Destiny 2’s Guardian Ranks Are Just a Waste of Time

Guardian Ranks are one of the new elements that were added to Destiny 2 by Bungie with the Lightfall expansion. This method was promoted as a tool for players to demonstrate their command of the game’s many contents and mechanisms. It was hoped that as players progressed through Destiny 2 by completing missions, earning gear, and other activities, their Guardian Ranks would rise, and they would be regarded as having a higher level of accomplishment. The reality, on the other hand, is extremely different from that for a variety of reasons.

To begin, nearly everyone began Lightfall at Guardian Rank 6, which was the default starting position. This is because Bungie placed veteran players in those ranks; nevertheless, this also indicates that individuals with lower rankings are actually rarer than those with a rank of 6. After Lightfall has been live for a few of weeks, we have started to see some rank 7 players here and there, but rank 6 is still by far the most prevalent level.

The manner in which Guardian Ranks are connected to the Commendation system is the second problem with these tiers. The requirement that you acquire a fairly high number of commendations from other players in order to advance up the ranks does not demonstrate your successes, despite the fact that we have an entirely different set of problems with that mechanic. It demonstrates that other players stayed around after an action and happened to pick you to commend, assuming they’re doling them out randomly as many Destiny 2 players do. This is because it shows that other players chose to stick around after the activity.

The fact that Guardian Ranks in Destiny 2 are reset at the beginning of each season is the game’s most significant flaw. What is the point of achieving a higher mastery rating if it resets itself to the starting point every few months? Who is willing to put in the work to get a number displayed above their head that will be gone when the season is over? The purpose of the Guardian Ranks was to take the role of the season rank, which was merely a measurement of how much time a player had spent actively playing during a specific season. Having them reset at the beginning of each season, however, ensures that they are measuring the same thing throughout the year.

What kind of changes should Bungie make to the Guardian Ranks? Doing rid of the necessity to receive a Commendation would be an excellent place to start, as would making them permanent. If their use was meant to be dependent on the time of year, then they should have used Seasonal Challenges as their point of departure instead. The current state of Guardian Ranks makes them a letdown and a system with which the vast majority of players have no compelling reason to interact.