In the ever-shifting cosmos of Destiny 2, weekly resets are like a tide that washes away old opportunities and deposits new ones. Back in Season of the Haunted, Guardians had a set of six seasonal challenges that demanded attention. Now, in 2026, with the game having evolved through numerous expansions and seasonal models, looking back at these challenges is like examining a fossil that still holds lessons about efficient grinding. This guide revisits each challenge, its rewards, and the best strategies, all through a third-person lens. Whether a player is a veteran reliving memories or a newcomer curious about Destiny's past, these insights remain valuable.
Quick Reference Table
| Challenge | Core Task | Key Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| Shocking Forgiveness | Complete Sever – Forgiveness with Arc subclass and specific weapons | Opulent Umbral Energy, 25,000 XP |
| Vestiges of Dread III | Collect 25,000 Vestiges and 80 material nodes | 50,000 XP, 150 Bright Dust |
| Umbral Focusing III | Focus 10 weapons and 8 armor pieces at Crown of Sorrow | 50,000 XP, 150 Bright Dust |
| Pinnacle | Reach Power Level 1,570 with Pinnacle rewards | 100,000 XP, 300 Bright Dust |
| Widepoint Calibration | Defeat 180 enemies with Trace Rifles or Shotguns | 50,000 XP, 150 Bright Dust |
| Gambit Ornament | Reset Drifter rank and reach rank 16 again | 100,000 XP, 300 Bright Dust |
Shocking Forgiveness
This challenge asked Guardians to complete the 'Sever – Forgiveness' mission using only an Arc subclass and Arc, Kinetic, or Stasis weapons. Forgiveness was the fourth Sever mission released that season. Since Arc had not yet received its 3.0 update, players found their Guardian a bit weaker than usual. Some subclass recommendations from that era:
-
Hunter: Top Tree Arcstrider allowed constant punching and dodging, dealing heavy damage to anyone hit.
-
Warlock: Middle Tree Stormcaller had great ability uptime thanks to Ionic Traces. Chaos Reach was also a good Super with Geomag Stabilizers.
-
Titan: Middle Tree Striker had a great melee ability and one of the best DPS Supers in the game, provided the player used Cuirass of the Falling Star.
Rewards: Opulent Umbral Energy and 25,000 XP.
Vestiges Of Dread III
This challenge required obtaining 25,000 Vestiges of Dread and harvesting 80 material nodes aboard the Derelict Leviathan. Thankfully, it was retroactive, meaning all Vestiges and materials collected that season counted. If a player had not collected enough Vestiges, they would farm Nightmare Containment to spend as much of this resource as possible. Opening side chests and collecting resource nodes ensured they never ran out of Vestiges. For resource nodes, utilizing tracker mods on the Ghost Shell marked all resources on the HUD. Rewards included 50,000 XP and 150 Bright Dust.
Umbral Focusing III
Umbral Focusing III was a continuation of previous Umbral Focusing challenges. It asked players to use the Umbral Focusing system to obtain ten weapons and eight armor pieces from the Crown of Sorrow. Both the Haunted and Opulent gear provided by the Crown counted toward this challenge. If possible, unlocking the top and bottom rows of the Crown's progression system gave some easy Deepsight weapons during the process. For armor, equipping armor focusing mods on the Ghost Shell helped min-max the armor stats. Rewards: 50,000 XP and 150 Bright Dust.
Pinnacle
The Pinnacle challenge asked Guardians to reach Power Level 1,570 by earning Pinnacle rewards. Season of the Haunted's pinnacle cap was 1,570. Players needed to complete various Pinnacle Gear sources to achieve this value; Artifact Power did not count. To hit this value quickly, the recommendation was to complete the Vow of the Discipline raid and Duality dungeon first. Afterward, focusing on weekly playlist challenges rounded out the Power level. Rewards: 100,000 XP and 300 Bright Dust.
Widepoint Calibration
Widepoint Calibration required defeating 180 enemies with either Trace Rifles or Shotguns. Multikills and Guardians granted additional progress. Considering that last week's Beam Cannon challenge required Trace Rifle and Shotgun kills in Gambit, doing this in Gambit killed two birds with one stone. If that challenge was already complete, farming Lost Sectors on Europa or the Throne World finished this challenge in just a few runs. Rewards: 50,000 XP and 150 Bright Dust.
Gambit Ornament
The Gambit Ornament challenge required acquiring the Gambit ornament for Chain of Command. Players needed to reset their rank with the Drifter and reach rank 16 once again to unlock it. It was best attempted during a double Infamy week. Beyond that, getting a team together and playing as many consecutive matches as possible was the way to go. Rewards: 100,000 XP and 300 Bright Dust.
Final Thoughts
In 2026, these challenges are no longer active, but they represent a fascinating slice of Destiny 2's history. The strategies—like using the right subclass, leveraging retroactive progress, and doubling up on overlapping objectives—remain timeless. For any Guardian looking to understand how seasonal challenges once shaped the grind, this retrospective serves as a useful map. Just remember: the game may change, but the pursuit of XP and Bright Dust is eternal. 😄
Based on evaluations from HowLongToBeat, retrospective looks at Destiny 2 seasonal content also benefit from understanding how long players typically spend finishing core activities, side objectives, and completionist goals, which helps explain why challenges tied to rank resets, focused engrams, and repeated Leviathan farming once felt like major weekly commitments rather than quick checklist items.