How does Guardian Rank work in Destiny 2?

The Guardian Rank system is a new addition with the release of Lightfall in Destiny 2. Players are given a list of activities to complete each rank. Ranks one through six never reset while ranks seven through 11 are reset with each Season. Aside from bragging rights, Guardians can obtain rewards for completing certain requirements during the season. Here's a rundown of what to expect for Season of Defiance.

Destiny 2 Guardian Rank Overview

Rank 1: New Light

• Default rank that every new Guardian starts at.

Rank 2: Explorer

• Complete the New Light quest, "A Guardian Rises."

Rank 3: Initiate

• Explore Neptune
  • Complete "First Contact."
  • Meet the destination vendor on Neptune.
• Explore EDZ
  • Land in Earth's European Dead Zone, otherwise known as the EDZ, and speak with Devrim Kay, located in the belfry of Trostland Church.
  • Complete three public events in the EDZ.
• Explore Nessus
  • Land on Nessus and meet the eccentric AI, Failsafe, located in the wreckage of the Exodus Black colony ship.
  • Complete one patrol on Nessus.
  • Complete two Lost Sectors on Nessus.

Related: What is a Pouka in Destiny 2?

Rank 4: Scout

• Light Subclasses
  • Complete the "Learning Light" quest.
  • Purchase two Aspects from Ikora Rey.
  • Purchase three Fragments from Ikora Rey.
  • Complete a Light subclass quest from Ikora Rey.
• Gunsmith
  • Talk to Banshee-44.
  • Collect Glimmer.
  • Collect nine Legendary Shards.
  • Complete Gunsmith bounties to earn Enhancement Cores.
  • Purchase weapons from Banshee-44.
• Gear Modification
  • Apply three shaders to your gear.
  • Equip an Economic or Tracking mod on your Ghost.

Rank 5: Adventurer

• Exotic Quests
  • Complete the Exotic weapon mission "Spark of Hope" to obtain Riskrunner.
  • Once the Riskrunner catalyst has been obtained, open Riskrunner's weapon details and apply the catalyst to the weapon. Upon completing the catalyst objectives, you will be able to upgrade Riskrunner to Masterwork.
• Playlists
  • Acquire four Vanguard bounties from Commander Zavala.
  • Complete Vanguard Ops.
  • Complete two Vanguard bounties in Vanguard Ops.
  • Commend two other players in Vanguard Ops.
  • Learn about the Crucible from Lord Shaxx.
  • Learn about Gambit from the Drifter.
• Collections
  • Collect nine Legendary weapons.
  • Complete 10 pieces of Legendary armor.

Rank 6: Veteran

• Gear Progression
  • Earn slot-specific mods on armor (Head, Arms, Chest, Legs).
  • Increase the energy level of a piece of armor twice.
  • Increase the Masterwork level of a weapon twice.
  • Acquire Enhancement Prisms.
• Power
  • Increase your Power to the soft cap of 1750.
  • Complete two weekly vendor challenges to acquire powerful rewards.
• Trials
  • Talk to Saint-14 about Trials of Osiris.

Rank 7: Elite

• Lightfall
  • Complete the Lightfall campaign
  • Increase your vendor reputation three times with Nimbus in Neomuna.
  • Complete the weekly Lightfall campaign mission in Neomuna.
• Season of Defiance
  • Increase your Season Rank seven times.
  • Complete four Seasonal Challenges from the current Season.
  • Increase your reputation level with the War Table twice.
  • Purchase two upgrades from the War Table.
  • Defeat targets with the Exotic bow Verglas Curve.
  • Increase your reputation with the Vanguard Ops, Crucible, or Gambit vendors four times.
• Seasonal Artifact
  • Obtain the current Seasonal Artifact.
  • Activate five perks from your Seasonal Artifact.
  • Increase your Power bonus from the Seasonal Artifact by five.
• Nightfall
  • Complete three Nightfalls while using a subclass that matches the current surge. (Unlocks Armor Charge Mods)
  • Complete Nightfalls and earn Platinum rewards twice.
• Champions
  • Stun six Unstoppable Champions.
  • Stun six Barrier Champions.
  • Stun six Overload Champions.
• Commendations
  • Commend five other players in a Nightfall activity.
  • Increase your commendation score to 750.
• Lost Sectors
  • Complete five Legend Lost Sectors solo.
  • Complete a Legend Lost Sector solo without dying. (Rewards +4 loadouts)
• Power
  • Increase your Power to the powerful cap of 1800.
  • Earn pinnacle rewards from Gambit, Nightfall, or Crucible weekly challenges.

Rank 8: Justiciar

• Pending

Related: All Destiny 2 DLCs and Expansions

Rank 9: Vanquisher

• Pending

Rank 10: Exemplar

• Pending

Rank 11: Paragon

• Pending

For more Destiny 2 goodies, check out How to get your Destiny 2 Year in Review (2023) on Pro Game Guides.