Destiny 2: The Reckoning Guide

The Season of the Drifter is here, and with it comes a new game mode for Destiny 2 called The Reckoning

Are you eager to start Destiny 2’s Season of the Drifter off right? Well, the best way for you to do that is to learn about the new game mode called The Reckoning. This mode is going to offer some of the toughest challenges in Destiny 2, but it’s also going to give you access to some of the best loot you’re going to find. Many of those loot drops are going to benefit you in the Gambit Prime mode, so you’re going to be bouncing between the two this season.

Here’s a guide on everything you need to know about The Reckoning.

Gaining Access to The Reckoning

To gain access to The Reckoning, you must play a Gambit Prime match. Following the game, regardless if you win or lose, you need to return to The Drifter. He’s going to give you a Weak Synthesizer, which you can find in your inventory. Having this item triggers the next phase and where you’re going to enter The Reckoning for the first time.

Before You Jump In

You do not want to jump into The Reckoning as soon as you get it. What you want to do first is play a few more Gambit Prime matches and start receiving Synths, and they have a name in front of them. They’re either going to say Collector, Sentry, Invader, or Reaper. These multi-colored Synths look similar to the Gambit Tokens you receive from The Drifter, but they have a different symbol based on their color. Due to their name, these Synths allow you to acquire the new armor pieces that released with the Season of the Drifter update.

When you have a decent amount of them, then you can enter the Reckoning. You don’t want to go in without having a few in your back pocket.

How Do You Play?

The Reckoning is a tiered-event where you’re going to collect high-end gear and weapons to upgrade your Guardian. Many of these items are going to assist you in the Gambit Prime game mode, but they’re also exceedingly powerful in their own right.

When you matchmake into a Reckoning game, you’re going to fly in and land on The Drifter’s ship called The Derelict. Proceed forward, and you’ll get taken to the large chunk of ice attached to it called The Haul. From there, you have to figure out how to start the match, and you have 38 seconds. You’ll want to get used to the timers because each phase of the quest has a timer attached to it, and if you can’t complete the task before the timer runs out, you’re out.

Before you proceed through the mission, go towards the mote bank placed on the left side of this open area. Open up your inventory and interact with your Weak Synthesizer by using one of the Synths you’ve acquired — you’ll want to choose the one associated with the type of armor you want. You should receive a particular mote for your troubles, and then you’re going to deposit this mote into the bank.

Tier 1

After this, you’re ready to proceed through the First Tier. You need to stand on this marked out indent in the snow. It looks like a charred, black spot in the middle of a pale white landscape, so it’s going to stick out. Stand there and then place the Rally Banner. When you set the banner, you get supercharged. You’re then summoned to run forward and jump into the pit, which is a massive portal.

When you arrive on the other side, you must prove yourself to the Nine, by killing the various Taken opponents filled throughout the arena. You gain 100 percent Dominance before the timer runs out. After you acquire complete Dominance, a Taken Champion spawns, and you have to kill them — the timer remains the same, meaning you do not want to take long clearing the area.

Once you have killed all the enemies, you’re going to see an Event Complete at the top of your screen. The game teleports you back to the mote bank you were first at, and then you’re ready to claim your prize.

Be warned you can receive duplicate armor pieces, so you’re going to have to complete The Reckoning multiple times to acquire a complete armor set.

Tier 2

The second tier in The Reckoning feels similar to the first one. You start the match just like the first, with putting your desired reward in the mote bank and then standing on the charred outline. Once you’ve activated the gate, you jump into the portal below.

When you enter, you have to assume dominance from the Taken grunts, killing as many of them as you see. You have around six minutes to complete this task before you fail.

After you’ve gained 100 percent dominance, you proceed on to the next phase, which is constructing the bridge of folly. You need to capture six different points and move on to the next section with your team. While you’re securing the position, you’ll find yourself under attack from Taken thralls, snipers, and additional units, for the most part. After a little bit, a few Taken Champions spawn, as well.

You can’t waste time during this section. Each point takes time to capture, and you’re given less than 45 seconds to capture a point. When you and your teammates capture a point, your timer resets up to 41 seconds. You’ll have to do this six times.

After you’ve finished that you’re going to get transported to a new, darkened section, and your next task is to defeat a creature called The Hermit. Defeating him grants you access to a Well of Light, giving you and your squad additional damage against the two wandering Swords Champion units, which you need to destroy. The Well of Light does go away after a short time. However, the game spawns a new Hermit for you to kill and take out; you’ll have to make sure the two Sword Champion units are close to take them out. You and your squad have five minutes to complete this task.

After you’ve taken out the two champions, you’ll return to the start of The Reckoning, and you can acquire your new piece of loot from the mote bank.

Upgrading Your Synthesizer

After you have completed your first run through The Reckoning, go back to The Drifter and speak to him. For completing his task he’s going to reward you with a weapon, and he’s going to unlock weekly bounties for you to do. These weekly bounties get you with upgrade components for your Synthesizer. Additionally, these quests are going to give you armor upgrade materials, too.

Bungie doubled-down on having their players grind missions over and over, so there’s plenty to do. If you haven’t already, check out the incredible Gambit Prime armor you’re looking to acquire by playing The Reckoning so much, and good luck, Guardian.

For those who haven’t played Destiny 2 in a long time and need to level up, check out how you can run through the game get your Guardian up to Light level 640.