You’re standing in the middle of a massive, pyramid-shaped swamp fortress. Rhulk, the First Disciple, is basically mocking your existence from his high perch. Your fireteam is screaming because someone called out "the weird black hole thing" instead of the actual name. Honestly, it’s a mess. If you've spent any time in Destiny 2’s Vow of the Disciple raid, you know the vow of disciple symbols are the literal heartbeat of the entire experience. They aren't just background art; they are the language of the Witness.
Get one wrong? You wipe. Hesitate for two seconds? You wipe.
Most people think they can just wing it with "vibes" or custom callouts, but that’s how you end up stuck on the Acquisition encounter for three hours on a Tuesday night. There are 27 distinct icons. Twenty-seven. That’s more than the English alphabet, and unlike the alphabet, these symbols are designed to look just similar enough to ruin your life under pressure.
The Actual Names Matter (And Why Your Nicknames Suck)
Look, I get it. Calling "Grief" a "bleeding heart" seems intuitive. Calling "Drink" a "cup" or "chalice" makes sense. But Bungie actually baked the official names into the game's UI. When you hover over a symbol in the room before the first encounter, the game tells you exactly what it is.
Why does this matter? Because in a high-stress LFG (Looking For Group) environment, consistency is king. If I say "Black Hole" and you’re looking for "Void," we might survive. But if I say "Sun" and you’re looking for "Light," and then someone else sees "Prophecy" and calls it "Rainbow," the whole run falls apart.
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The Most Confusing Pairs
There are a few vow of disciple symbols that are notorious for causing wipes because they look almost identical at a glance.
- Enter vs. Worship: Both involve a U-shaped figure. "Enter" has a gray person walking into the shape. "Worship" has a person kneeling outside it. In the chaos of the Caretaker encounter, mistaking these two is the fastest way to miss a stun phase.
- Grieve vs. Love: Both are centered around a heart shape. "Grieve" has a hole in it with a black liquid (presumably sorrow or Darkness) pouring out. "Love" is a solid, glowing pink/red heart.
- Give vs. Drink: Both feature a hand and a liquid. "Give" is a hand reaching down, dropping liquid. "Drink" is a hand holding a cup, catching it. If you're the runner in the Exhibition encounter, you don't have time to ponder the philosophical differences. You need the word. Now.
Reading the Walls: The Lore Behind the Icons
These symbols aren't just random assets flipped from a graphic design folder. They tell the story of the Witness’s philosophy. Take "Commune," for example. It shows a gray figure merging with a dark, geometric shape. It represents the Witness’s goal of the Final Shape—total stillness and unity.
Then there’s "Drink." It’s a direct reference to the lore of the Leviathan and the Witness’s recruitment of Rhulk. Rhulk didn't just join the Darkness; he was forced to "drink" from the cup of his own planet’s destruction. When you see these symbols on the totems, you’re literally reading a visual history of how the universe ended for countless civilizations.
It’s kind of dark when you think about it. You're using the tools of a genocidal cosmic entity just to get a slightly better roll on a linear fusion rifle.
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Where These Symbols Live
You'll see them everywhere in the Savathun’s Throne World raid.
- The Entrance: The pillars leading up to the pyramid.
- Acquisition: The first real encounter where you defend three different obelisks.
- Caretaker: The giant monster with the world's most annoying backpack.
- Exhibition: The "Relic Run" that everyone secretly hates.
- Rhulk: The final boss who will literally kick you in the face if you stand too close.
Mastering the Exhibition Encounter
This is where the vow of disciple symbols go from "annoying" to "impossible." You have a timer. You have relics from previous raids (the Aegis from Vault of Glass and the Taken Nut from Last Wish). You have to read symbols across two different rooms.
One person sees a set of symbols. Another person sees a different set. Only one symbol is common between the two. You have to find that commonality and kill the corresponding Glyphkeeper.
Honestly, the best way to handle this isn't to be fast; it's to be loud. Clear, concise callouts. "Common is Darkness!" "Common is Savathun!" Don't add extra words. Nobody needs to hear "Uh, I think it might be the one with the worm." Just say "Worm."
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The Hidden Rooms and the Red Border Chest
If you want that guaranteed red-border (Deepsight) weapon at the end of the raid, you have to interact with three specific symbols throughout the mission.
At the very beginning, after you kill the projection of Savathun, there’s a totem showing three symbols. You need to memorize those. As you progress through the raid, there are hidden rooms. You find the room corresponding to your symbol, jump in, and shoot the icon to activate it.
If you hit all three correctly, a message pops up: "A disciple accepts your offering." That’s your signal that the extra loot chest will spawn after you defeat Rhulk. It’s basically free progress toward crafting that Submission SMG or the Forbearance grenade launcher, which, let’s be real, is the only reason half of us are still running this raid.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Run
Stop calling them by what they look like and start calling them what they are. It sounds nerdy, but it works.
- Pull up a cheat sheet: Keep a high-res image of the official Bungie names on your second monitor or your phone. Do not rely on your memory during your first five clears.
- The "Hover" Rule: If you’re ever confused during the jumping puzzle, go to the room with all the symbols and hover your reticle over them. The game will display the name in the top left of your screen.
- LFG Standards: When you join a new group, ask: "Official callouts or custom?" Most people use official, but some weirdos have their own "inside joke" names. Know this before the encounter starts.
- Practice the Patterns: The symbols in Vow are grouped by color. Red/Orange usually signifies the Witness or destruction (Worship, Give, Kill). Blue/Purple usually signifies the Light or Guardians (Stop, Light, Ward). Seeing the color first can help your brain narrow down the 27 options to a group of 5 or 6.
The vow of disciple symbols are a test of communication more than a test of aim. Rhulk doesn't care if you can hit headshots if you can't tell the difference between "Knowledge" and "Prophecy." Master the language, and the raid becomes a breeze. Ignore it, and you’re just another Guardian dead in a swamp.