 Perks & mods that actually matter here

Use the Sustain → Uptime → Damage rule across the team:

• Sustain: damage reduction vs common enemy types; passive heal/guard; barrier refresh on finisher.
• Uptime: ability cooldowns; reload/handling; sprint/ADS comfort (for peek-shooting during mechanics).
• Damage: weak-point/crit amps; short boss-window amplifiers (burst multipliers beat flat damage here).

Why this works: raid wipes are almost always death (no sustain) or downtime (no uptime), not a theoretical DPS shortfall. The game’s current seasonal notes also steer players into mod sets aligned to shield types and cycle modifiers—swap elements accordingly.

🧪 Pre-raid warmup (15 minutes that pay off)

• One mechanics-light Strike for muscle memory and slot fixes.
• One Singularity run to test a mod swap (feel the sustain vs damage trade).
• Ammo discipline drill: designate who takes heavy bricks; no freelancing.
• Use this every raid night—documented clears consistently cite clean fundamentals from warmups.

⚔️ Encounter 1 – “Break In” (lanes, plates, pressure)

What the fight tests: lane control under timer pressure. Guides place this as the opener; expect plate/door mechanics while waves try to break your formation.

Plan

• Assignments: Controller owns the busiest lane; Support babysits plate callouts; Burst Lead floats and preps miniboss deletes.
• Plates/doors: rotate clockwise unless a callout says otherwise (“Rotate 1→2→3”).
• Minibosses: handle with pre-stacked ammo and one burst window; save heavy for phase checks.
• Failures: if plates stall, call “reset lanes, peel left,” kill elites, then resume rotation.

Callouts you can copy

• “Wave in 3—2—1.”
• “Plate 1 safe; rotate now.”
• “Elite stagger left; burst in 3.”
• “Reset lanes, rez path safe.”

🕷️ Encounter 2 – “The Menace Above” (verticals & vision)

Guides describe mid-fight elevation/vertical pressure and line-of-sight puzzles—think snipers, fliers, or hazards punishing greedy peeks.

Plan

• Angles: Anchor a backline with Support; Controller clears perches and flight paths; Burst Lead handles shield-break → burst timings.
• Vision mechanics: don’t triple-peek; trade utility for angles (smokes/denials) and take clean head-height shots.
• Phase doors: move as a unit; punish splits.

Callouts

• “High left add group spawning—deny.”
• “Shield break in 3—2—1 → burst.”
• “Rotate low; cross in pairs.”

👑 Encounter 3 – “Issakis’s Tabernacle” (final boss phases)

End guides converge on a multi-phase boss where add waves gate vulnerability windows. Expect a debuff → vulnerability → burn → reset rhythm with harsh punishment for overlaps.

Plan

• Pre-plan windows: map exactly two burst windows per cycle; if the first scuffs, do not panic-bomb the second.
• Debuff timing: Support calls “debuff on,” Burst Lead counts “pre-burst → burst”; Controller keeps adds off the platform.
• Ammo/super economy: log usage—no double supers on trash; bank for boss checks.

Callouts

• “Adds cleared; pre-burst.”
• “Debuff on—3…2…1…burst!”
• “Off; reset → lanes.”
• “Second window only if full ammo.”

🧰 One-page build sheet (swap per encounter)

Controller

• Primary: stable, high-mag rifle.
• Special: AoE/chain for clustered waves.
• Heavy: stagger or flexible add-delete.
• Mods: DR vs trash → ability regen → AoE amp.

Burst Lead

• Primary: crit builder with forgiving recoil.
• Special: single-target burst (slug/linear).
• Heavy: precision/beam for boss windows.
• Mods: DR → reload/handling → boss/crit amp.

Support

• Primary: flinch-resistant anchor.
• Special: debuff utility.
• Heavy: flex (clean adds or help on burn).
• Mods: DR while aiming → finisher/economy → debuff amp.

🔋 Pinnacle Energy timing (don’t waste your multiplier)

Treat Pinnacle Energy as a limited multiplier: practice Onslaught without it, and only pop it once your team is consistently finishing encounters. Seasonal posts and patch notes keep folding Gauntlet modules into events—use reset weeks to target your Energy spend.

Best practice

1. Learn routes on free pulls.
2. Stabilize with sustain/uptime mods.
3. Multiply only when finish chances are high.
4. Stop early if execution slips.

🗺️ Night-of-raid checklist (copy this)

• 15-min warmup: 1 Strike + 1 Singularity.
• Roles locked: Controller / Burst Lead / Support; no double-roles.
• Ammo plan: who takes which bricks; call “heavy full/heavy dry.”
• Callouts: agree on four only—waves, plates/doors, debuff, burst.
• Reset rule: after any death, stabilize lanes before touching the objective.

🛡️ Troubleshooting wipes (fast fixes)

• Dying mid-wave: you’re under-modded on sustain; swap one damage mod to DR/heal and slow peeks.
• Messy windows: add a reload/handling mod team-wide; shorten the “pre-burst → burst” count.
• No ammo for boss: support isn’t managing bricks/finishers; Controller is over-clearing with heavy—fix economy.
• Late rotations: rehearse “rotate clockwise” lanes and walk the route once.
• Sloppy comms: cut to four callouts; if someone needs more, do it between pulls.

📅 Reset-to-reset raid prep

Tuesday (Reset): scan Gauntlet challenges and seasonal notes; pick one Onslaught goal; schedule practice night.

Mid-week: 30–45 min sessions: Strikes for mechanics-light reps; Singularity for build A/B tests.

Raid night: warmup → Onslaught pulls (free) → Energy on clean checkpoint.

Weekend: one short cleanup session or VOD review (one mistake → one fix).

🧠 FAQ (real questions, short answers)

Q: What Power/stat line should we aim for?

A: Stay near the activity’s recommendation; if you’re getting two-tapped, you’re under-geared or under-sustained—fix DR/regen first.

Q: Do we ever greed DPS over add control?

A: Only during a called vulnerability window. Otherwise, Controller sets safety first.

Q: What if we miss the first burn?

A: Reset, re-establish lanes, and commit to the second (planned) window—don’t panic-stack supers.

Q: Can we pug this?

A: Possible, but community reports say randoms can stall on mechanics; premades clear more consistently.

✅ TL;DR — Onslaught in one page

• Lock Controller / Burst Lead / Support and stick to your jobs.
• Learn waves and reset after mistakes; lanes before objectives.
• Builds follow Sustain → Uptime → Damage; swap elements to match seasonal shields.
• Pre-plan two boss windows per cycle; count them down.
• Spend Pinnacle Energy only on clear-ready pulls during featured/challenge weeks.

If you want a shortcut through your first clear (or a clean challenge run), team up with vetted raiders via BoostRoom and learn the route in one focused session—then repeat it with your squad. For hands-on coaching that tightens callouts and window timing, browse raid packages on BoostRoom.

Conclusion

Gauntlet: Onslaught isn’t about perfect aim—it’s about discipline. Clear waves methodically, lock roles, and make your boss phases boringly consistent: pre-burst → burst → off → reset. Warm up in Strikes and Singularity, keep your mod stack simple (sustain → uptime → damage), and only multiply your time with Pinnacle Energy when a clear is likely. Do that, and Onslaught turns from a wall into a weekly payday with reliable, repeatable success.