Destiny 2‘s newest raid, The Desert Perpetual, returns with an Epic version next month with Contest Mode, a new update “Not Swap” rule, reward updates, and a World First race.
The Desert Perpetual first launched with Edge of Fate on July 19, 2025, kicking off a 48-hour race that ended with Team Nuts taking World First after around 15 hours. Now, Bungie is expanding the activity with an Epic version as part of the new content structure leading into Ash & Iron, the first major update arriving alongside Destiny 2 Update 9.1.0.
The Desert Pertual Epic raid promises changes to the encounter mechanics, new Legendary weapons, new armor set bonuses, and a new quest, unlocks attunement at the raid vendor, and grants a catalyst for Whirling Ovation, the raid Exotic.
“Building on the original experience, the epic version introduces new challenges, rewards, and pursuits. Changes to the mechanics of each encounter will test the coordination of your fireteam,” Bungie said in the latest This Week in Destiny blog article. “Complete them to earn new Legendary weapons and new set bonuses on armor drops.”
In this article, we’ll talk about everything you need to know about the Desert Perpetual Epic raid, including the raid race details, the release date and time, Contest mode rules, and more
Destiny 2 Desert Perpetual Epic Raid: Release Date & Start Time
The Desert Perpetual Epic Raid goes live on Saturday, September 20, at 10 AM PT. That is 1 PM ET / 5 PM UTC / 6 PM BST / 7 PM CEST / 9 PM Gulf (Dubai) / 10:30 PM IST / 2 AM JST (Sep 21) / 3 AM AEST (Sep 21).
Desert Perpetual Epic Raid Contest Mode & Raid Race Details
Bungie has confirmed that the Contest Mode will be active for the first 48 hours (from September 20, at 10 AM PT to September 22 at 10 AM PT) for the Desert Perpetual Epic Raid, with a fixed Power disadvantage.
The developer has also confirmed that your first clear of each encounter during Contest drops Tier 5 gear, and clearing all encounters lets you claim an exclusive emblem, the raid Exotic, and its catalyst. Bungie will host the World First broadcast from the studio with creators CbGray and Evanf1997 returning as hosts.
Desert Perpetual Epic Raid Entry Requirements
To enter the Desert Perpetual Epic raid, you’ll need:
- The Edge of Fate campaign completion
- A six-player fireteam.
- The fireteam leader must have cleared the regular Desert Perpetual.
- Once the first team clears the Epic version in Contest, the normal Epic difficulty unlocks for everyone.
Desert Perpetual Epic Raid: Updated “Not Swap” Modifier
For the Desert Perpetual Epic raid, Bungie is adding an updated version of the Not Swap modifier to “keep success in encounters focused on action gameplay and create a level playing field for players across platforms”.
Here’s how the Not Swap modifier will work in this: Changing Exotic/Legendary armor or weapon ammo types will reset your Super and ability energy, wipe Special/Heavy ammo, and remove ammo and orbs on the ground.
This applies throughout Contest Mode and also on standard Epic when three or more Feats are active.
Desert Perpetual Epic Raid: Featured Gear, Seasonal Mods
Artifact “Featured Gear” damage and damage resistance bonuses and Seasonal Mods for featured weapons will be active during the Contest weekend.
“The bonuses to damage and damage resistance granted by the Artifact when using currently Featured Gear will be active this time during the Contest Mode weekend,” the developer said. “Similarly, Seasonal Mods that can be slotted into featured Weapons will be also available during this time.”
Bungie will share the full banned-items list closer to launch. Bungie’s Security team will monitor clears in real time and remove players who are caught using cheats or playing with cheaters: “Don’t cheat and don’t play with cheaters, or you will face the consequences.“
“We want a clean competition. That’s why our Security team will be watching closely, analyzing every encounter and raid completion, to find any player that’s breaking our Terms of Service. We won’t hesitate to remove players during the race and issue bans as needed to defend the integrity of the World First Race.”
Desert Perpetual Epic Raid: Loot Updates, Weekly Challenges & Attunement
With Update 9.1.0, Bungie is making some big changes to the base version of the Desert Perpetual raid. Here’s the list of all the updates the developer shared:
- All Desert Perpetual gear drops at Tier 2 (Standard) or Tier 3 (Epic) regardless of your current Power.
- Completing a full clear adds chances for drops up to +2 above your base Tier; Feats increase those odds.
- Weekly challenges:
- Challenge 1: An extra drop from your first encounter clear each week in either version (regular or epic).
- Challenge 2 (unlocks after Challenge 1): Bonus Epic raid loot.
- Extra reward conditions:
- Clear all encounters in the raid.
- Defeat all three bosses before Koregos for one extra piece of gear.
- Targeted farming (attunement):
- Finish “Map and Compass” and the Epic Raid.
- Visit the Simulant Ansible to attune any previously acquired Desert Perpetual gear and boost its drop chance from any encounter.
And, that’s everything we know about the Desert Perpetual Epic raid in Destiny 2. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments below!
