History of Medallion

Overview

Medallions are the main currency of Guardian Games. Bronze and Silver come from Guardian Games playlist activities, with a higher tier earned for better team performance. Gold and Platinum come from Contender Cards, and Diamond is also used. They are banked at the Tower, and the Medallion Case in your quests tab stores what you carry until you deposit it.

Earning medallions

• Activities: Complete Guardian Games playlists while equipped with a Guardian Games class item. Bronze comes from low-scoring activities and Silver from high-scoring ones.
• Contender Cards: Bought from Eva Levante at the Tower for a small amount of Glimmer, one at a time. Gold cards are low-difficulty bounties, such as Vanguard, Crucible, Gambit and seasonal content. Platinum cards are high-difficulty ones, such as Trials, Nightfall, Raids and Lost Sectors.
• Limits: You can hold five Bronze, five Silver, three Gold and three Platinum medallions at once.

Banking

Speak with Eva Levante, then walk up to your class flag and deposit at the Guardian Games podium. When the Medallion Case is full, deposit it to empty it and earn rewards. The highest tier you deposited sets the contents of the weekly packages from the Shoot to Score and Vying for Supremacy quests, and Platinum gives the best rewards.

Heir Apparent

Depositing medallions has a small chance to grant Heir Apparent, an Exotic machine gun. If you already own it, you receive its Exotic Catalyst instead. This is the only time to earn Heir Apparent and its catalyst.

The details above come from the 2023 event (Season of Defiance). The event has run every year since 2020, so check the current rules before you start.