With the dawn of Destiny 2 Lightfall comes a new Season – the Season Of Defiance. Like with all Seasons in Destiny, players can expect to be inundated with challenges, trials, loot, Season Passes, and Seasonal Events. New Seasons are always exciting as they help set the scene for Destiny 2 in the coming year.
Challenges are where it’s really at, however. These get updated every week, and whilst you don’t need to do them all in one week, it certainly helps to do as many as you can. These reward huge EXP gains for your Battlepass, as well as powerful War Table upgrades. In short, you want to get them done. These are all the Challenges for week 1.
More Destiny 2 Lightfall content:
New Weapon Showcase | Strand Subclass | Defiant Engrams | Unfinished Business
Every Week 1 Challenge
There are a total of 10 Challenges for players to complete each week, and the first week is no different.
Righteous Defiance
Challenge
Complete Defiant Battleground: EDZ.
Rewards
- War Table Upgrade
- Seasonal EXP
Defiant Battlegrounds are the new Seasonal Activity, and they replace the now-Legacy, Psi-Ops from last year. These are intense Strikes that require players to be around 1870 Power if they want to have a good shot at getting through in decent time. EDZ in particular has a huge number of snipers, so be sure to take them out early and maybe even employ anti-sniper mods on your armour.
Awaken, Queensguard
Challenge
Complete Week 1 of the We Stand Unbroken quest.
Rewards
- War Table Upgrade
- Seasonal EXP
This Challenge is all about pushing the story of Lightfall forward. You will be tasked with, funnily enough, going through the Defiant Battleground: EDZ letting you kill two birds with one stone. This questline will also allow you to engage with Queen Mara, Devrim, Amanda, and Eliksni deepening your understanding of the larger Destiny universe.
Silver Lining
Challenge
Reach Rank 12 with Nimbus in Neomuna
Rewards
- Seasonal EXP
Nimbus is a key player in the Lightfall campaign, and boosting his Reputation unlocks all manner of interesting things. We are talking Terminal Overload Keys, and later, Weekly Bounties. Boosting Reputation is always a good idea in Destiny 2, but getting buddy-buddy with Nimbus is a must if you want to experience all Lightfall has to offer. Be sure to do Daily Bounties, Terminal Overloads, Patrols, and Public Events for the fastest gains.
Legion’s Bounty
Challenge
Spend a Defiant Key to earn bonus rewards at the end of a Defiant Battlegrounds Playlist activity.
Rewards
- War Table Upgrade
- Seasonal EXP
Defiant Keys are a new inclusion in Destiny 2, and allow you to gain extra rewards when completing Defiant Battlegrounds Playlists. You can grab these keys in several ways, one of which is just doing the Lightfall Campaign. Outside of this, you can get them as rewards for Crucible, Vanguard, Terminal Overload, and Gambit matches.
Keycard Operated
Challenge
Use keys to unlock Terminal Overload Key Chests in Neomuna. After completing the quest, Stargazer, Terminal Overload Keys can be earned in Neomuna by completing Public Events, looting chests, and completing Patrols.
Rewards
- Seasonal EXP
This is one of the harder ones to complete purely because of the prerequisites to completion. Not only that, but Terminal Overload Keys are a fairly uncommon drop from all of the listed methods. However, if you need a Terminal Overload Key in a pinch, Nimbus provides a Daily Bounty that rewards one.
Neptune Activities
Challenge
In Neomuna, complete Bounties, Patrols, Lost Sectors, and Public Events.
Rewards
- Bright Dust
- Seasonal EXP
This Challenge ties directly into other Week 1 Challenges, namely ‘Keycard Operated’ and ‘Silver Lining’. Three birds with one stone?
Taking All Challenges
Challenge
Complete weekly playlist challenges.
Rewards
- Bright Dust
- Seasonal EXP
This one is very easy to complete as, if you are focusing on Challenges, you have likely beaten Lightfall’s story. Weekly Challenges reward you with Powerful and Pinnacle Gear, so it’s a no-brainer to work through them each week. This will be completed through regular gameplay as a result.
Anti-Cabal Sweep
Challenge
Defeat Cabal combatants in Vanguard Playlists or Strikes. Bonus Progress is earned by defeating more powerful enemies.
Rewards
- Bright Dust
- Seasonal EXP
Whilst the Cabal doesn’t show up in every Strike or Playlist, they are very common occurrences. Not only that, with Lightfall heavily featuring them, Cabal may be one of the more common enemy types. Simply play through some Strikes and you will get this ticked off in no time at all.
Spark Defender
Challenge
Score Points in Rift. Bonus progress is awarded for igniting the Rift.
Rewards
- Bright Dust
- Seasonal EXP
We found this one to be the most difficult to complete simply because PVP in Destiny 2 is very hit-or-miss. If you don’t like PVP, this will be a chore because of the sheer number of games required to complete it as progress is gained incredibly slowly. If you like PVP, then this will be a breeze. Do be aware the Rift is not a permanent feature of Destiny 2’s PVP, and it will rotate in and out of play based on the week in question.
Deadly Horizons
Challenge
Calibrate long-range weapons – pulse rifles, bows, and trace rifles – in Neomuna. Bonus progress is rewarded for Lost Sectors.
Rewards
- Bright Dust
- Seasonal EXP
This one is another one that will just complete itself given enough time. It doesn’t take long to do, you will be spending an awful lot of time in Neomuna, and the Season Pass Exotic is a bow, so you will likely be messing around with that over other weapons.
With all of the challenges complete, you will have to wait until Week 2 and beyond to make more progress. Be sure to check out our other Destiny 2 Guides, Lists, and Walkthroughs for more content in the meantime.
