History of Guardian Ranks

Overview

Guardian Ranks is a triumph that tracks the account-wide Guardian Ranks progression system in Destiny 2, added in Season of Defiance. Its objective is to progress. The system has 11 ranks, each with objectives that work like triumphs and are meant to guide new and returning players. New players start at rank 1 (New Light), and most returning players who began before the system existed start at rank 6 (Veteran). Ranks 1 to 6 are permanent. Ranks 7 to 11 are Advanced Ranks with seasonal objectives, and the wiki records that they reset to rank 6 each season. A March 2023 Shacknews article describes the whole rank resetting at the start of each season, so the reset rules may have changed since.

How to complete

1. Work through the objectives of your current tier. The in-game auto-tracker follows three incomplete objectives at a time, and you can turn it off to choose objectives yourself.
2. Examples: rank 2 (Explorer) requires the A Guardian Rises quest; rank 3 (Initiate) requires exploring Neptune, the European Dead Zone and Nessus, and completing Lost Sectors and patrols; rank 4 (Scout) involves Light subclass quests and Aspects and Fragments from Ikora Rey.
3. Go to the Ironwood Tree in the Tower and use its plaque to claim the new rank. This grants the Guardian Rising buff, which makes you glow and raises your jump height until you leave the Tower.
4. Ranks 7 to 11 require commendations, Season Rank milestones, and harder activities such as Nightfall and Legend Lost Sectors. The top tier, rank 11 (Paragon), asks for the Conqueror title, which needs 4 completed triumphs, and the Gilded Conqueror title, which needs 10.

Rewards

Claiming ranks mostly unlocks features. The wiki lists Seasonal Challenges at rank 3, Armor Synthesis at rank 4, Enhancement Exchange and Weapon Mods at rank 6, extra Loadout slots at ranks 6 and 8, and Armor Charge Mods at rank 7. The wiki notes that some reward descriptions are inaccurate, and the 2023 Shacknews article lists no per-rank rewards.