What you need to know
- Bungie has announced the release date for Destiny 2: Lightfall's new raid.
- The raid will release on March 10, 2023 at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET.
- The first fireteam in the world to beat the raid will receive the title of World's First and a unique raid belt. All players that beat the raid on its launch day will also get a special exclusive emblem.
- For the first day the raid is active, Contest Mode will be active. Contest Mode caps players at 20 Power Level below each encounter, reducing the damage they deal and increasing the damage they receive.
Destiny 2's next major expansion, Lightfall, is only about a month away. Like previous DLCs, a new cooperative six-man raid will become available to players shortly after it arrives on February 28, challenging them to complete difficult and complex PvE encounters for exclusive top-tier weapons and bragging rights.
We don't know anything about the theme of the raid or who we'll be fighting yet (Emperor Calus or some other ally to the Witness are solid guesses), but ahead of Lightfall's arrival, Bungie has revealed the release date for this raid in a new This Week at Bungie blog post. Notably, the raid will launch on March 10, 2023, at 9 a.m. PT / 12 p.m. ET. This will give players about a week and a half to prepare for the raid once the expansion becomes available, during which time they'll need to play through its campaign, earn pieces of Powerful Gear, and put together their best Destiny 2 builds.
Lightfall's raid, like the reprised version of the King's Fall raid before it, is launching on a Friday instead of Destiny 2's traditional raid release day of Saturday. This is most likely because of an issue that occurred with The Witch Queen's Vow of the Disciple raid, in which most Bungie employees were out of the office during its Saturday launch and were unable to address disruptive technical issues for several hours. While moving the release date to a weekday does make it harder for fans with rigid work schedules to jump into the raid right away, the studio's developers will be on standby to address any problems with its rollout as quickly as possible.
Once the raid goes live, the official Destiny 2 Raid Race will begin. Each player in the first fireteam to complete each encounter without cheats or exploits will receive a unique World's First raid belt that celebrates their accomplishment. Additionally, all players that manage to defeat the raid in the first 24 hours it's available will earn a special emblem.
Keep in mind that raids are more difficult to complete on day one than they are afterwards, as Contest Mode — a modifier that caps each player's Power Level at 20 numbers below each encounter — is active during this time. With Contest Mode on, enemies hit harder and are more resilient than normal, while players are squishier and do reduced damage. A great way to improve your chances at success will be to take advantage of Lightfall's improved buildcrafting systems, which will even the odds in combat.
Destiny 2: Lightfall is almost here, and it looks like it's going to be one of the best Destiny 2 expansions yet between the gorgeous neon-soaked city of Neomuna, Emperor Calus' fearsome Shadow Legion, the new Strand subclass, a new raid, plenty of new gear, and more. Lightfall preorders are available now if you'd like to reserve your copy of the DLC ahead of its launch on February 28, 2023.
