Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness

Overview

Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness was the first and most powerful disciple of the Witness, and the final boss of the Vow of the Disciple raid inside his Pyramid. He enslaved the Worm mother Xita and was destroyed by Guardians.

Background

Rhulk was born on Lubrae into a Wanderer clan. After his father defected to the militaristic Regime, Rhulk's bloodlust and rage led to his exile. He later slaughtered his clan, his parents included, and destroyed Lubrae's Sapphiric Sun. He fell into the Abyss, where the Witness found him and remade him as a Disciple.

As the First Disciple, Rhulk served as the Witness's enforcer, leading Black Fleet Pyramids against civilizations uplifted by the Traveler. He clashed repeatedly with Savathûn, whom he considered a rival. After she turned to the Light and trapped him in his Sunken Pyramid, he retaliated by summoning the Scorn into her Throne World.

Vow of the Disciple

The raid is Rhulk's final encounter. Guardians pass through his Pyramid's Acquisition area and the Caretaker's chamber to reach the Upended, then fight Rhulk in two phases. In the first he is shielded by a resonant barrier that the team must break. In the second he is vulnerable only after the team exposes four weak spots. If his health drops low enough, a lethal Pervading Darkness debuff stacks on the team, so they must finish him quickly.

Rhulk found the imprisoned Worm Gods beneath Fundament's seas and subjugated Xita, offering her children survival in exchange for servitude to the Witness. He later used her body to create parasitic larvae and to power the Upended with Sword Logic.

Defeat

Guardians used the energy of Rhulk's own attacks to break his barrier, then targeted the four weak spots. Once he became vulnerable, they dealt enough damage to make him drop his glaive. He was petrified by his own Darkness. His remains were later carried across Mars, and a Guardian's sacrifice destroyed what was left of him.