Destiny has been around for more than half a decade now. Over the years, it has built up a bank of iconic and memorable raid experiences. Let’s go over the best Destiny raids and rank all 14 of them.
Best Destiny Raids of All-Time, Ranked
14. Spire of Stars
Let’s kick this list off by saying Bungie has never put out a trash raid, at least not in our opinion. All the raids here range from good to great, but something has to be last.
Spire of Stars has a single super memorable moment when you are blasted into space and are responsible for blowing up starships, which is awesome. Outside of that, you spend most of your time playing a glorified game of hot potato.
13. Eater of Worlds
Eater of Worlds is similar to Spire of Stars where it lacks some of the truly memorable moments that the rest of the raids on this list have. However, its key mechanic, everyone working together to break Argos’ barrier, even to this day is a satisfying encounter that strikes a balance of being challenging but not overly complex just for the sake of it.
12. Crota’s End
Crota’s End was a buggy mess, but it was our buggy mess. The first new raid to come after the very first Destiny raid ever, Vault of Glass, Crota’s End had extra pressure on it. It sadly did not live up to the expectation of its excellent predecessor. There were so many cheeses that so many people didn’t even know how you were actually supposed to clear sections of it, including the infamous ethernet cord pull trick.
Also, the final encounter with Crota was mostly a lot of just watching one person do a lot of the work while the rest of the group huddled in a corner firing rockets from across the map. Admittedly though, the beginning where you navigate in the dark with Thrall was epic.
11. Crown of Sorrow
Crown of Sorrows to this day is by far the most jam-packed and challenging mini-raid (three or less combat encounters). It masterfully introduces each mechanic piece by piece before smashing them all together into one very stressful, but satisfying final encounter with Gahlran.
That said, it also has one of the most extended opening encounters in Destiny history, which greatly hinders the experience. The loot wasn’t super enticing either, aside from the Exotic SMG, Tarrabah, which sees a lot of use in PvP even today.
10. Scourge of the Past
Both Scourge of the Past and Crown of Sorrow are great mini-raids, but we give the slight edge to SOTP because of how wide-open and fast-paced it feels and also its unique and memorable encounters.
Over the course of a fresh Scourge of the Past run you’ll be hopping around buildings in the Last City, racing a Servitor on your sparrow, and hopping in tanks to blow up a massive Fallen mech. All of it was and still is awesome, just remember to always CAP!
9. Leviathan
Ah yes, the Leviathan, our first introduction to everyone’s favorite Cabal leader, Emperor Calus. It would be our first taste of the high-life on the Leviathan but it definitely would not be our last.
Leviathan is a tight raid experience, with four rotating encounters which always culminate into the final battle versus Calus. Each encounter is distinct mechanically and polished, and it makes for a raid that is challenging, but doesn’t drag on forever. It can, however, be a bit glitchy which holds it back a bit.
It will also cause you to blurt out a random assortment of words that will make people in your house around you think you’re losing your mind (Axes, Dog, Cup!)
8. Vault of Glass
The original, the OG, the very first Destiny raid. Vault of Glass might have been a flawed experience in the sense that Bungie was still learning the hard way that players will find any loophole they can to cheese, but even in spite of that, every encounter from start to finish was memorable.
Between the dash to kill all the Oracles, the first of many jumping puzzles, navigating the terrifying Gorgon maze, and weaving in and out of time to unite behind the relic to defeat Atheon, Vault of Glass is a classic for good reason.
7. Garden of Salvation
Garden of Salvation (GoS), released in Shadowkeep is solid and among the best. For starters, the Black Garden is gorgeous and returning to it for the first time in years was a memorable call back to any Destiny 1 player.
What made Garden of Salvation stand out most though is how differently it plays compared to every other raid in Destiny 2. Some raids are known for being mechanic-heavy, while others favor combat. Then you have GoS. It perfectly blends together mechanics, teamwork, and FPS skills without having to go over-the-top in any of those categories.
It’s also extremely mobile and often takes place over a large area. Teams need to work together with their direct partners while also keeping in touch with other fireteam members that are working on something else, somewhere else. There’s freedom to fix mistakes and not every little mess-up leads to a wipe which is a welcome change compared to most Destiny 2 raids.
Finally, Garden of Salvation introduces mechanics throughout the course of the raid but doesn’t beat you over the head with them by making them the sole focus. In the end though, similar to Crown of Sorrows, you’ll need to put everything together if you want to come out on top.
6. Vow of the Disciple
Vow of the Disciple released shortly after The Witch Queen DLC had launched, and it’s safe to say it took the community by storm. For the first time ever we would properly be able to explore inside a Pyramid ship, and what we found inside was jaw-dropping.
After completing the first encounter, players were met with the power source of the mysterious ship, a trapped Hive Worm God, which was being used like a battery to power up the final boss of the Raid, Rhulk, the first disciple of the Witness.
Rhulk was unlike any boss we have ever seen in the Destiny franchise, as he wasted no time literally kicking Guardians to their deaths, and the player base loved him. Hopefully, we will see another boss like him in a future raid. (Spoilers: we do.)
5. Root of Nightmares
The newest raid added to the collection from the Lightfall DLC, the Root of Nightmares raid smashes its way into the top five. While it’s currently facing a lot of controversy about being “too easy” to complete, the raid itself is by far one of the best locations in franchise history in terms of pure visuals.
While we traverse through another Pyramid ship, we get to see the aftermath of the Traveler’s light beam attack on the ship, and it’s safe to say it’s almost breathtaking. As we continue to scale the ship, we venture into the planetarium room we saw during The Witness’s reveal cutscene, and Bungie did it justice by turning it into one of the best raid encounters the game has to offer.
Last but not least, we come face to face with yet another disciple of The Witness, Nezarec, the “Final God of Pain,” as he is described. Nezarec’s fight is brief but extremely chaotic, and unlike Rhulk, he doesn’t allow you to catch your breath, as he will personally jump down from his pedestal to smash you with his giant hammer. Simply put, he’s a more aggressive version of Rhulk, giving him extra points in my book.
4. Wrath of the Machine
Wrath of the Machine, at least to me, always kind of feels like the forgotten Destiny 1 raid. It’s probably because it came out towards the end of the game’s life, but it’s definitely ‘top five in the whole series’ material.
It got players out of dusty old ships, tombs, and vaults, and out into the cold open-air area of Old Russia which for the time was a very refreshing change of pace.
It was also far more mobile than any of the other Destiny 1 raids, too. Between running around in the first encounter to get voltage, or of course running the Zamboni of death, the Siege Engine, which to this day is still probably the most badass and most memorable encounter in Destiny history overshadowing even its excellent final boss, Aksis.
3. Deep Stone Crypt
Deep Stone Crypt put the Fallen back in the raid spotlight for the first time since Destiny 1. The Fallen come back with authority and are responsible for quite a few memorable battles and even a surprise trip into space.
From traveling to a space station where we meet one of our old foes, Taniks, to crashing back down to Europa, where we started the raid, it’s one heck of a ride.
Deep Stone Crypt is arguably the most cinematic experience in Destiny raid history with lots of jaw-dropping moments. While it may not have the most challenging boss fights ever, it’s still a very fun raid.
2. King’s Fall
King’s Fall is still one of the best Destiny raid experiences due in large part to it having by far the most memorable final boss encounter: the most menacing and capable Destiny villain to date: Oryx, the Taken King himself.
The Leviathan tried to be as interesting of a space to explore but it comes up short compared to Oryx’s Dreadnaught, the most immersive area in the Destiny series.
King’s Fall featured some of the most challenging, but satisfying jumping puzzles (the tomb ship jumps were always good for a laugh), and every battle encounter leading up to Oryx: The War Priest, Golgoroth, and the Daughters are memorable, challenging, and also fairly balanced.
Of course, Oryx rewards players that can spin all of the plates with the most iconic final stand and kill in Destiny history: everyone ripping into an extremely pissed off Oryx and sending him flying into Saturn, killing him once and for all.
1. Last Wish
Last Wish is, without a doubt, the most beautiful raid in Destiny history. Taking place in The Dreaming City, the contrast between the Taken and this Awoken paradise is a feast for the eyes.
Not only that, but Last Wish still holds onto the title of the longest and arguably the most complex and difficult raid (without cheesing) in Destiny history.
Last Wish has six combat encounters, with the final battle with Riven being separated into two parts. The mechanics only build on each other a little, so players need to know how to do six different fights, all of which are very mechanically heavy.
Last Wish is certainly Bungie and Destiny 2’s most ambitious raid. Its soundtrack and visuals, though, are top-notch, no question about that, and Queen’s Walk is arguably the most exhilarating few minutes in any Destiny raid ever. The Final Shape’s raid will really have to step it up to de-throne Last Wish, as it’s clear it isn’t leaving the top spot anytime soon.
What is your favorite Destiny raid? Disagree with our ranking of the best Destiny raids? Let us know in the comments below.
