More People Completed Destiny 2's New Raid In Contest Mode Than Ever Before

With a new World's First team crowned and Contest mode rules over, Destiny 2: Lightfall's Root of Nightmares raid has seen more day one clears than any other raid in Destiny's entire history, combined. A grand total of 354,388 players took part in the new raid according to Destiny Raid Report, and out of all those users, 89,984 players completed the high-level PvE activity in its first 24 hours.

This is a huge leap over the numbers posted for last year's Witch Queen raid Vow of the Disciple, which had 384,441 player attempts with only 5,128 players clearing it. Destiny 2 raids are notoriously challenging as they mix tough combat encounters with unique gameplay mechanics that can wipe your entire team out, and Root of Nightmares was no different. Like several raids before it, the Contest mode rules added capped power levels and banned certain Exotics from being used, to add an extra layer of difficulty to the event. That didn't stop teams from completing the raid and earning some new gear such as an Exotic shotgun that can fire both Stasis and Solar rounds.

In comparison, the lowest number on the list comes from the Forsaken raid, Last Wish, which only saw 12 players clear it within its first 24 hours.

It's worth noting that Root of Nightmares had a 48-hour Contest mode period, double that of the usual first weekend for a raid. With those extra hours, the overall number of accounts that attempted the raid numbered 445,866 and 197,762 of them succeeded in defeating Nezarec, an astonishing success rate of 44.355%. This raid had some devious mysteries and gameplay mechanics to learn, but with each encounter leaning towards a quicker flow of puzzle-solving and a final boss encounter that wasn't a bullet-sponge endurance test, it's clear to see why so many teams were able to complete the Lightfall raid.

The first team that conquered Root of Nightmares, Hard in the Paint (HITP), won not only bragging rights but also some great gear from Bungie, including an actual championship belt. HITP managed to clinch victory in 2 hours and 24 minutes, and for anyone else who completes the raid before March 21, they'll be able to order themselves an exclusive Root of Nightmare jacket if they feel like spending $150.