Summary
Destiny 2has been around for more than six years, and the swathe of limited-time content Bungie’s sci-fi looter shooter offers has changed drastically since launch. TheseDestiny 2limited-time events, which are offered periodically throughout the year, have undergone significant transformations and refinements during the game’s lifespan, streamlining a mass of confusing systems into distinctive activities that reward rare weapons, armor, and cosmetics.
For a newDestiny 2player eager to get their hands on some great weapons, fancy armor, orthe best shaders, it may be a little confusing what events to wait for, or how best to prepare for them. Once Guardians learn the ropes, however, a wealth of new content awaits.
7Trials Of Osiris
Trials of Osiris isDestiny 2’soriginal competitive Player-versus-player mode, where two teams of three fight it out over nine rounds of elimination to see who can progress flawlessly to the next round. Seven consecutive wins unlock a ticket to The Lighthouse, a prestigious social space where Guardians have access tomultiple rewards, and most importantly, the adept form of a Trials weapon.
To participate, players who own the latest expansion should visit Saint-14 in The Tower hangar any time from Friday reset to Tuesday reset and claim a Trials passage, which includes a passive bonus of their choice. From there, simply load up the crucible tab on Destinations, and select Trials of Osiris.
6Iron Banner
Three times a season, Trials of Osiris is replaced by a week-long celebration of the Old Iron Lords in Iron Banner. Rotating through several different PVP activities, Iron Banner is effectively a standard Crucible match with level advantages and a new set of rewards. Shaxx’s booming voice is replaced by Lord Saladin, and the standard red-colored weapons are now shades of gray, green, and gold.
For players wanting Viking, Samurai, or Medieval armor or weapons with theskulking wolf origin trait, simply head into the Crucible tab and select Iron Banner when it’s available. Guardians have three opportunities every season to play, but it’s important to note that the dates change with each released season.
5The Guardian Games
Destiny 2’s Olympics-themed event usually arrives around May, offering two weeks of medal-gathering and competitive spirit as the three classes - Hunter, Titan, and Warlock - battle it out to be the year’s champion. Alongside Eververse cosmetics and a handful of weapons, The Guardian Games are unique among the events as it offers an exotic machine gun, Heir Apparent,exclusively during the competition.
To participate in the competition, Guardians first have to claim a unique class item from Eva Levante, which allows them to start collecting Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum medals which can be deposited in The Tower. The better the medals, the better the rewards, so high-level content such as Raids or Trials are preferable for Guardians seeking the best weapon rolls or rare materials, or the Guardians who just want to see their class dominate.
4Solstice
Primarily revolving around a limited-time location called The European Ariel Zone (EAZ),Destiny 2’s Solstice takes place during Summer, usually around July-August. The focal point of this celebration is its armor sets; Guardians begin Solstice with aneloquently designed suit of apparelfor each class, and by doing objectives and activities, can unlock cosmetic upgrades, or ‘glows’ for each armor piece.
The gameplay loop of Solstice alternates from standard activities such as Vanguard operations, Crucible, and Gambit, and the event-exclusive EAZ so that Guardians first gather, then burn silver leaves, the Solstice currency. It can become a little confusing, but Bungie has made efforts to streamline and clarify each armor piece’s requirements to unlock the glow.
3Festival Of The Lost
The spookiest event in theDestiny 2calendar, Festival of The Lost starts in late October and remembers the fallen heroes of theDestinyuniverse through a combination of boss fights, candy, and cosplay. To get started, Guardians should talk to Eva Levante to receive their festival mask. Wearing it is the only way to pick up candy, so it’s a critical item for the duration of the event.
Activities revolve around these candy consumables, which are dropped from enemies inside haunted lost sectors, modified editions of familiar secret areas. The culmination of this effort is a fight with a headless one, a pumpkin-wearing boss with sizable health and a lot of candy on offer. If successful, Guardians can spend their well-earned sweets on several fun rewards, including weapons, an emblem, aunique Triumph Title, and other festival masks to wear during the event.
2The Dawning
At the end of the year (most of the time), Guardians gather around to bake each other treats, throw snowballs, and spread holiday cheer to one and all. Like most events, the seasonal quest begins with Eva Levante, who will give a unique item, her holiday oven, to allow Guardians to bake spectacular goods for the NPCs ofDestiny 2.
Ingredients for these cookies are found by defeating particular enemies and completing activities, allowing more baking and therefore, more rewards. With a variety of festive sparrows, ships, and weapons on offer, there’s no better way to get into the holiday spirit inDestiny 2than through the dawning.
1Crimson Days
Crimson Days is sadly, arelic of the past. The onlyDestiny 2event to be retired, it was originally the first event to begin in the new year, but with 2020s Beyond Light expansion, Crimson Days was retired in favor of a new, larger-scale event: The Guardian Games.
Crimson Days saw Guardians pairing up and competing in the Crimson Doubles crucible mode, which was only available during the event’s brief duration around Valentine’s Day. It was light on content, with successive years reusing past rewards, and as a result, Crimson Doubles was removed, and the festival was suspended indefinitely.
Although saddening that it remains nothing more than a memory, The Guardian Games have proven to be a worthwhile replacement, and like allDestiny 2events, distributes swathes of fun rewards with each successive hosting.
