Destiny 2 Lightfall raid release date, unlock time, and power cap details

By Dustin Bailey
Contributions from
Josh West
 last updated

Wondering what time the new raid drops in Destiny 2 Lightfall? Here's everything you need to know about Root of Nightmares

Destiny 2
(Image credit: Bungie)

The Destiny 2 raid countdown is now on, with the first raid of the Lightfall expansion-era set to land imminently. The Destiny 2 Lightfall raid release date is March 10, and The Root of Nightmares start time is 9am PST / 12pm EST / 5pm GMT. 

The new endgame content will see teams of six players work to confront an ancient threat, so bring your best gear (and guardians) for the battle. That isn't all, as Bungie has made some changes to the World's First race – with the raid launching alongside a 48-hour Contest Mode, which sets a hard Power level cap for the raid. For more info on that and more keep on reading below so you're ready for the Destiny 2 raid release time. 

What time does the new Destiny 2 raid drop?

Destiny 2 Lightfall: The Root of Nightmares raid start times follows the daily reset on Friday, March 10. 

  • 9 AM PT
  • 12 PM ET
  • 5 PM GMT
  • 4 AM AET (March 11)

Destiny 2 Lightfall raid Contest mode power cap

Contest mode – which sets a hard Power level cap for the raid – will be enabled for the first 48 hours. The devs have confirmed that the contest mode Power cap for Root of Nightmares will be set at 1780 for "all encounters."

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Beyond that, we haven't gotten much concrete detail on what to expect from the raid, as Bungie has not provided any more information on its content, story, or rewards – although there does appear to have been a Root of Nightmares leak, so be careful on social media if you don't want to surprises spoiled. 

It's been a shaky launch for Lightfall, as the initial responses to the campaign have not been kind. In our Destiny 2 Lightfall review, office Destiny nerd Austin argues that "there is no redeeming this campaign," and that the upcoming raid "had better be a banger" to help redeem the expansion. We'll know soon enough whether Bungie's been able to deliver on that front.

For now, if you're looking to prepare yourself for the new content, check out our guide to Destiny 2 Strand builds to get yourself set up with the subclass, no matter whether you're a Warlock, Titan, or Hunter.

Looking for the Destiny 2 Vexcalibur? We can help you through the latest Exotic weapon quest to grab that new glaive.

Dustin Bailey
Dustin Bailey
Staff Writer

Dustin Bailey joined the GamesRadar team as a Staff Writer in May 2022, and is currently based in Missouri. He's been covering games (with occasional dalliances in the worlds of anime and pro wrestling) since 2015, first as a freelancer, then as a news writer at PCGamesN for nearly five years. His love for games was sparked somewhere between Metal Gear Solid 2 and Knights of the Old Republic, and these days you can usually find him splitting his entertainment time between retro gaming, the latest big action-adventure title, or a long haul in American Truck Simulator.

With contributions from