Who Won the Salvation’s Edge Raid World First Race in Destiny 2?

It’s time, Guardian. For ten years, you have harnessed the awesome power of the Light and a little speck of Darkness to battle your enemies in Destiny 2. The Salvation’s Edge Raid will see the best players in the world take on the Bungie Raid design team in a battle of wits.

The World’s First Race in Destiny 2 sees dedicated teams from all around the world get up too early or stay up too late to take on Bungie’s premier challenge, a new Raid. Special rules apply, making it a tougher task than usual for the first 48 hours, and winners go down in history as being pretty okay at the game.

Who Is Winning the Salvation’s Edge World First Race

• 07:15 CT – a new 12 player mode called Excision has just gone live in the game!
• 07:13 CT – Team Parabellum consisting of Tyraxe, Astro, bravo, DrakathShadow, Ham, and Jake appears to have wrapped it up. Love it when a team just comes out of nowhere and gets it done.

• 07:10 CT – So, it looks like a player called Tyraxe is a member of the first team to finish it. Bungie are now verifying the finish.

• 07:08 CT – Rumors abound that someone has finished the Raid, but it’s all very confusing right now. It appears a team may have completed who were not streaming.
• 06:51 CT – And there we have it, the Salvation’s Edge Raid is now the longest Raid in Destiny 2 history, as far as I can tell. It has surpassed The Last Wish, and taken the crown.

• 06:38 CT – Salt went black screen while I was making a sandwich (a man has gotta eat, folks) so it looks like he is also getting closer. Teams are obviously starting to figure things out, or just play the psychological game of wanting to look like they are.
• 06:19 CT – Datta has also gone dark. Something is brewing!
• 06:07 CT – All The Players has gone dark, which means they are making progress that they want to hide for fear of helping other players.
• 06:02 CT – Pretty much down to the four groups and everyone else is hard stuck in the White Room puzzle. This final section is really interesting. The Witness hands keep spawning in, we have those terrifying bursts of energy bursting across the area. It’s very busy, and must be quite difficult to survive while also trying to gather new information each run. We also have a tweet from Bungie Help, below, for those who complete it.

• 05:16 CT – Lots of streams coming back on with video now. It seems like Salt hoovered up enough viewers while showing his gameplay that everyone else started to worry. Winning World’s First is nice, but business is business!
• 05:11 CT – WispGT is at the final encounter with The Witness and is both showing gameplay and audio.
• 05:02 CT – All The Players is back showing his screen, but I don’t now how long that will be for.
• 04:40 CT – I predict that we are gonna see teams get stuck on the boss fight for a couple of hours. There is little movement going yet, and it seems that Bungie will have given this guy a pretty evil Final Stand mechanic.

• 04:30 CT – So more and more teams are starting to stack up at the Witness. Elysium, Math Class, Luminosity, Hard in the Paint are all there.
• 03:53 CT – Saltagreppo is streaming gameplay, which is great. Looks to be the same four teams sin the final encounter. Or at least, I assume it is the final encounter.
• 03:36 CT – A little note here, is that we ARE expecting a world state change and some new content to open when this is over. So, the fun begins for us normal folks when the contest is decided.

• 03:34 CT – Salt and crew are now through. They are showing the traversal, but I have no idea if they will show the boss fight. If they are willing to trade the belts for subs, Salt could make his next 20 mortgage payments in subs.
• 03:29 CT – So I guess we are just hanging out looking at blank screens now until someone wins, but I’ll keep y’all updated on who is making it through to the final encounter. ATP is there, Datto is there, and Rumomax is there. Those are the ones I can guarantee. Rumomax is at least showing the Witness’s healthbar.
• 03:14 CT – Datto is actually showing some gameplay on Stream. GOAT.
• 03:10 CT – Honestly, Datto getting his world first in this Raid would be very poetic, so hopefully it happens for him.
• 03:08 CT – Datto and MC have just cleared the fourth! Gonna be ignoring the Gigz thing for now as I cannot tell what it happening on that stream and nobody else seems to know either.
• 03:00 CT – Someone in ATP chat said that Gigz has made it to the final encounter now. He is currently on intermission, so I cannot confirm that just yet.

• 02:54 CT – So far, still just ATP at the final, Datto and Math Class keep falling apart right at the end of the fourth encounter, but are doing great work. ATP getting kinda salty with people “watching” his stream. We can’t see the game, or hear comms, just wind and occasional gunfire. I understand it to a point, he and his folks are trying to win a race, but if he is going to hide what he can see from the world, then it feels like a good idea to just ignore chat, because it’s gonna get messy in there.
• 02:38 CT – So about 8 hours ago, I said that Math Class always rallies, and it looks like they might be next to finish the fourth encounter and move on to what we currently assume is the final boss.

• 02:26 CT – This is a clip of what ATP’s team saw after the encounter, so it really looks like they are in the fifth and final stage. It’s been an oddly structure Raid, more puzzle-focused than boss-focused. Which think somewhat suits the Witness, who has spent some of his “squad cards” in other Raids.
• 02:21 CT – I honestly think the community will react better to another Salt win than it will if ATP wins without actually showing the gameplay live. I honestly have no idea how I feel about it. Yeah, it’s a bummer that the team in first is basically hiding 90% of their gameplay, but I understand the (sword) logic of it.

• 02:16 CT – Incredible stuff, ATP is through! The fourth encounter is now down! After 14 hours the Raid progresses some more.
• 02:00 CT – so it looks like All The Players is doing something to progress the puzzle room, but is basically broadcasting audio-only at points, so keep that in mind. He has just promised a 10 minute timeline to a completion, so lets see what happens.
• 01:49 CT – I have just seen an absolutely incredible theory by Redditor Surca_Cirvive. He seems to think that this room is an extension of the idea that the Witness offers people what they want and has now trapped the players in an eternal Raid. The community has always wished for tougher and tougher Raids, and here we are. He thinks the room they are in is not the real encounter and that the flashes of the “other” room people can see is reality. They need to figure out HOW to turn away from the promise of the room in order to proceed. Super fun theory, Destiny fans are always so great at having fun with this stuff.

• 01:46 CT – I’m not sure why I forgot to mention this before, but I have been using twitchtheater.tv to watch multiple streams at the same time, which is incredibly useful during these races.
• 01:26 CT – So, getting myself up to speed, I’ve got Datto, Aztecross, Salt, Gladd, Newo, Boop, and Soto groups all working on the stall room in the fourth encounter. So, even people who got hardstuck on the first encounter have been able to make it here, but can they make any real progress?
• 01:22 CT – Seeing some concerned reactions to the Raid length online, with people worrying about Bungie needing to step in from some folks on Reddit and Twitter. It’s an interesting sentiment as we are still only about 60% of the way to the longest first completion, which was, I believe, Last Wish at nearly 19 hours. We could very well be dealing with an instance of Bungie just deciding that if nobody finishes within the first 24 hours, that’s just the way it is.
• 01:15 CT – The puzzle room is still puzzling, and unlike me, these hungry Guardians will need to do everything they can to avoid fatigue. This room really has turned into the great equalizer, and it looks like there was no speed that teams could have gotten through the first encounters to give them any advantage here.

• 17:56 CT – Newo, Salt and aTides are at encounter four, but almost zero progress appears to be made. Salt has been there for an hour and a half, and it is just an incredibly obtuse piece of game design. Not many clues on what to do, and not much feedback from the environment. This Raid is brutal so far, absolutely chewing up the teams in a way we haven’t seen for a while, and four encounters deep with just one boss so far.

• 17:39 CT – the famous Math Class vibe is starting to kick in. It’s tough to be in the Raids trying this hard and not getting the progress. They nearly always do a huge rally, however.
• 17:30 CT – Luminous are past the second stage! They are making their way through the Witness’ hideout to the third stage as I type.
• 16:52 CT – More teams are getting through to Encounter 2 with Math Class in there, doing what they can. Salt is still in the white room for Encounter 4, struggling to figure out the mechanics. There is little in there that is similar to what has come before. aTides is still Encounter 3, and most folks are stuck on the first encounter. Starting to see why competition mode is 48 hours this time.
• 16:33 CT – The fourth encounter is crazy looking. An almost pristine white room filled with a mix of creatures and what looks like statues of the players themselves?

• 16:31 CT – And now Elysium has the third encounter in the bag. Who is willing to bet against them winning ANOTHER race?
• 16:17 CT – a player called aTides is in the third encounter! It looks like they just had a triple disconnect, so hopefully that doesn’t mean any kind of server issues are starting up.
• 16:05 CT – So this Raid is turning out to be a huge challenge. Not many teams are past the first encounter, a handful are making progress on the second, and only Salt is on the third encounter.
• 15:36 CT – Salt said they would do it, and do it they did! Encounter 2 is down, so it’s deeper in the Raid. So far, Elysium in the lead and the only team through the boss.

• 15:27 CT – this second encounter is absolutely brutal. You need tremendous healing and damage output, as well as incredible coordination to deal with the mechanics.
• 15:14 CT – Salt and Elysium were so close to a clear, but decided to wipe and restart it. These guys make some incredibly tough calls.
• 14:59 CT – Balance note: The changes to Well of Radiance do not seem to have dented its presence in Raids very much.
• 14:55 CT – Salt, Roen, NAPAinter,Newo, and FreeBoop all look like ones to watch and are battling it out at encounter number two. This fight seems absolutely brutal. Just insane damage output requirements to pull this off.

• 14:48 CT – Yeah, Salt and crew just put in a roughly 50% damage phase, so they are really starting to figure out what they want to do.
• 14:44 CT – Salt got a good run, but they seemed to choose to wipe. It looks like they are figuring things out and new something wasn’t optimal.
• 14:43 CT – NA Painter and his team are through and appear to have gotten a good damage run at the boss.
• 14:34 CT – Roen and Hard in the Paint, winners of the Root of Nightmares race, are through to the second encounter.

• 14:27 CT – Datto, Aztecross, Gothalion, GernarderJake, and just about every streamer you can think of are still on the first encounter. That is definitely a tough one.
• 14:13 CT – So it looks like Salt and Newo are the two best folks to watch for the second encounter. There are a couple of more groups on it but the tactics appear to be coming together for these two. It’s in the very early stages of getting a plan together, but Newo appears to have worked out a stun mechanic.
• 14:08 CT – Okay, there are a few more teams on this encounter now, and it looks like a timer is just counting down, and when that timer hits zero, it’s done; you are all dead. It looks like you get called into a slowly stacking-up fight against the boss, similar to the Oryx encounter in King’s Fall?
• 13:59 CT – A Taniks reference in the Raid? Thanks Bungie!

• 13:53 CT – The first boss fight is here, the Herald of Finality at the second encounter is officially the Salvation’s Edge Raid first boss fight. It will be interesting to see how much of this is locked behind mechanics, because Elysium is hard to beat in a straight up DPS race.
• 13:49 CT – Outta the blue on this one, streamer Newo is through to the second encounter! Salt is very close to finishing the second, as is Luminous!
• 13:38 CT – Oh my god! Salt’s team was about three seconds away from ending it, and they go wiped by the timer! That is heartbreaking, but almost guarantees them a completion next because that team is incredibly good at getting progress each time.

• 13:31 CT – They were so close, but died very late in what appears to be the final rotation. Gutted for them.
• 13:23 CT – It definitely looks like Salt’s crew are on the final rotation of the first encounter, so we’ll potentially see our first progression within the Raid.
• 13:18 CT – Oh my. Looks like Salt and co are getting close.
• 12:58 CT – Okay. Datto and Math Class are definitely making some progress and seem to have a bit more figured out than most. It is honestly tough to tell at this point, as all teams are secretive and don’t want to openly discuss mechanics too much. As far as I can tell, the plates on the floor can be activated in an unknown sequence to grant buffs, and those buffs then allow damage to be done to a massive Witness hand reaching down through the roof.

• 12:41 CT – The teams have largely settled into the first room, figuring out the various mechanics. Damage seems really interesting, with players both taking and putting out plenty of damage and lots of enemies to contend with.
• 12:33 CT – Datto’s team are really starting to put things together now. All the teams are being smart and talking about solutions off-mic already. You don’t want to give the game away to anyone watching.
• 12:20 CT – Datto’s team is working on the theory that killing Champions is vital, and they appear to be correct. So, far, I would say his team is figuring stuff out a little faster than most, but Datto and crew always have a strong start before the fatigue starts to set in.
• 12:16 CT – If you head to the Impasse and look at the massive monolith where the Witness is, and where the Raid is taking place, I don’t remember it glowing like that before. Huh!

• 12:10 CT – Teams are facing their first challenge and need to figure out how to activate a bunch of arcane machines that seems to be connected in order to move forward. “Operate Inscrutable MAchinery” is the command, so let’s see how people do.
• 12:06 CT – The Raid starts the way I really hoped it would, with a challenge to even figure out where to go. I have noticed people are already taking a lot of damage, so this could be a very interesting race.
• 12:01 CT – People are loading in! It’s go time! The Raid begins with the Witness talking smack, so I am looking forward to some of the team clapping him pretty hard.
• 11:53 CT – It is almost time. Lots of Raiders are getting ready to rumble. Many of them are taking short breaks, but we are just about to kick off. Things will be slow to start as people get through earlier encounters, but this will be a fun time.

• Datto
• KingGothalion
• Mactics
• Sweatcicle
• Saltagreppo
• Aztecross
• Gladd
• GsxrClyde
• GernaderJake
• IFrostBolt
• Mr. Fruit

The Raid will not start until 10 AM PT on June 7. When it does, I will be watching about 16 streams at once, keeping an eye on all the front runners and reporting what is happening here as best I can. Be sure to check back for a live blog on who is winning and some commentary on what is happening.

Until then, read all the Raid and Contest Mode details below because things are a little different this time.

Contest Mode Rules and Details

People who wish to compete in the Raid and lead a Fireteam will need to finish the Campaign and the Wild Card Exotic Quest.

Completion Criteria

• We have changed the way we will track and recognize the World First completion of the raid. Fireteams will no longer be required to return to orbit to finish the race. The first fireteam to finish every encounter and loot the final chest will be declared World First and have their victory immortalized with Salvations’ Edge World First raid belts.

Disabled Items List

Here’s the list of armor, perks, and Fragments that will be disabled for the raid until server reset on June 11. Please ensure the builds you’re planning account for the following being disabled:

Armor

• Lucky Pants

Perks

• Cascade Point
• Magnificent Howl

Fragments

• Facet of Command
  • This will be re-enabled on June 9 after Contest Mode has ended.

Please note that players will not be prevented from equipping disabled Fragments or items with disabled perks, but the effects will not work when in the raid during the disabled time frames listed above. Additional entries may be added as we approach the raid launch. Please visit the Disabled Items List to get the most up-to-date list as you prepare for the raid.