Raids have always been at the heart of Destiny 2, starting with Vanilla Destiny 2's King's Fall and continuing to the recent Lightfall raid, Root of Nightmares. They're the ultimate PvE challenge in the game, requiring a team of six players to tackle. Raids ramp up the difficulty even beyond Grandmaster Nightfalls and dungeons. Each raid is packed with various encounters, ranging from tricky puzzles that demand tight teamwork to intense boss fights where everyone needs to dish out severe damage.

Bungie has released several raids since the launch of Destiny 2, beginning with the Leviathan raid in the game's first year and continuing with the current release of Crota's End in the Season of the Wish.  Each raid has its difficulty level, and Guardians' expectations have varied. Some raids have become fan favorites among PvE fans, while others have received criticism for lack of challenge and rewards. Every raid has its armor and weapons set, as well as an exotic weapon that drops randomly on the completion of the raid.

What are the best raids in Destiny 2?

Let's discuss the best seven raids in Destiny 2 with their exotic weapons and difficulty levels and see which is the best.

7. Vault of Glass

The Vault of Glass was the first raid introduced in the Destiny universe and was reintroduced into Destiny 2 with new mechanics and rewards to fit the current game's ecosystem. The raid takes place on Venus in the Ishtar Sink, with players venturing into the depths of a Vex stronghold to prevent the Vex from gaining dominion over time and space. Although many veteran players enjoyed the reintroduction of the raid into Destiny 2, some criticized Bungie for repetitive content. 

The raid has six main encounters. These include opening the gate to the Vault, confronting the Templar and its oracles, navigating the Gorgon's Labyrinth, crossing the jumping puzzle, and finally, battling Atheon, Time's Conflux. There were minor changes to the original mechanics that were easy to master. 

Vault of Glass offers some unique weapons like Fatebringer and Vex Mythoclast. You can also complete this raid on the master difficulty to get adept weapons.

Vault of Glass Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Root of Nightmares

Root of Nightmares was released as part of the recent DLC for the game Lightfall. The raid is in an eye-catching arena, and guardians were delighted to see the unique encounter designs. The raid received some criticism due to the easy encounters and repetitive mechanics applied throughout the raid. 

The raid contains four primary confrontations. The first encounter, Cataclysm, features Psions and Tormentors, while the second, Scission, focuses on connecting nodes and traversing gaps. The third encounter involves a boss fight with Macrocosm, Zo'Aurc, the Explicator of Planets, and ultimately Nezarec, the God of Pain. The raid's overall difficulty is low, and after you've mastered the basics, you only need teamwork to defeat it.

The Root of Nightmares has some decent loot as well. Nessa's Oblation, Koraxis's Distress, Briar's Contempt, and Rufus's Fury thrive in specific settings. The root of Nightmares also includes one of Destiny 2's most powerful exotic weapons, Conditional Finality.

Root of Nightmares Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Corata’s End

Crota's End is another classic raid brought back into the game in season 22. It was commonly called a six-man strike in Destiny 1 because of its low difficulty level. Bungie has altered the raid mechanics in Destiny 2 to improve its difficulty level, and it is now an enjoyable experience with your fire team. The Crota's End raid occurs in the depths of the Hellmouth on the Moon. This location is a massive fortress filled with dark tunnels, abyssal pits, and ancient hive rituals.

Crota's End is another short raid with only four main encounters. The encounters include The Abyss, The Oversoul Throne Bridge, Ir Yut, the Deathsinger, and Crota, Son of Oryx. Two of these encounters are DPS, while the remaining two are puzzles that need teamwork. Overall, the raid is somewhat tricky, and once you're familiar with the basics, you can finish it efficiently.

Crota's End loot is decent, and the armor brings back memories of Destiny 1. You may tackle the raid on Master difficulty to obtain adept weapons and rewards. The exotic weapon from the raid, the Nechrocasm auto rifle, is excellent in PvP and can be obtained via a quest after completing the raid.

Corata’s End Difficulty Level: Moderate

4. King’s Fall

The King's Fall raid revamps the iconic raid that first appeared in Destiny 1. Bungie reintroduced the raid to players in Destiny 2's Season of the Plunder. With its reappearance, the raid received positive changes to the mechanics of its encounters, which improved the overall experience. In King's Fall, Players navigate through the Dreadnaught, the massive hive ship, to face the mighty Oryx, the Hive King.

King's Fall is a big raid and consists of 6 main encounters. The raid, like the original, begins with the opening of the door and continues with the Annihilator Totems encounter. The subsequent encounter is a boss fight with the Warpriest, followed by the boss battle with Golgoroth. After defeating Golgoroth, you will face the Daughters of Oryx and the final boss, Oryx, the Taken King.

King’s Fall loot is disappointing, with no reprised rolls for weapons. The reprised raid was expected to feature improved weapons. The exotic in the raid Touch of Malice is unimpressive and did not enter the meta. Overall, the raid experience is enjoyable and worth playing.

King’s Fall Difficulty Level: Average

3. Garden of Salvation

The Garden of Salvation appeared alongside the Shadowkeep DLC in 2019. This raid takes place in the Black Garden, a mysterious and well-known location in the Destiny universe that is home to the Vex and closely linked to the Darkness. The Garden of Salvation boasted one of the most beautiful raid venues, and the Black Garden's visuals still appeal to the eye today. The raid's aesthetic combines natural beauty and alien technology, creating a distinct mood.

In terms of encounters, this is the shortest raid on our list. The raid features four key encounters. You start by evading The Consecrated Mind, then summoning The Consecrated Mind in the second encounter, defeating The Consecrated Mind in the third encounter, and eventually fighting The Sanctified Mind as the final boss of the raid. The raid's mechanics center around anchoring the cubes, and if you learn the concept, you will see it used in almost every encounter. The final boss fight is complex and requires absolute team collaboration.

Garden of Salvation provides decent loot. The weapons and armor are not particularly impressive; however, the raid provided the first raid exotic via a raid quest. You could get the trace rifle Divinity during the raid by completing a specific puzzle mission. Divinity is one of the best trace rifles in the game, and its grind is entirely worth it.

Garden of Salvation Difficulty Level: Average

2. Vow of The Disciple

Witchqueen is among the best DLC Bungie has offered to their player base. It provided everything from an engaging campaign to a challenging and enjoyable raid. This raid, set within the wreckage of a Pyramid ship in the swamps of Savathûn's Throne World, challenges players to confront the mysteries and horrors that lie within, fighting the Lucent Brood and finding secrets about the Witness and the roots of the Hive's power.

Vow of the Disciple had fewer encounters than the other raids on the list. The game features five key encounters: Payload, Acquisition, The Caretaker, The Upended, and the final boss, Rhulk, Disciple of the Witness. The raid's mechanics revolved around many signs frequently needed in encounters to solve puzzles and enable the DPS phase in boss fights. The guardians found the raid's atmosphere and enemies hard and enjoyable.

The Vow of the Disciple raid included an incredible armor set and some of the game's strongest weapons. The exotic pulse rifle from the raid Collective Obligation received little attention because its exotic perk was PvE-focused. Overall, the loot quality was excellent.

Vow of The Disciple Difficulty Level: Hard

1. Last Wish

Last Wish is one of Destiny 2's longest and most difficult raids. It was released alongside the Forsaken DLC in 2018. Forsaken DLC is recognized as the best DLC in the game to date, and the raid was entirely up to par. Last Wish takes place in the Dreaming City, a magnificent and enigmatic environment that the Awoken calls home. It is an essential component of the "Destiny 2" lore, closely linked to the story of the Awoken and the curse that haunts the Dreaming City.

Last Wish features six main encounters: Kalli, the Corrupted, Shuro Chi, the Corrupted, Morgeth, the Spirekeeper, Vault, Riven of a Thousand Voices, and Riven's Heart. Each encounter has its mechanics, and no two encounters use identical ones. That is why it is the most exciting raid to date. The Riven encounter is regarded as one of the most complicated and sophisticated boss battles in the "Destiny" franchise. 

The raid's weapons and armor sets are excellent, but what draws guardians to it is the exotic fusion rifle One Thousand Voices, which remains one of the best fusion rifles in the game.

Last Wish Difficulty Level: Very Hard

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