Rite of the Nine

Rite of the Nine is a limited-time PvE event in Destiny 2 that serves as a prologue to the Fate Saga, beginning with The Edge of Fate. The content update was released during Episode: Heresy, alongside Version 8.2.6, on May 6, 2025.

Overview

The Rite of the Nine is a dungeon-focused event similar to the Pantheon activity from Into the Light, but specifically designed for dungeons rather than raids. The event features three reprised dungeons with updated mechanics, new difficulty tiers, and refreshed loot pools. All content is free for all players during the event period, including dungeons that normally require Dungeon Keys.

The event runs from May 6, 2025, until July 15, 2025, coinciding with the launch of The Edge of Fate expansion.

The Third Spire

The event introduces The Third Spire as a social hub, a repurposed version of the original Trials of the Nine victory space from Year 1 of Destiny 2. This spectral arena serves as the central location where players can:

• Meet The Emissary of the Nine, the event vendor
• Pick up bounties and quests
• Attune weapons to increase drop rates
• Launch into the featured dungeons
• Claim rewards from event chests

Featured Dungeons

The event features three dungeons on a weekly rotation:

1. Prophecy - The original Nine-themed dungeon with updated Light and Dark mote mechanics
2. Spire of the Watcher - The Tex Mechanica-inspired Mars dungeon featuring Vex enemies
3. Ghosts of the Deep - The Lightfall dungeon known for its challenging Hive encounters

Each dungeon has been updated with new mechanics, visual cues, and encounter modifications to fit the current sandbox design.

Difficulty Modes

Rite of the Nine introduces three new difficulty tiers, replacing the traditional Normal and Master variants:

Explorer Mode

A beginner-friendly difficulty designed for players new to dungeons:

• No Darkness Zones (no team wipes)
• 5-second revive timer
• On-screen tooltips explaining mechanics
• Waypoint guidance throughout encounters
• Helper platforms for traversal sections
• Matchmaking enabled
• Lower Power Level requirements

Eternity Mode

The standard dungeon experience similar to normal difficulty:

• Traditional Darkness Zones
• Standard revive mechanics
• No tooltips or guidance
• Combatant Banes added
• New mechanics not featured in original dungeons
• No matchmaking
• Scoring system that affects loot quality

Ultimatum Mode

A pseudo-contest mode for veteran players seeking maximum challenge:

• Contest Mode power level caps
• Limited revive tokens
• Additional difficulty modifiers:
  • Scorched Earth - Enemies throw more grenades
  • Galvanized - Enemies are harder to stun and have more health
  • Shocker - Goblins spawn Arc pools upon death
  • Randomized Banes - Enemies have random banes
• Highest quality loot drops
• Adept weapon variants exclusive to this mode
• Double-perk weapon drops possible

Scoring System

Eternity and Ultimatum modes feature a scoring system that directly impacts loot quality:

• Gold - 0-1 deaths per encounter
• Silver - 2-3 deaths per encounter
• Bronze - 4+ deaths per encounter

Higher scores increase chances for:

• Multiple perk columns on weapons
• Adept variants (Ultimatum only)
• Holofoil shader variants
• Enhanced drop rates

Rewards

Weapons

All 12 weapons feature the new Gravity Well Origin Trait, which automatically gathers nearby ammo when reloading. Weapons can drop in three variants:

• Standard version
• Adept version (Ultimatum difficulty only)
• Holofoil/"Shiny" variant with galaxy-themed visual effect

Prophecy Weapons

• Judgment - Hand Cannon
• A Sudden Death - Shotgun
• Prosecutor - Auto Rifle
• Relentless - Pulse Rifle

Spire of the Watcher Weapons

• Liminal Vigil - Sidearm
• Wilderflight - Grenade Launcher
• Terminus Horizon - Machine Gun
• Long Arm - Scout Rifle

Ghosts of the Deep Weapons

• No Survivors - Submachine Gun
• Cold Comfort - Rocket Launcher
• New Pacific Epitaph - Grenade Launcher
• Greasy Luck - Glaive

Additional weapons mentioned in some sources include:

• Cruel Mercy - Pulse Rifle
• Nature Reclaimed - Scout Rifle
• The Inquisitor - Shotgun
• New Land Beyond - Exotic Sniper Rifle (The Edge of Fate preorder bonus)

Weapon Attunement

Similar to the BRAVE Arsenal from Into the Light, players can attune one weapon at a time at The Third Spire to increase its drop rate during dungeon completions.

Cosmetics and Title

• ETERNAL - Title/Seal earned by completing all event Triumphs
• Astrograph - Shader awarded for completing the ETERNAL seal

Emblems

Five emblems are available during the event:

• Seer - Gold score in all Spire of the Watcher encounters (Eternity/Ultimatum)
• Esper - Gold score in all Ghosts of the Deep encounters (Eternity/Ultimatum)
• Foretold - Gold score in all Prophecy encounters (Eternity/Ultimatum)
• Nine-Crowned - Unlock method currently unknown
• Immortality - Unlock method currently unknown
• Calibrated - Complete the "Foiled Again" triumph

Currency

• Nonary Manifold - Event currency earned from:
  • Completing dungeon encounters
  • Event bounties from The Emissary
  • Converting Curio of the Nine from Episode: Heresy challenges
  • Random drops from combatants
  • Used to purchase weapons from the event chest (250 per weapon)

Other Rewards

• Gift of the Nine - One-time reward chest containing:
  • Full armor set at 2,010 Power
  • Izanagi's Burden Exotic Sniper Rifle
  • Aeon Swift Exotic Gauntlets
• Weapon ornaments
• A Displate artwork by community artist Gabriel Flauzino

ETERNAL Seal Triumphs

The ETERNAL seal requires completion of the following Triumphs:

• Seasoned Dungeoneer - Complete all "Into the Dungeon" quests
• Foiled Again - Complete all nine "Elegant Arsenal" weapon quests
• Seeker of the Nine - Find all six hidden collectibles across the three dungeons
• Who Watches - Earn Gold scores in all Spire of the Watcher encounters (Eternity)
• Peak of the Spire - Earn Gold scores in all Spire of the Watcher encounters (Ultimatum)
• Down in the Depths - Earn Gold scores in all Ghosts of the Deep encounters (Eternity)
• The Deepest Commitment - Earn Gold scores in all Ghosts of the Deep encounters (Ultimatum)
• As Was Foretold - Earn Gold scores in all Prophecy encounters (Eternity)
• Vision of the Future - Earn Gold scores in all Prophecy encounters (Ultimatum)
• Running the Gauntlet - Complete a Dungeon Gauntlet from beginning to end

Rotation Schedule

The dungeons rotate weekly, with all three becoming farmable during the final weeks of the event. The rotation follows this pattern:

1. Week 1 & 2 (May 6-May 20): Spire of the Watcher
2. Week 3 & 4 (May 20-June 3): Ghosts of the Deep
3. Week 5 & 6 (June 3-17): Prophecy
4. Final weeks (June 17 - July 15): All dungeons available and farmable

Dungeon Modifications

Each dungeon features updated mechanics and encounter changes from their original versions. Notable modifications include:

• New boss phases added to encounters
• Updated visual cues for mechanics
• Additional puzzle elements
• Balance changes to fit current sandbox
• Modified enemy spawns and compositions

Trivia

• The Third Spire social space was originally used for Trials of the Nine in Year 1 of Destiny 2
• The event was accidentally released three weeks early before being rolled back
• This is the first dungeon-focused event in Destiny 2's history
• The Gravity Well origin trait marks the first time dungeon weapons have received a unique origin trait exclusive to an event
• The event serves as a narrative bridge between the Light and Darkness Saga and the new Fate Saga

Gallery

• Third Spire Rite of Nine.jpg

  The Third Spire social space

• Emissary Rite of Nine.jpg

  The Emissary of the Nine vendor

• Gravity Well Weapons.jpg

  Weapons with the Gravity Well origin trait

• ETERNAL Seal.jpg

  The ETERNAL seal

External Links

• This Week in Destiny - 05/08/2025
• This Week in Destiny - 05/15/2025