What are the Guardian Ranks in Destiny 2? In order to highlight the most motivated and devoted Guardians among us, Bungie is adding a new system to Destiny 2 called Guardian Ranks. Players will now see Guardian Ranks above their gamertags when interacting in The Tower or any other public areas, as opposed to the prior practise of seeing others’ seasonal rankings next to their name. They aid in separating newbies from veterans so that players can more clearly recognise the level of gaming experience of their allies during matchmaking and other activities.
There will be 11 Guardian Ranks when the Lightfall release date lands, distinguishing all-new Destiny 2 players from veterans of the FPS game. Attaining ranks will involve experiencing different in-game activities and achieving specific objectives. These ranks will also partially reset each season.
How Guardian Ranks work
The initial five Guardian Ranks will familiarise players with the game, taking them through basic activities such as patrols, public events, and lost sectors. Six to ten will then encourage players to explore the current season and activities, resetting each season. Essentially, these ranks will act as a guide to things such as the seasonal artefact, Nightfalls, and the forthcoming Commendations system.
Players who played the earliest expansions or have completed the New Light campaign will immediately bypass early ranks to move on to the season-based Guardian Ranks, meaning they won’t have to complete the simpler kinds of objectives they encountered as new players.
The highest level of ranks will require players to complete endgame-style content such as Grandmaster Destiny 2 Nightfalls and master-level difficulty raids. However, in order to rank up, players need to be in good standing as judged by the new Destiny 2 Commendations system. Therefore, a player without a history of strong Commendations or who has been reported frequently for toxic behaviour may miss out on achieving a high ranking and will also not be able to earn the associated rewards.
Destiny 2 Guardian Ranks explained: A screen showing the interface of how Guardian Ranks will work.
In practice, Guardian Ranks mean a seasoned, high-ranking player matchmade into a strike with someone at Guardian Rank 5 should be able to see that ranking and immediately understand that the player may not know the mechanics of the strike. Further, some people may simply want to show off their level of expertise via their Guardian Rank, proving they are among the most adept and elite players in the game.
At a press event, a Bungie developer also suggested it would be easier for a player to retain a former rank than it is to earn it the first time around. Plus, players keep credit for completing evergreen objectives. Players can also see which ranks they achieved during previous seasons.
You can access your Guardian Rank and associated information by visiting a new ‘Journey’ navigation option in your inventory menu. An option in the Director menu will also lead you to this page.
Destiny 2 Guardian Rank rewards
Bungie has also noted there are rewards associated with Guardian Ranks. Rising through Guardian Ranks unlocks new mods and additional loadout slots. The reasoning behind this laddered approach is so as not to overwhelm players who may be trying new activities for the first time or returning to the game after a long break. Ultimately, these unlocks also aid in the onboarding process, as players can often miss things and become confused about what they need to do and how to go about unlocking and completing particular objectives.
That’s everything there is to know about the new Guardian Ranks system coming to the game in Destiny 2 season 20. For more insight into what’s new with Lightfall in one of the best multiplayer games on PC, check out our guides to the forthcoming Destiny 2 Strand subclass and our Lightfall exotics list, and be sure to check out our Destiny 2 emblem codes for some extra flair so you can traverse Neomuna in style.