Destiny 2’s Guardian Games has arrived once more, so it’s time to prove which of the three classes is truly the best. While this event will once again revolve around players turning in medals they earn to improve their standing on the podium, Bungie has also added a few new features. Perhaps the biggest is the return of Strike Scoring, which was a popular mode in the original Destiny. There are also cosmetics for players to unlock, another chance to earn the Heir Apparent exotic, and a new submachine gun called The Title.
Strike Scoring is of course the biggest draw, as it’s a new aspect of the Guardian Games event. However, it can be pretty confusing as there are three different versions of Strike Scoring, with only one of them allowing you to earn reward packages from Eva. This can be a little frustrating since the game does a pretty poor job at explaining this to casual players. Here’s a breakdown of how Strike Scoring works and when you can earn those sweet, sweet torch reward packages:
What is Strike Scoring?
Strike Scoring is a competitive PVE variant of the typically Vanguard Op/Nightfall playlist. Players will matchmake into fireteams of three and attempt to score the most amount of points possible before killing the final boss. Unlocked by completing the Best in Class quest, there are three different variants of Strike Scoring with two of them rotating in and out depending on the day. If you’re just wondering when the hell I can earn my Scoring Torch Rewards, its on Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday via achieveing high scores in the Guardian Games: Competitive Playlist.
For those still a little lose on how this whole system works, here’s a breakdown of each of the three playlists.
Guardian Games Recreational Playlist
This is essentially the Vanguard Ops playlist but with Strike Scoring. Players will randomly play either a strike or battleground while earning medals/scores for killing enemies. You can complete the weekly Pinnacle Engram for hitting 300,000 points and this can be done in tandem with other Guardian Game mechanics such as Gold Medallion Contender Cards. You will not get any weekly buffs for achieving a high score, this is simply for those who want to casually try Strike Scoring or get used to how the medal system works.
Guardian Games: Training Playlist
Available only on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, the Training Playlist is essentially a Legend difficulty Nightfall, but with Matchmaking. This week’s strike is the Lightblade and players can go into this mode to practice trying to get the highest score possible. There are four-point thresholds, each of which will get progressively harder to hit. These point thresholds are:
- Bronze – 50,000
- Silver – 100,000
- Gold – 150,000
- Platinum – 175,000
Hitting the top threshold (Platinum) will not reward you with a torch reward package. Instead, players will get a week-long buff depending on what point threshold they hit. For example, my buff increases my weapon damage and ability to recharge rate for each enemy I kill. Keep in mind, that this buff will only work for Guardian Games playlist activities, so don’t expect to get any benefits from it in a raid or PVP. You do not have to participate in training, but I do recommend playing a little so you can obtain the Contender’s Boon buff. Players can also earn this buff in the recreational playlist but I found hitting the Platinum threshold much easier in the Training playlist.
Guardian Games: Competitive Playlist
Available only on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Similar to the Training variant, Competitive has you running through a single weekly strike at 1550 Power in an attempt to get the highest score possible. Any Guardian Game buffs you’ve earned will be active, which makes this much easier to actually complete since you’ll be doing increased damage and have faster ability regeneration. The score thresholds are the same as Training mode, so make sure to aim for an absolute minimum of 175,000 points before killing the boss.
After you achieve your high score, go back to The Tower and approach the row of torches along the left side of the podium. Igniting each torch will give you a random roll of The Title. Igniting the Platinum torch will give you a fully masterworked The Title with two random perks in each of the primary perk slots. I strongly recommend grinding for Platinum because of this, because worst case scenerio you will get 7 Enhancement Cores upon dismantling it.
