Some Guardians have been asking for more of a challenge, so the team here at Bungie has created the new Legendary Campaign mode that will arrive when The Witch Queen drops later this month. From reward drops to how it will differ on a base level, we wanted to dive just a little bit deeper into what this new challenging experience has to offer.

What are the main rewards of completing missions at Legendary Difficulty? 

• We’ve got double chest rewards offering 1-3 extra chests per mission. Each chest will give you world pool gear, XP, upgrade modules, and Glimmer.
• Legendary players will be able to earn Throne World armor and unlocks at a faster rate.
• Basically: Higher the risk means higher the reward, especially when getting to the new Power Level soft cap in The Witch Queen.

Are there any unique rewards for completing the story on Legendary Difficulty? 

• Completing ALL missions on Legendary will award players with the following:
  • A new emblem exclusive to those who complete the campaign at Legendary difficulty.
  • A Triumph required for the newest title for Throne World.
  • A set of gear 20 above the soft cap at 1520 Power Level.
  • Eight upgrade modules.
  • New The Witch Queen Exotic armor that typically is reserved for PED Lost Sector drops.
  • Exclusive Bungie Rewards, more on that in the future.

Some players have been asking if this is a difficulty to be feared – How challenging is it? 

• To set difficulty expectations, the Legendary campaign is designed to be harder than a Legend Nightfall, though it is easier than a solo dungeon or running a Grandmaster Nightfall.
• Enemies are more difficult and more aggressive. They also have higher damage resistance, are more of a challenge to stagger, and shield are stronger to unmatched damage types.
• The challenge of Legendary also comes from switching up enemy interactions and infiltration, like swapping out an Elite for a boss or having an influx of more red bar foes.

Can I over-level this content? 

• Each mission caps your Power (similar to the Raid Contest mode) so that all Guardians have an even playing field to avoid feeling like every step is a grind. The mission launch screen will have a skull displaying each mission’s max effective Power.
  • If you’re under-level, be prepared for a bit of a tough fight.

The mighty are forged in battle, but is it that way for solo players too?

• We’ve had a lot of aspirational content in the past, but Legendary gives us a chance to give solo players more equal footing with those that opt into playing with a fireteam. Enemy damage and health scales to match your fireteam, though it won’t be 1:1 – because triple the boss health isn’t fun. Even still, it will be enough to keep even a veteran trio on their ornamented toes.
• We also didn’t want to trivialize Darkness encounters compared to solo play, so you’re limited to one revive per player for each Darkness zone, and a shared timer of 40 seconds before an automatic wipe happens. We’ve said it time and time again, but you have got to stay close to your friends and be ready and able to pick them up when they fall.

Will players be able to tone things down if Legendary is a bit too much for their playthrough? 

• For those folks that find the difficulty of Legendary too overwhelming at first, there is an option to leave a mission and relaunch it through the classic Destiny 2 settings. Some players will want to focus more on the story than on sweat for that first run, and that’s totally fine! We want to support that. For those who want more of a challenge later, we’ve added nodes to replay any The Witch Queen campaign mission on Classic or Legendary any time – after you’ve beaten the mission once, of course.

Brand New Exotic armors

• The Loreley Splendor Helm for Titans is more than just a pretty face, it has the Cauterizing Flame perk that allows for Sunspots to heal players when they have Sun Warrior. Critically wounded? No big, the perk also ensures that a Sunspot is created in your location to give you that one last fighting chance with that quick grenade and melee ability recharge and longer Supers. Plus, more damage? Always a good thing.
• The Titan’s Hoarfrost-Z Chest Piece is also nothing to scoff at, though this one takes a chillier approach to combat for Stasis users with the Glacial Fortification perk. When a player uses Stasis, it allows for a Titan’s Barricade to become an impressive wall of Stasis crystals. These crystals will slow any target that gets too close while also boosting a player and their fireteam’s weapon reload speed, stability, and range.
• OK, Warlocks – you’re up. First up, let’s talk about ‘dem legs, because Warlock mains have definitely been shouting out their love for the new Secant Filaments armor. With the Devouring Rift Perk, these shiny walking sticks of power will grant a player devour when they cast their Empowering Rift, allowing for damage from both allies and individual players the ability to disrupt foes… but in style.
• Next up are the Osmiomancy Gauntlets for Warlocks with the Fervid Coldsnap perk. This nifty look allows for Coldsnap grenades to have an additional charge that will recharge faster when it makes direct impact. The seeker spawned from Coldsnap grenades also travels further too. Bonus.
• Don’t worry, Hunters, I still have love for you despite the jokes. You’ve got some pretty cool gear on the way, including the Blight Ranger Helm with the Voltaic Mirror perk. Lightening lovers, here’s where your Arc powers can truly shine: this perk allows players to redirect with their Arc Staff to deal an increased amount of damage and Orbs of Power generation for all allies. Basically, get in there and do some damage – sounds like a good time.
• And lastly, Hunters also have the Renewal Grasps to look forward to with the Depths of Duskfield perk. This gives Guardians a much larger radius for their Duskfield grenades, while also nerfing incoming damage for allies within the Duskfield’s range. Any targets locked within that space will also deal out a reduced amount of damage, so go out there and make those Hive cry.

Head over to the official TWAB post over on the Bungie website to check out the full rundown on all of these changes coming to The Witch Queen. In case you missed it, Bungie also released a ViDoc on the behind-the-scenes for the upcoming expansion, and you can check out that one here.

Source: Bungie