Nightfall missions are one of the cornerstones for PvE content in Destiny 2, rewarding high-tier weapons and crafting materials for challenging Stikes. Every week, a new Nightfall mission becomes available after the weekly reset. While technically not a "new" mission in Destiny 2, Nightfalls are more challenging versions of Strikes that are already in place throughout the game.
Nightfall missions can be accessed through the Destiny 2 Vanguard Strikes playlist. Players can review which difficulty they'll be selecting, the mission modifiers, and the rewards associated with the difficulty. They'll need to be at the corresponding Light Level before being successful at that level of difficulty. The higher tier Nightfalls can award Ascendant Shards for completing the mission - an exotic crafting material used for Masterworking Armor and purchasing weapons from the Exotic Archive.
Destiny 2 Mission Modifiers don't affect too much for Adept and Hero Nightfalls, but for Legend and higher difficulties Mission Modifiers will dictate what weapons the Fireteam needs to bring. Two kinds of Champions are present in Nightfalls, and they are a combination of Overload, Barrier, and Unstoppable. Players need to equip the appropriate Seasonal Artifact mods and their respective weapons to stop these types of Champions. Overload and Barrier Champions constantly regenerate health if they aren't stopped, while Unstoppable Champions will continuously charge the Fireteam. Master Nightfalls can contain Champions: Mob, meaning the Nightfall mission will have more Champions to face than in Legend and below.
Everything You Need to Know About Destiny 2 Nightfalls
Depending on the mission and its difficulty, different environmental and common enemy modifiers will be in play. For example, in Season of the Lost Week three these Mission Modifiers are called Arach-NO! and Thaviks's Implant. Arach-NO! makes Fallen Vandals spawn a web mine at their feet when defeated, while Thaviks's Implant increases the amount of Arc and environmental damage throughout the mission.
Equipment Locked is a Mission Modifier that is always present at Legend- and higher-level Nightfalls. This modifier prevents Guardians from being able to change weapons, subclasses, armor, or upgrade any of the pieces of gear. Match Game is another modifier in these types of Nigthfalls, where the enemy shield type is resistant to any type of damage other than the shield type. For example, if this modifier is active, a Solar weapon or ability is highly effective for defeating an opponent with a Solar Shield.
Finally, unless queueing with members of the party, Legend and higher Nightfalls have no random matchmaking. Loading one of these missions solo means players will start solo. Master difficulty also adds some team-based modifiers. In Season of the Lost Week 3, this modifier is called Togetherness, where the base health regeneration of all players is reduced unless teammates are near one another.
Grandmaster Nightfalls are their own sub playlist in Destiny 2, but they won't be available until October 5. The recommended power level for Grandmaster Nightfalls is 1370, a Light Level that can only be reached by earning XP and gaining bonus Light Levels. Using Upgrade Modules, Guardians can reach level 1330 by improving their gear and the bonus light level will have to be at least 40. Season of the Lost is here until the Witch Queen expansion in February 2022, giving Guardians plenty of time to prepare for the challenging activities to come.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S, and Google Stadia platforms.