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Expansion & Season Checklist
Learn how to prepare the upcoming content release in Destiny 2 and how to effectively grind at launch!
Let's Prepare!
- While not required, preparing for a new expansion and season provides an optimal advantage − a head start to the grind.
- This guide will cover how to effectively start a new expansion/season with a pile of XP, a sufficient amount of materials, and quick knowledge of the upcoming changes that you should expect to see at launch.
December 13, 2025
Quick Menu − What are you looking for?
Renegades is here!
Use this quick menu to help you optimize your grind!
Year-End Checklist
Here are some quick action items to wrap up before the next expansion launches:
Days
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
Claim all Seasonal Rewards and Triumphs from content releases this year.
Claim all rewards from previous seasons via Bungie.net. (Profile > Season Progress > Previous Seasons)
Third-Party Services may be down on launch day (Ex: DIM). Ensure you have all appropriate gear on your characters.
Make sure you've equipped your fashion! We gotta look fashionable in cutscenes!
Ensure you give yourself your platforms time to pre-load the expansion. Expansion updates are typically large!
Follow the Bounty & Inventory Prep on this page if you want to get a head start in The Final Shape!
Bounty Preparation
- One of the more effective ways to get a head start into a new expansion or episode is to store completed bounties. Bounties offer a range of XP and can be kept for an indefinite amount of time unless the bounty states otherwise.
- Your Quest Inventory can hold up to 63 items, shared by Quests and Bounties. Keep in mind, the more quests you have on your character, the less amount of bounty space you have.
- Be sure to finish any quests that are nearly completed so you have more room for future quests and bounties.
- Typically, it is best to store Vendor Daily Bounties, then Weekly Bounties. Additional bounties can be used if you have room to spare, but they offer less XP.
Don’t forget − the inventory limit is 63. Keep at least one space free for any new quests that may arrive at launch.
Types of Bounties
Weekly Bounties (12,000 XP)
- Weekly Bounties offer 12,000 XP, excluding any XP bonuses. Sources include:
- The Moon (Eris Morn and the Lectern of Enchantment)
- Both Eris and the Lectern have 2 Weekly Bounties offered every week
- Tip: Slow-Wave Disruption and Nightmare Sojourner can both be completed during the Altars of Sorrow event in Sorrow’s Harbour. Load up on bounties and have at it!
- The Cosmodrome (Shaw Han)
- Europa (Variks)
- Xur’s Treasure Hoard (Starhorse)
- Starhorse and Xur Bounties are staying!
- You can only hold one Starhorse Bounty at a time
- Save this for last. You can still play some Dares and store some Paraverse Haul Boxes (which can provide some decent loot and materials)
- The Moon (Eris Morn and the Lectern of Enchantment)
Daily Bounties (6000 XP)
- Daily Bounties offer 6000 XP, excluding any XP bonuses. Sources include:
- Planetary Vendors (The Moon, The Cosmodrome, Savathûn’s Throne World, Neomuna, The Dreaming City, Europa & The Pale Heart)
- Seasonal Vendors
- Lectern of Enchantment
- Xur’s Treasure Hoard (Xur)
- Notes:
- Seasonal and Event Bounties typically do not carry over through seasons.
- In Destiny 2: Renegades, Banshee Bounties, Devrim (EDZ) Bounties and Failsafe (Nessus) Bounties will be removed.
Additional Bounties (3000 XP)
- Additional Bounties offer 3000 XP, excluding any XP bonuses. Sources include:
- Tower (Gunsmith, Saint-XIV)
- Planetary Vendors (The Moon, Europa, Savathun’s Throne World, Neomuna, The Pale Heart)
- Seasonal Vendors
- Lectern of Enchantment
- Hawthorne Challenges
- Xur’s Treasure Hoard (Xur)
- If you’re storing bounties for the next season, only keep additional bounties IF you still have slots available.
- That being said, if you work on storing bounties over the course of a week, you shouldn’t run out of bounties to keep.
Helpful Apps
Inventory Preparation
Upgrade Materials - Primary Sources
- Daily Bounties from Gunsmith
- Rank-Up Rewards from Lord Shaxx and Drifter
- Nightfall Strikes (Greater drop chance with Higher Tiers)
- Dismantling Gear (Masterworked will yield more)
- Pass Rewards
- Finest Matterweave Consumable
- Lesser Core Harvest Mod via Ghost Shells
- Visit Master Rahool in the Tower Courtyard
- Purchasable from Gunsmith
- Rank up Rewards from Lord Shaxx and Drifter
- Nightfall Strikes (Greater drop chance with Higher Tiers)
- Dismantling Masterworked Gear
- Pass Rewards
- Greater Core Harvest Mod via Ghost Shells
- Visit Master Rahool in the Tower Courtyard (it can be expensive, however)
- Purchasable from Gunsmith
- Nightfall Strikes (Legend or Higher, greater drop chance with Higher Tiers)
- Trials of Osiris Flawless Chest
- Pass Rewards
- Purchasable from Master Rahool (once per week)
- Rank-Up Rewards from Gunsmith
- Possible Reward from Campaign Weekly Missions (requires Campaign completion)
- Possible Reward from certain Activities from Episodes
- Possible Reward from the Campaign 6-Player Activities
POST-LAUNCH - WHAT TO DO
Into the New Expansion or Episode - Let the Grind Begin!
What To Focus On
- After you’ve submitted your stored bounties, you can get to work on new bounties offered at launch (or whenever you hop on). If you’re playing at launch, some bounties may not be available if they are a duplicate for the day. In any event, there are plenty of vendors you can visit (see list above).
- Obviously, Weekly and Daily bounties will be what you want to complete first, followed by Repeatable Bounties.
- Episodic Challenges offer a large amount of XP as well, so be sure to keep an eye on those objectives and complete them when you can! Turn those in at the end of your week-long grind and in a fireteam for maximum gains!
It is important to note that Guardians can passively level through their Season Pass via Challenges and general bounty grind/gameplay over the course of the episode! Power leveling is only recommended if you wish to get a head start on your power bonus, or if you just wish to unlock all those rewards early! This is a personal preference!
Bounty Stacking
- Bounty Stacking is purchasing many bounties with generic objectives that can be completed in a single activity.
- This is the easiest and most efficient way of levelling through your Pass as you would be completing bounties much quicker.
- If you’re doing a grinding session, pick up various planetary and Gunsmith bounties and head into the Vanguard Ops Playlist!
- Alternatively, if Nightfall is on the Moon or Cosmodrome, that’s an easy way of doing many easy bounties at once!
EXAMPLE:
The Devil’s Lair Strike, Cosmodrome
- Bounties that can be purchased from vendors and completed in this strike:
- Episode Vendor Daily Bounties
- Some daily bounties offered through episode vendors have general weapon/ability objectives
- NOTE: Repeatable bounties focus on the Episode Activity only. Don’t pick those up for this.
- Cosmodrome Daily Bounties + Repeatable
- The easiest to complete with generic New Light objectives. Most can be completed anywhere on the Cosmodrome.
- Episode Vendor Daily Bounties
- Once you pick up your bounties, you can head into the Devil’s Lair strike on the Cosmodrome. Depending on who is with you, you can complete an average of 10-15 bounties in a single strike as most bounties listed above have similar objectives (although you may have to swap weapons/elements/subclasses out periodically).
Thanks − For the Tip
- Again, we do want to note that Bungie has made it so you can get to SR100 by passive gameplay and by completing Episode Challenges over the course of the episode.
- But, if you want to get ahead, the bounty grind is the way to go.
- If you have alternate characters, be sure to complete the Weekly and Dailies before just focusing on Repeatable Bounties.
- Bounty Stack when possible. This is the most time-efficient way of gaining levels fast.
- Running low on glimmer? Visit Rahool in the Tower Courtyard.
- Cosmodrome and The Moon bounties (especially repeatable bounties) are the easiest to complete and are easy to re-acquire from the respective vendor.
- Visit Skywatch and the Altar of Sorrow for a good amount of enemies to deal with.
- Bounty grinding can be tedious. Putting on a nice music playlist of your favourite tunes can help − and Guardian? Don’t forget to take breaks.
- Editor’s Note: I’m from the days when doing loops around locations for material farming for hours on end in Destiny 1 was a normal thing to do. Music helps!
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