Quick Links
Destiny 2The Edge of Fate launches on July 15, wrapping up not only the Light and Darkness Saga for good, but also the tried-and-tested seasonal model. Over the years,Destiny 2has gone through many changes, and many of its highest points were found in seasonal content, much as some of its lowest were too. While it shifted briefly to a three-part episodic cadence after The Final Shape, these were much the same as what came before, so it’s worth seeing how they all stack up in a tier list.
Not every season was made equal, and some of the older ones did not follow the later content structure. Nonetheless, each season will be judged on the content that came with it, includingDestiny 2’s controversial Dungeon Keys, which weren’t technically part of their seasons, but for the sake of a retrospective it makes sense to include them.
S Tier - The Definitive Destiny 2 Seasons
S13 - Season of the Chosen
Arguably the game’s best season, Season of the Chosen pulled the game out of a huge slump it experienced after Beyond Light sunset half ofDestiny 2’s content. Including the iconicPresage Exotic missionand Dead Man’s Tale, Battlegrounds set the benchmark for a new type of activity. Season 13 told an incredible story of forgiveness as enemies became allies, cemented in the image of Zavala holding his hand out to Crow.
S7 - Season of Opulence
With loot overflowing and possibly the greatest seasonal activity, The Menagerie, Season 7 capped off a transformative year for the game in glitz and style. TheCrown of Sorrow raidmade for a solid addition to the endgame, even if the raid race suffered from a bit of controversy.
S11 - Season of Arrivals
Sunsetting was inevitable for agame the size ofDestiny 2, but the way Bungie tied it into the story ofDestiny’s Pyramid Ships taking the planets was done very memorably. It marked a new direction for the game all over again, and players had a glimpse of things to come in the Prophecy dungeon, still one of the best dungeons in the game.
S23 - Season of the Wish
Season 23 had an immaculate presentation and incredible activities. The Coil’s linear difficulty scaling was so popular that it is still in the game today, while Warlord’s Ruin provided a down-to-earth dungeon with a unique Exotic.
A Tier - Pushing the Envelope Forward for Destiny Content
S22 - Season of the Witch
Season 22 was a story highlight for the year, and though its deck-building mechanic was underbaked, it offered a totally new way to add variety to the gameplay loop. The activities were good by themselves, andCrota’s Endrevived an old raid in a way that elevated the experience.
S17 - Season of the Haunted
Loss, grief, and shame were at the core of Season 17’s story, as Guardians descended into the nightmares of friends and foes alike, humanizing them in ways never done before. The Leviathan’s return could have been done better, but theDuality dungeonquickly became an iconic activity for its incredible mechanics and unmistakably haunting visuals.
E3 - Heresy
The episodic structure may not have changed much from seasons, but Episode 3 did it the best, full of great activities andDestiny 2’s chess puzzle. The story was once again excellent, capping off Oryx’s legacy and putting Savathun back in play.
S5 - Season of the Forge
Black Armory’s puzzle-ridden activity might have stretched the community a bit too much, but it is still remembered today. Scourge of the Past provided a raid experience like no other, and theZero Hour secret missionwas so good it got remastered later down the line.
S1 - The Red War
Before there were seasons,the Red War kicked offDestiny 2with a bang, taking the Traveler away as Ghaul invaded. The game had a lot of problems at launch, but many fans believe it was a mistake for Bungie to vault the campaign that started it all.
S21 - Season of the Deep
It may not be as beloved as some others, but theRoguelike mechanics of Deep Divesand watery visuals give Season 21 an unmistakable identity that feels more nostalgic with time. Ghosts of the Deep was a particularly difficult dungeon and showed just how much variety dungeons could bring to the game.
S15 - Season of the Lost
Season 15 didn’t have the best activities ever, but it capped off a year of groundbreaking storytelling that would establish plot threads Bungie could pull on for years. Even cocooned, Savathun felt menacing, and every conversation with her was more memorable than the last.
S14 - Season of the Splicer
Fans of the synthwave aesthetic got a lot out of Season 14’s gorgeous Vex Network, which became a recurring location. It reintroduced Mithrax as a friend of the Vanguard, continuing Beyond Light’s theme of turning enemies into allies as both worked to severSavathun’s control of the Taken through Quria.
S9 - Season of Dawn
Season 9 was a solid season all around, with theCorridors of Timesending theDestinycommunity on a three-day adventure to solve its puzzles. It reunited Saint-14 with Osiris and generally just did the seasonal formula well enough.
B Tier - More Destiny, More Loot
S19 - Season of the Seraph
Season 19 was moreDestinyat a time when the game was riding high, and its reintroduction of Clovis Bray was a welcome story beat. Unfortunately,Eramis was a weakDestiny 2antagonistonce again, and Bungie has still not made her character feel particularly important to the wider plot.
S3 - Warmind
Destiny 2’s first year of content was a sink or swim moment for the game, but Warmind started the slow reversal of its decline. The campaign was weak, but the activities were good, and paired with all the improvements and promises of change to come, Warmind’s memory has improved over the years.
S16 - Season of the Risen
Season 16 didn’t do much wrong, nor did it do much exciting. Like many seasons tied to the start of an expansion cycle, it padded out the content as players were riding high offThe Witch Queen’s phenomenal campaign.
E1 - Echoes
For something billed as not being a season, Episode 1 felt very familiar right away. Its story was ok, the gameplay was decent, and the Exotic mission was a nice way to cap things off, but this time, it was moreDestinyat a time when a lot of fans were disengaging, and it needed to be stronger to keep them coming back.
S20 - Season of Defiance
Dropping with Lightfall, Season 20 was a fine season with some questionable storytelling. Defiant Battlegrounds were a good evolution on the Battlegrounds formula, but it did little to shake off some of the sour feelings fromLightfall’s underwhelming campaign.
S6 - Season of the Drifter
In a parallel universe,Gambit could have beenDestiny 2’s premiere activity, and for a moment, Season 6 made it that. Gambit Prime was a big step up from the mode introduced in Forsaken, and The Reckoning was an attempt at a new style of activity that didn’t quite land.
C Tier - Bungie’s Undercooked Ideas
E2 - Revenant
Arguably the weakest ofDestiny’s three episodes, Revenant did not do much to change the formula, delivering its story in confusing bursts that sent players walking between characters and radios three feet apart for most of the narrative. Though its content was not bad, the lack of ambition contributed to the game’s shrinking player count.
S8 - Season of the Undying
Season 8 was already following one ofDestiny 2’s worst expansions, and its focus on the unknowable Vex made for a very weak story. Combined with a poor loot chase, Undying is an often unremembered part of the game’s history.
S18 - Season of Plunder
Season 18 reintroduced theKing’s Fall raidand finished the transition to Subclass 2.0, but it landed at a time of some of the lowest community sentiment seen in the game’s history. What should have been a fun pirate-themed season was instead full of uninspired activities and a mediocre story, and many players took time out during Plunder.
S4 - Season of the Outlaw
Season 4 is hard to judge because it didn’t bring anything to the table, nor take anything away; It just represents the time period after Forsaken launched. It can’t take credit for what the expansion introduced, but it is still a fondly remembered time whenDestiny 2felt like it had overcome insurmountable odds.
D Tier - When Destiny’s Future Hung in the Balance
S12 - Season of the Hunt
Beyond Light’s sunsetting debaclecaused a huge rift between Bungie and the community, leaving a wound that has not been forgotten today, and Season 12 only made things worse. It can be credited with kicking off Crow’s story, but beyond that, its poor activities and content void almost caused a mass abandonment of the game.
S10 - Season of the Worthy
Destiny 2is known for its bugs, but Season 10 managed to combine them with a poorly conceived story and boring public events that the community refused to even play. The reintroduction ofTrials of Osirisshould have been a high point, but it was marred by a stale meta and too many cheaters, and Worthy is not remembered fondly.
S3 - Curse of Osiris
As players started to notice the cracks in the sequel’s first year, Curse of Osiris’ launch made many players believe thatDestiny 2had been a mistake. Mercury was barren, the story was threadbare, and it did nothing to address the core complaints withDestiny’s sandbox that were driving players away.
