Summary
Destiny 2introduced its seasonal system with the launch of theForsakenDLC. Approximately every three months, the game receives a new batch of content, including one or twoseasonal activitiestied to the story and quests of that season. These activities are central to each season, as players must participate weekly to progress their quests and obtain every seasonal weapon.
Thanks to their engaging mechanics and quality loot pools, some seasonal activities became more popular among the community than the coreplaylist of strikes and raids. While these activities don’t always return after a season concudes, it’s still fun to reminisce about some of the game’s highlights. Here are some ofthe best seasonal activities inDestiny 2.
10Override
Season Of The Splicer
Season of the Splicerintroduced a new game mode toDestiny 2calledOverride. This 6-player match-making activity was closely tied to the season’s story and showcased some of the game’s most impressive locations. The Override game mode inDestiny 2was similar to Gambit, incorporating elements fromvarious public eventssuch as Contact from Season of Arrivals, Battlegrounds from Season of the Chosen, and even Wrathborn Hunts from Season of the Hunt.
The Override mode was a unique experience, with mechanics such as depositing motes to generate heavy ammo and special modifiers like increased damage from flying enemies and Psions spawning grenades upon death. For an added challenge, the activity also included Champions.
9Defiant Battleground
Season Of The Chosen
Defiant Battlegroundwas a 3-player seasonal activity introduced in theSeason of the Chosen, marking the first match-making mode added to the game since theBeyond Lightexpansion. In this activity, Guardians assault Cabal positions to hunt down their commanders. The Defiant Battlegrounds resembled a Strike more than a typical seasonal activity, and Bungie even added it to the Strike playlist the following season.
During the season, players had access to four different battlegrounds. Completing the playlist version of these battlegrounds rewarded them with the Cabal Tribute chest, which could be opened with a charged Hammer of Proving for additional rewards. The loot pool featured seasonal weapons and was considered very good among the fanbase.
8Sundial
Season Of Dawn
Sundialwas another excellent 6-player seasonal activity introduced during theSeason of Dawn. In this activity, Guardians faced off against the Red Legion on Mercury. Like the Menagerie, Sundial featured rotating encounters unlocked by completing various objectives and defeating Cabal enemies, though it took place in a smaller area than the Menagerie.
Sundial also introduced a new Obelisks system, through which players could focus on a specific weapon as loot upon completing the activity. The loot pool was also impressive, particularly the sidearm Breachlight, which quickly became a metagame favorite.
7Vex Offensive
Season Of The Undying
During theSeason of the Undying, Vex Offensivedebuted as a 6-player arena activity, taking Guardians into the heart of the Black Garden to fight off waves of enemy machines. This mode also added new enemy types, such as Barrier and Overload Majors, which added a significant layer of difficulty. Vex Offensive also had some interesting mechanics beyond simply clearing vex ads.
This activity’s unique feature involved searching for where the Vex invasion was happening, as opposed to starting from a menu. The weapons and armor in the activity were inspired by the Black Armory, and featured an excellent perk pool.
6The Coil
Season Of The Wish
The Coilis one of two seasonal activities in the currentSeason of the Wish. It brings Guardians to Riven’s Lair, a strange para-casual pocket universe created by Riven, the last Ahamkara. This 3-player activity is super fun and challenging, even without Champions. There are more twists in terms of rewards, and an added layer of intensity with the revive tokens and ability upgrades during encounters.
Drawing inspiration from the mechanics of the Last Wish raid, The Coil focuses on activating platform plates to unlock different portals. Players face four final bosses from various enemy factions: Scorn, Taken, and Vex. Furthermore, each action features random encounters, ranging from clearing additions to defeating mini-bosses, which adds to the gameplay’s unpredictability and excitement.
5Astral Alignment
Season Of The Lost
Astral Alignmentwas introduced toDestiny 2duringSeason of the Lostas a seasonal activity. In this mode, a team of six Guardians faces off against waves of Taken and Scorn who have seized control of the Dreaming City’s Beacons. Additionally, the beloved Blind Well activity returned as part of this activity.
Midway through Season of the Lost, Bungie introduced a second difficulty level for Astral Alignment called Legend difficulty. This variant ramped up the activity’s challenge with extra modifiers and a higher power requirement, providing seasoned players an even greater test of skill and teamwork.
4Nightmare Containment
Season Of The Haunted
InDestiny 2’sSeason of the Haunted, Guardians were sent back to the Leviathan, the original location of the vanilla Leviathan raid inDestiny 2. One of the seasonal activities introduced in this season wasNightmare Containment, which tasked players with using a unique device to capture the Nightmare creatures introduced in theShadowkeepexpansion.
Nightmare Containment worked more like a public event rather than a match-making activity. It could be triggered in the Derelict Leviathan’s patrol zones and required multiple tiers of players to complete. The best part of this activity was the loot pool, which reintroduced thecraftable variantsof fan-favorite Menagerie weapons like Beloved and Austringer.
3Shattered Realm
Season of the Lostreintroduced the Dreaming City and Ascendant Realm into the game.Shattered Realmwas a 3-player seasonal activity set in the Ascendant Realm, where Guardians teamed up with Mara Sov to rescue corrupted Techeuns. Shattered Realm was divided into three locations, each with secrets to uncover and challenges to take on.
Exploring the stunning Ascendant Realm was a fantastic experience. Additionally, Shattered Realm offered the quest for Aeger’s Scepter, one of thebest stasis trace riflesin the game. The Aeger’s Sceptor was also used to reveal secret passageways and chests hidden across the activity’s map.
2Forges
Season Of The Forge
TheBlack Armoryexpansion inDestiny 2was about finding powerful weaponry and tech from the Arsenal’s past and then using them to craft some incredible new guns.Forgeswere hidden locations of secret Black Armory caches. However, enemies would regularly invade Forges, and Guardians would have to eliminate those intruders before claiming the Forge’s rewards.
There were four different forges, each offering enjoyable gameplay across three rounds of combat. In these rounds, players had to defeat glowing enemies to collect Radiant Batteries, which they threw at Forge Ignitions. During theSeason of the Forge, players were able to complete one Forge per day, and use weapon frames obtained from Ada-1 to craft legendary weapons.
1Menagerie
Season Of Opulence
Many players considerDestiny 2’sSeason of Opulenceas the game’s best season, primarily due to the seasonal 6-player activityMenagerie. The Leviathan’s Menagerie was an underground labyrinth filled with enjoyable bosses, unique gameplay mechanics, and excellent weapons.
Another great thing about the Menagerie was the Chalice of Opulence, which allowed the players to narrow down which weapon or gear they would receive after completing the activity and opening the chest. This was the first time players could target-farm loot in such a manner. The Menagerie offered some of the best weapons in the game, such as Beloved and Austringer.
