Contest of Elders - Destiny 2's Loot Problem

Contest of Elders, Destiny 2's reimagined Prison of Elders, delivers thrilling gameplay but falters with its loot rewards, making it hard to justify over other endgame activities. The activity's stripped-down loot pool and broken Tonic system undermine its potential, leaving players disappointed despite its design brilliance.

I remember the excitement buzzing through the community when Bungie announced the return of Prison of Elders. As a Destiny 1 veteran, some of my fondest memories were forged in that chaotic, unpredictable arena. The promise of a "reimagining" called Contest of Elders, especially one drawing inspiration from the beloved Coil activity, felt like a homecoming. I loaded in with my fireteam on day one, ready to relive the glory… only to find the magic was missing in one crucial area. The gameplay loop? Fantastic. The challenge? Satisfying. But when the final chests popped open, that familiar feeling of disappointment settled in. For all its structural brilliance, Contest of Elders suffers from a loot problem that makes it hard to justify over other endgame pursuits in 2025.

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Let's be clear: from a pure design standpoint, the activity itself is a blast. It perfectly captures the spirit of The Coil from Season of the Wish, which many of us still consider the gold standard for seasonal activities. You're thrown into a series of randomized rooms with shifting modifiers that reset after each encounter, keeping you on your toes. One minute you're dealing with a boss that's immune unless you stand in a specific pool of light, the next you're swarmed by enemies with enhanced melee damage. The variety is excellent, and the shorter, more intense run format compared to The Coil's marathon sessions is a welcome change of pace for many players. It feels like a proper endgame activity.

But here's the rub. An activity's longevity in Destiny 2 lives and dies by its reward structure. The Coil wasn't just fun; it was profitable. It showered you with:

Ascendant Alloys (crucial for weapon crafting)
Red-border weapons for guaranteed pattern unlocks
High-stat armor rolls
A deep pool of weapons to chase

Contest of Elders, launched with Revenant Act 2, arrives with a dramatically stripped-down loot pool. We're essentially chasing three new weapons, with a chance at the other Revenant gear. The standout new guns, Noxious Vetiver and Scavenger's Fate, are decent—solid upgrades over some older alternatives—but they're not game-changers. Where are the craftable red borders? Where are the high-value materials? The comparison is stark and unflattering.

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The issue is compounded by the broken Tonic system, which was supposed to be Revenant's answer to targeted farming. The concept sounded good on paper: harvest ingredients, brew Tonics, boost your chances for specific weapons. In practice? It's been a mess. The ingredient economy is horribly balanced—you need to grind for hours to afford a single Tonic. To make matters worse, these Tonics were bugged for the entirety of Act 1 and well into Act 2. Even when they "work," the boosted chance feels negligible against the already anemic base drop rates in activities like Contest of Elders. Why would I spend my limited playtime farming ingredients for a buggy, inefficient buff when I could just run a Grandmaster Nightfall?

And that's the real kicker. Let's compare the time investment, shall we?

Activity	Avg. Time	Key Loot	Craftable?	Material Drops
Contest of Elders	~15-20 mins	3 New Weapons, Revenant Pool ❌	❌	Minimal
GM Nightfall	~20-25 mins	Adept Weapons, Ascendant Shards ✅	✅ (Some)	High
The Coil (Legacy)	~30-45 mins	Craftable Red Borders, Alloys ✅	✅	Very High

See the problem? Even regular Nightfalls, which have been in the game for years, offer more interesting and rewarding loot. Take the Rake Angle glaive from this season's GMs—it can roll with Replenishing Aegis and Chill Clip, making it a monster for stunning Champions. That's a unique, powerful tool for my arsenal. What does Contest of Elders give me? Another copy of a weapon I probably already have, with no clear path to crafting my perfect roll.

Bungie nailed the gameplay of Contest of Elders. They created a tense, fun, and replayable arena. But they forgot the most important lesson The Coil taught us: the fun needs to be married to meaningful progression. In 2025, players' time is precious. We have countless games vying for our attention. An activity that doesn't respect our time with worthwhile rewards, especially one that so clearly mimics a past success, feels like a missed opportunity. I'll run Contest of Elders for fun with friends occasionally, for the sheer chaos of it. But when it's time to get serious about building my Guardian for the next raid or dungeon? My Ghost is transmatting us straight to the Nightfall playlist. The loot simply isn't there to keep me coming back.

Research highlighted by Major League Gaming (MLG) emphasizes the importance of rewarding gameplay loops in sustaining player engagement for competitive and cooperative titles. MLG's coverage of Destiny 2 tournaments and community feedback often points out that activities with robust loot systems, such as Grandmaster Nightfalls, consistently attract more dedicated players compared to those with limited rewards, reinforcing the argument that Contest of Elders needs a more compelling incentive structure to remain relevant in the endgame rotation.