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A whole world of changes is coming toDestiny 2with the release ofThe Final Shape, but nothing is as helpful as the new Pathfinder progression system. This system replacesvendor challenges, bounties, and patrols, consolidating them into one space. Rather than collecting these bounties from vendors, you may access each world’s Pathfinder from your Director, preventing annoying travel time and missed opportunities.
The Pathfinder system was introduced in the “This Week in Destiny.” In it, Pathfinder was introduced as a new way to gain EXP and progress through “world ranks” without having to pick up and complete pesky bounties from each world/activity’s vendor. Instead, you will complete various weekly challenges and requirements to obtain powerful rewards and weapons better thanDestiny 2’s Onslaught. You will also be able to reset it for Glimmer when you’re done. Here’s everything you need to know about the Pathfinder system.
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Destiny 2 The Final Shape ends the decade-long story of Light and Dark while introducing new content that teases the future of the popular franchise.
What Is the Pathfinder System?
Pathfinder is replacing bounties to obtain EXP and progressionin each ofDestiny 2’s unique world destinations. The Pathfinder menu can be accessed anytime through your Director, and you can even access the Pathfinders of other places. When you open the Pathfinder menu, you will be greeted with20 nodes arranged in a triangle shape, leading to a reward on the right side of your screen. There are a few different types of Pathfinders:
How It Words
Destination Pathfinders
Used for location-specific objectives (i.e., In The Pale Heart, defeat combatants using weapons that match your subclass damage type.)
Ritual Pathfinders
This is a unified progression system combining Vanguard, Nightfalls, Onslaught, Gambit, and Crucible objectives into one.
The nodes are split into five tiers; to reach the loot in the last tier, you’ll need to complete objectives in a path that will allow you to reach the loot.There must be at least one objective completed in each tier, and once you’ve done so, you can reset your Pathfinder for Glimmer and more rewards.
The rarity and value of these rewards will come at diminishing returns each time the Pathfinder is reset in the week. Still, oncethe weekly reset comes each Tuesday, each player’s Pathfinder will be reset completely.
According to theTWIDin which Pathfinder was introduced, the objectives in each Pathfinder are determined through a combination of authorial control and procedural generation.This means that each guardian begins the week with the same Pathfinder objectives, but as the Pathfinder is reset, each player’s objectives will diverge and become more and more unique.
As long as you have enough Glimmer, you’re able to reset your Pathfinder infinitelythroughout the week but understand that the rewards will decrease in value (to a point) as you reset more often.
All Destination Pathfinder Rewards
The Pathfinder rewards pool will follow the same pattern for each week,so come back to this chart if you’re not sure what comes next. If you’re not sure how this works, check outDatto’s video on YouTube. Here is each reward that can be claimed in the Destination Pathfinder menu:
1st Path
2nd Path
Path Completion Rewards (1 through 3)
3rd Path
Repeatable
Notice how the quality of the rewards goes down for each reset.This quality resets weekly, so check back each Tuesday to find a new card waiting for you! Once you’ve gotten the hang of the Location Pathfinders, check out the Ritual Pathfinders for more rewards.
The Ritual Pathfinder covers five things:Vanguard, Nightfalls, Onslaught, Gambit, and Crucible.Instead of completing separate bounties for each activity, you can streamline and complete everything in one place. This means that you’ll likely be resetting this Pathfinder more often, so here is the loot pool:
Any Subsequent Completions
Ritual Pathfinder completion is shared between all characters, so completing nodes will be easier. Unlike when youunlocked Strand’s aspects, you’ll only have to complete the Ritual Pathfinder once between three characters to get rewards.
Bungie devs also mentioned that theseritual Pathfinders will line up with any Reputation Boostersthat might be active. In a week with Gambit Booster, you’ll see many more Gambit objectives in your Pathfinder, making finishing that week’s path easier if you play Gambit.
This was doneto make the Ritual grind less punishingand allow players to choose which Ritual activities they’d like to play rather than being forced to play certain activities to get higher-tier rewards.
Why Pathfinder Is Being Introduced
TheDestiny 2devs' goals with Pathfinder were simple:create a consolidated system for progressionthat feels rewarding while offering players a bit more agency regarding how they engage with the game’s various activities.
With this new system, players can still be rewarded for engaging with the game in a new waywhile being less prescriptivethan the previous system.
By eliminating static bounties and allowing Guardians to choose their fate, they hope to provide a more fulfilling gameplay experience that encourages players to chase high-level rewards without making it a grind.
As you launchDestiny 2: The Final Shapefor the first time, make sure you take some time to engage with and understand the new Pathfinder system. While it may be confusing at first,this new system will allow players the agency to decide what activities to completerather than being forced by arbitrary bounties.
Hopping into a Gambit match will provide you with just as much progression on your pathway to loot. If you are properly prepared forDestiny 2’s The Final Shape expansion,you should be more than ready to take advantage of everything the new Pathfinder system offers.
