Summary
Destiny 2’s latest expansion, The Final Shape, satisfyingly wraps up a ten-year story arc that began in 2014 with the release of Destiny.The Final Shape’s campaignsees players in full pursuit of the Witness as they enter the Traveler with the intent of enacting the final shape and bringing everything to an end. The story is full of emotional highs and lows, plenty of deep character development for Destiny’s most established characters, and engaging encounters meant to keep players on their toes — especially those who enjoy it on Legendary difficulty.
While The Final Shape’s campaign ends in a confrontation with the Witness, there is arguably nothing compared to the showdown with the Witness that occurs during the new Salvation’s Edge raid that launched just a few days after the expansion’s release. As one of the biggest activities in the last ten years due to its final encounter, as well as the poor reception of Lightfall’s raid, Root of Nightmares, Salvation’s Edge had a lot riding on it. Fortunately, it has paid off in many ways, serving as the best wayDestiny 2could have brought the franchise’s original story to an end and kept its promise to bring players face-to-face with the ultimate antagonist.
Destiny 2’s Salvation’s Edge Raid Is the Ultimate End to a Ten-Year Story
The Salvation’s Edge raid was supposed to be an epic fight againstDestiny’s overarching antagonist, so it had to be difficult. If it ended up being as easy asRoot of Nightmares, which had more completions on the first day of its release than any other raid inDestinyhistory, there would have been outrage from the community. If it was meant to be the fight against the most powerful being in theDestinyuniverse, Bungie needed to ensure that the fight was difficult. As it turns out, to say Salvation’s Edge is difficult is an understatement, as it presents the greatest challenge ever to come toDestiny.
When the race toWorld’s First for Salvation’s Edgebegan on June 7, no one knew what to expect going into it. On the other hand, it might be safe to say that many fans were expecting it to be another easy raid like Root of Nightmares. Root of Nightmares was the last raid before The Final Shape, released shortly after the debut of the Lightfall expansion, and it has long been criticized for its overwhelming accessibility. Specifically, Root of Nightmares not only had the most day-one completions of anyDestiny 2raid but was even completed by a solo player with zero deaths.
As such, some players who felt they had been burned by such an easy raid fully expected Salvation’s Edge to be the same story.
Salvation’s Edge is so difficult that it ended up beingDestiny 2’s longest raid to date, taking the first team to complete it, Parabellum, a total of 19 hours. While this was only just over the former longest raid,Destiny 2’s Last Wish, which took 18 hours and 49 minutes, it was still longer and therefore more difficult. Parabellum wasn’t streaming their run of it, but many content creators who were streaming eventually hid their screens from viewers to ensure no one stole their strategy for an advantage in this race. This ended up causing controversy among viewers, as many believed it stole from the joy of being able to witness the World’s First race.
All in all, The Final Shape’s Salvation’s Edge raid is the ultimate end to a ten-year story, providing a challenge that was worthy of the series' overarching antagonist,the Witness. Being the longest raid to date, even to the point of some streamers hiding their progress from viewers, Salvation’s Edge successfully makes up for the Root of Nightmares fiasco and brings the decade-long saga to a satisfying conclusion.
Destiny 2
WHERE TO PLAY
Dive into the world of Destiny 2 to explore the mysteries of the solar system and experience responsive first-person shooter combat. Unlock powerful elemental abilities and collect unique gear to customize your Guardian’s look and playstyle. Enjoy Destiny 2’s cinematic story, challenging co-op missions, and a variety of PvP modes alone or with friends. Download for free today and write your legend in the stars.An Immersive StoryYou are a Guardian, defender of the Last City of humanity in a solar system under siege by infamous villains. Look to the stars and stand against the darkness. Your legend begins now.Guardian ClassesChoose from the armored Titan, mystic Warlock, or swift Hunter.
