Defiant Battlegrounds

Template:Infobox activity

Defiant Battlegrounds are three-player matchmade seasonal activities introduced in Destiny 2: Lightfall during Season of Defiance. In these activities, Guardians use Awoken powers to assault Shadow Legion positions and rescue prisoners of war.

Overview

Defiant Battlegrounds launched alongside Lightfall and Season of Defiance on February 28, 2023. The activity represents Guardians taking the fight directly to Calus and his Shadow Legion, utilizing newly acquired Awoken powers granted by Mara Sov to tear portals into the Ascendant Plane and challenge enemy forces.

Access Requirements

To unlock Defiant Battlegrounds, players must:

1. Complete the first mission of Lightfall
2. Receive the Ascendant Scepter from Nimbus as a gift from Mara Sov
3. Visit the Vanguard equipment at Striders' Gate
4. Complete the introductory quest from Mara Sov

Launch Methods

Defiant Battlegrounds can be accessed through two sources:

• EDZ Map - Standard difficulty version launched directly from the Earth destination
• HELM Playlist - More challenging version available from the playlist node in the H.E.L.M.

Power Level

• Recommended Power: 1770
• Power Floor: 1760 (players below this level are raised to 1760)
• Max Effectiveness: 1765 (due to -5 power differential in seasonal activities)

Activity Structure

Phase 1: Initial Assault

Players clear Shadow Legion forces while advancing toward a Pyramid ship. All enemies must be eliminated to progress, including:

• Cannon fodder soldiers
• War hounds
• Commanders and elite units

Phase 2: Ascendant Portal

After clearing initial forces, players reach a platform where they activate Awoken powers granted by Mara Sov to open a gateway into the Ascendant Plane.

Phase 3: Boss Encounter

The final phase features a Warden boss with unique mechanics:

Shield Mechanics:

• The Warden activates impenetrable shields
• Shields can only be broken with special orbs
• Players must light Balefires in the center of the arena

Suppression Field:

• The arena periodically activates a damaging suppression field
• Standing inside the Balefire area grants "Safeguarded" buff
• Safeguarded protects from suppression damage for several seconds

Breaking the Shields:

1. Defeat marked Taken Wizards
2. Collect Taken Essence they drop
3. Return essence to Balefire location
4. Throw transformed sphere at Warden
5. Repeat three times to break shields completely

Rewards

Defiant Engrams

Completing the battleground awards a Defiant Engram, a new type of seasonal engram used to focus seasonal weapons and armor. Unlike Umbral Engrams, Defiant Engrams are not kept in personal inventory but tracked via an Engram Tracker received at the War Table.

Defiant Keys

• Earned from activities outside of Defiant Battlegrounds
• Used to open the chest at activity completion
• Provides additional seasonal gear alongside the standard Defiant Engram

Awoken Favors

Through War Table upgrades, players gain access to Awoken Favors within Defiant Battlegrounds. These function similarly to Starhorse's Favor in Dares of Eternity, providing boosts to ability energy.

Loot Table

The activity features a rotating selection of seasonal weapons and armor, including:

• Seasonal weapons with unique perk combinations
• Seasonal armor pieces
• Enhancement materials
• Seasonal currencies

Integration with Vanguard Ops

Defiant Battlegrounds were eventually added to the Vanguard Ops playlist with the release of The Final Shape, ensuring the content remained accessible beyond its seasonal focus.

Trivia

• The activity narrative focuses on rescuing prisoners of war from the Shadow Legion
• Defiant Battlegrounds marked one of the first times players could actively use Awoken portal magic in gameplay
• The Balefire mechanic introduced in this activity would influence similar "safe zone" mechanics in later content

See also

• Season of Defiance
• Shadow Legion
• War Table
• Defiant Engram
• Ascendant Plane
• Mara Sov