The Guardian Games Return to Destiny 2

The fourth annual competition between the classes is on! The Olympics-inspired Guardian Games kicked off on May 2nd and will continue until May 23rd, running for a total of 3 weeks. The games may have started recently, but that doesn’t mean the competition hasn’t started moving toward a fever pitch. Guardians are eagerly collecting Medallions and working to raise their classes’ flag the highest. So how can you jump into the games and ensure your class rises to glory?

Like most events, Eva Levante acts as the ringleader, giving out the guardian games gear (Cloaks for Hunters, Bonds for Warlocks, and Marks for Titans). You need to wear the gear in order to collect medallions, so make sure it’s on before completing any activities.

Speaking of Medallions, they are the base reward for all of the Guardian Game’s activities and event challenges, and the metric that determines which class will win. Medallions come in Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum varieties, and can be deposited at the Guardian Games podium to raise your class's flag until it towers over the rest. Bronze and Silver are the common medallion varieties, and can be won in any activity related to the Guardian Games. Gold and Platinum are more rare and valuable, and can be won by completing more difficult Guardian games activities, as well as by turning in special bounties called Contender Cards. Contender Cards can be obtained from the aforementioned event vendor, Eva Levante. Your guardian can only hold a limited number of PVE and PVP Cards at any one time, so you’ll want to vary your activities to maximize your card completion.

But what are the events you can compete in for the games? Several activities earn you medals. You can find Bronze and Silver medals by completing Gambit or Quickplay Crucible matches, Neptune activities, Defiant Battlegrounds, and Vanguard playlists. Meanwhile, you can go for Gold or Platinum medals in Dungeons, Raids, Nightfalls, Trials, Legend Defiant Battlegrounds and Competitive Crucible matches.

There are also 3 Guardian Games playlists to enter, all of which come with class-based matchmaking if you really want to push your class to the finish line. The first is a casual playlist with low risk, low reward. The remaining two playlists utilize last year’s strike-scoring system to determine what rewards you get. The first of these playlists is the generalized competitive playlist, full of a variety of Guardian Games activities. The second of these playlists is Supremacy, a returning crucible mode from Destiny 1. After killing opponents you’ll need to pick up the crest they drop to earn points, as well as picking up ally crests to deny points to your enemies.

But of course, glory for your class isn’t the only reward the games have to offer. There are a variety of rewards your guardian can earn, such as the returning Guardian Games weapon The Title, newly outfitted with the Repulsor Brace perk. Other rewards include a new exotic Sparrow,  the Heir Apparent catalyst, Ascendant Shards, and of course, Destiny 2’s first Strand-based scout rifle, Taraxippos.

The Guardian games will go on until May 23rd, just in time for the current season to come to an end. With this being the last big event of Season of Defiance, everything is on the line, and you’ll want a trusted fireteam at your back as you lead your class to the top step of the podium.