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Season of the elect is the 13th season of Destiny 2, which will start on February 9 and end on May 11.
Season of the Chosen flagship activity is the news Battlefield Game Mode: A matchmaking PvE activity that sees teams of three players engaged in “ritual combat” against Empress Caiatl’s chosen warriors of the Cabal.
There’s also a new social area, a hub for Vanguard’s operations called HELM, where you can access a number of new features. The main among these is the Proof hammer, a legacy that tracks the season’s progress through upgrades and unlocks more battleground rewards.
Here’s what we know so far about the Battlegrounds, Hammer of Evidence, and HELM introduced in Season of the Chosen:
Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen – Battlegrounds
Battlegrounds is an activity that many Destiny 2 players have been eagerly awaiting: it is the first matchmade mode to be added to the game since the release of the Beyond Light expansion. Matchmade modes allow players who tend to play solo to team up with others and complete multiplayer activities, without having to search outside the game for potential teammates.
As a PvE activity, Battlegrounds will pit teams of three players against a series of NPC opponents, described as Empress Caiatl’s chosen warriors.
Battleground prowess and progression will be tracked by upgrading the Hammer of Evidence, a new heirloom introduced in the season.
How many battlefields will there be?
During the season, Battlegrounds will open in four locations.
The Monster and Hail Battlegrounds will be available from the start of the season on February 9.
You’ll find the Behemoth Battleground in the Arcadian Valley on Nessus – and will automatically be matched when you start the Season.
After completing Behemoth and accessing HELM, you can find Hailstone in the center of Europa.
A third battlefield, called Cleaning (located in the EDZ), will open on February 16.
The fourth and last battlefield, Oracle, will open on February 23.
Is the Battlegrounds activity free?
There has been some confusion over whether or not the Battlegrounds activity will be free – due to an unfortunate ambiguity in Bungie’s original season roadmap.
However, Bungie has now confirmed that only Season Pass holders will have full access to the new Battlegrounds game mode.
Free players will be able to play a free Battlegrounds match as a sample of the central activity of the season. But after that, they will have to purchase a Season Pass if they want to play again.
Clarification: An error occurred on the Season of the Chosen page, indicating “Battlegrounds Matchmade Activity” under the free path.
Free players will have access to an introductory experience of the new Battlegrounds activity, but additional access requires possession of a season pass.
– dmg04 (@ A_dmg04) February 2, 2021
Destiny 2: Season of the Chosen – Hammer of Evidence
Upgrading the Hammer of Evidence is both a way to improve your battleground activities and a way to track your progress throughout the Season of the Chosen.
Upon arriving at HELM for the first time, the player will meet Zavala, who will introduce them to the great new item of the season: the Hammer of Evidence.
What is the HELM?
The Logistics and Emergency Maneuver Hub – HELM for short – is Vanguard’s new base of operations. HELM is introduced in Season of the Chosen, but it looks like it’s going to be Destiny 2’s go-to social hub for a while.
The HELM can be accessed via the director by going to the tower and looking in the upper left corner.
The following activities can be carried out at HELM:
- Interact with the War Table Seasonal Vendor to upgrade the Hammer of Evidence
- Access the Prismatic Recaster to decode umbra engrams
- Manage your safe
- Retrieve items from the postmaster
What does the hammer of proof do?
The Hammer of Evidence has two main purposes: to track your progress throughout the Season of the Chosen, and to unlock better rewards on the battlefield.
To do this, you will collect a resource called Cabal Gold from the battlefields. These can be forged into Challenger medallions which you can then equip with the hammer, unlocking more rewarding challenges against the warriors chosen by the Empress in the battlefields.
Three levels allow players to gradually upgrade the Hammer of Evidence, unlocking more demo runes which in turn customize and enhance battlefield rewards.
How long will the hammer of proof last?
Bungie has announced that it is making some changes to the way seasonal content stays after the season ends.
From what we’ve seen, you should have access to Season of the Chosen items – including the Hammer of Evidence – until at least the end of Year 4 (November 2021 or so).