Everything we know about the upcoming Destiny 2 Vow of the Disciple raid

Destiny 2 Witch Queen Gear LargeSource: Bungie

With the release of The Witch Queen, a large portion of the Destiny 2 fanbase will have set their sights on attempting to complete the Vow of the Disciple on the day it releases. The raid of any expansion is seen as a focal point of the grind. It challenges players to push their limits in a bid to push their Power level as high as they can ahead of its release and demands that a group of six Guardians can communicate effectively while taking on one of the hardest challenges available.

As such, players will need to be prepared. That’s why this article will cover everything you need to know about The Witch Queen’s raid, how to prepare for it, and when it will be released in your timezone.

When can I play The Witch Queen’s Raid, the Vow of the Disciple?

The Vow of the Disciple will be released on March 5 at 6 p.m. UTC. Check the table below to find out exactly when that is in your timezone.

Region Local time UTC
Australia 5 a.m. (AEDT) March 6, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
Brazil 3 p.m. (BRT), March 5, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
China 2 a.m. (CST), March 6, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
Columbia 1 p.m. (COT), March 5, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
Egypt 8 p.m. (EET), March 5 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
France 7 p.m. (CET), March 5, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
Japan 3 a.m. (JST), March 6, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
Mexico Midnight (CST), March 5, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
New Zealand 7 a.m. (NZDT), March 6, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
Poland Midnight (CET), March 5, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
Russia 9 p.m. (MSK), March 5, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
Saudi Arabia 9 p.m. (AST), March 5, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
Singapore 2 a.m. (SGT), March 6, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
South Africa 8 p.m. (SAST), March 5, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
South Korea 3 a.m. (KST), March 6, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
United Arab Emirates 10 p.m. (GST), March 5, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
United Kingdom 7 p.m. (GMT), March 5, 2022 6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022
United States 10am, (PST), March 5, 2022
Midnight (CST), March 5, 2022
1 p.m. (EST), March 5, 2022
6 p.m. UTC, March 5, 2022

What is Contest Mode in The Vow of the Disciple?

Destiny 2 Witch Queen Throneworld Freeroam

Source: Bungie

Back in January, Bungie promised more details on what Contest Mode would look like for Vow of the Disciple and… we are still patiently awaiting more information. Historically, Contest Mode would impose a strict cap on all players’ Power Level within the raid for its first 24 hours, even if they were already about that Power Level, making it that bit more challenging. In previous seasons, this cap has been enforced at about 20-40 Power Levels below the recommended Power Level for each encounter.

On top of this, previously, The Vault of Glass had an additional day one modifier to unlock the Tempo’s Edge Triumph. After the initial completion on Day One, Guardians unlocked the ability to attempt the Vault of Glass again with a series of challenges activated. To be considered for the World’s First completion, players needed to complete this mode on top of the already gruelling onslaught of the Contest Mode Vault of Glass.

What Power Level should I be to complete The Vow of the Disciple?

Destiny 2 Witch Queen Gear Large

Source: Bungie

Just like Contest Mode, Bungie is still remaining tight-lipped about the required Power Level for Vow of the Disciple, but there are some trends for raids that might give an indication.

For the Vault of Glass, which launched in the Season of the Splicer, Contest Mode imposed a limit of 1300. This was 20 Power Levels below the Hard Cap for that season. The trend is also similar for the Deep Stone Crypt, which launched with the release of Beyond Light and the Season of the Hunt. Deep Stone Crypt was limited to 1230 Power Level and was 30 below the Hard Cap. Similar can be said for Shadowkeep and the launch of Garden of Salvation, which had a Contest Mode restriction of 920 Power Level when the Season of the Undying’s Hard Cap was 960.

So, if we were to make a rough guess based on these trends, you can expect the Contest Mode for the Vow of the Disciple to fall anywhere around 1520-1540 Power Level. Given that it is not yet confirmed, it would be safer to aim for as high a Power Level as possible due to the Legendary Campaign providing anyone who completes it with a full set of 1520 gear.

What enemies are in the Vow of the Disciple?

Destiny 2 Witch Queen Savathun

Source: Bungie

Bungie’s cards are still firmly placed against its chest, but there is a lot more information in the wild about the core enemy types that you can expect in The Witch Queen, which extends to the Vow of the Disciple. The two main enemy types appear to be the Scorn and the Hive.

While we know that Hive Guardians exist, it’s not clear how they will interact with the raid. However, we do know that these enemies need to have their Ghosts executed to prevent any resurrection. Couple this with Ogres, Thrall, Hive Knights, and Acolytes and you’ll soon be overwhelmed with arc shields, solar damage, void damage, and potentially some Barrier Knights or Unstoppable Ogres.

Then you have the Scorn. We know a lot about the Scorn already thanks to the countless times we have all run the Corrupted Lair Nightfall Strike. This means that you might have to run gauntlets of Screebs, stand off against Unstoppable Abominations, take care of Overload Chieftains, as well as defeating the usual riff raff of Stalkers, Ravagers, Wraiths, Raiders, and Lurkers – not to mention those big ol’ Scorn Walkers they seem to have procured.

How do I prepare for the Vow of the Disciple?

Destiny 2 The Witch Queen

Source: Bungie

There’s a lot of prep that goes into a raid, from choosing the right weapons to making sure your team can tackle anything that comes at them. To keep it brief, we’ve curated a list of known beneficial strategies and tips to make sure you get ahead when it comes to preparation:

Level your weapons up

Bungie has already highlighted that crafted weapons have an intrinsic level that will allow you to unlock further perks. It might be that these improved perks will benefit your team in the long run when it comes to eking out a bit of extra damage or dealing with particular enemies.

Create a flexible fireteam

While it’s well known that the majority of classes have more than one purpose, it does help to have designated roles with various builds that can react to different encounters appropriately. A standard approach is to ensure you have two of each class in your fireteam, but the builds they intend to run are equally as important.

As a starting point, Titans should be able to consider dealing large amounts of damage or placing a protective bubble. Warlocks should be able to confidently provide healing support with their Well of Radiance as well as dropping the biggest Nova Bomb imaginable should you fall short of killing the boss of some encounters. Finally, Hunters should seek to manage crowds of small enemies with their tether or deal large chunks of damage with their Golden Gun combined with Celestial Nighthawk.

Prioritize the unlocking of anti-Champion mods in the Seasonal Artifact

As outlined in our enemies section, Scorn and Hive could present all three types of Champions. So make sure your team has a reasonable balance of equipment that supports killing these Champions available and the mods to go with them. Bungie have already confirmed that Glaives will be able to stun Unstoppable Champions, Anti-Barrier Scout Rifle and Bow mods have returned, and both SMGs and Auto Rifles will offer the ability to deal with Overload Champions through seasonal mods.

Make sure to maximize the available Powerful and Pinnacle Engrams

Make sure to do this in the two weekly resets between The Witch Queen’s launch and the release of the raid. We have already discussed this in our Leveling Guide, but it bears repeating.

What are the rewards for completing The Witch Queen’s Raid?

Destiny 2 Witch Queen Challenges

Source: Bungie

If you hadn’t noticed, a lack of confirmation is a running theme when it comes to Vow of the Disciple, but you can reasonably assume that there will be a Day One completion emblem, a belt and emblem for those who are the first in the world to clear the raid, an exotic associated with the raid, a load of gear to find, and maybe even a ghost or sparrow.

On top of that, there is usually a series of redeemable rewards, such as T-shirts, raid jackets, and various other real life rewards that can be purchased through the Bungie Store after completing various milestones in the raid.

So, there you have it. As much information as we could scrape together ahead of The Witch Queen’s raid. Be sure to check back as the guide will continue to update as more information is shared over the coming days and weeks — two to be precise!

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is expected to release on Feb. 22, 2022. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen preorders are available now.

Survive the Truth


The Witch Queen

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

Take back the Light

The upcoming Witch Queen expansion features the sinister Savathûn and her brood of Light-wielding Hive, which will undoubtedly prove to be the most challenging foes faced by Guardians yet. Players can expect tons of new loot, enemies, locations, and more.

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