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Image via Bungie

How to Unlock Defiant Battlegrounds in Destiny 2 Lightfall – Guide

How can you access these events?

Destiny 2 has just released its newest campaign expansion, called Lightfall, which dropped alongside the twentieth season of the game. In this new release, players will travel to Neomuna, which is a new D2 location that is based on Neptune, and will be able to take on Calus, who veteran players will recognize, as well as his fearsome Shadow Legion. Additionally, Calus now works for the Witness as a Disciple, trading his allegiance in return for boosted powers that are sure to make him hard to defeat in battle. Complete all of the many different side quests and missions available in Lightfall, and try out the new weapons that can make your Guardian a menace in combat. In this guide we will cover how to unlock Defiant Battlegrounds in Destiny 2 Lightfall!

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How Do You Get the Defiant Battlegrounds in Destiny 2 Lightfall?

All new armor sets in Destiny 2 Lightfall screenshot
Image via Bungie

Defiant Battlegrounds are massive battles where you need to defeat waves of enemies, as well as complete certain objectives, in order to earn the precious rewards that the event will give you upon victory. There are three phases to this event and all of them will test your skills as a Guardian in Destiny 2.

You are able to access the Defiant Battlegrounds when you have completed the first campaign mission that is a part of Lightfall. You will also need to have visited Mara Sov on The Farm in the EDZ to access it. You will be able to check out the playlist from the H.E.L.M. once you have unlocked it, so head there after you have done both of these mandatory requirements in order to play Defiant Battlegrounds.

How Do You Win the First Phase of Defiant Battlegrounds in Destiny 2?

In order to come out on top in Defiant Battlegrounds, you will need to finish all three phases of the event. The first one requires you to defeat a bunch of enemies as you travel towards the Pyramid ship. You will eventually make it to a platform that is above the lake, where a wave of enemies will be waiting to take you on in a fight. Make sure to be prepared for this ambush, since you don’t want to get taken out so soon into the event!

Take on all of the enemies who attempt to get in your way and work to reach the checkpoint which can be found across the lake. There will be a number of waves that will be waiting for you here, however these enemies shouldn’t take too long to clear out. There is a portal which you must activate and then you’ll be onto the next part of the phase in the Ascendant Plane.

Defeating the Second Phase

This second phase will need you to defeat the many Taken enemies who are blocking your way to the the Taken boss. Power up your Guardian’s Balefire in order to defeat them quicker (by taking out Taken, pun intended). Watch out for energy pulses and levitating traps which will knock you off of the map if you get too close and receive an unlucky hit from one of them. Your goal here is to enter the blight dome and attack the core of this dome until it is fully destroyed.

You will also need to destroy any of the Blights that spawn in since they will attempt to shield the boss from damage. Once you face the boss himself, who is a Chimera, destroy blight domes and cleanse the corruption like you have already done so that you can continue forward onto the third phase. There may be a couple repetitions of this round depending on how much damage you can pump into the boss, however soon enough you will leave the Ascendant Plane once again and return to the Pyramid.

Finishing Off the Event!

The final boss in this fight is the Warden, who can only be taken on once you cleanse corruption. You can deal a bunch of damage to the Warden right from the get-go, however soon enough you’ll need to deal with the other enemies present inside of the Pyramid. Defeat the wizards and Champion who spawn and attack you, then put the essence that they drop upon death in the area you’ve cleansed from corruption.

Be sure that you quickly use the orb that forms from the essence as a projectile and launch it towards the Warden. Landing this shot will then take off a ton of its shield and help to bring it down. You will need to move deeper into the room in order to cleanse more corruption in the second phase of this fight, since that is how you create the orbs that you must fire at the Warden. Repeat this process until you have won the boss fight and finished the event! Congratulations and well done Guardian!


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Sullivan Pearson
Sullivan is a longtime gamer with a special passion for MMORPG games and single-player classics. He is always looking for a new game to play, and loves to share his interests and expertise with the gaming world.