- There have been 13 raids in Destiny 2 — 10 are still playable in 2026, and 3 are permanently vaulted.
- The first raid was the Leviathan in September 2017. The most recent is The Desert Perpetual, released July 2025.
- Five raids were vaulted on November 10, 2020 with the Beyond Light expansion: Leviathan, Eater of Worlds, Spire of Stars, Scourge of the Past, and Crown of Sorrow.
- All 10 currently active raids are playable in 2026 — none have been removed since Beyond Light.
- Every raid requires a 6-player fireteam. There is no matchmaking — you must form your own team.
- Two raids rotate weekly as featured raids, making them infinitely farmable with Pinnacle reward drops.
- For new players, Vault of Glass is the most beginner-friendly starting point.
Destiny 2 raids in order span from September 2017 to July 2025. Of the 13 raids released across the game’s history, 10 are currently playable and 3 are locked inside the Destiny Content Vault. This page lists every raid by release date, the Exotic tied to each, and the bosses you’ll face — plus which ones are worth prioritizing in 2026.
What Is a Raid in Destiny 2?
Raids are Destiny 2’s hardest endgame PvE activity. Each is a multi-encounter experience for six players, mixing puzzle mechanics, platforming, and boss fights across a full activity with no checkpoints between sessions in the traditional sense.
Raids require communication, role assignments, and a team that understands the mechanics. There is no matchmaking. You build your fireteam manually through the in-game Fireteam Finder, LFG tools, a clan, or friends.
Unlike dungeons, which are three-player activities, raids are built for six and assume every person has a specific role. Most encounters can’t be completed by fewer players because the mechanics physically require different players to be in different places simultaneously.
Raids drop unique weapons, armor sets, and Exotic weapons not available anywhere else in the game. Since the Monument of Triumph update in June 2026, every raid’s loot pool has been refreshed and all raids are farmable — featured or not.
All Destiny 2 Raids in Release Order
1. Leviathan – September 13, 2017 ❌ Vaulted
Expansion: Base Game | Location: Leviathan Ship | Exotic: Legend of Acrius (Arc Shotgun) | Final Boss: Emperor Calus
The Leviathan was Destiny 2’s first raid. Players explored the opulent ship of exiled Emperor Calus — a sprawling, mechanics-heavy experience built around a theatrical performance framing. The final boss was a Calus robot stand-in that required players to split between a shadow realm and the main arena, calling out symbols to coordinate the kill.
The Leviathan was vaulted on November 10, 2020 alongside the Beyond Light expansion. It has never returned. Emperor Calus later reappears as a boss in the Pantheon 2.0 activity (Calus Resplendent), where you can fight him again — but the full Leviathan raid itself remains inaccessible in 2026.
2. Eater of Worlds – December 5, 2017 ❌ Vaulted
Expansion: Curse of Osiris | Location: Leviathan Ship | Exotic: None | Final Boss: Argos, Planetary Core
Eater of Worlds was a shorter “Raid Lair” — a condensed version of the raid format set inside a different section of the Leviathan. The Vex mind Argos had lodged itself inside the Leviathan’s planet-eating systems, and Calus called on Guardians to destroy it.
The encounter system introduced Vex Craniums — elemental weapons charged at stations and fired at orbs to break Argos’s barrier. That mechanic is the same one used in Pantheon 2.0 today, where you can fight Argos and instantly skip to damage phase with the ledge trick. Eater of Worlds itself was vaulted on November 10, 2020.
3. Spire of Stars – May 8, 2018 ❌ Vaulted
Expansion: Warmind | Location: Leviathan Ship | Exotic: None | Final Boss: Val Ca’uor
Spire of Stars was the second and final Leviathan Raid Lair. Red Legion Cabal led by Val Ca’uor were hunting down Calus aboard his own ship. The raid required fireteams to launch players into space with orbs and destroy enemy ships in orbit — one of the more visually spectacular encounters in Destiny 2’s early years.
Vaulted November 10, 2020. Has not returned.
4. Last Wish – September 14, 2018 ✅ Active
Expansion: Forsaken (Forsaken Pack) | Location: Dreaming City | Exotic: One Thousand Voices (Solar Fusion Rifle) | Final Boss: Riven of a Thousand Voices
Last Wish is the oldest raid still active in Destiny 2. It launched with the Forsaken expansion and tasked Guardians with entering the Dreaming City and hunting down Riven — an Ahamkara corrupted by the Taken. The raid has seven encounters including three major combat encounters, and its final boss Riven is one of the largest and most mechanically intricate bosses in Destiny history.
One Thousand Voices drops from Riven — but only if you loot a hidden chest using a specific Wish Wall code afterward. See our Wishing Wall guide for all codes. Last Wish weapons drop from any encounter rather than encounter-specific pools, making it one of the most flexible raids to farm.
5. Scourge of the Past – December 7, 2018 ❌ Vaulted
Expansion: Black Armory | Location: The Last City | Exotic: Anarchy (Arc Grenade Launcher) | Final Boss: Insurrection Prime, Kell’s Scourge
Scourge of the Past was widely considered one of the most fun and accessible raids of Destiny 2’s early years. Set in the ruins of the Last City, it followed Eramis and her Fallen crew as they attempted to detonate a weapon inside the City itself.
Insurrection Prime — the final boss — is a massive Fallen mech that splits the team and requires coordinated plate activations to stagger. You can still fight Insurrection Prime in Pantheon 2.0 as part of the Insurrection Prime Revolutionary gauntlet. See our guide on how to cheese Insurrection Prime for the current skip methods. The full Scourge of the Past raid was vaulted November 10, 2020.
6. Crown of Sorrow – June 4, 2019 ❌ Vaulted
Expansion: Season of Opulence | Location: Leviathan Ship | Exotic: Tarrabah (Solar SMG) | Final Boss: Gahlran, the Sorrow-Bearer
Crown of Sorrow returned players to the Leviathan, but this time to fight a Hive infestation. Gahlran — a former Shadow of Calus — had been given the Crown of Sorrow by Savathun and turned against Calus entirely. The raid introduced the Witch’s Blessing buff mechanic, where players must constantly pass a debuff between teammates or die.
That Witch’s Blessing mechanic appears again in Pantheon 2.0’s Calus Resplendent node, where Gahlran is the second encounter. The full Crown of Sorrow raid was vaulted November 10, 2020. Tarrabah remains available via the Memorial kiosk at the Tower.
7. Garden of Salvation – October 5, 2019 ✅ Active
Expansion: Shadowkeep | Location: Black Garden (Moon) | Exotic: Divinity (Arc Trace Rifle) | Final Boss: Sanctified Mind, Sol Inherent
Garden of Salvation sent Guardians back into the Black Garden — a mysterious Vex realm not seen since Destiny 1’s original campaign. The raid’s encounters explore the Vex connection to the Darkness and reveal how deeply the pyramid ships have corrupted the Vex network.
Divinity is not a random drop. It requires completing a lengthy puzzle quest that begins inside the raid itself. The quest involves solving Vex puzzles scattered across the raid before the final boss. Garden of Salvation is a good mid-tier raid for players who’ve learned the basics — the mechanics have a consistent logic to them once you understand the Vex tether system.
8. Deep Stone Crypt – November 21, 2020 ✅ Active
Expansion: Beyond Light | Location: Europa | Exotic: Eyes of Tomorrow (Solar Rocket Launcher) | Final Boss: Taniks, the Abomination
Deep Stone Crypt is set entirely in and around a Bray Exoscience orbital station above Europa. The raid launches with a breathtaking low-gravity spacewalk section, then crashes the station into the moon’s surface for the final encounter. Taniks — a recurring Fallen villain across both Destiny games — returns for the last time.
DSC is consistently recommended as one of the best starting raids for new players. The mechanics are clean and teachable, the encounters build on each other logically, and the visual design is some of the best in the game. All six weapons are craftable via red-border farming. Eyes of Tomorrow drops from the final boss with low probability.
9. Vault of Glass – May 22, 2021 ✅ Active
Expansion: Free (reprised Destiny 1 raid) | Location: Venus | Exotic: Vex Mythoclast (Solar Fusion Rifle) | Final Boss: Atheon, Time’s Conflux
Vault of Glass is the reprised version of the very first raid in Destiny’s history. It returned to Destiny 2 with updated encounters, a refreshed loot pool, and a new Master difficulty. The raid takes place inside a Vex structure on Venus and culminates in a fight against Atheon across multiple timelines simultaneously.
VoG is widely considered the best entry raid in 2026. The mechanics are the most straightforward of any active raid, the first encounter (Spire) requires no callouts — just defending three plates — and the team communication requirements scale gradually. Vex Mythoclast is a rare drop from Atheon with a roughly 5% chance per clear. It doesn’t require a separate quest. The raid is free for all players and doesn’t require any DLC purchase.
10. Vow of the Disciple – March 5, 2022 ✅ Active
Expansion: The Witch Queen | Location: Savathûn’s Throne World (Sunken Pyramid) | Exotic: Collective Obligation (Void Pulse Rifle) | Final Boss: Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness
Vow of the Disciple takes Guardians into a Darkness Pyramid Ship buried in the marshes of Savathûn’s Throne World. The raid introduces a symbol-based callout system — players must memorize and communicate symbols seen in their part of the encounter to players in another section. That same system appears again in the Sundered Doctrine dungeon.
The final boss Rhulk is a standout encounter — a Lucent Hive-like boss with a distinct power fantasy feel when you finally defeat him. Collective Obligation is a Void pulse rifle that copies debuffs from enemies and applies them back on hit. It requires a full raid clear before the Exotic can drop from Rhulk. Familiarity with Vow’s symbol system is directly useful in Sundered Doctrine dungeon, which reuses those exact mechanics.
11. King’s Fall – September 18, 2022 ✅ Active
Expansion: Season of Plunder (Forsaken Pack) | Location: Dreadnaught | Exotic: Touch of Malice (Kinetic Scout Rifle) | Final Boss: Oryx, the Taken King
King’s Fall is the reprised version of the Year 1 Destiny 1 raid — and the fan-favourite of the reprised raids. It takes place aboard Oryx’s massive Dreadnaught and culminates in one of the most iconic boss fights in Destiny history. The Oryx encounter requires the team to repeatedly stagger a Taken Knight and slam a giant ball into the boss while managing a ship-sized wipe mechanic overhead.
King’s Fall has six encounters — the most of any active raid. That makes it longer than most, but each encounter is well-designed and builds toward the Oryx payoff at the end. Touch of Malice drops from Oryx with a random chance. It’s a self-damaging Exotic scout rifle that feeds on the holder’s health to boost damage — a classic design.
12. Root of Nightmares – March 10, 2023 ✅ Active
Expansion: Lightfall | Location: Neomuna (Witness’s pyramid ship) | Exotic: Conditional Finality (Stasis/Solar Shotgun) | Final Boss: Nezarec, Final God of Pain
Root of Nightmares is the shortest active raid in Destiny 2 at just four encounters. It takes place aboard the Witness’s pyramid ship in orbit above Neptune and explores the connection between Darkness and the Vex. Nezarec — a character previously only known through lore entries — appears as the final boss.
Root of Nightmares is often recommended as a second or third raid for players building experience. The encounters use a consistent mechanic across all four fights, which reduces the learning curve between sections. Conditional Finality is the Exotic — a shotgun that fires one Stasis slug and one Solar slug simultaneously, freezing and igniting targets on the same shot. It remains one of the strongest PvE Exotics in 2026.
13. Crota’s End – September 1, 2023 ✅ Active
Expansion: Season of the Witch | Location: Moon | Exotic: Necrochasm (Arc Auto Rifle) | Final Boss: Crota, Son of Oryx
Crota’s End is the reprised version of Destiny 1’s second raid — and it received a significant mechanical overhaul. The original was notoriously simple, but the Destiny 2 version introduced the Chalice of Light mechanic across all four encounters, requiring constant buff passing between teammates. Fall into a pit in the Abyss encounter and you’ll learn why veteran players always warn new players about it.
Necrochasm can drop from Crota. It’s an Arc auto rifle that triggers Cursed Thrall explosions on rapid kills — excellent for add-clear. The armor set bonuses are strong for melee builds in 2026. Crota’s End is notably faster to complete than King’s Fall despite having similar difficulty, making it a popular weekly farm target.
14. Salvation’s Edge – June 7, 2024 ✅ Active
Expansion: The Final Shape | Location: Pale Heart of the Traveler | Exotic: Euphony (Strand Linear Fusion Rifle) | Final Boss: The Witness
Salvation’s Edge is the finale of the Light and Dark saga — the raid where Guardians enter the Witness’s Monolith inside the Traveler and fight the final antagonist of Destiny 2’s ten-year arc. It holds the record for the longest World’s First completion time in Destiny history, with only one team clearing it in the first 24 hours.
The raid has five encounters, each more mechanically involved than the last. The Verity encounter — which involves players simultaneously solving 3D shape puzzles in both solo and group sections — is one of the most complex encounters Bungie has designed.
Euphony is the Exotic: a Strand Linear Fusion Rifle that spawns Threadlings on sustained damage and scales its own damage from Threadling hits. It’s the best Strand DPS option in the game for long boss phases. See our full Euphony guide for drop rates, Triumphs that increase your odds, and the best builds. Requires The Final Shape expansion.
15. The Desert Perpetual – July 15, 2025 ✅ Active
Expansion: Edge of Fate | Location: Kepler | Exotic: Whirling Ovation (Strand Rocket Launcher) | Final Boss: Koregos, the Worldline
The Desert Perpetual is the newest raid in Destiny 2 and the first in the game’s history to use a non-linear structure. The first three encounters — Epoptes (Hydra), Iatros (Wyvern), and Agraios (Hobgoblin) — can be tackled in any order. Once all three are complete, the path to Koregos unlocks.
The raid is Vex-themed and set on Kepler. Its mechanics center on temporal manipulation — Hourglass timers, Chronon collection, and Vex cube puzzles. The Origin Trait on all Desert Perpetual weapons is Frame of Reference, which freezes a damage/reload/range bonus in time while a weapon is stowed, so the buff carries over on swap.
An Epic Raid difficulty launched September 27, 2025 with the Ash & Iron update, adding three exclusive weapons (The Ever-Present, Starscape Null, and a third), plus the Whirling Ovation Exotic Catalyst. Requires Edge of Fate expansion. See our full raid loot tables guide for all Desert Perpetual weapon drops by encounter.
Destiny 2 Raids in Order – Quick Reference
- Leviathan – Sep 2017 – Legend of Acrius – ❌ Vaulted
- Eater of Worlds – Dec 2017 – No Exotic – ❌ Vaulted
- Spire of Stars – May 2018 – No Exotic – ❌ Vaulted
- Last Wish – Sep 2018 – One Thousand Voices – ✅ Active
- Scourge of the Past – Dec 2018 – Anarchy – ❌ Vaulted
- Crown of Sorrow – Jun 2019 – Tarrabah – ❌ Vaulted
- Garden of Salvation – Oct 2019 – Divinity – ✅ Active
- Deep Stone Crypt – Nov 2020 – Eyes of Tomorrow – ✅ Active
- Vault of Glass – May 2021 – Vex Mythoclast – ✅ Active (Free)
- Vow of the Disciple – Mar 2022 – Collective Obligation – ✅ Active
- King’s Fall – Sep 2022 – Touch of Malice – ✅ Active
- Root of Nightmares – Mar 2023 – Conditional Finality – ✅ Active
- Crota’s End – Sep 2023 – Necrochasm – ✅ Active
- Salvation’s Edge – Jun 2024 – Euphony – ✅ Active
- The Desert Perpetual – Jul 2025 – Whirling Ovation – ✅ Active
Which Destiny 2 Raid Should You Play First?
Start with Vault of Glass. It’s free, requires no DLC purchase, has the simplest mechanics of any active raid, and its encounters teach you the fundamentals of raid design — role assignment, communication, split-team mechanics — without overwhelming you.
After Vault of Glass, the recommended learning order is:
- Deep Stone Crypt — clean mechanics, great visual design, strong loot. A natural second raid.
- Root of Nightmares — shorter than most raids, consistent mechanic throughout, good for building confidence.
- Crota’s End — introduces buff passing mechanics that appear in harder raids later.
- Garden of Salvation — solid mid-tier with the Divinity questline as an added goal.
- King’s Fall — longer and more demanding, but one of the most satisfying completions in the game.
- Vow of the Disciple — symbol mechanics and a complex final boss. Prepares you for Salvation’s Edge.
- Salvation’s Edge — the hardest active raid. Don’t attempt it until you’re comfortable with all the others.
- The Desert Perpetual — the newest raid with the freshest loot. Good to farm once you know the ropes.
Destiny 2 Raid Weekly Rotation in 2026
Two raids are featured each week in the rotation. Featured raids are infinitely farmable — no per-encounter loot lockout — and reward Pinnacle gear and Deepsight weapons from encounters and challenges. Master difficulty drops Adept weapons from weekly challenges.
The rotation resets every Tuesday at the weekly reset (5 PM UTC). Two different raids become featured each week. The newest raid — The Desert Perpetual — has weekly rotators starting June 16, 2026 for targeted loot farming.
Even when a raid isn’t featured, it can still be farmed thanks to the Monument of Triumph update. All raids have been made farmable year-round. The only restriction is that Raid Exotics still drop once per character per week from the final boss — the infinite farming applies to Legendary weapons and armor.
Vaulted Destiny 2 Raids – What Happened to Them?
Five raids were vaulted on November 10, 2020 as part of the Destiny Content Vault (DCV) introduced with Beyond Light. Bungie removed them to reduce the game’s file size and focus development resources on new content.
All five were Leviathan-era raids: Leviathan, Eater of Worlds, Spire of Stars, Scourge of the Past, and Crown of Sorrow. Their Exotic weapons — Legend of Acrius, Anarchy, and Tarrabah — were made available through a Memorial kiosk at the Tower.
As of Monument of Triumph in June 2026, these five raids remain vaulted and are not playable. Bungie confirmed no plans to bring them back before the game’s live-service updates ended. Their bosses appear in Pantheon 2.0 — you can fight Argos, Insurrection Prime, Gahlran, and Calus there — but the full raid experiences are gone.
For those chasing related content, our Calus Resplendent Pantheon guide covers all three Leviathan-era bosses in their Pantheon 2.0 form. And for a full breakdown of what each active raid drops, see our Destiny 2 raid loot tables guide.
