Destiny 2 Season of the Deep guide to dredge up new loot on Titan

Destiny 2 Season of the Deep is here and Guardians must head back to Titan to investigate a distress call from old ally Sloane. To help her and her new sea monster friend, you need to delve into the depths of the moon’s methane seas and dredge up whatever valuables you can find to aid in the fight against the Witness. This all takes place in the new Salvage matchmade activity, Deep Dive missions, and the new Dungeon – but importantly, there’s also a new fishing activity!

As well as all this deep-sea-themed content, Season of the Deep has brought some sweeping changes to Destiny 2. There is no Power Level increase, so you won’t have to grind for weapons and armor as much to increase your level, and Exotic Armor Focusing offers a new way to get exactly the Exotics you need. Let this be your guide through the choppy waves of Destiny 2 Season of the Deep:

Destiny 2 Season of the Deep end date

Season of the Deep will last for 13 weeks, ending on August 22 at 5pm UTC. Bungie has also announced that on the same day, a showcase event for Destiny 2 The Final Shape will also take place. If previous expansion showcases are anything to go by, this will also show off Season 22 of Destiny 2. In the meantime, make sure you check in with each Destiny 2 weekly reset to see what new features, activities, and challenges get added for Season of the Deep.

Season of the Deep patch notes

Season of the Deep has brought out a huge number of changes and some interesting new features, including weapon and Subclass ability balancing updates, changes to existing Exotics, new weapon crafting features, and even Exotic Engram focusing. However, one of the most important changes to be aware of is that the Season of the Deep Power Level cap is staying at 1810. Make sure you’re in the know on all the latest changes by reading the full patch notes here.

Destiny 2 Season of the Deep story

If you you’re not aware who Sloane is, allow me to briefly catch you up as she’s pretty integral to this season. Sloane featured in the Red War campaign that kicked off Destiny 2. Guardians had to venture to the New Pacific Arcology on Titan (one of Saturn’s moons and not the Destiny 2 Class) to regroup with Commander Zavala at a Vanguard outpost that fellow Titan Deputy Commander Sloane had set up.

Much later, the Witness’s Pyramid Ships finally arrived in the Solar System, with one of them settling on Titan. Zavala ordered a full evacuation of the Vanguard outpost, but Sloane refused to leave and decided to face the Pyramid head on as it shrouded the moon. With Titan literally out of the game since then, Sloane has been presumed dead for the last couple of years.

However, against all odds, she’s back with Season of the Deep, calling Guardians back to Titan to help the sea monster that has long been lurking in the methane seas. According to Sloane, this creature, known as Ahsa, is key to battling the Witness. So, in Season of the Deep’s story, you’ll be teaming up with Sloane, Zavala, and Drifter to explore the depths of Titan, battle the Hive and the Taken, and hopefully bring us one step closer to driving back the Witness.

Destiny 2 Season of the Deep activities and Dungeon

Season of the Deep has added four completely new activities, with most of them taking place in new areas of Titan. Although unfortunately, the destination has not returned as a patrol space to explore. Here are the new Season of the Deep activities and how they work:

• Salvage matchmade activity: Team up with five other Guardians and work together to quickly complete various objectives and recover Salvage from the depths of Titan’s seas. You’ll get loot at the end, but you can spend a Salvage Key to get even better rewards and Deep Engrams.
• Deep Dive missions: Descend into the depths in a fireteam of three to battle enemies, receive gifts from Ahsa, and complete random objectives, all against the clock. You’ll start by descending through the Twilight level, completing objectives and navigating the sunken wrecks. Beat the clock and you’ll face off against a boss, but you can keep going deeper through the Midnight depth, and even the Abyss depth, for greater rewards - you’ll always get rewards at the end, but spending a Deep Dive Key will enhance them. However, the deeper you venture, the harder things get as new mission modifiers stack up and tougher enemies join the fray. Note that the Midnight and Abyss depths are currently not available but will be unlocked in the coming weeks.
• Fishing: Get some bait and throw out your lines to reel in fish of different rarities, then deposit your catches at the HELM’s new aquarium for rewards! I’ve made a full Destiny 2 fishing guide that lays out all the mechanics and all the fish available to catch.
• New Dungeon – The name is still unknown but it launches on Friday, May 26 at 5pm UTC with the daily reset.

Destiny 2 Season of the Deep upgrades

Season of the Deep does not feature a vendor upgrade system that has been the norm for several years now. Instead, players can complete 10 additional seasonal challenges that offer Seasonal Bonuses. These bonuses are effectively the same ones you would find on the traditional upgrade system, but instead of having to earn some kind of currency, complete a challenge, or wait for a time-gated resource to unlock them, you can just complete the relevant challenge. Admittedly, some of these challenges rely on things that are currently not available, so are time-gated, but you can complete of them just by playing through the seasonal activities now. Here are the 10 upgrades you can get and how you get them:

• Completing a Season of the Deep weekly activity challenge gives a chance to receive an additional Deep Engram each time you complete an activity for the remainder of the week – Complete Week 1 of the “Into the Depths” seasonal quest.
• Focus Deep Engrams into high-stat seasonal armor – Earn every piece of Season of the Deep NPA “Weir-Walker” armor.
• Focus Deep Engrams into specific Season of the Deep or Reckoning weapons – Earn any six of the Season of the Deep and reprised Reckoning weapons.
• Gain bonus Sonar Station reputation for you and your fireteam when opening a Salvage or Deep Dive chest – Reach Sonar Station Rank 7.
• Completing activities gives a chance to receive another Deep Engram – Reach Sonar Station Rank 13.
• Catching a fish while using Bait has a chance to refund the Bait – Catch 25 fish while a pond is at its maximum Focused Fishing bonus.
• Using a Salvage or Deep Dive Key has a chance to give you another Deep Engram – Complete three jobs in a single Salvage activity run.
• The first individual craftable weapon you focus at the Sonar Station for the week is guaranteed to have Deepsight Resonance – Defeat the two unique Salvage bosses (these bosses rotate weekly).
• Using a Salvage Key has a chance to give you a Deep Dive Key – Defeat the three unique Deep Dive bosses (not all bosses are available yet).
• Unlock a special and heavy ammo crate that appears at each depth in Deep Dives. The crate is hidden but also provides extra time when opened – Complete a Deep Dive encounter at the Abyss depth (Abyss depth is not yet available).

Destiny 2 Season of the Deep weapons, armor, and Exotics

A new season in Destiny 2 also means a whole host of new weapons, armor, Exotics to chase. There are a lot of new and reprised weapons to get in various activities so here’s a list of the highlights:

• Centrifuse Season Pass Exotic weapon: Arc Auto Rifle that can be charged up by sprinting, sliding, and firing the weapon. Doing so improves its range and reload speed, and at maximum charge, kills create blinding explosions.
• Reprised Reckoning weapons and new, craftable Taken variants can be earned through Season of the Deep activities.
• Last Wish Raid weapons now have new perks and are craftable.
• Epochal Integration Hand Cannon from the Parting the Veil quest.
• Last Rite Scout Rifle from ranking up ritual activities vendors.
• The Braytech Osprey Rocket Launcher and Loaded Question Fusion Rifle are back as Nightfall weapons.
• The Randy’s Throwing Knife Scout Rifle returns to the Crucible, The Messenger Pulse Rifle is back in Trials of Osiris, and the new Mercurial Overreach Sniper Rifle replaces Rose as the Competitive Division weapon.

As for armor, there’s a great mix of unique-looking sets up for grabs, including the new PlayStation-themed sets:

• Arbor Warden Exotic Chest for Titans: Using your Class ability grants a grenade that creates a barricade on impact.
• Cenotaph Mask Exotic Helmet for Warlocks: Steadily reloads any Trace Rifle and damaging a boss or miniboss marks the target. Allies that defeat marked targets generate special ammo for you and heavy ammo for everyone else.
• Triton Vice Exotic Gauntlets for Hunters: Enhances Glaives with faster reloads and better melee damage when you’re surrounded. Glaive melee kills also overflow the magazine, and Glaive projectiles can detonate if its damage type matches your Subclass.
• NPA “Weir—Walker” seasonal armor sets for Warlocks, Titans, and Hunters

• Abyssal Pelagic seasonal armor ornament sets for Warlocks, Titans, and Hunters

• Dungeon armor sets for Warlocks, Titans, and Hunters
• Anointed Hunter armor set for Hunters (Horizon-themed PlayStation set)
• Godsbane armor set for Titans (God of War-themed PlayStation set)
• Ancestral armor set for Warlocks (Ghost of Tsushima-themed PlayStation set)

Destiny 2 new Strand Aspects

Season of the Deep has also introduced the Destiny 2 Parting the Veil quest, although it’s completely separate from the season and requires the Destiny 2 Lightfall expansion to play. Completing it gets you the new Epochal Integration Legendary Solar Hand Cannon and Strand Aspects for all Classese! These are:

• Titan Aspect – Flechette Storm: Activate your charged melee ability while sliding to leap into the air and knock back nearby targets and deal damage. Activate your charged melee again while airborne to launch a cluster of damaging, Unraveling projectiles. You can repeatedly activate your melee ability to chain additional throws.
• Warlock Aspect – The Wanderer: Tangles you throw attach to enemies and detonate with a suspending burst. Threadling final blows can create a Tangle.
• Hunter Aspect – Threaded Specter: Activate your class ability to leave behind a Strand decoy that draws the attention of nearby combatants. After taking significant damage or when combatants approach, the decoy detonates, dealing damage and releasing Threadlings.

New Exotic Armor Focusing

This is a huge new feature that should really help with perfecting your builds by allowing you to get good stat rolls on the Exotic Armor pieces you want. Here’s how Master Rahool’s new system works:

• Exotic Engrams, except for those that drop at the end of an activity, can be decrypted into armor in different ways.
• You can decrypt engrams normally to get a random piece of Exotic armor that you’ve previously unlocked or use one of the following focusing methods.
• Advanced Decryption: All Exotic armor pieces are categorized by expansion, so select a category and you’ll get a random Exotic armor piece that you’ve previously unlocked from that category. Doing so costs one Exotic Engram, 30k Glimmer, and one Ascendant Shard.
• Precision Decryption: Choose a specific Exotic armor piece that you’ve previously unlocked and you’ll get it. This costs one Exotic Engram, 60k Glimmer, three Ascendant Shards, and one Exotic Cipher.

Season of the Deep Crucible updates

A few notable changes for the Crucible and Trials of Osiris have arrived with Season of the Deep, so here’s a quick rundown of what’s new:

• Meltdown map is back.
• Dominion mode replaces Elimination in Trials of Osiris. Dominion combines normal Elimination rules with one central objective that both teams can fight over. Either wipe out the enemy team or capture the objective to win a round.
• The Trials of Osiris Passage of Wealth is now more consistent and generous with its bonus Trials rep, and the Passage of Mercy is now more forgiving, allowing you an extra match loss.
• New Trials of Osiris loot: Unexpected Resurgence Glaive, Hero’s Wake Exotic Ghost Shell, Valiant Memory Exotic Ship, Survivor’s Journey Exotic Sparrow, Glorious Patina Shader
• The Trials intro quest has been refreshed with updated objectives so that it’s less of a tedious grind and barrier to entry.
• New requirements for gilding the Flawless title mean it is now much harder to achieve.
• The Rose Hand Cannon has been replaced with the Mercurial Overreach Sniper Rifle as the Competitive Division-only weapon, so get it while you can! There will also be a new Ascendant emblem to earn.

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