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Crota's End raid start time - Destiny 2

The start time of the Crota's End raid in Destiny 2 including the Power cap and Contest Mode rules.

Sam Chandler

August 22, 2023 10:30 AM

Bungie

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Crota’s End is the latest reprised raid in Destiny 2, and players are eagerly preparing for its release. As Guardians dive into Season 22, their eyes will be on the starting line of the raid while they knock out quests, collect new weaponry, and otherwise prepare for a Day One experience. Prepare your fireteams, drink some water, and set your alarm because the Crota’s End start time is soon.

Crota’s End raid start time

The Crota’s End raid start time is 10:00 a.m. PDT / 1:00 p.m. EDT on September 1, 2023. Again, this is a Friday raid launch, which might not work for some players, but it means Bungie staff can be on-hand to solve any server woes that may crop up.

This method has worked for Bungie so far, with Root of Nightmares and King’s Fall being rather error-free, unlike the release of Vow of the Disciple.

Crota’s End Contest Mode & Power cap

The Power cap for Crota’s End is 1790, which is slightly different to what Bungie has done previously: limiting player Power to 20 below the seasonal max Power. With Crota's End, it looks like players will be locked to 20 below the Pinnacle cap, which is 1810. Like Season of the Deep, the Power cap has not increased with Season 22.

As for Contest Mode, this will be enabled for 48 hours from the time the raid releases. This 2-day window gives players ample time to complete the raid under Contest Mode, earning themselves a fancy emblem.

But it’s not as simple as clearing it once, players must clear Crota’s End twice. The first clear is normal and the second clear requires the team to complete a list of curated challenges in the Challenge Mode. Completing the raid once unlocks the Challenge Mode in the Director.

This Challenge Mode will have an auto-kill feature, wiping the team as soon as a challenge is failed. This makes it easier to work out what the challenge is. It’s likely there will be a challenge for each major encounter.

On top of all this, player damage output will be higher than last time, but damage cap has not increased - this means you cannot out-level an encounter. Some enemies will also gain elemental shields. If this matches the shield types seen with the Extra Shield modifier, anticipate Acolytes having Void shields, Knights with Arc, and of course Wizards with Solar. There could be more, so go in prepared. Enemies will also be more aggresive comared to previous Contest Modes. Have fun! All of this was covered in the August 24 TWID.

With the Crota’s End raid releasing on September 1, there’s not long now until the Day One race begins. I’ll be streaming my own attempt of the Crota’s End Day One raid over on the Shacknews Twitch channel, so tune in to see how my team performs. You’ll also find guides for the raid on our Destiny 2 Strategy Guide.

Sam Chandler

Guides Editor

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler