By 2026, Destiny 2 has accumulated enough seasonal rituals to fill a very large, very explosive filing cabinet, but the Guardian Games still has one deliciously loud party favor: Heir Apparent. The Exotic machine gun remains the annual event's most famous trophy, a 900 RPM slab of Cabal-inspired theater that turns a Guardian into a walking, spinning, Arc-shielded problem. It is less a gun than a mechanical hedgehog: slow to spin up, covered in prickly protection, and deeply unpleasant to poke. For anyone who missed previous Guardian Games events, the 2026 edition is the familiar window to fix that oversight. The exact quest text can shift with Bungie's mood ring, so players should always trust the in-game journal first, but the broad ritual is as reliable as a bureaucrat's coffee break.
Why Heir Apparent Still Matters 😤
Heir Apparent is not subtle. Its Basic Trait, Armor of the Colossus, generates an Arc Shield while the weapon spins up, which means the Guardian gets a defensive bubble and an offensive buzzsaw in the same trigger pull. In PvE, it chews through adds like a wood chipper with a grudge. In PvP, especially life-limited modes such as Trials of Osiris, the shield can turn a bad angle into a deeply annoying survival story. The weapon is modeled after the Cabal Colossus, and it carries the same energy: heavily armored, deeply confident, and absolutely certain that the room belongs to it.
The Short Version 🧾
| Step | What Happens | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Complete the nine-step Best In Class quest | First The Title SMG, event progression |
| 2 | Unlock Top Of Class | Two-step Heir Apparent quest |
| 3 | Collect 50 Laurels with the Guardian Games class item equipped | Quest progress |
| 4 | Get 100 Machine Gun kills in the Daily Focus playlist | Heir Apparent awarded automatically |
| 5 | Submit Gold and Platinum Medallions for a random Catalyst quest | Catalyst quest access |
| 6 | Complete three Guardian Games-themed Catalyst steps | Catalyst quest done |
| 7 | Get 700 kills with Heir Apparent | Catalyst completed |
The Long Version: A Bureaucratic Onion 🧅
A Guardian cannot simply stroll into the Guardian Games and demand Heir Apparent like a tourist asking for extra croutons. The weapon is gated behind Best In Class, a nine-step quest that officially kicks off the event. That quest also hands over the first The Title SMG, a Legendary weapon that fits neatly with the Void 3.0 rework and gives players something to fiddle with while the Exotic paperwork clears. The Best In Class chain is a bureaucratic onion: every layer makes the Guardian cry a little, but the center is an Exotic.
Once Best In Class is done, Top Of Class appears. It has two easy steps. First, collect 50 Laurels, the Guardian Games currency, while wearing the event class item. Because Best In Class is so long, many Guardians will already have this step finished by accident, like finding a snack in a coat pocket. Second, get 100 Machine Gun kills in the Daily Focus playlist. That playlist rotates among Crucible, Gambit, and Vanguard activities at reset, so players should check the Milestones tab in the Destinations menu before committing to a murder spree.
After Top Of Class is complete, Heir Apparent arrives automatically. No confetti cannon, no ceremony, just a very large gun in the inventory and a sudden urge to spin.
The Catalyst: A Carnival Claw Machine With a Policy Degree 🎟️
The Catalyst is where the Guardian Games reveals its playful sadism. Players must submit Gold and Platinum Medallions to receive the Catalyst quest at random. That is the carnival claw machine with a policy degree: random, expensive, and technically possible. Once the quest appears, it has three steps tied to Guardian Games activities, so the completion window lasts only as long as the event does. After those steps are finished, the final demand is simple and enormous: get 700 kills with Heir Apparent at any time. The Catalyst grind is a marathon disguised as a victory lap, but at least the marathon has a 900 RPM soundtrack.
2026 Practical Notes 📌
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Check the event timer. The Catalyst quest is event-bound; do not leave the three-step portion until the last night.
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Wear the class item. Laurels do not care about a Guardian's fashion choices, but they do care about the event class item.
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Bank Medallions early. Gold and Platinum submissions are the random gate for the Catalyst quest.
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Use the Daily Focus. Machine Gun kills are fastest when the playlist aligns with a comfortable activity.
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Expect small changes. In 2026, Bungie may tweak quest wording or step counts; the in-game journal is the final referee.
Heir Apparent remains a loud, shiny, slightly ridiculous prize, and that is exactly why Guardians keep chasing it. It is a portable tax audit: loud, unavoidable, and weirdly comforting when it is on the Guardian's side. When the Guardian Games return, the smart play is to finish the quest chain early, bank those Medallions, and let the big golden machine gun do what it does best: spin, shield, and make the room regret its choices.