What are ritual activities in Destiny 2?

Destiny 2 has many different types of content Guardians can engage with, most of which fall under three individual categories, collectively termed ritual activities.

Vanguard Ops, Gambit, and Crucible are the primary pillars that represent Destiny 2’s three ritual activities, and engaging with their associated activities is an essential part of growing your Guardian’s Power to reach the current cap.

Barring Gambit, each category is subdivided into several different types of content. See below for a breakdown of each ritual type, what activities fall under their umbrella, and what type of player they appeal to.

What are ritual activities?

Ritual activities are evergreen content available permanently in Destiny 2 that grants powerful and pinnacle gear for completing various daily and weekly objectives. Chiefly, each branch caters specifically to PvE, PvP, or a mixture of both (PvEvP). Here’s everything you need to know about all three.

Vanguard Ops

For Guardians only interested in PvE, Vanguard Ops includes casual-friendly Strikes, harder versions that rotate weekly, dubbed Nightfalls, and Onslaught – a wave-based base defence activity introduced in Into the Light.

The full list of activities is as follows:

• Nightfall: Tougher versions of standard Strikes that include various difficulty modifiers. One Strike is available per week.
• Vanguard Ops: Core activity. Casual-friendly playlist that includes Strikes and similar content from previous seasons.
• Grandmaster Nightfall: Tough endgame content that awards exclusive Adept versions of weapons dropped in Nightfalls. Usually unlocked several weeks into a new season.
• Onslaught: Playlist: 10-wave base defense mode that drops BRAVE weapons.
• Onslaught: 50-wave base defense mode that drops BRAVE weapons.

The Crucible

Nothing gets the adrenaline pumping like testing your skills against other players. The Crucible ritual activity houses every type of PvP content, from casual playlists such as Control and Rumble to high-stakes competitive play in the form of Trials of Osiris and Iron Banner.

The full list of activities is as follows:

• Competitive (3v3 Ranked): Unlike Trials of Osiris, Competitive is available as a permanent playlist option. Participants are ranked based on performance at the end of every match and can earn rewards not available elsewhere.
• 6v6 Unranked: The go-to activity if you’re looking for casual PvP. While the ruleset can change, Control is usually the current game type.
• 6v6 Quickplay: Same team composition as 6v6 Unranked, offering a different option for anyone looking for a varied ruleset.
• Crucible Labs: Experimental playlist where Bungie tests new rulesets and game modes.
• Free for All: All against all fun-focused mode.
• Private Match: Guardians can set up their own matches with custom rules here.
• Trials of Osiris: Pinnacle 3v3 PvP activity with exclusive rewards. Achieving an unbroken streak of seven match wins grants access to The Lighthouse. Available from Friday to Tuesday when active.
• Iron Banner: Pinnacle 6v6 PvP activity with exclusive rewards. Available for two weeks when active.

Gambit

A blending of PvE and PvP, Gambit pits two teams of four against each other in a race to see who can fill up their team’s bank with Motes and slay the boss fastest. Each team is placed in their own individual instance and interacts via two primary methods: Blockers and invasions.

Depositing Motes obtained from enemies and banking them in specific quantities will summon Blockers for the other side, preventing them from depositing their own Motes.

Upon reaching certain deposit thresholds, a portal granting the ability to invade the other team will open. Any Guardian who crosses the threshold will have a limited amount of time to kill as many members of the opposing team as they can before being sent back to their world. Getting kills in the final phases heals the other team’s boss, giving your team more time to win.

While not classified as a ritual activity, you’ll have no doubt noticed a fourth option sitting alongside the aforementioned trio in Destiny 2’s Director. Here is where you’ll access Raids, Dungeons, and Exotic Missions.

There’s a lot of nuance to take note of for Legends. Some content housed here is permanent, while some will rotate weekly. For more information on weekly featured raids and dungeons, see our dedicated guide.

Ritual Challenges & Rewards

Rewards differ depending on the activity’s difficulty.

Completing challenges attached to any daily or weekly ritual activity will award different types of engrams, all with different qualities. See below for the full list of engrams obtainable from completing ritual challenges

• Powerful Gear (Tier 1): Gear that drops +3 higher than your current total.
• Powerful Gear (Tier 2): Gear that drops +4 higher than your current total.
• Powerful Gear (Tier 3): Gear that drops +5 higher than your current total.
• Pinnacle Gear: Gear that drops +6 higher than your current total.

Based on the above, the challenges that award Pinnacle Gear are most important to prioritize, with Powerful rewards of any tier coming second. The former usually requires more time investment and comes attached to tougher challenges, however, so feel free to mix and match as you see fit.

How does the Pathfinder system work?

Bungie

Guardians can complete objectives within their Pathfinder, with the goal of getting the reward at the end.

Introduced in The Final Shape, Pathfinder replaces activity-specific Bounties, granting various rewards for completing bite-sized objectives.

Vanguard Ops, Crucible, and Gambit all have their own dedicated Pathfinder trees, granting engrams, XP, and valuable materials each time a full path is completed. For more information, see our Pathfinder guide.