Destiny 2’s new Guardian Ranking system introduced in conjunction with Lightfall should give new and veteran Guardians more structure as they progress through Bungie’s space game. Guardian Ranks are designed to help players decide what to do next, ranging from tips to help newcomers to Destiny 2 to extreme challenges for hardcore players.
“One of the problems if you start or return to Destiny is that outside of New Light there’s no ‘evergreen story’ you can follow, so a lot of people feel aimless at unless something catches their eye,” Destiny 2 creator said. Director Tyson Green tells us, “Or they end up confused because things aren’t working, and we want to fix that.” This is certainly a common complaint, and Destiny 2 Guardian Ranks is the solution Bungie has found to help rectify this.
When accessing from the “Travel” tab of your menu, you will now see a number curve indicating your Destiny 2 Guardian Rank from one to eleven. Green calls each rank “a phase of your journey as a Guardian.” The first six of these ranks are primarily for new players and focus on improving your general Knowledge and Power. this will involve things like visiting each planet, doing patrols and Lost Sectors, and meeting key NPCs.
Once you reach rank 7 and above, you will begin to access current content: these tiers begin with the task of completing the Lightfall campaign, improving your vendor reputation with Neomuna NPCs, and undertaking Lightfall weekly quests, and you’ll progress through increasingly difficult content as you progress. These advanced leaderboards will reset when new events and seasons arrive, meaning they’ll be more of a live update of your progress on the latest activities.
As for what reaching the highest Guardian ranks in Destiny 2 will mean, Green is understandably secretive about giving too much. However, he says reaching Rank 11 will involve “some of the toughest activities you can play in Destiny”, mentioning Raid Masters and GM Night Drops. But being in the upper echelon of Destiny 2 isn’t just about being able to shoot.
Those higher ranks should also indicate “the respect other Guardians have for you,” Green adds, mentioning the new recommendation system that encourages players to seek “the respect and approval of other Guardians you play with.” He refrains from elaborating, but says, “When you see a rank 11 player in the tower, you know he is a person who is as successful as a player as well as a leader.”
Veteran Guardians who already performed well before Lightfall will be moved up the ranks slightly, Green notes: “We’d be wrong to assume our veteran players are getting better, so don’t worry if something locks in again.” On top of that, he explains that some “Evergreen Challenges” in Advanced Ranks will stay unlocked when they reset, so it should be faster to earn Ranks again in later Seasons.
Overall the system seems like a welcome addition to help improve progression – as someone who returned to Destiny 2 last year it certainly took me a while to figure out what I needed to do . Green says: “If you ever don’t know what to do next, you should be able to see your next tier of Guardian to get an idea of what to focus on.” Your current rank will also be visible to other players, so it should give them a rough indication of your progress on your Destiny 2 journey.
Raising your Destiny 2 Guardian Rank isn’t just about prestige, though: you’ll unlock additional slots for your Destiny 2 loadouts, as well as other bonuses, like extra mods to craft. This decision was made to avoid “dumping the whole game on (new players) immediately,” says Green. He also mentions that “there will be features in the future that look at your rank as a measure of your level of knowledge.”
Be sure to rank up when the Destiny 2 Lightfall release date rolls around with our pick of the best Destiny 2 builds and all the Destiny 2 Lightfall Exotics you’ll want to get your hands on. This way, you’ll be ready for the Destiny 2 Lightfall raid release date, which will no doubt be key to reaching those higher levels.