The newest Destiny 2 expansion, "Beyond Light," comes out November 10th. Along with the new story mode content, much of the current free to play content will be removed from the current game.
Destiny 2 has already thrived by adopting a seasonal model, and fans are used to content being sunset between iterations. Still, there's plenty to complete before it's gone, possibly forever. Here's everything you absolutely should do before "Beyond Light" launches.
Earn This Season's Exotics
This season of Destiny 2 introduced three new exotics Guardians can earn for free, under the assumption you're a season pass holder. The first weapon, The Witherhoard, is a primary grenade launcher that sends a volley of blight at targets. It'll damage whatever it hits over time, ideal for those boss fights where it just isn't convenient to stop and shoot.
If grenade launchers aren't your thing, there's Ruinous Effigy, a void-powered rifle takes up the Special slot. It shoots a focused beam of purple energy, disintegrates targets and turns them into void orbs that can cause further mayhem. There's also Traveler's Chosen, a primary sidearm that allows the player to regenerate their abilities as they defeat enemies quickly. These weapons are easy to retrieve and won't require more than just a little time spent.
Farm That Umbral Decoder
Season of Arrivals introduced a new way for players to earn gear, the Umbral Decoder. As players defeat enemies, complete events and earn victories, they'll begin to acquire "Umbral Engrams." These new Engrams get turned in at the Umbral Decoder next to The Drifter for various weapons and armor.
What comes out of the decoder can be fine controlled with some investment in bounties retrieved at the machine, which is well worth the trouble. The weapons you'll want to farm specific perks for are the Gnawing Hunger auto rifle and Falling Guillotine sword. In particular, look for Relentless Strikes and Whirlwind Blade on the sword, and at least Subsistence on the auto rifle.
Experience The Old Raids
Raids in Destiny 2 are the pinnacle of PVE content. A fireteam of six players descend into enemy territory and face off against diabolical boss battles and challenging puzzles. Tons of detail and love went into every hallway, room and encounter Guardians traverse in raids. However, once Beyond Light launches, only two of the seven currently available raids will be available.
Among the five to depart are all raids tied to Leviathan, as well as the Scourge of the Past raid on Earth. The Leviathan is a colossal construct that eats planets and was so massive it comprised four raids. Each section of the Leviathan offers different encounters and bosses, along with unique gear. Scourge of the Past takes guardians through abandoned neighborhoods of The Last City while engaged in battle with a psychotic Fallen Kell who plans to steal forgotten technology and weapons to bolster his forces. None of these old raids are subject to their usual gear lockout; feel free to run them as often as needed to get that elusive cosmetic or just for fun.
Activities that are leaving
It's not just raids and gear that leave Destiny 2 on November 10th. Entire planets and several activities will be removed as well, such as the Menagerie and the Black Armory forges. Neither of these two activities is relevant in the current Season of Arrivals, but they still offer a fun way for fireteams to interact with content that isn't just raids or strikes.
The Black Armory forges are a set of rotating maps set in uncovered lost forges of Black Armory. A fireteam of three guardians must take down wave after wave of enemies while powering up a central pylon. As certain enemies are defeated, they'll drop a battery that can be thrown at the pylon to increase its charge. After two rounds of this, the guardians will square off against a boss for some unique Black Armory loot. The Menagerie, on the other hand, will require a fireteam of 6 guardians. A sub-section of the Leviathan raid, the Menagerie will take a group of guardians through a series of timed challenges with the option for curated loot. Using the Menagerie's "Chalice of Opulence," players can slot specific runes that coincide with individual pieces of gear and weapons. One Menagerie favorite, the Beloved, is an easy to earn and easy to use sniper rifle.
Finish Moments of Triumph
Moments of Triumph is the last hurrah for players and guardians before another year in Destiny 2 comes to a close. This celebration introduces several new Triumphs, which are Destiny 2's achievement-like system that rewards players with both in-game and real-life loot. The good news is that many of the Triumphs that need completing are related to the categories mentioned above. If there was any inclination to jump through some missed content before, Moments of Triumph should be the boot in the rear that solidifies that thought. Who wouldn't like a new Sparrow or cosmetic as a gift after they revisit an old battlefield?
It's not too late to get in on Destiny 2's Season of Arrivals. Jumping in now will allow some time to grind out those weapons and gear pieces that'll be going away forever.