Start preparing for the Last Wish raid day one in Destiny 2: Forsaken

Destiny 2: Forsaken’s raid is coming out 10 days after the expansion’s release, a new schedule for Bungie. But this alteration on expectations doesn’t mean you can slack off if you want to be ready to raid on day one. In fact, this just means that you have more time to dig in and build your perfect arsenal.

While we don’t know all the details about Forsaken yet, we were able to attend an Activision-run event at Bungie’s studios and get some hands-on time with the game. Combining that experience with some data-mined armor perks, exotics, and other pieces of gear, we’ve collected a few tips for how to start getting raid ready as soon as Forsaken’s release.

In this guide, we’ll tell you which new subclass you should pick and the weapon types you’ll probably want to hold onto.

Which subclass should you pick?

Shortly after getting into the Tangled Shore, you’ll get a quest to unlock a new subclass tree. However, you’ll only be able to choose one before being sent off on another quest — essentially time-gating the subclass unlocks.

Bungie gave us some conflicting information on how quickly players will be able to acquire all three new subclasses. Some developers said a hardcore player could feasibly get all three by Sept. 14, while others suggested that players should pick up the subclass they want to raid with on day one.

For this guide, we’re going to go with the better safe than sorry approach, meaning that you should pick up the class you want to take into the raid with you as soon as possible. These new subclasses can bring a lot of group utility. Each class has at least one new Super that looks like it could be very, very useful in a raid situation.

• Titans: Pick the Code of the Commander tree. While it’s not as fun as launching yourself into an enemy as a literal missile, the new Sentinel tree will let you project a shield in front of you and protect your allies. Just going off past raid encounters, this has some serious potential to protect your allies while they throw down on the boss.
• Warlocks: As much fun as the Attunement of Control looks to be for boss damage, Attunement of Grace should be your de facto raid choice. Being able to heal and buff your allies is going to be useful in the raid, assuming that they don’t change everything about how every Destiny raid has ever worked in the past. This subclass looks very powerful for team activities, and it doesn’t get more team-oriented than raiding.
• Hunters: We’ve saved you for last because you have the least obvious choice. All of your subclasses could be useful in some ways. The Way of a Thousand Cuts looks to deal some pretty impressive damage to both bosses and adds, meaning it could be very versatile. The Way of the Current will give you a barrier that can deflect incoming attacks, which could be useful for defending allies as well. But the safest bet for raiding is actually the Way of the Wraith. Add clear is always a big part of raids, and beings able to run around and stab a bunch of things will be useful no matter what, while being able to turn invisible quickly will create useful opportunities to revive teammates or get out of hairy situations.

Which Legendaries should you keep?

It’s hard to know the best way forward with gear until we see the raid itself. The safest move you can make is to hold onto to every Legendary weapon and armor piece you get from launch until the raid opens for all. But this comes with another responsibility: making sure you have infusion materials.

It’s a solid idea to hold off on infusion for the first week or so, waiting to learn more about what guns are good. But if you want to be able to infuse an appropriate gun for a surprise raid situation, you should be very stingy week one.

While holding onto your guns is a useful tip, it also might not be feasible for all. Here is a quick list of weapon types that have been useful in Destiny raiding experiences. If you can’t stop yourself from dismantling everything, try to at least hold onto a few of these:

• Sniper rifles
• Linear fusion rifles
• Rocket launchers
• Scout rifles
• Trace rifles

Basically, nobody will blame you if you want to get rid of that one sidearm you find on the Tangled Shore.

We’ll add more tips to this guide as they become evident. But for now, pick your new Supers wisely and restrain yourself when mass dismantling.