Hierarchy of Needs Bow Guide

Alright, Guardian! So, I bet you're hyped about getting the Hierarchy of Needs, that slick Solar Exotic Combat Bow? And you want to snag it from the Spire of the Watcher dungeon? Awesome choice! This bow is a unique beast, and the dungeon itself is a pretty cool Warmind-themed Vex rodeo on Mars. Think ancient Golden Age secrets, Vex trying to crash the party, and some seriously stylish cowboy gear. Hierarchy of Needs itself is known for its "Guidance Ring" – you build energy with precision hits and final blows, then shoot arrows through the ring that turn into seeking missiles, hitting harder the farther they travel. Pretty neat, right?

Hierarchy of Needs Exotic Bow — The Hierarchy of Needs Solar Exotic Combat Bow

Now, dungeons can sound intimidating, but trust me, we're gonna break this down step-by-step. No confusing jargon, just the straight goods on how to get that bow, especially with some cool event stuff happening right now in June 2025 that makes it even easier! The aim here is to keep that excitement high and show that this challenge is totally doable and very rewarding.

Getting Into Spire of the Watcher

Normally, to get into Spire of the Watcher, you'd need to own The Witch Queen Deluxe Edition or buy the Witch Queen Dungeon Key from the Eververse store for 2000 Silver. After that, the path involves a visit to Ikora Rey in the Tower (she's in the Bazaar) to pick up a quest called "Ares Desperado." Completing this questline unlocks the Spire of the Watcher dungeon on Savathûn's Throne World map.

Rite of the Nine Event Changes

Good news for you! Because it's June 2025, the "Rite of the Nine" event is in full swing, and it makes dungeons like Spire of the Watcher accessible to everyone for free when they are featured or during specific event weeks. This is a huge deal because it means you might not even need the Dungeon Key right now, depending on the event's schedule.

Event Shortcut for Hierarchy of Needs

This is super important for getting the bow right now. The "Rite of the Nine" is a limited-time event running from May 6 to July 15, 2025, that's all about dungeons. It brings Spire of the Watcher, Ghosts of the Deep, and Prophecy into the spotlight, making them free to play on a rotating schedule and adding new difficulty modes and rewards. You'll access all the event-specific activities and quests through a new social space called The Third Spire, where you'll interact with The Emissary.

The Third Spire Social Space — The Third Spire - Your gateway to the Rite of the Nine event

Ritual Initiation Quest

This is the absolute best way for you to get their hands on Hierarchy of Needs easily during this event. There's a special quest called "Ritual Initiation". Once completed, you get to CHOOSE one of three Exotic rewards: Hierarchy of Needs, The Navigator, or the Gjallarhorn Catalyst!

Head to The Third Spire and talk to The Emissary. They should offer the "Ritual Initiation" quest. If it's not immediately available, there might be a short introductory quest from The Emissary that needs to be completed first.
Complete any of the featured "Rite of the Nine" dungeons on any of its event-specific difficulties – Explorer, Eternity, or Ultimatum. The difficulty chosen doesn't change the final reward options.
After successfully finishing a run of the designated dungeon, return to The Emissary to claim the reward.
Select Hierarchy of Needs from the three exotic options, and it's yours! No frustrating RNG, no endless farming for this initial acquisition.

Event Availability Schedule

Understanding the event's dungeon rotation is key to completing the quest efficiently. According to the event schedule:

June 3 - June 17: Prophecy is the featured dungeon. During this window, you would need to complete Prophecy (on any Rite of the Nine difficulty) to progress the "Ritual Initiation" quest.
June 17 - July 15: This is the golden period! ALL THREE dungeons (Spire of the Watcher, Ghosts of the Deep, and Prophecy) become available to play at any time through the Rite of the Nine event system.

Pro Tip

From June 17th onwards, you can complete Spire of the Watcher itself (launched via the Rite of the Nine node in the Director) to satisfy the "Ritual Initiation" quest requirement and then choose Hierarchy of Needs as their reward.

Spire of the Watcher Encounter Guide

Whether you are tackling Spire of the Watcher to complete the "Ritual Initiation" quest or decide to farm it later for more loot and triumphs, knowing the encounters is essential. We'll focus on the Normal mode mechanics, as these are more approachable and precisely what's needed for the event quest.

The Main Mechanic: Arctrician Buff

Core Gameplay Loop

The core gameplay loop in this dungeon revolves around the "Arctrician" buff. You'll encounter Vex Conduit Minotaurs, defeat them to get a white glowing pool, step into it for the buff, then shoot yellow Arc Nodes while the buff is active.

You'll encounter Vex Conduit Minotaurs (they're the bigger, tougher Minotaurs). Defeat one.
Upon defeat, it will drop a white, glowing pool on the ground. Step into this pool to receive the "Arctrician" buff, which typically lasts for 30 seconds.
While this buff is active, you can shoot yellow, glowing "Arc Nodes" that are connected by yellow cables. When you shoot a correct node in a sequence, the cable segment leading to it will light up with blue Arc energy.

Encounter 1: Reestablish Power

Objective: Activate four distinct Arc circuits to open a large hatch located in the center of the initial outdoor area.

Find and defeat a Conduit Minotaur, then step into its pool to grab the Arctrician buff.
Around the central hatch, you'll see four main power conduits. Each one has a yellow cable leading away from it.
Follow each yellow cable out to its starting node. With the Arctrician buff active, shoot this starting node, then trace the cable path, shooting each subsequent node in the correct order.
Repeat this process for all four circuits. Once all are complete, the central hatch will open.

Skipping Exploders

If your fireteam coordinates and leaves the very last node on each line unshot, then has everyone shoot their respective final nodes at roughly the same time, you can often bypass the spawn of exploding Harpies that normally appear after each individual circuit is completed.

Encounter 2: Ascend the Spire

Objective: Climb the colossal Spire by activating Arc circuits to power up elevators and open pathways.

Follow the same core loop: defeat Conduit Minotaurs to get the Arctrician buff.
Follow the yellow cables upwards along the Spire's structure. Shoot the nodes in the correct sequence to power lifts and create platforms.
This encounter spans multiple floors or levels of the Spire. Keep a keen eye on those cables!

Pro Tips

Have one player focus on clearing enemies while others handle nodes
Trace Rifles are exceptionally good for activating nodes
An Arc Trace Rifle is particularly thematic and effective
Well-timed sword lunges can save you from falls

Watch Out For

Troublesome Hydras and Goblins that snipe from afar
Accidentally falling from the Spire
Getting disoriented in the vertical structure
Buff timer running out mid-sequence

Encounter 3: Akelous, the Siren's Current

Objective: Take down Akelous, the Siren's Current, a massive Vex Harpy. This fight involves a cycle of charging fuel rods and destroying the boss's eyes.

Akelous Boss Fight — Akelous, the Siren's Current - Your first major boss encounter

Power the Fuel Rods: Use the Arctrician buff to shoot sequences of Arc nodes. These circuits lead to fuel rods located on four distinct boardwalks.
Destroy the Eyes: Once fuel rods are charged, Akelous will expose multiple small, glowing red eyes on its chassis. Shoot ALL of these red eyes quickly.
Damage Phase: When all small red eyes are destroyed, Akelous's large, central eye will open. Focus all fire on this central weak point!
Repeat: Continue this cycle until Akelous is defeated.

Boss Fight Safety

Maintain a safe distance from Akelous during the damage phase. It has a powerful blast attack that can easily send Guardians flying off the Spire. Clear out smaller Vex enemies before focusing on the boss.

Encounter 4: Persys, Primordial Ruin

Objective: Defeat the final boss, Persys, Primordial Ruin, a formidable Vex Wyvern. The key is to lure it into a reactor room, trap it during a reactor purge sequence, and capitalize on its vulnerability.

Persys Final Boss — Persys, Primordial Ruin - The final challenge for your Hierarchy of Needs

Spawn Minotaurs: Defeat both large Incarcerator Hydras (one on each side of the main room) to trigger Conduit Minotaur spawns.
Open Reactor Doors: With the Arctrician buff, shoot all five RED Arc nodes in the control room to open the reactor door.
Arm the Reactor & Lure Boss: Complete BOTH yellow circuits while luring Persys into the reactor room before the second circuit is completed.
Trap the Boss: Once both yellow circuits are complete AND Persys is inside the reactor, shoot the five RED nodes again to close the doors and initiate the purge.
Damage Phase: The reactor door opens, revealing a vulnerable Persys. Deal maximum damage!
Repeat: Continue this cycle until the Wyvern is defeated.

Critical Timing

If Persys is NOT inside the reactor room when the yellow circuits are completed, or if the reactor door isn't sealed before the purge sequence finishes, the damage phase will be skipped. Coordination is key!

How Hierarchy of Needs Drops

So, you have bravely fought through the Spire and taken down Persys, Primordial Ruin! That's a huge accomplishment! The coveted Hierarchy of Needs Exotic bow has a chance to drop directly from the chest that appears after defeating this final boss.

Drop Rate Reality

Under normal circumstances, the drop rate for dungeon exotics like Hierarchy of Needs is around 5% per eligible clear. However, the "Ritual Initiation" quest from the "Rite of the Nine" event offers it as a guaranteed choice upon completion, bypassing the RNG grind entirely.

Farming Methods

If you get the bow via the quest and want to try for additional drops, or if you missed the event window, here's how farming typically works:

Standard Weekly Lockout: One chance per character (3 per account, assuming you have all of them) per week for the exotic to drop.
When It's Farmable: Spire of the Watcher becomes farmable when it's the featured weekly dungeon in the Director rotation.
Checkpoint Farming: Save a checkpoint at the final boss on one character, then switch to characters that still need the weekly clear.

Boosting Your Drop Chances

If you decide to brave the RNG for more Hierarchy of Needs drops, there are established ways to increase the base drop chance through completing specific Triumphs.

Triumph

Devil in the Details

Triumph Effect:

Find all 6 "Devilish Recordings" hidden throughout the Spire of the Watcher dungeon to boost Hierarchy of Needs drop rate.

Reward: Increased exotic drop chance

Key Drop Rate Triumphs

Triumph Name	Requirement	Reward
Devil in the Details	Find all 6 Devilish Recordings	Increased drop rate
Resident Vexpert	Complete on Master difficulty	Increased drop rate + Exotic Sparrow
The Magnificent One	Complete all encounters solo	Increased drop rate

Devilish Recording Locations

Recording 1 (Initial Drop-Down): After the first significant drop, look right for arcade machines. Jump to the upper machine across the gap.
Recording 2 (Greenish Room): Found underneath the bridge structure in the room with the greenish, misty chasm.
Recording 3 (Jumping Puzzle): Hidden within the Vex jumping puzzle section on the third main bridge structure.
Recording 4 (Air Vent Area): Before ascending the large vertical air vent, look left for an accessible wall platform.
Recording 5 (Akelous Rally Flag): In the "AERIESPIRE" room before the first boss, on a console to your left from the rally banner.
Recording 6 (After Ascend the Spire): After the climbing encounter, look for a bank of monitors before entering Akelous's arena.

Hierarchy of Needs Catalyst

Like many Exotic weapons in Destiny 2, Hierarchy of Needs has an unlockable Catalyst that enhances its performance.

Getting the Catalyst

The Catalyst can ONLY drop after you already have the Hierarchy of Needs bow. Complete Spire of the Watcher on Master difficulty - it's often a guaranteed drop on your first Master completion.

What It Does: The Catalyst, "Panoptic Tessellation," significantly improves the bow's handling by providing boosts to draw time and reload speed after deploying a Guidance Ring or hitting enemies with seeking projectiles. You'll need to defeat 500 enemies using Hierarchy of Needs to fully unlock the benefits.

Recommended Loadouts

To make the Spire of the Watcher runs smoother and more successful, a good loadout is essential. Here are some popular and effective choices focusing on ease of use and survivability.

Recommended Classes

Arc Hunter (Arcstrider)

Hunters running Arcstrider with Flow State and Lethal Current can maintain high ability uptime and excel at clearing groups of enemies while staying mobile.

Void Hunter (Safety Option)

For a safer approach, Void Hunter focused on invisibility with Gyrfalcon's Hauberk or Assassin's Cowl makes navigating tricky sections much easier.

Solar Titan (Sunbreaker)

Fantastic choice for survivability with Sol Invictus and Roaring Flames. Lorely Splendor Helm provides incredible survivability through automatic Sunspot creation.

Weapon Recommendations

Optimal Weapon Setup

Witherhoard (Kinetic)

Exotic Grenade Launcher - Excellent for area denial and boss damage

Arc Trace Rifle (Energy)

Perfect for activating Arc nodes reliably and efficiently

Linear Fusion / Rocket Launcher

Taipan-4FR for consistent damage or rockets for mobile bosses

Final Tips

And that's the rundown, Guardian! Spire of the Watcher is a genuinely fun dungeon with a unique Wild West Vex aesthetic. Whether you snag your Hierarchy of Needs through the "Rite of the Nine" event's "Ritual Initiation" quest (seriously, this is the top recommendation for getting it in June 2025!) or you decide to brave the traditional RNG path later on, you're in for a cool and rewarding adventure.

Remember

Take your time learning the encounters, especially mastering the Arctrician buff and node-shooting mechanic. Wiping a few times is completely normal – it's all part of the learning process in Destiny 2's endgame content. The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy the challenge!

Good luck to you, and may the odds be ever in your favor (or better yet, just make sure you complete that event quest for the guaranteed grab)!

Hierarchy of Needs Bow Guide - Destiny 2