Destiny 2 Lightfall: How to Increase Guardian Ranks (All Requirements Listed)

The Destiny 2 new player experience has never been particularly well-made, with little direction regarding where to go, what to do, or how to progress. Guardian Ranks is Bungie’s latest attempt to bring new New Lights up to speed in Lightfall. If you’re here, you’re wondering what these new Ranks are.

The system is pretty straightforward. Do activities increase rank. But what activities, and where? This guide answers all of that and more, and it includes all of the requirements you’ll need to meet to get into fighting shape.

Other Destiny 2 Lightfall coverage:

• How to Change Lightfall Campaign Difficulty
• How to Raise Your Power Level Fast
• How to Unlock the Strand Subclass

Destiny 2 Lightfall Guardian Ranks Explained

Image via Bungie

When you come into Destiny 2, two things are true.

• Either you’re a new player with no Guardian Rank
• Or you’re returning after some time and will have likely already completed some of the tasks required to increase Guardian Rank.

The early Guardian Ranks are simple enough to get through. First, Go to the Journey screen to the left of your Character screen. Here, you’ll see your current rank and all the steps required to increase it to the next level.

Here are all the requirements for each rank through six. We’ll update this guide as we unlock more.

All Destiny 2 Lightfall Guardian Rank Requirements Listed

Guardian Rank 1 Requirements

The moment you arise as a Guardian on the outskirts of the Cosmodrome, you’re achieved Guardian Rank 1.

Rank 2 Requirements

Complete the “A Guardian Rises” questline in the Cosmodrome. Use Shaw Han as a resource and other Guardians in the space to learn the basics of Destiny.

Rank 3 Requirements

Image via Bungie

• Land on the planetoid of Nessus and meet the Golden Age AI Failsafe.
• Land on the EDZ on Earth and meet Devrim Kay at the church tower in Trostland.
• Complete one Patrol on Nessus. You’ll see diamond markers in the various zones if you pull out your Ghost. Activate one of them to start a Patrol, a quick activity that rewards experience, Glimmer, and maybe some low-rarity gear.
• Complete two Lost Sectors in the EDZ. You’ll see upside-down U-shaped symbols on your map. These designate Lost Sector locations, mini-dungeons with enemies and a boss. The same symbol is near where you’ll enter them.
• Complete three Public Events in the EDZ. These are denoted by blue diamonds with a flower design on them on the map. Where they occur will also be a Rally Flag that fills your Super and provides full ammunition.
• Complete the First Contact mission on Neptune. The mission is from the Lightfall campaign.
• Meet the Destination vendor on Neptune. You’ll meet up with them immediately following the end of First Contact.

Rank 4 Requirements

• Complete the “Learning Light” quest.
• Buy Aspects and Fragments from Ikora Rey. Aspects and Fragments augment your Subclasses and are equippable in the appropriate Subclass screen.
• Complete a Light Subclass quest from Ikora Rey. These will allow you to unlock your various Subclass’ potential fully.
• Meet Banshee-44 in the Tower Courtyard.
• Collect Glimmer. Glimmer is the base currency of the Destiny universe.
• Collect Legendary Shards. You can earn these by dismantling Legendary gear, at the end of Strikes and Vanguard Ops activities, and many other sources.
• Collect Enhancement Cores by completing Gunsmith bounties. You can purchase these from Banshee-44 for a bit of Glimmer. Only the Daily versions provide them, not the repeatables.
• Purchase a weapon from Banshee-44. Banshee-44 always has a few weapons with random rolls to choose from, and they rotate daily.
• Apply two Shaders to your weapons or armor. You can apply Shaders in the Appearance sunscreen when inspecting your gear.
• Upgrade your Ghost and equip an Economic or Tracking mod. Go into your Ghost menu and apply any mod in the middle two columns.

Rank 5 Requirements

• Acquire the Riskrunner Exotic SMG by completing the Spark of Hope quest. You should receive Spark of Hope while progressing through the New Light questline.
• Complete the Riskrunner Catalyst quest you get from Banshee-44. Catalysts are powerful upgrades to your Exotic weapons, many of which are locked behind difficult challenges and long-term use of the guns themselves.
• Complete a Vanguard Ops activity. These are viewable in the Vanguard sunscreen from the Destinations menu. Acquire four and complete two Vanguard bounties from Commander Zavala in the Tower.
• Deliver two Commendations at the end of an activity. Commendations are a new way to give props to your fellow Guardians for a job well done, and you can provide them at any activity’s end.
• Meet Lord Shaxx and the Drifter in the Tower. Shaxx and Drifter oversee the competitive Crucible and Gambit playlists, respectively, and have their rewards and reputation systems to go with them.
• Collect nine purple-rarity Legendary weapons. Legendary weapons will drop much more often once you pass the power soft cap of 1750.
• Collect 10 purple rarity Legendary pieces of armor. Legendary armor drops follow the same rule as weapons.

Rank 6 requirements

Image via Bungie

• Apply mods to your Head, Chest, Arms, and Legs armor. You can do this while inspecting the specific piece of gear.
• Increase your Armor Energy. Spend Enhancement Cores, Enhancement Prisms, and Ascendant Shards to increase Energy.
• Masterwork two weapons. This will take several thousand Glimmer, a few Legendary Shards, and 20 Enhancement Cores.
• Earn Enhancement Prisms. This can be done through Nightfall Strikes, Reputation, and Season Pass rewards or purchasing them from Master Rahool, the Cryptarch in the Tower.
• Increase your Power to 1750. There are many ways to increase your power, but the best is simply playing the game, infusing your best armor, or equipping higher-Power get as you get it until all your drops reach 1750.
• Complete two Vendor challenges. I.e., the Complete eight Vanguard Bounties challenge from Zavala. Hover over any light blue-marked Vendor to see their challenge information.
• Speak to Saint-14 in the Tower to learn about the Trials of Osiris.

If you complete all these steps, you’ll officially be a Veteran of Destiny 2. Guardian Rank 7, Elite, asks much more of you. You’ll be defeating Champion-level enemies, using Exotic weapons, completing higher-level activities, and much more, so expect a longer grind than even the last six ranks combined.

And that’s how you increase your Guardian Ranks in Destiny 2 Lightfall. It’s quite the slog, but it’s also a much more granular way of learning what you can do, how you can do it, and what activities reward what. And it’s easier knowing the requirements, too. Hopefully, this guide was also helpful, and if you’re looking for more, check our Destiny 2 guides hub.

Featured image via Bungie.