The highly anticipated “Desert Perpetual” raid has officially launched in Destiny 2, kicking off one of the most exciting events in the game’s calendar: the “World First” race. This challenging competition pits elite Guardian teams against the toughest content, all while under the brutal “Contest Mode” difficulty. While the first finishers will earn coveted bragging rights and a unique emblem, this year’s race is already proving to be anything but straightforward, thanks to a host of surprising last-minute changes and ongoing technical quirks.
Contents
The Ultimate Challenge: Understanding Contest Mode
For those new to Destiny 2, Contest Mode isn’t just a harder difficulty setting; it’s a complete overhaul of how your power level impacts the raid. Essentially, it caps your power, meaning you can’t just over-level to make encounters easier. Instead, strategy, coordination, and raw skill become paramount. This intense mode will remain active for 48 hours, ensuring a true test for all competing teams.
Key Gear Disabled: What Guardians Can’t Use
Just hours before the raid went live, Bungie, Destiny 2‘s developer, announced a list of weapons, armor perks, and mods that would be temporarily disabled. This is a common practice when bugs or unforeseen interactions could break the game’s balance, but it still throws a major wrench into pre-raid strategies.
Here’s a quick rundown of what’s off-limits:
- Exotic Armor Perk: Spirit of the Liar (disabled across all of Destiny 2)
- Weapons: Outbreak Perfected, Third Iteration, Choir of One, Icebreaker, Barrow Dyad, Hierarchy of Needs, Grand Overture
- Armor Mod: Distribution
- Seasonal Weapon Mods and the Temporal Tracker mod
Destiny 2 Guardians navigating a challenging raid encounter in "Desert Perpetual," emphasizing intense gameplay and strategic teamwork.
Why were these specific items pulled? Some, like the new exotic scout rifle Third Iteration, were reportedly dealing an astonishing 150% more damage than intended when equipped with Anti-Barrier mods. Similarly, the Choir of One weapon saw its huge reserves accidentally re-boosted. While the reasons for others like Outbreak Perfected (a common go-to exotic) are less clear, these changes force players to adapt on the fly. For a full, updated list, you can always check Bungie’s official Disabled Items post: Destiny 2 Disabled Items list.
Beyond Gear: Server Strain and Raid Integrity Woes
It’s not just about gear. To help ease server strain during this peak activity, Bungie also disabled bounty and weapon leveling progression specifically for raid kills. While this might seem minor, it directly impacts the efficiency of in-raid progress and prevents any artificial boosts that could destabilize the race.
However, larger concerns about the raid’s integrity linger. Days before the raid, an exploit in the “Encore” exotic mission allowed some players to rapidly farm an immense amount of power level experience, giving them early access to higher-tier gear. While this farm was eventually disabled, the implications for the World First race remain a point of contention. The new power system focuses heavily on boosted damage reduction and high damage with the new tiered gear, meaning any early advantage could be significant.
Technical Glitches and Unforeseen Builds
Adding to the chaos are a series of technical bugs. PlayStation 5 players, for instance, are reporting major sound issues, which can put them at a significant disadvantage in a raid where audio cues are often critical. In-raid glitches are also popping up, from dungeons suddenly killing players to public banners not working, and even issues loading into iconic spaces like the Vault of Glass. These aren’t just minor annoyances; they can severely disrupt a team’s progress and fairness.
Furthermore, the game’s entirely new build system has introduced a wild frontier of player power. Stats now go up to 200, and their benefits have been fundamentally re-worked. This means players are discovering incredibly powerful, and sometimes seemingly “broken,” combinations every few hours. For example, Saltagreppo, a frequent World First winner, has already showcased an “almost unkillable grapple-based Prismatic Hunter build.” Check out their build here: Saltagreppo’s Prismatic Hunter Build. These unexpected, powerful builds aren’t disabled, creating a fascinating dynamic where adaptation and discovery are key.
What Does This Mean for the World First Race?
With disabled items, lingering exploit concerns, technical glitches, and the emergence of unforeseen super-powerful builds, this Destiny 2 raid race is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable yet. Will the eventual winners be those who simply adapted best, or will the ongoing issues overshadow their achievement? It’s a free-for-all, and while it promises exciting viewing, expect the outcome to spark plenty of discussion and debate among the community. It’s a testament to the live-service nature of Destiny 2, where every major release comes with its own set of surprises.
