At the end of March 2018, the fifth and currently last Faction Rally took place in Destiny 2. Since then, the group battles have taken a break and have been revised. Now they are making a return. We have summarized the most important changes for you.
The break is over: The group battles have not had a good standing in the Destiny community so far. Many fans found them monotonous and insignificant. Bungie has also noticed this. After the fifth Faction Rally, the studio removed the group battles from the game to revise them. Now the factions are returning to the Tower after months of hiatus, seeking the favor of the Guardians so that they will fight for their cause.
When does it start? The group battles will start on Tuesday, June 5, at 7:00 PM. As usual, they will remain active until the next Weekly Reset.
This is how the group battles in Destiny 2 have changed.
Decisions are becoming more important: Initially, Bungie has given the oath of allegiance to a faction a more significant role. Swearing allegiance to a group is now supposed to be a meaningful decision. The following factors have been changed:
- Starting with the next group battle, you can only swear allegiance to one faction – per account! So the decision should be well thought out.
- A new reputation progression system has been introduced. Progress will be maintained throughout the events of Season 3 – even if you change factions.
- Each faction attracts its followers with unique rewards, such as exotic armor ornaments or masterwork catalysts for certain exotic weapons.
- A total of three group battles will take place during Season 3.
Merchants and loot have changed: A Seasonal Merchant Progress has been introduced at the respective faction representatives – just like with the Iron Banner or the Vanguard. It is important to note the following:
- Each faction now has ranks that can be advanced using group-specific tokens.
- Rank upgrades still grant rewards in the form of legendary armor and weapons – even after you have surpassed rank 30.
- The Dead Orbit offers its most loyal followers at level 50 the Graviton Lance Catalyst and an ornament for the Warlock helmet “Eye of Another World”.
- The New Monarchy can correspondingly offer the Workhorse Catalyst and an ornament for the Titan chest piece “Emblem of Alpha Lupi”.
- The Future War Cult entices with the Sunshot Catalyst and an ornament for the Hunter helmet “Weak Head Radar”, provided you reach rank 50.
A detailed list of all faction rewards and corresponding ranks can be found here:
The victorious faction will continue to provide a winner’s reward after the end of each rally. These rewards will then be added to the loot pool of the rank upgrade rewards for the next group battle event. The following image shows the possible rewards of the upcoming Faction Rally.
There is a new mechanic: Group battles are now supposed to offer a unique gameplay experience and not simply represent another insignificant reward source. Therefore, a new mechanic – the “Renown” system – has been introduced. Here’s what you need to know:
- After you have joined a faction, you can gain “Renown” by completing public events or patrols or by eliminating a high-value target. “Renown” can be stacked.
- Guardians who complete a Lost Sector with active “Renown” receive significantly more group tokens. The higher the “Renown” is stacked, the more group tokens you receive.
- “Renown” is lost if you are defeated by enemies. Hence, a correspondingly high “Renown” level requires more caution.
- “Renown” also increases the difficulty of the game: health regeneration is significantly reduced (all stack levels). However, killed enemies can drop health spheres (all stack levels). Additionally, player damage is reduced (scales with stacks, up to 5x) and incoming damage is simultaneously increased (scales with stacks, up to 5).
By the way: While “Renown” is active, other Guardians can see which faction you belong to.
What do you think of the changes to the group battles? Do they now provide you with more incentive to participate?
