Highlights

  • Destiny 2's new expansion introduces a tough Raid boss, the Witness, creating exclusive content for hardcore players.
  • Raids in Destiny 2 have low completion rates due to time commitment and accessibility issues for new players.
  • The decision to reserve the Witness encounter for the new Raid in The Final Shape expansion may lead to controversy.

Before too much longer, Destiny 2’s next major expansion will be released, bringing an all-new campaign and Raid, among other new activities and loot. Although Raids are an iconic part of Destiny 2, the new Raid coming in The Final Shape expansion highlights a problem within the franchise that has existed since the original game.

The Final Shape Expansion will finally face players up against their toughest enemy yet, the Witness. While this long-awaited fight is expected to be one of the most memorable Raids in the entire Destiny franchise, its exclusivity will leave many players with an incomplete experience of Destiny 2’s Light and Darkness saga.

destiny 2 final shape dread faction grim enemy flying wings good bad
Related
Destiny 2's New Dread Enemy Faction Breaks a Big Series Tradition

Destiny 2 is adding a new enemy faction with The Final Shape, and one of its units is breaking a 10-year tradition.

Only a Small Percentage of Destiny 2 Players Complete Raids

When it comes to Raids in Destiny 2, only a small portion of the game’s playerbase regularly engages with this content. According to Raid Report, a third-party analytics tool for Destiny 2, less than 30% of Destiny 2’s playerbase has ever completed one or more Raids.

Without Bungie revealing the exact up-to-date statistics, it’s impossible to know the precise percentage of Destiny 2 ’s playerbase that has never done a Raid based on third-party services alone. However, it’s a common trend among MMOs for only a small portion of the total playerbase of these games to complete activities that resemble endgame Raids, and third-party services support this trend.

Destiny 2’s Raids have an Accessibility Problem

The accessibility problem for Raids isn’t exclusive to Destiny 2, though this game is a prime example of why this is the case. Raids are often a huge time and social commitment, and this type of experience ultimately turns away more players than it appeals to.

Potentially the biggest entry barrier for participating in Destiny 2’s Raids is the time commitment, whereas a player’s first time attempting a Raid can drag on for several hours with no guarantee of victory or rewards. For example, the world’s first race for Destiny 2’s Last Wish Raid lasted for over 18 hours before the activity was completed by some of the community’s most dedicated players.

Not only can Raids themselves go on for multiple hours, but meeting the prerequisites of being able to jump into this content isn’t inclusive to new players. The new player experience in Destiny 2 has been a growing issue that the franchise has struggled with and despite recent efforts, like Fireteam Finder and the upcoming Fireteam Power features, Raids and other endgame content still aren’t accessible to a majority of the playerbase.

Destiny 2’s The Final Shape Raid is a Controversy Waiting to Happen

Raids are the pinnacle of Destiny 2’s endgame, presenting challenges that are designed for teams of six players to overcome. With this in mind, it's fitting that the hardest enemy that players will ever face, the Witness, will be the Raid boss in The Final Shape expansion’s Raid.

The Destiny franchise has been building up to players facing the Witness for years, so this end of Destiny’s Light and Darkness saga in The Final Shape expansion will be a moment that Destiny 2’s community won’t want to miss. However, with the Witness’ final encounter being exclusive to the new Raid, many players won’t get to experience this encounter firsthand.

This situation would likely have led to a controversy in Destiny 2 no matter what. For instance, if not in the new Raid, The Witness would have likely been the final boss of The Final Shape’s campaign. This would have made the encounter accessible to a much wider audience, but it would have unfortunate implications for the Raid. Ultimately, reserving The Witness’ final encounter for the new Raid is a justified decision given the anticipated spectacle of the fight, but it doesn’t take into account that Destiny 2’s Raids aren’t for everyone.