Here's how challenges work and what's asked of you during Destiny 2's Season of Defiance.

By Darryn Bonthuys on March 14, 2023 at 10:20AM PDT

It's the third week of Destiny 2's Lightfall expansion and Season of Defiance, hot off the heels of a successful raid launch that saw record numbers of players take on Nezarec. For this week, there are three War Table upgrades to earn.

As usual, you can complete the latest chapter of the We Stand Unbroken quest to get one of those rare resources, equip your Strand subclass and hit up Defiant Battlegrounds for another upgrade, and score a hat trick by wielding one of the fancy Awoken weapons available during this season. Check that you have the right loadout, keep an eye out for enemies as you take on the Shadow Legion, and you should be able to get all three War Table upgrades within a few runs of Defiant Battlegrounds.

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Now Playing: Destiny 2: Lightfall | Strand Trailer

For Bright Dust and Challenger XP, there's plenty more to do. Head on down to the EDZ, work your way through lost sectors, and check that you have mid-range weapons equipped to earn more rewards. If you're planning to be social, don't forget to hand out commendations, and head into Gambit to teach the Taken a lesson or two.

Curiously, there's an Iron Banner seasonal objective this week, but that event will only be returning on March 21. If you miss the return of this PvP activity, another one will be held on April 4.

Complete Week 3 of the We Stand Unbroken quest.

Bane of the Shadow Legion

Use abilities to defeat combatants in the Defiant Battlegrounds playlist. Defeating combatants with the Strand subclass will grant bonus progress.

Defeat combatants with Season of Defiance weapons. These are Perpetualis, Prodigal Return, Regnant, and Caretaker.

Complete each encounter--Cataclysm, Scission, Macrocosm, and Nezarec fight--in the Root of Nightmares raid.

In the EDZ, earn progress by completing bounties, patrols, public events, and lost sectors.

Earn progress for giving commendations in Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit activities.

Complete Iron Banner matches. Earn bonus progress for wins.

Defeat Taken in Gambit. Earn bonus progress for defeating tougher combatants.

Defeat Champions in any Nightfall strike on Hero difficulty or higher. Earn bonus progress at higher tiers.

Calibrate mid-range weapons--hand cannons, auto rifles, glaives, fusion rifles, and machine guns--in the EDZ. Bonus progress for rapidly defeating combatants.

Righteous Defiance, Awaken, Queensguard, and Legion's Bounty are the challenges you'll want to grab first, which largely focus on the new Defiant Battlegrounds seasonal activity and the first week's story mission.

The rest of this week's challenges are designed to help break in the new Lightfall experience, as you'll easily earn Challenger XP and Bright Dust by exploring Neomuna. Equip pulse rifles, bows, and trace rifles to your Guardian, experience everything that the new location has to offer through its lost sectors, patrols, and events, and you'll be leveling up very quickly this week.

For Anti-Cabal Sweep, the best strikes to run include The Arms Dealer, The Insight Terminus, and Proving Grounds, as these activities are full of space-rhino enemies. On the PvP side, Rift is in play and spending some time in that mode will also earn you some XP and Bright Dust. This is usually a time-limited event, so you'll want to play while you can or you'll be waiting weeks for it to cycle back into the playlist.

Complete Week 1 of the We Stand Unbroken quest.

Reach Rank 12 with Nimbus in Neomuna.

Spend a Defiant Key to earn bonus rewards at the end of a Defiant Battlegrounds playlist activity. Defiant Keys can be earned by completing Lightfall campaign missions, Terminal Overload in Neomuna, raids, Vanguard Ops playlist activities, Gambit matches, and Crucible matches.

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.

In Neomuna, complete bounties, patrols, lost sectors, and public events.

Defeat Cabal combatants in Vanguard playlists or strikes. Earn bonus progress for defeating tougher combatants.

Score points in Rift. Bonus progress is awarded for igniting the rift.

Calibrate long-range weapons--pulse rifles, bows, and trace rifles--in Neomuna. Bonus progress awarded in lost sectors.

This week there are two War Table upgrades to collect. The first one can be obtained by completing the latest chapter in the We Stand Unbroken quest, and if you have your Queensguard armor equipped, you'll get your second upgrade pretty quickly by generating Favors in seasonal activities.

For your weapons, you'll want to load up on close-range options. Sidearms, swords, glaives, shotguns, and submachine guns can be used to complete an objective this week, and if you use them in the Cosmodrome, you'll double up on the rewards earned. If you're feeling brave, tackling a lost sector on legend difficulty will net you more Challenger XP and Bright Dust, and taking on the Hive in playlist activities is another seasonal objective that can easily be done. Birthplace of the Vile, the Lightblade, and the Disgraced are good strikes for farming regular and tougher Hive.

Over on Neomuna, some prizes are waiting to be earned if you can find several action figures, and in PvP, Mayhem is back on the menu. Flex those new Strand Supers of yours, and you'll get through this objective in a few rounds.

Complete Week 2 of the We Stand Unbroken quest.

Generate Favors in Seasonal Activities.

Complete the quest Unfinished Business. Also, Defeat targets throughout Neomuna with precision final blows. Bonus progress awarded for using machine guns.

In Neomuna, collect and place four action figures.

In the Cosmodrome, earn progress by completing bounties, patrols, public events, and lost sectors.

Complete a lost sector on Legend or higher.

Defeat Guardians in the Mayhem playlist with Super Abilities.

Earn points by banking Motes, defeating Blockers, and defeating Guardians in Gambit.

Defeat Hive combatants in Vanguard playlists or strikes. Earn bonus progress for defeating tougher combatants.

Calibrate close-range weapons--sidearms, submachine guns, shotguns, glaives, and swords--in the Cosmodrome. Bonus progress for rapidly defeating combatants.

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