• Guide

Guardian Ranks - Destiny 2

Discover the intricacies of the Guardian Ranks in Destiny 2 including all the objectives needed to move up to Paragon.

Sam Chandler

March 15, 2023 7:35 PM

Bungie

1

The Guardian Ranks is a new system for players to engage with in Destiny 2. Guardian Ranks works as a sort of tutorial or guidance, giving players direction on what task to do next. Most long-term players will find their Guardian Rank to be quite high, while new players will be starting at the beginning. However, both can work to increase their Guardian Ranks and gain new prestige.

All Guardian Ranks & Objectives

The Guardian Ranks are split into 11 individual ranks. Each rank will have several objectives in it and all must be completed before you can move up to the next rank. Your Guardian Rank will be displayed beside your gamertag whenever you’re in an activity. Credit to Light.gg for access to the Destiny 2 API for some of the later Guardian Ranks listed below.

Note that some objectives reset each season. Anything related to the Season's name, Seasonal Artifact, Commendations, and Power will reset. You will keep a portion of Commendations earned. Categories in bold will reset.

How to rank up Guardian Ranks

There are 11 Guardian Ranks to work through in Destiny 2. Unlike other ranks such as Vanguard, Crucible, or Gambit, Guardian Ranks do not level up by simply accruing XP or playing activities. Players must complete specific tasks in order to increase their Guardian Rank.

As seen in the table above, the types of objectives players encounter at each rank will vary. There will also be some hurdles to overcome, specifically surviving Legend and Master Lost Sectors without dying.

You will note that some of the Guardian Rank objectives are presented in-game with different colored boxes. These objectives are limited to the season and will expire when a season ends. Which brings us too…

Guardian Ranks reset

Each season your Guardian Rank will reset but you will still display your previous highest Guardian Rank. To keep this rank, you must reach it again within the new season.

As mentioned above, some objectives are tied to seasons, which means you’ll lose those objectives and be issued new ones. These typically relate to seasonal activities, Season Pass ranks, Artifiact mods, and other temporary things.

Additionally, you will lose a significant portion of your Commendation score and must earn it back. At the end of Season of Defiance I had 2,112 points and at the start of Season of the Deep I was down to 505. This amounts to a roughly 75 percent reduction in your Commendation score.

Guardian Rank 8 - Pinnacle Rewards

One issue players may run into is the Guardian Rank 8 challenge called Pinnacle Rewards. This requires players obtain two Pinnacle rewards from Gambit, Nightfall, or Crucible weekly challenges. Unfortunately, Powerful Gear (Tier 1) rewards (the ones that are Exotic engrams) do not count. This means the only one that counts is the one for earning 200,000 by completing Nightfalls.

As far as I can tell, as of Season of the Deep, this is the only Pinnacle reward in the core playlist. You'll need to complete it on two characters or wait for the weekly reset.

With a firm grasp on the Guardian Ranks system, you’ll be one step closer to maxing it out and showing other players your expertise in Destiny 2. Remember to pay it forward and help out others, which you can do through the new Commendation system. Read more explanations and info for other mechanics on our Destiny 2 strategy guide.

Sam Chandler

Head of Guides

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as Head of Guides. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler