Want a weapon that makes you feel a little bit like a Wookiee? Bungie’s new Equilibrium dungeon hands out a solar Heirloom bow that’s earned immediate attention — and a guaranteed exotic for anyone who clears the activity during Contest Mode. But the weekend race is about more than one flashy gun: Bungie locked rules, disabled gear, Twitch drops and special rewards behind a tight set of requirements. Here’s the clear, human guide to what matters and why.
What drops in Equilibrium
Equilibrium adds a small, tidy loot pool: six new legendary weapons, a matching armor set, three exclusive emblems and the Heirloom exotic combat bow. Known weapon names include Zealous Ideal (auto rifle), Bitter End (machine gun), High Tyrant (pulse rifle), Voltaic Shade (scout), Conspiracy Honed (sniper) and Sullen Claw (sword). The Heirloom Exotic Bow — often compared in look and feel to an old‑school bowcaster — is a Solar heat weapon that uses the new cooling mechanic instead of a conventional reload.
Bungie also introduced an Origin Trait for the Equilibrium weapons called Imperial Allegiance: teaming with new allies improves cooling/charge rates and grants a damage boost while at high heat or low guard energy. The Heirloom’s perks include Bolt Thrower (explosive bolts, strong vs Unstoppable Champions) and Big Game Hunter (ADS to overcharge bolts for higher damage and area).
If you want a checklist:
- Heirloom Exotic Bow — guaranteed for Contest Mode clears, chance drops in Normal Mode
- Six new legendary dungeon weapons (names above)
- Full armor set and two shaders
- Three emblems: Dredgen’s Descent (Contest Mode completion), Stand Alone and Superiorly Connected
- Low‑chance Praxic Blade: Dark Matter Crystal: Taken (special cosmetic crystal that can drop from full clears)
- Must own the Renegades expansion
- Fireteam leader must have progressed the Equilibrium introductory pursuit ("The Way Between") to at least step 2 — that pursuit is picked up from Aunor in the Tharsis Outpost Cantina after completing Step 5 of the Renegades pursuit
- Three‑player fireteam required
- Fireteam Power is disabled in Contest Mode; Bungie recommends a minimum of 370 Power (below that you deal and take penalties)
- Disabled weapons: Uncivil Discourse (hand cannon), Refurbished A499 (sniper), The Navigator (exotic trace rifle) catalyst
- Disabled artifact perks: Anti‑Barrier Sniper Rifle and Kinetic Rupture
- Disabled abilities: Widow’s Silk (Hunter Aspect)
- All volatile mods: they can be slotted, but they provide no benefit in Contest Mode
- Praxic Blade Crystal: Taken — this special Dark Matter crystal has a low chance to drop when you fully clear all encounters in Equilibrium (works in Contest or Normal Mode). Encounters are tracked independently and progress resets weekly and on each full clear, meaning you can farm multiple times per week in hopes of the cosmetic.
- Contest Mode behavior: Bungie disables bounty/progression for non‑boss tier kills inside the dungeon during Contest Mode, so expect fewer incidental progression gains while racing.
Contest Mode: timing, entry and why it’s special
Contest Mode launched at 9 AM PT on Saturday, December 13 and runs for 48 hours as the World‑First window. Normal Mode opens only after Bungie confirms a World‑First clear.
Entry essentials (from Bungie):
You can read Bungie’s official Contest Mode rundown here: Bungie TWID 12/11/2025.
The disabled list and streaming rules — plan accordingly
Bungie locked a short but consequential list of items for the race. Highlights include:
Those bans reshape strategies right away. Top competitive teams had to retool loadouts and practice without certain comfort picks.
World‑First teams also must stream at least one member's full run (VOD enabled), submit stream info to Bungie, keep required overlay areas visible (or use Bungie/GETREKT templates), and follow other broadcast rules. Stream outages can disqualify attempts — so redundancy (multiple streamers) is strongly advised.
A few small but important clarifications: NotSwap no longer treats ammo‑type swaps as a trigger, and PvE NotSwap’s penalties for Orb and Special/Heavy ammo were removed. Changing armor stat mods still triggers the effect.
Watching, streaming and grabbing drops
Bungie partnered with DungeonZone broadcasts for a pre‑show and live coverage — tuning into official broadcasts during the first day also nets viewers a Twitch Drop (the Paranoia Pink emblem). French-language streams also had drops enabled.
If you plan to stream or watch on a dedicated device, the race broadcast highlighted overlays and streaming best practices. If you want hardware that makes streaming or watching smoother, modern streaming set‑ups or cloud streaming can help — the recent update that lets PlayStation Portal stream your PS5 library makes it easier to watch on the go. For creators, new peripherals such as the voice‑focused Stream Ring can be handy for quick interactions and overlays while streaming the race Stream Ring: A 'Mouse for Voice'. If you’re buying hardware, Bungie’s overlay templates and the GETREKT assets are the ones to use to avoid disqualification.
(If you want a console recommendation while you set up, the PlayStation 5 Pro Console is a solid streaming-capable option.)
Little mechanics and rare drops to chase
Why this matters
Equilibrium is a short, focused dungeon with big incentives: a guaranteed exotic for the elite in Contest Mode, unique weapons with a new Origin Trait, and collectibles that will be gated behind the World‑First window. The disabled list and streaming requirements show Bungie trying to balance spectacle with fairness — but they also force teams to adapt quickly, which is part of what makes World‑First races compelling to watch.
If you’re chasing the Heirloom: assemble a practiced three‑man team, double‑check the banned list, ensure someone streams with the right overlay, and be prepared for a bruising, highly technical weekend.
Got a drop or a run to brag about? The community will be jotting down encounter sources and rolls all weekend — the loot table will flesh out quickly as more teams post results.