The Final Shape is the end to the Light and Darkness saga, but it’s not at all the end of the Destiny universe. As we take our first steps into Year 10 with our first-ever Episode, we wanted to share a bit more about what’s coming.
It took a while and it wasn’t easy, but you did it. An intrepid team of six Guardians made an incursion into the spire where the Witness was about to create the Final Shape and stopped it. This allowed the Defenders of Sol and every single Guardian to rally in Excision, our first 12-player activity, where the Witness was destroyed.
One more time, we want to shout out to the brave raiders Astro, bravo, DrakathShadow, Ham, Jake, and Tyraxe as well as their coaches, Chillackz and NotSoon, for being the first team to complete the Salvation’s Edge raid.
We had the pleasure of chatting with them to learn more about their experience.
Congratulations on winning the Salvation’s Edge World First race! How does it feel being the team that not only first bested the Witness, but also opened the doors for everyone else to finish the fight in Excision?
Tyraxe: Winning Salvation’s Edge is a dream come true. For all of us, a raid belt has been our ultimate goal since we started playing Destiny, and we have dedicated so much time and craft to perfecting our strategies over the years. Winning a World First is the pinnacle experience of Destiny, and we could not be happier to do this in Salvation’s Edge. I’d like to thank the community for their support over the weekend. We appreciate it so much, and it does not go unnoticed.
Jake: I believe I can speak for all of us when it comes to thinking there would never be a situation that would rival Last Wish ever again, both on time spent in the World First race as well as the number of 24-hour completions. Winning this raid was such an insane feeling for each of us, and it’s something every one of us will remember going forward, especially given the circumstances. On top of that, seeing the community’s reaction towards the final mission and all the cutscenes included was truly spectacular. It really was an emotional moment for anyone who has been a part of this game since the beginning.
Teamwork is key for raids. How does a team train for a World First race? And what would you say has marked the difference for your fireteam during this race?
bravo: I think each team has their own unique way of practicing for raids. For us, it was consistency in showing up for practice. We used The Pantheon and Master raids as our main source of practice. I’d say what marked the difference for us was being able to stay focused the entire time with no breaks as well as being well rounded in communication, execution, and solving puzzles.
Astro: For us, training for a WFR really came down to three core components: ensuring everyone has a high-level understanding of the game at its core, refining communication and teamplay, and learning from our past failures and shortcomings in previous WFRs. I think learning from our past mistakes in previous day-one races really made the difference for our fireteam during this race.
Most of us only ever get to see the teams in action, but what about the team behind the scenes? Tell us about your coaches, too!
Ham: Behind the scenes was a whole different battle. We had to constantly reevaluate. test public data, and see what was practical in a real scenario because, while something could be good on paper, it may not be practical. Once we started the raid after testing for months, the value of our coaches came into fruition. The value of having Chillackz to spare extra brain power and remember something as well as helping solve mechanics cannot be stressed enough. And then having NotSoon informing us and coming up with strategies in the background with (Chillackz) away from the group really speeds things up.
NotSoon: Having a coach is a critical element if you’re ever shooting to achieve something in such a competitive manner. Although we’re not doing the activity with the fireteam, we share every moment of the experience. I’ve been working with Parabellum as a coach since Root of Nightmares and have been friends with most of the core teammates for multiple years. It’s our job to ensure that the team is constantly performing at their best, even when it’s over 18 straight hours. When the team is falling behind, I would be able to gather information of later elements, create diagrams, and give an accurate explanation of everything to come. Coaches are the hivemind when the team needs help solving the mechanics and the moderators when the team is ready to execute.
Chillackz: I’ve known five guys from the team (bravo, Astro, Jake, DrakathShadow, and Soon) for over two-and-a-half years now, I raced in Root of Nightmares with Ham, and have known Tyraxe since their podium finish in Crota’s End. One thing that I think a lot of teams overlook is the value of protocols going into a new raid. We had a set array of things to do in certain situations, which made each one much more approachable and solvable. As for the coaches, NotSoon and I had our set roles for this raid. NotSoon was the main scout, and I was the seventh set of eyes, keeping an eye on buff timers and simply being a seventh player in terms of troubleshooting mechanics and such as well as relaying information.
Salvation’s Edge is now the longest raid clear in Destiny 2. How did you manage to stay focused for 18 hours and 59 minutes?
Astro: Honestly—I think I primarily must credit all the desire to win. We all have been competing for a World First for many years now, going all the way back to Deep Stone Crypt for DrakathShadow, so even when things go wrong or the going gets tough, we can stay focused, and we keep pushing. Additionally, we had an important second wind that really reinvigorated the team once we solved the Verity encounter.
Tyraxe: Beating the fourth encounter, we knew we had a massive lead over other teams which allowed us to persevere through any exhaustion we faced, thanks to the adrenaline we had going into the fight against the Witness. This was definitely a contributing factor to our performance and allowed us to close out Salvation’s Edge.
What would you say was the hardest part of the raid? I think we know the answer to this one already…
Jake: Honestly, the fourth encounter, Verity, and the Witness fight had an amazing design that made them genuinely some of the most challenging solves for any of the Destiny raids we’ve experienced, past or present. Figuring out what interactions to make for the fourth encounter to actually progress was very difficult, as there was very limited feedback based off of what you did. However, the audio cue from removing shadows in the solo rooms was a big indicator towards progression for us. For the Witness fight, what is there to be said? It is peak boss design. Not only did the details with the Witness’s test stump our team for hours, but also the immaculate design of the damage phase being so movement-focused made for a great challenge and a memorable end to the Light and Darkness saga’s final raid.
And what was your favorite moment?
Shadow: My favorite part of the raid was the Witness’s damage phase. I’ve always wanted more MMO-like mechanics during damage phases, especially after Rhulk. The attacks are so punishing that, when I got them down, it felt really rewarding. The raid designers cooked with this one!
bravo: My favorite moment in the raid was our team dubbing the Witness’s wipe mechanic as “anime eyes.” The way its eyes flash before it tries to kill the whole team with the “floor is lava” mechanic was truly iconic.
Tyraxe: Finding out we achieved World First was easily my favorite moment of the raid. H,owever, in terms of the raid itself, the visuals and difficulty of the second encounter are truly an experience to remember.
Astro: Outside of finding out for sure that we had won, my favorite moment had to be when we finally cracked the Verity encounter. The amount of energy solving that encounter injected back into the team was crucial. At that moment, I think we all knew without saying it that we had our chance to take it all the way.
NotSoon: ANIME EYES!
Ham: Breaking the glass wall in Verity was my “aha” moment because it was the first time we had hard feedback that we were doing something right. That moment gave the team the confidence to move forward and earn the belt.
Jake: I’ve praised a lot of this raid already, but Verity really was one of the most beautifully designed encounters I’ve ever played, and the feeling of completing it and knowing we were the first was just unmatched.
Chillackz: My favorite part from the raid was also, without a doubt, the DPS phase on the Witness. It added a lot of much-appreciated difficulty that genuinely had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.
Last question. As expert raiders, if you could design a raid puzzle, what would you put in it?
Parabellum: Something we find a lot of joy in, as a team, is when each player has a chance to shine and participate in an encounter. One of the most interesting mechanics was in the Ghalran fight in Crown of Sorrow with the “relay” that trades the buffs between the three teams as well as the way the Gauntlet encounter from Leviathan is done with a race timer and parkour features. A mixture of these two things seems super interesting in the form of a multi-level glass tower with a hub room where, on each floor, a player is isolated with multiple dunk spots that require expert movement to reach. To finish the encounter, the team must pass the buff between everyone’s dunk spots without ever dunking in the same room twice in a row.
Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions!
Excision is here to stay, so you can replay it all you want to relive the grand conclusion to The Final Shape. We don’t recommend you jump into Excision to farm catalysts kills, level up crafted weapons, or earn experience though. Having so many players in one activity is taxing, so some options are turned off to ensure a stable experience.
To make things more interesting, we have an extra challenge ready for next week. After completing Excision for the first time, players will be able to launch a new Grandmaster difficulty version on June 18. It’s going to be very hard, but the reward for completing it will be totally worth it.
The Witness’s demise inside of the Traveler created something unique: the Echoes. One of them landed on Nessus, awakening something or someone… Find out what this means in our latest Dev Insights article. There are new activities and rewards awaiting, like new Vex-inspired weapons that leave pools of radiolarian fluid behind when you take down enemies or the beloved Season of Dawn weapons that Saint-14 has updated after a lot of requests.
Keep a keen eye when you jump in. During the new Echoes activity, be on the lookout for new material nodes so you can extract samples from these strange pods and return them to our resident H.E.L.M. AI in training for analysis. Her Biomechanical Research AI Node is extremely capable and can provide you with additional gear, upgrade materials, and even specimens once you deposit enough samples. No need to return to the H.E.L.M. proper if you find yourself with full pockets at the end of the activity; there is a convenient deposit bay located near the reward chest!
After all these years, Xûr has finally opened a permanent storefront in the Tower, and he inaugurated it last Friday. It’s not too shabby, and it’s well located: just to the right as you enter the Bazaar from the Courtyard (check your map if you have trouble finding him).
He will be there from Friday to Tuesday, as is tradition, but his wares have changed as well as the currency he accepts. Xûr has gone back to trading only in Strange Coins. Earning them requires a different path, as they are no longer awarded in Dares of Eternity and Paraversal Hauls. Instead, players can now earn Strange Coins upon completing Vanguard, Crucible, Trials, Iron Banner, Gambit, and Onslaught activities.
Xûr’s new reputation track exists separately from the one in Eternity. Spending Strange Coins at this shop will add progress to his new reputation system and earn reputation rewards of up to a whole Exotic Cipher after every rank reset. This is an additional source of Exotic Ciphers and is not replacing the Xenology quest.
Xûr will also acknowledge our patronage by offering a buff that bolsters Strange Coin acquisition. After you spend 47 Strange Coins, he will grant you access to a stack of Strange Favor. Strange Favor is a buff that offers a chance for a bonus Strange Coin to drop any time you earn a Strange Coin.
While you can only acquire one per week, it has an 11-day duration. If you keep earning a Strange Favor each week, you not only stack the effectiveness of the buff (up to three stacks), but you also refresh the duration. So, make sure to acquire your Strange Favor each week and rake in those Strange Coins.
Here’s what you can expect in his new shop:
The Destiny 2 Dev Team has been busy the past few months finding new ways to entertain you and even surprise you. The Final Shape includes several incredible additions to the sandbox, but today we wanted to focus on one that you may not have noticed yet: the new Wave Frame Sword archetype.
When using the heavy attack, this new subfamily of Swords allows players to send a shockwave uppercut that will send you up into the air. Once airborne, you can follow up with a long-distance swing to deliver another blow that aggressively tracks the enemy. But it’s better if you see it for yourselves!
The first Wave-Frame Sword is among the rewards of the new Salvation’s Edge raid, but if you are lucky, you might also get an Ergo Sum Exotic Sword that rolls with this new archetype.
After proving yourselves against humanity’s greatest foes, it’s time to go back to training. What better place to do so than Trials of Osiris? Saint-14 will be offering The Summoner this weekend for those capable enough, as well as a new currency: the Osirian Cipher.
This new and very aptly named currency can be exchanged for rewards every weekend. You get four after opening the Flawless Chest at the Lighthouse, or one after completing a Passage of Persistence, and you can have up to ten in your inventory. Use them wisely.
Cosplay Cosmodrome is in full swing, as we’ve started to reveal the masterpieces our cosplayers have been pouring their hearts and souls into. We kicked off with the breathtaking Crow and Cayde-6 costumes by Kamichan83 and IlGritz from Italy.
Though now we know they can, in fact, have a decent time together without pointing guns at each other, last week they were joined by Tower regulars Lord Shaxx (Anhyra) and Zavala (Solomon Taisa) to keep an eye on things.
Don’t forget to check out our latest additions to the Cosplay Cosmodrome: the Kell of Light and the Queen herself are reporting in.
Rat King is a very unique weapon that is not only very fun if everyone in your fireteam uses it, but also very, very powerful. Fast TTK? Yeah. Ease of use? Sí. Invisibility on kills? Yep, that too. You can now renew the looks of your Rat King with the Opalized Nobility weapon ornament.
This new weapon ornament is available in the Eververse store in-game. You can also get it as part of a bundle that includes the Crown of Vermin shader and Rat Royalty Ghost projection.
Complete the look with the Rat King’s Crown universal helmet ornament, also available now in the Eververse store. Purchasing the Rat King’s Crown will unlock it for all three classes. As they say, one size fits all. And using the Rat King Sidearm while wearing the Rat King’s Crown will activate the full potential of the helmet ornament. (Hint: for the full effect, you’ll need a proper Rat Pack.)
Damn. Witness do got hands though.
Known Issues List | Help Forums | Bungie Help Twitter
Contest Mode for the Salvation’s Edge raid ran from June 7 at 10 AM PT to June 9 at 9:59 AM PT. Players must have successfully completed all encounters of the Salvation’s Edge raid during the Contest Mode window and claim the associated Paragon Triumph in order to earn the Hunker Down emblem reward.
Unfortunately, unless the Paragon Triumph was earned, players do not qualify for the Hunker Down emblem.
The Destined Heroes, Lost in the Light, and Found in the Dark quests, can only be completed once per account.
Players who purchased a Campaign Skip Boost for The Final Shape or are attempting to acquire Prismatic on alternate characters will instead need to play the six Adventures available in the Lost City to unlock their Prismatic abilities.
To mitigate an issue where some players were unable to progress the Convalescence: Budding quest, we have unlocked the ability for all players with free-roam access to The Pale Heart to access the Cooperative Focus activity nodes.
Players are advised to not launch into these activities until they are directed to by the Convalescence: Budding quest.
We are aware of an issue where players who completed crafting patterns from Seasons 20 through 23 while they were available to are no longer able to craft these weapons. This is not intentional and will be resolved in a future update.
To unlock the ability to purchase the Salvation’s Edge Raid Jacket and the Salvation’s Edge Kadet Sling Bag by Chrome Industries through Bungie Rewards, players will need to complete the Salvation’s Edge raid and claim the associated Triumph prior to June 25, 2024, at 9:59 AM PT.
View available Bungie Rewards and associated deadlines.
While we continue investigating various known issues, here is a list of the latest issues that were reported to us in our #Help forum:
For a full list of emergent issues in Destiny 2, review our Known Issues article. If you observe other issues, please report them to our #Help forum.
Hey, Guardians, do you want to see us cry our eyes out by just pronouncing three simple words?
There You Are, by Runesael Flynn. Via X/Twitter
A lovely collab between several community artists, put together in motion. We love this kind of project!
And we are done here. Well, is there anything you are planning to do today, other than keep playing The Final Shape? Yeah, same here.
Let’s get back into the game!
