Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted: A 2026 Guardian's Guide to Week One Chaos
Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted Week One challenges return to the Derelict Leviathan with Solar 3.0, Nightmares, and Crown of Sorrow upgrades.
By 2026, Destiny 2 has accumulated enough seasonal storylines to make a lore scholar weep into their Ghost shell, but Season of the Haunted still occupies a special, slightly cursed corner of Guardian memory. The first week of its challenges sent players aboard the Derelict Leviathan, Calus's planet-munching party boat, and immediately shoved Solar 3.0 into their hands with the enthusiasm of a friend handing over a live grenade. The season focused on the big ship's return, its connection to the Pyramid on the Moon, the Nightmares that escaped to torment the Vanguard and Cabal, and Emperor Calus's comeback. It was part haunted house, part space-cruise disaster, and entirely Destiny 2.
The Haunted Housewarming Aboard the Leviathan
Upon first launching after the Season 17 update, Guardians were thrust into action aboard the Derelict Leviathan. Solar 3.0 could be equipped with all Aspects immediately, which was generous by seasonal standards. Fragments and grenade abilities, however, required a trip to Ikora in the Tower after the introductory mission. Just as Void 3.0 upgrades had to be purchased with Glimmer in Season of the Risen, players had to spend Glimmer to unlock the missing pieces, then meditate at Ikora's post to activate everything purchased. It was a small ritual, but a ritual nonetheless.
Before diving into the season, Guardians also needed to pick up the Nightmare Harvester seasonal artifact at the H.E.L.M. from the Crown of Sorrow. The artifact was the season's permission slip for earning XP, Bright Dust, and Figments of Darkness. Without it, a Guardian was essentially a tourist on a haunted cruise ship with no souvenir budget.
Figments, Upgrades, and Opulent Energy
Much like the Insight earned for the War Table in Season of the Risen, Figments of Darkness allowed Guardians to upgrade the Crown of Sorrow for new abilities and rewards. Those upgrades applied to activities aboard the Derelict Leviathan, and some rewards included new Season 17 weapons. Guardians also earned Opulent Umbral Energy to redeem weapons directly from the Crown of Sorrow. In 2026, this loop feels like ancient history, but it was a tidy little economy: spooky coin in, spooky upgrades out.
Week One Challenge Menu
The first week of Season of the Haunted offered a busy buffet of objectives. Guardians could chase XP, Bright Dust, and seasonal progress while bouncing between the Leviathan, playlist activities, and the Crucible. The challenge list looked like this:
| # | Challenge | Reward | Task |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sorrow Bound I | Challenger XP+ | Complete Bound in Sorrow I and defeat Scorn Chieftains. |
| 2 | Nightmare Containment I | Challenger XP+ | Successfully complete tiers of the Nightmare Containment public event on the Derelict Leviathan throughout the season. |
| 3 | Vestiges of Dread I | Challenger XP | Collect Vestiges of Dread and pick up material nodes on the Derelict Leviathan throughout the season. |
| 4 | Sustained Fire | Figments of Darkness and Challenger XP+ | Defeat combatants with Auto Rifle or Trace Rifle final blows on the Derelict Leviathan, and defeat combatants with Solar damage in any Sever activity. |
| 5 | Derelict Leviathan Activities | Challenger XP+ and Bright Dust | Complete bounties, patrols, and public events on the Derelict Leviathan. |
| 6 | Taking All Challenges | Challenger XP+ and Bright Dust | Complete weekly playlist challenges. |
| 7 | Midrange Calibration | Challenger XP+ and Bright Dust | Calibrate mid-range weapons on the Derelict Leviathan, with bonus progress for rapid defeats. |
| 8 | Dredgin' Up Victory | Challenger XP+ and Bright Dust | Complete Gambit matches. |
| 9 | Momentum Crash | Challenger XP+ and Bright Dust | Defeat Guardians in Momentum Control. |
| 10 | Scorn Pest Control | Challenger XP+ and Bright Dust | Defeat Scorn on the Derelict Leviathan or in Vanguard playlist activities. |
A 2026 Field Guide to the Nostalgia
By 2026, the live Destiny 2 experience has moved on, and Season of the Haunted is best treated as a historical field guide rather than a current shopping list. The Leviathan's haunted halls are not the live-game hot spot they were in 2022, but the challenge design remains a useful snapshot of how Bungie mixed seasonal story, public events, playlist chores, and upgrade currencies. Guardians who remember the season will recall the Nightmare Containment public event, the Sever activities, and the Crown of Sorrow's upgrade screen with a mix of fondness and mild exhaustion. The first week was busy: patrols, bounties, Gambit matches, Momentum Control, Scorn pest control, and mid-range weapon calibration all demanded attention. It was less a to-do list and more a haunted carnival with too many ticket booths.
Why Week One Still Matters
Season of the Haunted's opening week set the tone for the whole season. It asked Guardians to learn Solar 3.0, engage with the Nightmare Harvester, and start feeding Figments into the Crown of Sorrow. The challenges were not just busywork; they nudged players toward the new destination, the seasonal artifact, and the upgrade loop. In 2026, that design philosophy is familiar, but the Haunted version had a distinctive mood: Calus's gaudy ship, lunar nightmares, and a Crown that looked like it had been designed by a committee of haunted dentists. For lore fans, the return of Calus and the Pyramid connection made the season essential. For challenge chasers, the first week offered a neat checklist of XP, Bright Dust, and seasonal progress. For everyone else, it offered a reason to shoot Scorn while wondering why the ship's interior décor was so committed to evil opulence. The haunted cruise may have sailed, but the memory remains. 👻🚀