Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine: How it works, loot, and rotations

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A special event is on its way to Destiny 2 during the closing stages of Episode Heresy: Rite of the Nine. This temporary event offers a variety of new tasks, reintroduces popular gear from the past, and unveils a fresh social area. Here’s all you need to know about Rite of the Nine and how it operates.

Table of Contents [hide]

  • When does Rite of the Nine come out?
  • What is the Rite of the Nine event in Destiny 2?
  • Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine Loot
  • Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine Difficulty Modes
    • Explorer Mode
    • Eternity Mode
    • Ultimatum Mode

When does Rite of the Nine come out?

The Rite of the Nine hasn’t set a definite release date at this moment, but it’s expected to drop following the commencement of Episode Heresy Act III, which started on April 1, 2025. This event is tentatively scheduled to run until the debut of Destiny 2’s upcoming expansion, codenamed “Project Apollo.” However, an exact end date hasn’t been revealed yet.

Regarding the three dungeons that once necessitated a key from specific expansions, it’s worth noting that The Rite of the Nine will now be accessible for all players at no cost. Consequently, anyone with the fundamental version of Destiny 2 can participate in this event during its active period.

What is the Rite of the Nine event in Destiny 2?

In this version, the Rite of the Nine will specifically concentrate on exploring dungeons, much like the Pantheon challenges from Into the Light. The event will showcase three different dungeons that will rotate: Prophecy, Spire of the Watcher, and Ghosts of the Deep. With the Rite of the Nine, you’ll encounter a variety of new difficulty levels, upgraded loot, and an overhauled farming system for acquiring loot during multiple playthroughs.

Players will now be able to explore a fresh social area known as The Third Spire, a reimagined version of the previous victory space from Trials of the Nine that players would unlock after completing a Flawless run. In this location, players can pay a visit to an old friend, the Emissary of the Nine, to gain access to all the newly introduced rewards.

Every seven days, a specific dungeon gets highlighted as the ‘dungeon of the week’. In this featured dungeon, participants will participate in various tasks. There are three levels of challenge complexity to accommodate all player abilities, ensuring everyone can reap some rewards. Those brave enough to tackle the toughest difficulty level have the chance to secure exclusive loot.

Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine Loot

The Rite of the Nine includes a dozen upgraded weapons from previous battles, plus fresh abilities known as perks. You can acquire the Adept editions by successfully finishing dungeons at their maximum level of difficulty.

In simpler terms, a unique feature for Origin weapons called Gravity Well will be available exclusively. This feature complements the initial Origin bonus in the fifth column and can also be selected as an additional option. The Gravity Well ability gathers ammo from the surrounding area when you reload your weapon. The range at which this takes effect isn’t specified yet, but it appears to collect any nearby ammo bricks (both heavy and special) and bring them closer to your character during a reload.

In simpler terms, it’s possible for players to interact with the Emissary of the Nine located within the Third Spire area, which enhances the type of items they receive from completing dungeons. This system resembles the Brave Arsenal used in ‘Into the Light’, where only one attunement is active per run and this boosts the chances of getting that specific weapon as a reward.

Individuals who successfully complete a dungeon at the highest level, known as Ultimatum, can acquire an Adept weapon. These weapons exhibit a distinctive visual effect, emitting a glow and shimmer. Moreover, Adept variants of weapons boast enhanced stats compared to their standard counterparts, granting them an advantage over regular drops.

Here are the 12 weapons coming with Rite of the Nine:

  • Prosecutor Auto Rifle
  • Relentless Pulse Rifle
  • Judgment Hand Cannon
  • A Sudden Death Shotgun
  • Wilderflight Grenade Launcher
  • Long Arm Scout Rifle
  • Liminal Vigil Sidearm
  • Terminus Horizon Machine Gun
  • New Pacific Epitaph Breach-loaded Grenade Launcher
  • No Survivors Submachine Gun
  • Greasy Luck Glaive
  • Cold Comfort Rocket Launcher

Besides the Rite of the Nine’s main benefits, you’ll also receive:

1. Five fresh Emblems,
2. A brand-new Title or Seal,
3. And some unique weapon decorations.

Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine Difficulty Modes

The rotating dungeons in Rite of the Nine are categorized into three levels of difficulty, ensuring that players with varying skill sets can reap rewards and encounter challenges suitable for them. Each mode adjusts different aspects of the dungeon, like providing helpful hints or imposing the challenging “Notswap” modification. Here’s a breakdown of each tier:

1. Beginner Tier (easier): This level is designed for newcomers or players who prefer a more relaxed experience. It offers tips and easier gameplay mechanics to help players familiarize themselves with the dungeon.
2. Intermediate Tier (moderate difficulty): Ideal for players who have some experience but still want a challenge, this tier presents a slightly tougher environment without being overwhelming. It might include additional obstacles or enemies compared to the beginner tier.
3. Expert Tier (difficult): This mode is intended for seasoned players seeking a real test of their skills. It features complex challenges and difficult modifications like the “Notswap” modifier, which adds an extra layer of complexity to the dungeon layout.

Explorer Mode

This setting is essentially known as “Newbie Friendly” with a very lenient challenge and significantly reduced consequences for failed attempts or party losses. Although the highest Power level for these dungeons hasn’t been specified, it’s expected to be quite accessible. Here’s what you need to know about Explorer Mode:

1. This mode is designed to make the game more approachable for beginners by softening the difficulty and reducing penalties associated with wipes or party deaths.
2. The maximum Power level for these dungeons hasn’t been determined yet, but it will likely be set low enough to make them easily accessible to new players.
3. In Explorer Mode, you can expect a more forgiving gameplay experience as compared to other modes.

  • No Darkness Zones. Normally when players come across a Darkness Zone, if the full time dies with no revives available, the encounter resets back to the start of the last checkpoint. In Explorer Mode, Darkness Zones are completely disabled.
  • Revive timer is only five seconds. Revive Timers in dungeons typically range from 20 seconds to 45 seconds. In Explorer Mode, they are much more forgiving so players can be revived more quickly.
  • Tooltips explain mechanics. Before beginning the encounter, tooltips will be visible that explain how each encounter basically functions. New players will be able to immediately pick up on these tips and execute their mechanics.
  • Waypoints guide players during more open sections of dungeons. These will constantly be visible to guide players to the next objective.
  • Helper platforms appear when a player reaches a checkpoint, helping those who struggle with jumping puzzles.

Eternity Mode

Bungie hasn’t disclosed all the specifics yet, but it seems this mode is tailored towards casual players who enjoy a challenge. It’s likely that many of the regular dungeon rules will be in place, including Darkness Zones, extended respawn timers, and potentially stricter time limits for certain encounters.

In the thrilling world of Eternity Mode, I’ll be keeping track of my gaming prowess by evaluating my performance using a scoring system. This system considers factors like the duration I spend on each challenge, the number of foes I manage to vanquish, and any lives I might need to reclaim after completing an encounter.

Ultimatum Mode

At its peak, the Rite of the Nine presents an extremely challenging experience. It’s primarily designed for top-tier players, as it boasts a lower power ceiling and an abundance of additional modifiers to intensify encounters, making them significantly tougher and trickier to maneuver through. Here are the known rules:

1. This mode will push even the most skilled players to their limits.
2. It’s primarily intended for those who have mastered the game.
3. The difficulty level is cranked up with extra modifiers that make encounters harsh and unforgiving.
4. Lower power cap means less raw strength, requiring more strategic thinking and skill.
5. Navigation becomes a challenge due to the complex and intricate design of the encounters.

  • Contest Mode difficulty. Much like when a raid is live for the first time, players will be at least 20 levels below the Power level of all enemies in the dungeons. Enemies will also be much more aggressive, shooting more often and running towards players whenever possible. Limited revives will prevent players from completing encounters if they run out.
  • “Notswap” Modifier. Notswap is a new modifier where, if a player swaps an Exotic armor, a weapon, or a class, all of their energy is drained to zero. All cooldowns will be reactivated, the Super gauge will be set to zero, and they will have to regain all energy to use abilities again.

The points you earn depend on the number of lives lost during the game. Fewer losses mean a greater score. If players manage to get a top-tier or ‘Platinum’ score, they’ll be rewarded with an advanced or ‘Adept’ weapon upon completion.

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2025-04-01 21:41