Destiny 2’s next major DLC, Lightfall, is finally less than two weeks away. With that in mind, players only have a short amount of time left to prepare for the upcoming expansion. With so much content available to play through though, one might understandably be unsure of which activities would be most worth their time and effort. So today, let’s discuss the five best ways to prepare for Destiny 2’s Lightfall expansion.
Play the Seasonal Titles
When the upcoming Lightfall DLC arrives, all of the Witch Queen DLC’s seasons, which include 16-19, will be sunset, and you will no longer be able to acquire the titles tied to them. These include Risen, Reaper, Scallywag, and Seraph.
Fortunately, it’s never been easier to get a hold of these most recent titles. In the past month, Bungie has made them significantly easier to acquire than they were when they first released. If you’re looking to obtain any of them, you can do so via your digital retailer of choice and at the very least catch a glimpse of the content that’s been on offer.
Just make sure to do so now before Lightfall arrives on Feb. 28. After that, you’ll never be able to get them again.
Catch up on All Current Story Threads Leading up to Lightfall
First, as a general disclaimer: Being a game that’s been out for 5+ years, there is quite a bit of content to follow in Destiny 2. While a lot of it is still accessible, there is a bunch that’s not.
As such, inquiring minds should head to YouTube. Specifically, you should be watching anything pertaining to the Witness vs. the Traveler, as well as the Collapse since we as a people are facing a second one potentially. Doing so might not be as fun as playing through the game yourself, but it’ll still provide you with the context and information you need to enjoy the upcoming content to the fullest.
Snag the Seasonal Weapons
Along with the seasonal titles, the weapons that came with each season will also be sunset until further notice when Lightfall arrives. Many of these guns, such as the Ikelos SMG shown above, are extremely powerful and will be super beneficial to have in your inventory when Lightfall hits.
Granted, Bungie has brought back seasonal weapons in some shape or form in future updates, but only years after they were initially released. Fortunately, when Bungie made seasonal titles easier to obtain, that also included the weapons. So if you’re looking to grab a God Roll Calus Mini Tool before Lightfall drops, you’ve still got a chance to do so before the next DLC drops.
Get All Your Gear Locked and Loaded for Transmat
While the Destiny servers have shown an increase in vitality over the last year. It is still a very possible reality that any (I’d not all) inventory management apps for the game will be down. Often when the biggest updates hit Destiny 2, there are a lot of bugs and API issues. In these cases, it’s rather commonplace to make sure you have at least a few mainstays for each type of weapon, elemental affinity, and more. Plus, it’s also a good move on launch day for your guardian to look their best for would-be cinematics.
Alternatively, the long-awaited, much-requested “saved loadout” feature that will be arriving with Lightfall may rid the entire need for said apps. It’s probably good practice to better be safe than sorry, since this will save guardians plenty of time going back and forth to their vaults to get whatever weapons, armor, and or exotics you may want/need. Time will tell though if this is in fact overkill.
Do Some Bounty Hoarding
You’ve probably heard this before, but bounty hoarding before a major expansion drop is extremely beneficial for those looking to get a head start on all of the new goodies when Lightfall arrives.
If you’re a casual player, this isn’t mandatory, as this mainly applies to hardcore players who want to level up as fast as possible before the Lightfall raid arrives. With that said, if you’re trying to get some goodies from the season pass or acquire a new Artifact mod, saving some bounties will be a huge boon as they’ll give you a massive boost in XP. Weekly bounties, such as Dreaming City, Moon, and Clan, will be the best to go for, but grabbing a daily bounty every once in a while is a good idea too.
Get Your Guardian(s) to Max Light
While the actual light level cap has yet to be revealed for Lightfall, it’s likely safe to say it’s 1800 (based on what was spotted in footage from Bungie). As such, the game will PROBABLY raise everyone’s gear to a complimentary 1600 (just as they did with the Witch Queen). In case they don’t, it’s likely in your best interest to get your most used gear up to proper light and it will also help you run some last minute endgame activities.
Take Advantage of the Exotic Catalysts Increased Progress
Around a month ago, Bungie made it so that Exotic Catalysts for seasonal Exotics from Season of the Risen and beyond will have increased progress until Lightfall arrives. These Exotics include the Grand Overture LMG, Trespasser Sidearm, Delicate Tomb Fusion Rifle, and the Manticore SMG.
While these Exotics aren’t being retired, the extra boost in their Catalyst progress is a massive help, as trying to progress their Catalysts usually involves defeating hordes of enemies; roughly 500 to be specific. The increase cuts the total enemy count down from 500 to roughly 250 or 300, depending on the weapon. It’s not mandatory, but it’s a nice side project if you don’t have anything else to do.
Claim All Season Pass Rewards
Let’s assume you have the paid pass for Season of the Seraph. While both a paid and free track is applicable, naturally the paid one is the real MVP. Why? Well, this one gives you access to various seasonal goodies such as new guns, armor at your highest light with great stats, engrams, cosmetics, emotes and whatnot. Plus, the seasonal exotic weapon – in this season’s case, the Manticore sub-machine gun.
Furthermore, there is quite a bit of game loot that will absolutely come into play with a brand-new expansion. Not to mention, catalyst boosters that will help more casual players to have better luck finding catalysts, as well as offering faster progression. Finally, it offers increased reputation gains for whatever seasonal vendor is being focused on.
Clean Out Your Vault
When Lightfall arrives, it will commence the sixth year of Destiny 2. If you’ve been playing for a long time, you probably have an incredibly packed vault by now.
With another year of Destiny, yet more guns and armor will release, so unless Bungie increases Vault space again, it’s time to clean your vault. The best way to go about it is to look at items you haven’t used in a long time. If they aren’t up to the current Power level, then more likely than not, you don’t need them.
Load Up On Endgame Rewards
Given that there is less than a week left of Season 19, some may say that this likely is forfeit. However, if you can get your hands on the higher level activity rewards, then it will absolutely be in your best interest.
For example: To masterwork exotic armor, you need enhancement prisms as well as ascendant shards and resonant alloy. Most of the time, these are contingent on master activities such as Nightfall strikes, the Wellspring, Lost Sectors Battlegrounds, and the usual seasonal activity as well as master exotic quests (which are repeatable) once per character per week. As an added caveat, these activities often have a higher chance of dropping specific weapons and very high stat armor sets.
It would be best if you only kept guns that are meta-relevant or that you have an emotional attachment to, such as the Midnight Coup Hand Cannon, in the top left corner. Aim for around 300 or below Vault space remaining; that way, you’ll have plenty of room for new weapons and armor that arrive throughout the year of content related to the Lightfall DLC.
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