In its first 24 hours, Destiny 2’s Salvation’s Edge raid saw only one team beat it, which cements it as the hardest raid in the game to date, even more so than the previous record holder, Last Wish. Raids, with their unique mechanics and obstacles, typically rank among the most challenging activities Destiny 2 players can take on, so it’s fitting that the one meant to cap off the series' grand Light and Darkness saga would prove to be the greatest challenge yet.

Ten years of storylines that have unfolded between two games, several expansions, and dozens of seasons culminated with the release of The Final Shape and its raid, Salvation’s Edge. As with past raids in Destiny 2, the race was on to see which team of players could overcome its dangers, strike a decisive blow against the Witness, and claim the coveted World’s First clear. The race may finally be over, and more teams are starting to beat the raid, but it’s safe to say that Salvation’s Edge has not gone down without a fight.

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Now that the dust has settled, it’s become clear just how hard the raid is. According to Destiny Raid Report, only Team Parabellum, the team that took home the World’s First for Salvation’s Edge, was able to clear the endgame activity within the first 24 hours, doing so after almost 19 hours. By comparison, Last Wish, a raid notorious for its difficult mechanics and encounters, saw two teams beat it in the same timeframe, with the World’s First being claimed ten minutes faster than Salvation’s Edge.

Team Parabellum pulled off an impressive feat beating Destiny 2’s new hardest raid as fast as they did. This is made even more apparent by the fact it would take another six hours before another team was able to best the Witness, according to Destiny Raid Report. That being said, now that players have an idea of how to take on Salvation’s Edge, the number of clears has begun climbing rapidly, with 50 teams beating the raid as of this writing.

While these raid teams celebrate their achievements, all Destiny 2 players can take part in a new activity called Excision, which was added to the game following the end of the World’s First race. In a first for the series, up to 12 players can group up to confront the Witness one last time and bring the Light and Darkness saga to an epic close.

It’s a new era for Destiny. The Light and Darkness saga may be over, but The Final Shape very noticeably leaves a few plot threads unresolved. No doubt Bungie will explore these in greater detail over the coming weeks and months, though it remains to be seen how its new approach to content releases – which ditches Destiny 2’s previous season-based structure for “Episodes” that will be fewer but more substantial – will deliver them to players.

Destiny 2

Bungie's Destiny 2 is an online FPS that blends single-player and multiplayer content. Constantly evolving, the shooter has established a strong following since its 2017 debut.

Platform(s)

PS5 , PS4 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S , Xbox One , PC , Stadia

Released

August 28, 2017

Developer(s)

Bungie

Publisher(s)

Bungie

Genre(s)

FPS