Raids are arguably the epitome of Destiny gaming. Working as a team to overcome challenging obstacles, solve puzzles, and do as much DPS as possible is an extremely rewarding experience. Bungie has had some ups and downs when it comes to Destiny raids, with some being too easy or simplistic. But there are plenty that have proven extremely challenging, resulting in hours of play while others are just plain fun and cool. So, without further ado, here are my top 5 favorite destiny raids.
King’s Fall
Upon launch, the King’s Fall raid was nothing the Destiny community had ever seen before. It was an epic journey that took players through the heavily guarded Dreadnaught, fighting through a supposedly impenetrable fortress to usurp its enigmatic king. The dark atmosphere of the Dreadnaught was chilling and only added to the idea that the king players were trying to kill was more akin to a supernatural force than a person. The final encounter and the reveal of Oryx, “The Taken King,” was absolutely jaw-dropping and made a lasting impression.
This raid called on many fun mechanics that harken from other MMOs, such as World of Warcraft, which only further developed the MMO side of the Destiny franchise. There were nine areas in total to explore with four bosses to conquer and plenty of platforming and puzzles to deal with in between. Many of these activities required precise coordination between members of your fireteam, making the raid a tough one, at least at the time.
Last Wish
The Last Wish raid is the very first raid included in the Destiny 2’s “Forsaken” expansion content and it is arguably one of the most challenging raids Bungie has made. From the get-go, it required remarkably high light level to not only start the raid but to finish it because the level of enemies gradually increased the further you progressed within the raid itself. The mechanics were rather novel and required everyone in your fireteam to be on top of their roles in each encounter. Communication was an absolute necessity. And, in many parts, if one person messed up, it would mean an inevitable wipe for the team.
But beyond the challenge that the Last Wish raid offered Destiny 2 players, it also offered some conclusive lore. By finding lore entries and dialogue throughout the world of Destiny, there have been scraps of stories and hints collected about the Ahamkara. But we’ve never known what they look like or just how powerful they are until this raid where you encounter the very last living Ahamkara. In a way, this raid is a spiritual successor to King’s Fall. It requires players to go on an epic journey to infiltrate the Watchtower and climb to the top to slay the beast lurking within. This was probably the easiest raid to pick for my top 5 raids.
Scourge of the Past
Releasing a few months after the Last Wish raid, the Scourge of the Past was in no way a true challenge, which may have upset some people who were enamored by the previous raid. However, it has some incredibly fun mechanics that really leave an impression. For example, this is the first raid in which players are required to utilize their Sparrows. To really leave the impression that this raid is vehicle-centric, players are required to drive tanks in order to summon a Fallen mech and destroy it. It very much is unlike any of the other raids to date, which is why it is an extremely fun one.
Wrath of the Machine
This raid came with the “Rise of Iron” expansion for Destiny and was the very last raid before Destiny 2 was released. This is another easier raid, but certainly not the easiest. Although the encounters are not difficult enough that less than perfect coordination between teammates leads to doom, it does have a few encounters, especially the last one, that may stump some teams. But, with a good enough fireteam, it can be breezed through which is perfect for when you do not have time to sit down and dedicate multiple hours to the game. My favorite encounter was the Siege Engine which is one of the more unique encounters found in Destiny’s raids.
The interesting part about this raid is that it’s the first raid focused on the Fallen enemies in the game. On top of this, they’re not just any old Fallen, they’re SIVA-infused, which makes for some really novel and cool designs for both the enemies and environment but also the gear you’ll obtain. There are also many intricate hallways to explore and puzzles to figure out, all of which will lead to even more loot. The Outbreak Prime Exotic Quest can be found by venturing off the beaten path and requires solving an insanely hard puzzle to receive the exotic weapon.
Leviathan
It was a challenge to fill this last spot for my top 5 raids in the Destiny franchise, but Leviathan managed to squeak by. There were quite a few problems with the raid upon release, mostly with glitches or bugs in the mechanics that would sometimes make it impossible to defeat an encounter. These problems were rectified relatively quickly, so I’ll give Bungie good marks for that. But this raid lands here because of its unique encounters that require players to use very different mechanics to overcome. From the Pleasure Gardens to The Gauntlet, each area required a very different way of thinking to overcome each obstacle. Once the bugs were fixed, each area had very solid mechanics and beautiful visuals. And the final fight against Calus, requiring your fireteam to split up and coordinate by speech alone, was fantastically done.
The Destiny franchise has a lot of raids under its belt. And, although there are plenty of raids that have resulted in hours of fun, these five have personally made a lasting impression. What are your top 5 raids from Destiny? Let us know on Twitter!
