The Root of Nightmares raid brings players to the physics-based Scission encounter, the second encounter in the raid. Like Cataclysm, it doesn’t have a boss. Instead, players will have to handle the mechanics—doubly so if they’re trying their hands at the Crossfire challenge.
Finishing the Crossfire challenge in the base version of the raid will give players an extra Pinnacle encounter drop (at least while Root of Nightmares is the Pinnacle raid). Completing these conditions on the Master version, however, drops an Adept version of one of the raid’s weapons, which is extra incentive to tackle the encounter under different conditions.
Related: Here is the Root of Nightmares loot table in Destiny 2 Lightfall
Crossfire seems to be a lot more convoluted than its predecessor. While Illuminated Torment (the challenge for the first encounter) only asks players to kill Tormentors with the Field of Light buff, Crossfire will bring a couple of extra steps to the encounter—and, if you’re not careful, odds are you could spend some before clearing it. Here’s how you can complete this challenge and grab the extra loot.
Crossfire challenge guide (Scission, second encounter) in the Root of Nightmares raid
For the Crossfire encounter challenge, players on one side can’t shoot the crystal that toggles the launcher pads on that side. If you’re a runner on the Dark side, you’ll need another player on the other side to shoot it for you. The same principle applies if you’re on the Light side. These conditions include the platforms at the end of each floor.
The challenge isn’t terrifyingly difficult, but it requires some coordination and readiness from players on both teams. There are a few strategies to complete the objective. The runners can shoot each other’s crystals, or each runner can enlist the help of some add-clearing players on the other side.
Having the runners shoot for each other ensures they’re both on the same page and at the same node required for each floor. Any delays can throw off that order, however, and runners have to be in sync to shoot for each other—or throw off the rhythm if anyone shoots too early or too late.
Teams can also rely on add-clear guardians to shoot the crystals, giving the runners some more freedom. Enemies aren’t terribly daunting in the regular version of the raid, so shooters can spare some time to destroy the crystals and propel them.
There doesn’t seem to be a cheese to the Crossfire challenge so far (but keep your eyes peeled on Cheese Forever‘s channel just in case). Skating, grappling, or just generally soaring across the gap without fulfilling this requirement will fail the challenge. Guardians will have to rely on their teammates to get an extra Pinnacle drop.
