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The Nine has become an intriguing force in Destiny 2. Following the fall of the Witness, they’ve taken a more active role in the storyline. With the Rite of the Nine, they are calling on Guardians to participate in various challenges. This isn’t a traditional game show format, but there are plenty of rewards to be gained.
The Rite of the Nine has revamped three dungeons in Destiny 2, introducing new mechanics and rewards, including a limited-time title and powerful weapons. In this guide, we’ll explore what the Rite of the Nine entails, highlight updates to dungeon difficulties, and explain how to begin the event.
What Is the Rite of the Nine?
The Rite of the Nine is a dungeon-focused PvE event running from May 6 to July 15, coinciding with the launch of The Edge of Fate expansion. The Emissary of the Nine has challenged all Guardians to conquer the Nine’s selected dungeons, offering new rewards in return.
This event features updated versions of Ghosts of the Deep, Spire of the Watcher, and Prophecy, complete with difficulty options, refreshed weapon perks, and encounter adjustments that will challenge even seasoned dungeon players. Like the Into the Light event, this will be hosted in a hub known as the Rite of the Nine. Players can visit this area in Eternity to start the quest.
Dungeon Difficulties
A major addition in the Rite of the Nine is the introduction of varied dungeon difficulty levels. These replace the traditional Normal and Master modes with three new options, targeting different skill levels.
| Difficulty | Power Delta | Modifiers |
|---|---|---|
| Explorer | -0 Power | Encounters have in-world tooltips. Matchmaking is enabled. |
| Eternity | -0 Power | Standard dungeon experience with tougher enemies. Matchmaking is disabled. |
| Ultimatum | -25 Power | Grandmaster dungeon experience. Can drop adept weapons based on your team’s death count. Lower is better. Not swap and banes are enabled. |
Explorer mode is designed for new players who haven’t experienced dungeons before. It features weaker enemies, matchmaking, and in-game tips to guide players through each encounter, making it an ideal option for those unfamiliar with Destiny 2’s endgame.
Eternity reflects the typical dungeon experience, with no tooltips or matchmaking, and offers standard rewards. It’s suitable for reacquainting oneself with dungeon mechanics or farming Nonary Manifolds, the event’s primary currency.
Ultimatum allows for the chance to earn adept weapons, which are stronger versions of existing dungeon weapons. This mode is designed similarly to Contest Mode raids and Grandmaster Nightfalls, with a -25 Power limit and increased difficulty modifiers. The drop rates for adept items depend on your team’s total deaths, so staying alive is a priority.
In Ultimatum difficulty, your fireteam will be affected by Hotswap. Changing Exotics or weapon types during encounters will drain your ability energy. Be cautious about switching loadouts frequently.
Rite of the Nine Hub
The Emissary can be found in the new hub area called The Rite of the Nine, located under the Eternity tab on the Director map. Players familiar with Destiny 2 will recognize this as the former Trials of the Nine reward hub. Speak to the Emissary to receive the starter quests for this event, which involve completing updated dungeons.
At the hub, you can also interact with the chest near the Emissary to obtain a Gift of the Nine, which contains a full set of gear at 2,010 Power, Izanagi’s Burden, and the Aeon Swift Exotic. For returning players, this allows you to skip much of the Power grind.
The chest across from The Emissary allows you to exchange Nonary Manifolds, gained from completing dungeon encounters and bounties, for random weapons specific to this event. You can also get adept loot from this chest.
In the hub area, there’s a ring of holographic weapons representing what you can earn during the event. Focusing a weapon increases its drop chance to 50%, similar to the attunement system from the Into the Light event. This boost persists until you focus on another weapon.
Focused weapons are more likely to drop as loot from encounters and chests.
Earning Nonary Manifolds
Nonary Manifolds are a new currency in the Rite of the Nine, which you can exchange at the hub chest for random dungeon drops. Make sure to attune your weapon before spending your manifolds, as the chest considers your current weapon focus.
You can earn Nonary Manifolds by completing dungeon encounters and from Curios of the Nine collected during this season. Players who have participated in seasonal challenges or recent events should have some Curios that can be traded with The Emissary for a batch of manifolds, jumpstarting your loot collection.
Rite of the Nine Rewards
As with all major events in Destiny 2, the Rite of the Nine brings new loot to chase. Weapons from Ghosts of the Deep, Spire of the Watcher, and most weapons from Prophecy have been re-released with new perks and the Gravity Well origin trait. The perk combinations are strong, making them viable for high-level PvE content. We will provide detailed roll guides shortly.
In addition, players can earn a new title during the event: ETERNITY. Some Triumphs related to this title are currently hidden, suggesting a potential time requirement for unlocking it. Obtaining the title will grant you the unique Astrograph shader, a recolored version of the previously unavailable Honors of the Nine shader.
