Now that I’ve had the chance to play through what I would say is the most significant week of Destiny 2‘s Season of the Seraph, I can confidently say that it is already the best season we have seen in 2022. In fact, I’d go as far as to say it’s the best season we’ve seen in quite a while. Big claim, I know, but allow me to explain.
Destiny 2 has entertained the same seasonal model for too many seasons now: “Here’s a new vendor; upgrade it to get more stuff. Here’s a new seasonal activity; play it 80 times and some good may come of it. Here are some new ornaments; if you want them, give us some cash or 6,000 Bright Dust and you can look cool until we give you some more ornaments to buy in a few months.” Although we have been given that exact model in Season of the Seraph (and it does need to change), everything else this season is just better, and the events of Week 4 have sealed the claim that this is the best season we’ve seen in some time.
THE GEAR
For starters, the new seasonal gear is fantastic. Not only have we witnessed the return of the popular IKELOS weapons (now with new perks and origin traits), but also the craftable exotic pulse rifle, Revision Zero, and the new Tex Mechanica dungeon weapons. Even the new glaive packs a punch!
THE STORY
So far, the story for this season is the best story we’ve experienced since The Witch Queen campaign that launched in February. No spoilers here, but I will say the writing, the drama, and the voice acting are all on point this season. There’s even a big twist in Week 4’s content.
THE SEASONAL ACTIVITY
Season 19 brought with it a new seasonal activity, Heist Battlegrounds. While they can be a little too long for my taste, and the hazards are unnecessarily frustrating at times, Heist Battlegrounds can be a lot of fun when you have a solid fireteam willing to put in the work. That is exactly the reason this activity works though: because it takes more coordinated effort than past activities have required.
THE GRIND
Players have been asking for better RNG when it comes to obtaining red-border Deepsight weapons to unlock crafting patterns, and Bungie appears to have listened. Most players are reporting a significantly greater drop rate when it comes to Deepsight weapons, and I can personally attest to that.
THE MUSIC
This is something most journalists don’t usually report on in Destiny 2: the music. The music this season is different in a very good way. I have found myself entirely immersed in the world of Destiny 2 while I was playing this week, in large part due to the music. It wasn’t the same score I’d heard before. It was almost as if I had been transported to an alternate universe where Destiny and Halo lived in harmony with one another. I almost wanted to do it all over again just to hear the music one more time.
THE EXOTIC QUEST
Most likely the thing I love most about this season, the new quest associated with the Revision Zero exotic pulse rifle, Operation: Seraph’s Shield, is the best exotic quest I have done since the “secret” quest we had for the Whisper of the Worm exotic sniper rifle several years ago. Although I have encountered some annoying bugs that are especially frustrating during a Legend run, it is still one of the most unique quests Destiny 2 has ever seen. If you haven’t had the chance or the guts to give it a go yet, I strongly recommend you do so. It is a rewarding, memorable experience.
There is obviously still more to come for Season of the Seraph, but what we have so far is one heck of a season that offers a great experience for regular and returning players, especially with Lightfall just around the corner. If you are on the fence about whether to hop back into Destiny 2, I don’t think there has been a better time than right now to do so. You won’t regret it.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
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