Destiny 2 Guardian Games 2023: How It Works

Welcome back to the Guardian Games! 2023’s rendition of the Games is the 4th time this seasonal event has come to Destiny 2: all three classes have previously won the games, making this year’s event pretty special. This year, players can look forward to getting their hands on a sweet new Strand Scout Rifle, playing around with Strike Scoring in some exclusive playlists and PvP has even gotten an old favourite back as a limited-time mode to celebrate. There’s a lot to do and a lot to remember.

Here’s everything you need to know about Guardian Games 2023 in Destiny 2. 

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Guardian Games Start and End Dates

2023’s rendition of Guardian Games begins on May 2nd and will last until May 23rd. The event and its associated modes and activities will be available during that 3 week period for any Guardian who logs into the game.

As always, Eververse has some fresh new threads for each class based on the Games that you can purchase for Silver or Bright Dust. In case you missed one, it’ll also stock the Universal Ornaments from all previous Guardian Games. That isn’t to mention the heap of new Ghosts, Sparrows and other goodies that Eververse will be selling over the course of Guardian Games.

The Tower has gotten a dramatic makeover to fit with the competition: flags of red, blue and yellow hang over the courtyard, golden medals are piled up high and the oh-so-important class banners are ready to record your team’s performance. Eva will be waiting somewhere nearby, ready to get you going with the Guardian Games introductory quest. 

A Transformed Tower

How to Start Guardian Games

To start your participation in the Guardian Games, you simply need to boot up Destiny 2 while the event is active. You’ll have a new quest which will take you to the Tower where everyone’s favourite Destiny grandma, Eva Levante, is waiting for you. 

Speaking to her will start the Best in Class quest. She will also give you the Guardian Games Class Item, which you’ll need to wear to progress through the event and earn medals. Once you’ve slapped on your shiny new piece of armour, Eva will ask you to pick up a Contender Card: these are essentially small bounties or quests which ask you to complete a random objective in a mode of your choosing, awarding you some Medals if you succeed. 

From here, simply head into either of the two GG exclusive playlists – the Recreational Playlist for PvE and the Supremacy Playlist for PvP – and complete the associated Card. Then, head back to Eva to get a new version of last year’s The Title SMG and the all-important Guardian Games Medallion Case. 

You’ll be given a few more additional quests and objectives but, from this point on, Guardian Games is yours to conquer. 

Three Guardian Games Playlists

Class Competition: New Guns, Activities and More

Medallions and Contender Cards

The most integral part of the Guardian Games is the Medals. This is the primary way you will actually engage with the event and earn some of the exclusive Guardian Games loot. 

The main way you’ll be picking up Medals is via Contender Cards. Eva will give you these for 1500 Glimmer and they cover almost every activity in the game: Strikes, Crucible, Trials, Raids, Seasonal Events and even Lost Sectors are all covered. Depending on what you plan on playing, there’s almost certainly a Contender Card related to that activity. All you need to do is pick it up from Eva and complete the random objective listed on the card.

Eva’s Wares

There are two types of Cards to keep an eye on: there are regular Contender Cards and then there are Platinum Cards. The ordinary suite of Contender Cards covers things like the Vanguard Playlist, Crucible, Gambit and other evergreen activities. Completing these Cards will usually award Gold Medallions. If you’re looking for Bronze and Silver Medallions, simply complete activities while you have your Guardian Games Class item equipped.

Meanwhile, the Platinum Cards are there for Destiny 2’s harder content. This includes Raids, Trials of Osiris, Legendary Lost Sectors, Nightfalls and other activities that usually don’t have matchmaking. Instead of Gold Medallions, completing these will award Platinum Medallions. These are much rarer and award a lot more points, and better rewards, at the Podium.

Speaking of, the Guardian Games Podium is where you’ll be coming to deposit your Medallions. Once you have a few saved up, head back to the Tower and you’ll be able to socket them into the Podium. The more Medals you have, the more rewards you can earn, including the new Taraxippos Strand Scout Rifle, so make sure to have as many Medals as you can.

Taraxippos Strand Scout Rifle

Recreational and Competitive Playlists

If you want to stick to PvE but still want to participate a bit more in the Guardian Games spirit, then you’re in luck! Returning from last year are the Recreational and Competitive Playlist options, although they have been streamlined somewhat. Both of them can be accessed from the Tower at any time but they do serve different purposes.

The Recreational Playlist is essentially a tuned-up version of the regular Vanguard Ops playlist. While playing, you will earn a variety of Vanguard Medals, special accolades which are awarded when you accomplish a certain task or objective: rapidly defeat 6 combatants with a certain weapon type or ability, get a certain number of kills without dying, defeat Champions and so forth. Your goal will be to get as many of these Vanguard Medals as you can, which will raise the score and get you better rewards and Medallions at the end. 

On the other hand, the Competitive Playlist is a similarly altered version of the Nightfall playlist. Each week, the Competitive Playlist will host one Nightfallt-tier Strike which can be matchmade into. This has the same Strike Scoring and Vanguard Medals as the Recreational Playlist, only with the usual trimmings of a Nightfall such as Champions, Threats, Surges and the like. Interestingly, this has a high drop rate of Exotic Armour and can drop the current Nightfall weapon.

The Competitive Playlist is tied to the Shoot to Score Quest, which asks you to achieve up to a Platinum Score in the Competitive Playlist. Reaching this rank will allow you to light the 4 PvE Scoring Torches in the Tower, earning you additional rewards for your troubles. These Torches can be found behind the Podium on the right side.

Recreational and Competitive

Supremacy

For the first time in Guardian Games history, PvP is finally getting some love with a limited-time game mode. Supremacy, Destiny’s version of Kill Confirmed, has returned for the duration of Guardian Games and can be accessed from the Tower at any time. 

In Supremacy, Guardians will compete in teams against each other. Whenever you kill an opponent, they will drop a red crest: consequently, whenever you or an ally die, you drop a blue crest. Picking up a red crest will add points to your team’s score, and the same is true of your opponent. Your goal is to kill as much as possible, grab as many enemy crests as possible and pick up the crests of any of your allies to stop the opposing team from beating you. Good, competitive fun.

Good Old Brawl

You can select a normal version of Supremacy or you can select a special version where your team will only match your current class: if you’re playing Warlock, your allies will be a team of only Warlocks. Consequently, your enemies will be a team entirely composed of Titans or Hunters to heighten the competitive spirit.

Similar to before, Supremacy is also tied to a quest called Vying for Supremacy. Achieve up to a Platinum Score by participating in Supremacy to unlock the ability to light the 4 PvP Scoring Torches in the Tower, letting you grab even more rewards and bonuses. These Torches can be found behind the Podium on the left side.

Competitive Edge

Event Flow

So, how does the event look from a stage-by-stage process?

1. Pick up a Contender Card from Eva Levante from the Tower based on the activity you want to do. 
2. Complete the objective on your card to obtain Medallions, with Platinum Cards offering higher rarity Medallions. 
3. Slot those Medallions into the Podium at the Tower for additional, exclusive rewards.
4. Rinse and repeat the process.

While you complete these activities, make sure to hop into the Competitive and Supremacy Playlists once in a while to earn points. Participating in these will allow you to complete the Vying for Supremacy and Shoot to Score Quests, allowing you to obtain additional rewards in the Tower by lighting the 8 Scoring Torches. This will reset each week of the event.

Do all these, bank your Medallions and that’s the flow of Guardian Games 2023.

Class Conflict

Event Card

Just like all of the other Destiny 2 seasonal events since last year, Guardian Games has a new Event Card for players to undertake (and purchase). The Event Cards are special reward tracks tied to each event, awarding Guardian Games gear and loot via certain triumphs.

There are two versions of the Event Card. There’s a free track and an upgraded track, which you have to pay for. From the free track, you can access:

• 17 Guardian Games triumphs which award The Champ Title upon completing all of them.
• The Burnished Acclaim Legendary Shader
• The Luminous Paragon Exotic Sparrow
• One free copy of the Taraxippos Strand Scout Rifle and The Title Void SMG
• 5 Enhancement Cores, 1 Enhancement Prism, 1 Ascendant Shard and 1 Ascendant Alloy
• 1 Gold Medallion and 1 Platinum Medallion

As previously stated, the Event Card is tied to the seasonal Title. Complete all 17 Event Card triumphs and you will earn The Champ Title. This is also the first time that players can earn the Reveler Title, as well: so long as you got the previous 4 Event Titles from the past year, Reveler will be yours upon unlocking The Champ. 

The Event Card

Upgraded Event Card

For 1000 Silver, Guardians can get the Upgraded Event Card. This doesn’t change any of the challenges or triumphs, but it does offer some additional cosmetics via the Event Tickets.

Once you have purchased the Upgraded Event Card, each triumph you complete will award a set number of Event Tickets. These Tickets can be spent on an exclusive award track with special cosmetics, all of which vary in price. The Tickets are also retroactive, meaning that you will acquire the Tickets for any triumphs you have already completed upon purchase. 

When you purchase the Card, you’ll instantly be given the Championship Dance Exotic Emote, Barnstormer Exotic Sparrow and the Coronal Bloom Legendary Shader. You can then spend Event Tickets on the following items:

• Gridiron Exotic Ghost Shell (7 Tickets)
• Darts Legendary Emote (5 Tickets)
• Colorful Motes Transmat Effect (3 Tickets)
• Medal Collector Ghost Projection (1 Ticket)

Performance at the Podium

That was everything you needed to know about the 2023 rendition of Guardian Games in Destiny 2. This is a brief reminder that the Games start on May 2nd and will last for 3 weeks, ending on May 23rd. Get as many Medallions as you can and make your class proud. Have a great Guardian Games!