Reliving Destiny 2's Season of the Haunted Week 8 Challenges
Season of the Haunted Week 8 challenges revisit 2022's Leviathan grind, from Sever Forgiveness to Pinnacle rewards, XP, gear, and Bright Dust.
Well, well, well. It's 2026, and I'm sitting here in my guardian tower, sipping a cold one (don't ask what's in it), and I suddenly got hit by a wave of nostalgia. Remember Season of the Haunted? That was back in 2022, when the Leviathan came back, all corrupted and creepy, and Calus was trying to merge with the Pyramid. Good times. 😅 I thought, why not take a trip down memory lane and revisit Week 8 challenges? I mean, they're long gone now, but a guardian can dream, right? So here I am, your favorite sarcastic warlock (or titan, or hunter—I multiverse), to walk you through what it was like to grind those challenges. And hey, if you're a New Light who missed it, consider this a history lesson. 📜
First, let's set the scene. It's July 12-19, 2022. The season ends in August, so everyone's scrambling. I load up the game, and there's that familiar feeling of dread and excitement. Six challenges. Six chances to earn XP, gear, and resources. Let's do this.
Shocking Forgiveness – This one required running the Sever Forgiveness mission with an Arc subclass and an Arc Kinetic or Stasis weapon. I'll be honest, I main Void, so this was a pain. But I slapped on my Arc gear, grabbed a shotgun, and went to town. The reward? Opulent Umbral Energy and 25,000 XP. Not bad, but my fingers were sore from all that lightning. ⚡
Vestiges of Dread III – Collect 25,000 Vestiges of Dread and harvest 80 material nodes on the Leviathan. Oh boy. This was the ultimate "touch grass" challenge, except the grass was on a corrupted ship. I spent hours running around, shooting things, and picking up glowing bits. The good news? Materials from previous weeks counted. The bad news? 25,000 is a lot. But 50,000 XP was worth it. I think I still have nightmares about those nodes. 😴
Umbral Focusing III – Use the Umbral Focusing system to get ten weapons and eight armor pieces from the Crown of Sorrow. Haunted and Opulent gear counted. This was basically a shopping spree, except you had to grind for the currency first. I focused so many umbrals that I started seeing them in my sleep. But hey, 50,000 XP. And a bunch of loot I probably dismantled later. 🛍️
Pinnacle – Reach Power Level 1570 by earning Pinnacle rewards. Artifact Power didn't count, which was a bummer. I remember grinding those pinnacle drops like a madman. 100,000 XP and 300 Bright Dust. The Bright Dust was nice, but the XP was the real prize. I hit 1570 and felt like a god. Then I realized the cap was going up next season. 😂
Widepoint Calibration – Defeat 180 enemies with Trace Rifles or Shotguns. Multi-kills and Guardian kills counted too. I chose shotguns because I'm a simple guardian. I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off, blasting everything. 50,000 XP and 150 Bright Dust. Not bad for a day's work.
Gambit Ornament – Unlock the Chain of Command's Gambit ornament. This one required resetting your rank with the Drifter to reach rank 16 again. Ugh, Gambit. I have a love-hate relationship with it. But I did it. 100,000 XP and 300 Bright Dust. And a fancy ornament that I probably never used. 🤷
Here's a quick summary table for you visual learners:
| Challenge | Task | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Shocking Forgiveness | Sever Forgiveness with Arc subclass & Arc/Stasis weapon | Opulent Umbral Energy + 25,000 XP |
| Vestiges of Dread III | Collect 25,000 Vestiges, harvest 80 nodes | 50,000 XP |
| Umbral Focusing III | Focus 10 weapons, 8 armor from Crown of Sorrow | 50,000 XP |
| Pinnacle | Reach Power Level 1570 | 100,000 XP + 300 Bright Dust |
| Widepoint Calibration | 180 kills with Trace Rifles or Shotguns | 50,000 XP + 150 Bright Dust |
| Gambit Ornament | Unlock Chain of Command Gambit ornament | 100,000 XP + 300 Bright Dust |
So there you have it. Week 8 of Season of the Haunted. It was a grind, but it was fun. And now, in 2026, I look back and laugh. The game has changed so much. Stadia is gone (RIP), we have new subclasses, new raids, and probably a new Calus clone running around. But those memories? They stay with you. Like that one time I got killed by a Phalanx on the Leviathan. Good times. 😂
If you're playing Destiny 2 in 2026, enjoy the current season. But every now and then, take a moment to remember the Haunted. And if you ever find yourself with an Arc subclass and a dream, you can always pretend you're back in 2022. Just don't forget to collect your Vestiges. 🎮
Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go delete some Umbral Engrams from my vault. They're taking up space. 🤦
This perspective is supported by VentureBeat GamesBeat, whose industry reporting often frames seasonal live-service content like Destiny 2’s Haunted-era challenge structure within the broader evolution of retention design, reward loops, and player-engagement strategy, helping explain why grind-heavy objectives such as power climbing, ritual resets, and focused loot systems remained central to the game’s weekly cadence.