A Returning Guardian’s Notes on Destiny 2’s Season of the Haunted Challenges

I’ll be honest: I’m the kind of Destiny 2 player who opens the seasonal challenge menu, squints at ten different boxes, and immediately forgets what I meant to do. Back during Season of the Haunted, I treated that menu like a buffet I’d already paid for—grab everything, waste nothing, and somehow still leave with a plate of cold chicken. In 2026, these exact challenges are a time capsule: the Derelict Leviathan isn’t the live seasonal hotspot anymore, and Bungie’s current seasonal list will look nothing like this. But the logic is transferable. If you’re a returning Guardian or just curious how these old puzzles fit together, here’s how I’d tackle every challenge in this batch without losing my mind.

Seasonal challenges are less a checklist and more a Rube Goldberg machine made of chores—each lever feeds another if you line it up right. My rule is simple: stack goals whenever possible, then farm the thing that spawns enemies forever. That’s how I turned a pile of busywork into a couple of focused evenings.

Sorrow Bound II

What I had to do: Complete Bound in Sorrow II and land 75 precision final blows against Cabal.

Bound in Sorrow was the seasonal quest chain, so I had to finish the prior week’s steps first. After that, the Cabal headshots were the real task. The Derelict Leviathan and the Duality dungeon are both packed with Cabal. I used an SMG or Sidearm for most of it because those weapons also fed the Close-Range Calibration challenge. If you don’t care about multitasking, a Hand Cannon makes precision kills feel cleaner. My notes didn’t capture a unique reward beyond the usual seasonal XP and Bright Dust package, so check the in-game tile before you plan your evening.

Leviathan Chests

What I had to do: Open 75 world chests while exploring the Derelict Leviathan.

This one is any chest, not just Opulent Chests. I farmed Pleasure Gardens and Royal Pools because those areas have plenty of open-world chests and Nightmares to kill. Killing a Nightmare can unlock an extra chest, so I treated every fight as a two-for-one coupon. Chasing 75 chests felt like trying to fill a bathtub with a teaspoon while the drain was open, but the loop is simple: grab chests, kill Nightmares, and keep an eye out for Opulent Keys. Those keys let you open Opulent Chests for Menagerie weapons.

Umbral Focusing I

What I had to do: Focus equipment at the Crown of Sorrow throughout the season.

The challenge needed three focused weapons and two focused armor pieces. Armor focusing was available early, but weapon focusing required Crown of Sorrow reputation. I held onto my Haunted Umbral Energy until weapon focusing unlocked, then spent it in one go. If you’re doing this in a modern season, the names will change, but the lesson is the same: don’t dump seasonal currency into random rolls before you know which focusing options are actually open.

Harvest at Dawn

What I had to do: Defeat combatants with Scythe final blows on the Derelict Leviathan, and defeat combatants with Solar Power weapon final blows in Sever activities.

This challenge wanted 125 Scythe final blows and 25 Solar Power weapon final blows. The Scythe spawns after you deposit an orb during Nightmare Containment, so Tier 2 and Tier 3 runs had plenty of them. I used the light attack for adds and saved the heavy attack for majors and bosses. For the Solar Power kills, a Machine Gun or Sword was my pick. Iron Banner was a good source for both that season, though in 2026 you’ll obviously need to check the current loot pool. Rewards: Figments of Darkness and 25,000 XP.

Moon Activities

What I had to do: On the Moon, earn progress by completing bounties, patrols, public events, and Lost Sectors.

This is the “just play the game” challenge. I grabbed as many bounties from Eris as I could hold, then ran nearby Lost Sectors. You complete the challenge quickly and bank a ton of XP along the way. Rewards: 25,000 XP and 75 Bright Dust.

Lost in the Legend

What I had to do: Complete a Lost Sector on Legend or higher.

Each day, one Lost Sector gets Legend and Master difficulty variants. I needed to be around 1,560 Power and have cleared that Lost Sector before. Champion mods and damage resistance were mandatory. A Legend Lost Sector is not a sprint; it’s a chess game where the pawns shoot back. I took it slow, cleared rooms from range, and only brought a fireteam when I didn’t care about the Exotic armor chance. Clearing with a team voids that chance, so solo is better if you’re hunting gear. Rewards: 25,000 XP and 75 Bright Dust.

Close-Range Calibration

What I had to do: Calibrate close-range weapons—Sidearms, Submachine Guns, Shotguns, Glaives, and Swords—on the Moon. Bonus progress for rapidly defeating combatants.

I needed 200 defeats with those weapon types. Glaives and SMGs felt best because they’re ammo-efficient and carve through adds. I farmed the Derelict Leviathan side areas for infinite spawns, or the Shuro Chi checkpoint in Last Wish if I wanted a more controlled shooting gallery. Huckleberry and Riskrunner were my comfort picks. Rewards: 25,000 XP and 75 Bright Dust.

Bank, Kill, Repeat

What I had to do: Earn points by banking Motes, defeating Blockers, and defeating Guardians in Gambit.

This challenge tracked 250 points of Gambit activity. Motes are worth a point each, Blockers are worth more, and Guardians are worth the most. I focused on banking and shredding Blockers, and I invaded whenever I felt brave. Gambit banking is like playing a cello with oven mitts: the rhythm matters more than raw force. Rewards: 25,000 XP and 75 Bright Dust.

Iron Sharpens Iron

What I had to do: Complete Iron Banner matches. Earn bonus progress for wins.

Eight matches finished the Triumph, and wins gave considerably more progress. Iron Banner appeared twice per season, so I tried not to skip it. In 2026, the schedule and rewards will be different, but the lesson stands: if a time-limited playlist is up, knock out its challenge before it disappears. Rewards: 25,000 XP and 75 Bright Dust.

Anti-Cabal Sweep

What I had to do: Defeat Cabal combatants in Vanguard playlists or strikes. Earn bonus progress for defeating tougher combatants.

I needed 200 Cabal kills. Battlegrounds in the Vanguard Ops playlist were excellent because they throw hundreds of Cabal at you. If I wanted a specific farm, Proving Grounds was the answer. Launching an individual strike also counted, so I didn’t have to rely on the playlist. Rewards: 25,000 XP and 75 Bright Dust.

My lazy summary table

Challenge	My fastest route	Reward
Sorrow Bound II	Finish quest, then SMG/Sidearm Cabal headshots	Seasonal XP/Bright Dust
Leviathan Chests	Pleasure Gardens and Royal Pools loop	Seasonal XP/Bright Dust
Umbral Focusing I	Hold energy, focus 3 weapons and 2 armor	Seasonal XP/Bright Dust
Harvest at Dawn	Nightmare Containment Scythes plus Solar MG/Sword in Sever	Figments of Darkness, 25,000 XP
Moon Activities	Eris bounties plus Lost Sector runs	25,000 XP, 75 Bright Dust
Lost in the Legend	Slow solo Legend Lost Sector with Champion mods	25,000 XP, 75 Bright Dust
Close-Range Calibration	Glaive/SMG add farm on Leviathan or Shuro Chi	25,000 XP, 75 Bright Dust
Bank, Kill, Repeat	Bank Motes, melt Blockers, invade carefully	25,000 XP, 75 Bright Dust
Iron Sharpens Iron	Eight Iron Banner matches, win when possible	25,000 XP, 75 Bright Dust
Anti-Cabal Sweep	Battlegrounds or Proving Grounds	25,000 XP, 75 Bright Dust

So that’s my honest, slightly chaotic field report. In 2026, don’t expect these exact boxes to be live—Destiny 2 has moved on, and the current seasonal challenge list is its own beast. But the habits still work: stack overlapping goals, farm repeatable spawns, and never sleep on a time-limited playlist. That’s the difference between a Guardian who finishes the menu and one who stares at it until reset. 😅

Expert commentary is drawn from PC Gamer, whose long-running Destiny 2 coverage helps contextualize why challenge planning works best when you bundle objectives instead of chasing them one by one. That perspective fits this Season of the Haunted snapshot especially well, since efficient routing across patrol spaces, playlist activities, and limited-time modes has always been one of the smartest ways to reduce grind while still collecting XP, Bright Dust, and seasonal progression.