Destiny 2 Onslaught Guide: ADU, Scrap & Rewards
Plan Destiny 2 Onslaught defense with ADU protection, battery deliveries and Scrap upgrades. Check released changes, team roles and current rewards.
Onslaught is a defense activity where keeping the objective alive matters as much as clearing enemies. Watch the approach lanes, make room for battery deliveries and spend resources on defenses that solve the team’s immediate problem. A strong damage loadout still needs a plan for the enemies that get past it.
Reviewed October 14, 2026. This guide combines Bungie’s original ADU and defense explanation with its released June changes. Team roles and recovery suggestions are original editorial advice, not a measured fastest-clear or weapon ranking.
Onslaught After Update 9.7.0
The released update increases the ADU’s base health threefold, changes Scrap amounts for shorter activity length, restores escalating difficulty and adds reprised Into the Light rewards to intermediate and completion chests. Bungie’s released Onslaught changes.
Bungie’s May preview describes three ten-wave stages, with the early stage below the selected difficulty and the final stage matching it. Its Grandmaster example progresses from an Expert-like opening through a Master-like middle. Read the live card rather than assuming the old 50-wave route is every current version. Director redesign and difficulty-curve explanation.
What to read before starting
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Activity version and difficulty | The route and selected challenge should match your plan. |
| Wave or completion objective | Know what ends the run you actually launched. |
| Modifiers and recovery conditions | Agree how the team handles an interrupted task. |
| Reward preview | Choose the activity for the goal you want to pursue. |
Protect the ADU Before Chasing Kills
The Advanced Defense Unit is the protected objective. Bungie’s original description makes its destruction a failure condition. Repair batteries drop from Saboteurs and other special enemies and restore ADU health when delivered. Official ADU and battery explanation.
Keep one player watching the objective while teammates move out to deal with a threat. Call a leaking lane early, before everyone is occupied somewhere else. A recognizable call such as “right side at the ADU” gives the group a useful destination instead of a vague request for help.
Do not let all players pursue a distant enemy at the same time. Decide who can leave and who stays near the defended area. If the team repeatedly loses the objective with players still alive, review positioning and responsibilities before treating the failure as a damage problem.
Battery Delivery: Clear the Approach First
- Call the battery location and whether someone is already collecting it.
- Have a teammate cover the approach to the objective.
- Move directly to the delivery point and confirm the result.
- Return to the agreed defensive position after the task.
A battery on the ground is only useful if the team can bring it back. Avoid overlapping attempts that leave the defense unattended, and do not ask a recovering player to cross unmanaged enemies for a pickup. If the ADU is under pressure, coordinate a clear path before committing to the delivery.
Spend Scrap on a Defense That Has a Job
Scrap buys and upgrades defenses such as trip mines, decoys and turrets. Bungie’s original overview describes three upgrade levels and rebuilding a destroyed defense. The June update changes the resource economy, so old exact purchase budgets should not replace the live costs. Defense-system explanation. Released Scrap changes.
Choose the purpose of the next purchase: control an approach, divert pressure or add sustained fire. Tell teammates what is covered before spending. Buying several unrelated defenses without watching the vulnerable route can leave the same problem unresolved.
Review whether the defense helped during the next wave. If a lane still breaks through, change the placement or the player covering it. If a purchase is repeatedly destroyed, reconsider how the group is protecting that area rather than assuming more upgrades will solve it.
A Simple Team Plan for Each Wave
Flexible roles, with a backup for each task
| Responsibility | Primary job | Recovery call |
|---|---|---|
| Objective watch | Monitor the defended area and incoming pressure. | Name the lane that needs help. |
| Threat control | Deal with enemies that disrupt the defense. | Call a target that remains dangerous. |
| Battery and resource support | Coordinate pickups and useful purchases. | Report an unsafe approach or missed task. |
These are responsibilities, not fixed class assignments. Swap them when the wave or player position demands it, and tell the group when the handover happens. The purpose is to prevent all three players assuming that someone else is watching the objective.
Save a familiar defensive tool for the moment the team needs room to recover. Use your strongest resource for a clear purpose instead of spending it simply because the ability is ready. After a difficult wave, discuss one improvement that would make the next transition more predictable.
Widow’s Court: Watch the Landing Indicator
Update 9.7.0 adds marked Cabal drop-pod landings to Widow’s Court and lists two revive tokens from destroying a Revenant Baron’s totem. Read the visible recovery rules for the version you selected. Released map-specific changes.
A May preview described removing Onslaught revive tokens, while the released notes contain the map-specific token change above. This guide therefore does not promise unlimited recovery across every Onslaught version. Check the activity and HUD conditions before building a plan around a revive assumption. Earlier preview context.
Move out of a marked landing area and keep the route back to the objective in view. Call an interrupted pickup so another player can cover the task. New spawns should change the group’s attention before they turn into an emergency at the ADU.
Rewards: Use the Current Activity Preview
The May redesign describes the tiered BRAVE Arsenal alongside Pinnacle Ops rewards. The June release confirms reprised Into the Light drops from mid-activity and completion chests. Neither statement guarantees a specific weapon or perk roll. Reward-design explanation. Released reward changes.
Decide what you are looking for before repeating runs: a completion, an item opportunity or practice at a harder selection. Track the actual rewards you receive and check whether the selected activity still fits that goal. Do not treat an old attunement percentage, shiny-drop story or wave count as a current guarantee.
Fix the Problem That Ends the Attempt
- If pressure reaches the ADU unnoticed, assign an objective watcher.
- If battery attempts leave everyone exposed, clear the approach and nominate one carrier.
- If purchases do not help, identify the lane or threat they were meant to cover.
- If the later stage overwhelms the group, review the transition before changing every loadout.
Change one part of the plan and compare the next attempt. A clean role handover can help more than an unfamiliar damage trick. For build ideas, read the Titan starting-kit guide or the Prismatic Hunter guide. Choose for the role you need; these links are not a ranked Onslaught meta list.
Build and Loadout Advice on CFNBoost
The current Destiny 2 coaching service has one-, two- and three-hour build and loadout discussions. You play your own character, and Self-play is included in the coaching price. Review the selected session total in your preferred display currency.
These advice selections do not sell a named Onslaught clear or a guaranteed BRAVE weapon. Choose the published goal for what it describes, or browse Destiny 2 services for another activity.
Compare build and loadout discussion sessions
Destiny 2 Live Coaching & Guided Runs
- Live Self-play coaching
- Named guided activity runs
- Separate timed advice sessions
Onslaught FAQ
Defense, recovery and service choices
What should the team watch besides its damage?
Keep the defended objective, approaching threats and unfinished tasks in view. Agree who calls a lane that needs help.
How can we avoid overlapping battery pickups?
Name the carrier and have another player cover the approach. Confirm the task before returning to the agreed defensive positions.
Should every player chase a distant enemy?
Agree who can leave and who stays near the defense. Avoid making the whole team abandon the objective for the same target.
Is one defense always the best purchase?
No universal ranking is measured here. Choose a purchase for a specific job and check whether it helps against the next wave.
Can I apply an old wave count to every current Onslaught?
Read the live version and objective. The current redesign changes progression and activity length, so an older route is not a universal checklist.
Does this guide promise unlimited revives?
No. The earlier preview and map-specific release notes differ. Use the selected activity’s visible recovery conditions.
Does the coaching card include an Onslaught clear?
No. The linked one-, two- and three-hour goals are build and loadout advice sessions, not a named Onslaught carry.
Do I pay another 20% for Self-play coaching?
No. Self-play is already included in the current coaching price. Review the final selected total in the configurator.
Sources and Review Scope
Reviewed October 14, 2026. Bungie’s original introduction supplies ADU, battery and defense mechanics; its May redesign is identified as a preview and compared with released June notes. Original team and practice advice does not claim tested drop rates, measured damage or owner gameplay footage. Check the current activity card for its actual version and conditions.