Destiny 2’s Guardian Games returns with new structure and Heir Apparent Catalyst

Destiny 2’s Guardian Games spring holiday is back, and Bungie just detailed the event on its website. The event runs from April 20 to May 9, with the closing ceremony starting on May 7 and running through the end of Guardian Games.

The Guardian Games, which started in 2020, are an in-game event that’s a mix between the Olympics and a popularity contest. The idea is that the three Destiny classes compete for a few weeks to see who is the best of the best, and the winning class gets a special gold statue next to Commander Zavala.

The 2021 Guardian Games will work similarly to last year, but there are some changes. Players will earn Medals from the event vendor/space grandma, Eva Levante, by completing Triumphs and what’s called “Contender Cards.” Contender Cards ask players to complete certain kinds of activities in exchange for a Medal.

To buy these Contender Cards, players will need Laurels. When players defeat enemies in combat, they’ll drop Laurels, a kind of currency players can use to buy various things from Eva. Unlike last year, Laurels will not drop in PvP game modes like Gambit and Crucible, and will instead go directly to player’s inventories.

At the end of each week, there will be a ceremony to crown a weekly winner. Players will get a new glow around their characters based on how well their class did that week. The final Closing Ceremony will last three days, and run May 7-9, just before the start of the next Destiny 2 season on May 11.

Image: Bungie

Being popular is great but no Guardian worth their salt would compete for free. The Heir Apparent Exotic machine gun is back again this year as a reward for competing in the games. But in 2021, players can earn a unique Exotic Catalyst to improve their weapon, whether they earned it in last year’s Guardian Games or are picking it up for the first time this year. We’re currently unclear what the Heir Apparent Catalyst does. Once players own Heir Apparent, the Catalyst will randomly drop when Guardians deposit Gold or Platinum Medals.

As always, there will be a variety of cosmetic only items themed after the Guardian Games that players can buy from the real-money Eververse store using Silver or the earnable free currency, Bright Dust.

2020’s Guardian Games saw a dominant performance from the Titan class (the best, and most handsome of the Destiny classes). This was partially due to some bizarre balancing Bungie calculated for the event, as the Hunter class is far more popular with players than Titans or Warlocks. It’s unclear if there’s been any additional fiddling with this balance and how likely Titans are to hold onto the trophy for another year.

Source: https://www.polygon.com/22385964/destiny-2-guardian-games-2021-changes-updates-rewards-dates