In just a few short days, the Guardians of Destiny 2 will step foot on Venus once more, and venture into the Vault of Glass. Veteran Guardians may have a general idea of how each of the raid mechanics work, however, there are some changes to the Vault of Glass and some tweaks to how its World’s First Raid Race will change for its return in Destiny 2.
Because Vault of Glass is a returning Destiny Raid, it has already had a World’s First Raid Race, and so Bungie is changing how this second World’s First Vault of Glass Raid Race will work. The goal is to make the Raid Race Challenging as a returning raid, but to also pay respect to the original Fireteam that accomplished World’s First when Vault of Glass originally launched on Destiny in 2014.
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Vault of Glass will launch in Destiny 2 at 10 AM PST on May 22, 2021, and will feature the World’s First Contest Mode for 24 hours, capping Guardians Power Level to 1300 for all encounters. This will make a low bar of entry for Guardians, added to the fact that many Guardians are familiar with the Vault of Glass, this World’s First Raid Race is more accessible than previous World’s First Races.
Guardians looking to take part in the World’s First Raid Race for Vault of Glass in Destiny 2 have some changes to be aware of. Upfront, unlike every World’s First Raid Race previously, this World’s First Race will not finish with the first team to beat Atheon and complete the Vault of Glass. Instead, this will unlock a new Challenge Mode, requiring a second run through the raid.
Completing the Vault of Glass once on Contest Mode in Destiny 2 will unlock a new Challenge Mode in the Director, alongside the Tempo’s Edge Triumphs. Fireteams looking for World’s First will need to complete the Vault of Glass a second time in the new Challenge Mode while completing the Tempo’s Edge curated list of Triumphs. Fireteams can swap members as long as one member claims the Tempo’s Edge Triumph, that Fireteam will be declared the winners.
The first Fireteam that finishes the Challenge Mode of Vault of Glass, loots the final chest, returns to orbit, and claims the Tempo’s Edge Triumph, will claim the World’s First title. For Bungie to enforce the Triumph requirements in the Challenge Mode of Vault of Glass, Fireteams will wipe if they fail the success conditions for each encounter. While the Challenge Mode here is only available for the first 24 hours, Bungie has stated it will add the Challenge modifiers later in the season.
As for the Vault of Glass itself, Bungie has said that it has not changed the core content of Vault of Glass for Destiny 2. However, it has added in some surprises for Veteran Guardians to keep the raid fresh and updated. Bungie has also stated that the story behind Vault of Glass is not changing, which has been met with mixed criticism from Guardians.
While some Guardians may be excited to go back to Venus, they cannot leave the Vault of Glass opening encounter to explore the rest of Venus, and there will not be any wandering Guardians to help with the opening encounter, making the beginning an isolated experience.
Bungie has also announced that for the first 24 hours of the Vault of Glass Raid, the new Destiny 2 Hunter Exotic boots, Star-Eater Scales, will be disabled because of a discovered issue that allows some abilities to do too much damage. This may affect some Hunter’s builds, but ultimately there are plenty of other options for Hunters to use in the Vault of Glass.
When it comes to the Vault of Glass World’s First Destiny 2 rewards, the Fireteam that achieves World’s First will be awarded a Raid Belt with their Guardian name, Clan Name, as well as the name of the Clan who originally won World’s First in 2014, PrimeGuard. This World’s First Raid Belt is in a blue and silver colorway with Atheon’s symbol on either side. While not exclusive to the World’s First Fireteam, they would able be eligible to claim a Vault of Glass Raid Jacket, Ring, Pin, and Art Print from Bungie Rewards.
This World’s First Vault of Glass Race will be interesting this time around as this is the first returning raid in Destiny history, reducing the element of surprise for Guardians entering the raid. Even for Guardians who have never played Destiny 1, there are a lot of guides covering the mechanics of each encounter. The new Challenge Mode will be the determining factor in what Fireteam wins World’s First and claims the title.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.