Destiny 2 has stopped adding seasonal content. Monument of Triumph, released June 9, 2026, ended it, and returning players now face a decade of stacked systems with no new season to ease them in. Power, the Portal, tiered gear, and Guardian Rank all work differently than you remember. This guide covers what matters now and where to start. Brand new instead? See our new player guide.
Table of Contents
- Is my power level too low to matter?
- What happened to the Portal, and why did everyone hate it?
- What do the diamonds on my gear actually mean?
- Do tiered weapons actually hit harder?
- What are armor archetypes, and which stat should I actually chase?
- What is Prismatic, and do I have access to it?
- What is Guardian Rank, and does it actually matter?
- Where should you actually start?
- Key Takeaways
- Frequently Asked Questions
Is my power level too low to matter?
Barely. A system called Fireteam Power raises you to five Power below the highest-Power member of your fireteam in the activities that matter.
In hands-on testing, a 295 Power character was lifted to 545 Power while grouped with a 550 Power leader. A friend at the cap can pull you into their content on day one.
The cap itself is 550, per Bungie’s Monument of Triumph FAQ. Per the same FAQ, a Guardian starts at around Power 10, and early loot drops at 300+ Power, so the climb is short.
So the old power-grind treadmill is mostly gone. If you are rebuilding, our new player guide explains power, infusion and gear tiers from scratch.
What happened to the Portal, and why did everyone hate it?
The Portal is still there, but it is no longer the main menu. Bungie brought back the Director as the primary way to pick activities.
The complaint was complexity. The Portal put difficulty modifiers, reward tiers, and customization between you and a simple “go play a mission” decision.
In its Monument of Triumph announcement, Bungie said it had embraced player feedback about the Director and Portal. The Portal nodes now sit at the bottom of the Director.
You get the familiar, map-based way of picking activities back. Use the Director to pick easy matchmade activities first, then head to the Portal nodes later if you want to chase specific gear.
What do the diamonds on my gear actually mean?
The diamonds are a tier rating from one to five on armor and weapons. They come from the gear overhaul that began with The Edge of Fate.
For armor, more diamonds means a bigger total stat budget, and the top tier opens up a tuning slot. Tier one armor rolls roughly 52 to 57 total points, and tier five rolls around 75.
Armor with no diamonds is older gear from before the tier system. It still works, especially early on.
Per Kyber’s Corner’s coverage of the Monument of Triumph preview, Exotic armor from the new Armor 3.0 system is Tier 5 and can be tuned. That does not cover older Exotics from your Collections.
Higher-tier armor mostly drops from harder activities, so build up your Power and Guardian Rank first. Our new player guide breaks down armor stats, tiers and set bonuses.
Do tiered weapons actually hit harder?
No. Tier does not change a weapon’s base damage.
Higher tiers add more enhanced perks, more mod options, and at the top, an enhanced origin trait plus a cosmetic glow you can turn off. Tier five weapons give you the most options, so endgame players tend to chase them.
For a returning player, that is not a reason to wait. In testing, plenty of tier three and tier four weapons served well through normal content.
Monument of Triumph also adds Weapon Tier Upgrading, which lets you raise an eligible weapon’s tier with materials instead of waiting on a lucky drop.
What are armor archetypes, and which stat should I actually chase?
An armor archetype sets two of the three big stat spikes on a piece of Armor 3.0 gear. The third, smaller spike is random.
Monument of Triumph added six new archetypes to the original six, which makes 12 in total.
Stats now run on a 0 to 200 scale, with the benefits above 100 being the enhanced ones. A strong Weapons stat is a reasonable default because it boosts your gun damage.
For boss damage, the usual pairing is Weapons plus Super. The Powerhouse archetype from Monument of Triumph is built around exactly that.
Per Kyber’s Corner, Ghost mods that target an archetype now land about one in two times, up from one in three. Armor also has set bonuses at two and four pieces, so check a drop’s set bonus before you dismantle it.
What is Prismatic, and do I have access to it?
Prismatic is Destiny 2’s sixth subclass option, alongside Void, Solar, Arc, Stasis, and Strand. Instead of its own separate kit, it mixes some of the best melee, grenade, and aspect choices from the other subclasses into one loadout.
Per Bungie’s Monument of Triumph FAQ, Prismatic requires owning The Final Shape and progressing through its campaign in the Pale Heart.
The other two Darkness subclasses have their own routes. Stasis unlocks through the Beyond Light campaign on Europa, which is available to all players. Strand requires owning Lightfall and progressing through its campaign on Neomuna.
Our new player guide lists how every subclass unlocks and what is free.
What is Guardian Rank, and does it actually matter?
Guardian Rank is an 11-rank progression system that tracks how much of the game’s core systems you have worked through.
It matters because it gates real features. Bungie’s Guardian Ranks page says rank objectives can permanently unlock features like armor mods and loadout slots.
To check your progress, open your character menu, go to the Journey tab, and select “view rank progress.” Once every objective is done, visit the Ironwood Tree in the Tower to confirm the rank-up.
In testing, Monument of Triumph offered 20 loadout slots, which is a good reason to keep ranking up.
Where should you actually start?
Start in the Tower. Per Bungie’s Monument of Triumph FAQ, the onramp begins at the Monument in the center. Follow it first.
The four Tenet vendors spend Legendary Marks, the event’s reward currency. They do not start the onramp quest, so do not worry about hunting them down first.
If your account is brand new or very old, Bungie’s FAQ also points to Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome. Play that route before anything else.
After that, do not try to do everything at once. Run easy matchmade activities from the Director first, then work toward raids and heavily modified content. If you have no group, the in-game Fireteam Finder is the fastest way to find one. If you are wondering whether the game is still worth your time, read is Destiny 2 dead? and is Destiny 2 worth starting now?.
For official detail on everything in this update, see the Update 9.7.0 patch notes.
Key Takeaways
- Monument of Triumph (June 9, 2026) ended planned seasonal content. Bungie’s unvaulting plan and our vaulted content list cover what is missing. The plan is expected to land from 2027 to early 2028.
- Fireteam Power lifts you to five below your fireteam leader.
- The Power cap is 550.
- The Director is the main menu again. Portal nodes sit at the bottom.
- Gear tier adds perks and options, not base damage.
- There are 12 armor archetypes. Weapons plus Super is the boss damage pairing.
- Prismatic needs The Final Shape. Stasis needs Beyond Light, Strand needs Lightfall.
- Rank up Guardian Rank at the Ironwood Tree for mods and loadout slots.
- Start the onramp at the Tower’s central Monument.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it too late to come back to Destiny 2 in 2026?
No. Monument of Triumph launched June 9, 2026 with returning players in mind, and the game remains available. Bungie has since announced plans to unvault older content (see what is confirmed), with the first wave not expected until 2027 or later. Old gear still works, and Fireteam Power lifts a low-level character close to a higher-level friend’s Power.
What is Monument of Triumph in Destiny 2?
Monument of Triumph is the update that ended Destiny 2’s planned seasonal content, released June 9, 2026 as Update 9.7.0. Bungie has since announced plans to unvault older content, starting with the Red War, Forsaken, Curse of Osiris, and Warmind campaigns. The next major update is expected around February 2027, and the full unvaulting is expected to finish in early 2028.
Will my low Power level stop me from playing with higher-level friends?
No. Fireteam Power raises you to five Power below the highest-Power member of your fireteam in the activities that matter. In testing, a 295 Power character was lifted to 545 next to a 550 Power leader. You can group up on day one.
What happened to the Portal in Destiny 2?
The Portal is still in the game, but it is no longer the front door. Monument of Triumph brought back the Director as the main way to pick activities. Bungie says the Portal content now sits in nodes at the bottom of the Director.
What do the diamonds on my Destiny 2 armor and weapons mean?
They show the item’s tier, from one to five diamonds. Higher tiers give armor a bigger stat budget and give weapons more enhanced perks and mod options. It is a quality label, not a gate, so a tier three or four weapon still works fine for most content.
Does a tier five weapon deal more damage than a tier one weapon?
No. Tier changes how many perks are enhanced and how many mod options you get, plus extras like an enhanced origin trait at the top tier. It does not raise base damage. In testing, tier three and tier four weapons held up fine.
What is the best armor stat in Destiny 2 right now?
For most PvE players, Weapons is a strong default stat because it boosts your gun damage. Stats now run from 0 to 200, and the benefits above 100 are the enhanced ones. For boss damage, pair Weapons with Super, which is what the Powerhouse archetype from Monument of Triumph is built around.
How do I unlock Prismatic in Destiny 2?
Prismatic requires owning The Final Shape expansion and progressing through its campaign in the Pale Heart, per Bungie’s Monument of Triumph FAQ. Prismatic lets you mix melee, grenade, and aspect options from the other subclasses. Stasis and Strand have their own campaign routes, covered below.
What is Guardian Rank and why should I care about it?
Guardian Rank is an 11-rank progression system. You advance by completing rank objectives, then confirming the rank-up at the Ironwood Tree in the Tower. Bungie says these objectives permanently unlock features like armor mods and loadout slots, so it is worth progressing early.
Where should a returning Destiny 2 player start after Monument of Triumph?
Head to the Tower and start the Monument of Triumph onramp at the Monument in the center. Bungie’s FAQ also points returning and new players to Shaw Han in the Cosmodrome. Spend Legendary Marks at the four Tenet vendors as you earn them.
