Destiny 2 Battlegrounds Guide: How The Hammer Of Proving, HELM, And Umbral Engrams Work

TL;DR

  • Complete The Challenger’s Proving quest first to unlock essential seasonal tools and access
  • Battlegrounds feature two difficulty tiers with distinct reward structures and completion requirements
  • The Hammer of Proving enables bonus loot chests and requires strategic charge management
  • Umbral Engrams with Prismatic Recaster focusing provide targeted loot acquisition
  • HELM serves as seasonal hub with War Table upgrades tied to challenge completion

Destiny 2’s Season of the Chosen introduces comprehensive new gameplay systems that transform your loot acquisition and combat approach. Understanding these interconnected mechanics is crucial for maximizing your seasonal rewards and progression efficiency.

The seasonal journey begins with The Challenger’s Proving quest, automatically assigned upon your first login during Season of the Chosen. This essential introduction guides you through the HELM (Hub for Emergency Logistics and Maneuvers) and its central War Table interface. Through completion, you’ll obtain the Bell of Conquests Seasonal Artifact alongside the powerful Hammer of Proving tool, both indispensable for optimizing your Battlegrounds performance and reward potential.

Successfully finishing all quest steps grants full access to HELM facilities, accessible directly from your Tower Director map. Many players underestimate the importance of completing this foundation quest thoroughly – rushing through it often leads to confusion about later mechanics and missed upgrade opportunities.

Each Battleground has objectives involved, so pay attention to waht you're asked to do as you fight through waves of Cabal enemies.

Strategic objective management separates successful Battlegrounds runs from failed attempts – always prioritize mission goals over simple enemy elimination.

Battlegrounds represent an evolution of Destiny 2’s activity design, blending Strike-like structure with seasonal event mechanics. These combat scenarios task you with dismantling Caiatl’s war council by eliminating key Cabal commanders before they can consolidate power. The activity unfolds across three distinct combat phases, each presenting unique tactical challenges and objective requirements.

Currently, two Battlegrounds variants offer different challenge levels: the accessible standalone version located on Europa’s Director map provides an introduction to mechanics, while the more demanding playlist option under the Vanguard node delivers enhanced rewards for prepared fireteams.

Advanced players should note that playlist Battlegrounds feature modified enemy density, additional mechanics, and champions – requiring coordinated loadouts and communication for efficient clears. A common mistake involves treating these activities as simple horde modes rather than objective-focused operations, leading to extended completion times and missed reward opportunities.

Your Hammer of Proving serves as the cornerstone of seasonal progression, functioning as both a key and a catalyst for enhanced rewards. This tool enables you to forge Hammer Charges through playlist Battlegrounds completion, which then unlock additional loot chests upon activity conclusion.

You can upgrade the Hammer of Proving at the War Table. Use it to smash extra chests at the end of playlist Battlegrounds activities.

Strategic Hammer of Proving upgrades significantly impact your loot acquisition efficiency – prioritize charge capacity enhancements early in your seasonal progression.

Upgrading your hammer through War Table reputation unlocks crucial capabilities including increased charge storage, additional focusing options, and resource efficiency improvements. Many players waste charges on suboptimal focuses – always ensure you have available inventory space and check current focusing costs before committing charges.

Optimal hammer usage involves coordinating charge expenditure with your Umbral Engram inventory and current loot priorities. For those mastering weapons systems in other games, the strategic resource management principles translate well to hammer charge optimization.

The updated Umbral Engram system, coupled with the Prismatic Recaster, delivers unprecedented control over your loot acquisition. These mysterious engrams drop from various seasonal activities and can be transformed into specific gear through focused decoding.

The Prismatic Recaster lets you focus Umbral Engrams so they give you specific loot. For some, you'll need to build up Hammer Charges, which require you to use the Hammer of Proving in playlist Battlegrounds.

Mastering Umbral Engram focusing requires understanding the different focus tiers and their associated costs. Some focuses demand Hammer Charges while others require seasonal materials – plan your resource allocation accordingly.

Advanced focusing strategies involve saving engrams until you unlock higher-tier focuses later in the season, avoiding inefficient early investments. The system shares conceptual similarities with progression systems in other shooters, emphasizing strategic choice over random rewards.

Common mistakes include focusing engrams too early without considering upcoming upgrades, or wasting charges on duplicate weapon rolls when armor could provide greater power gains.

The HELM functions as your seasonal command center, housing both the War Table for upgrades and the Prismatic Recaster for engram manipulation. Efficient navigation between these stations is crucial for optimizing your gameplay loop between Battlegrounds runs.

Ranking up the War Table gives you benefits for your Hammer of Proving, but to do so you'll need to complete seasonal challenges.

War Table reputation progression directly enhances your seasonal capabilities, but requires consistent challenge completion. This system rewards dedicated engagement similar to class specialization systems in other games.

Seasonal challenges, which refresh weekly, provide the primary method for advancing your War Table rank. These objectives range from simple activity completions to more complex combat triumphs – prioritize those aligning with your natural gameplay patterns for efficient progression.

Many players overlook the importance of checking new challenges each Tuesday, missing crucial reputation opportunities. Setting aside time specifically for challenge completion can dramatically accelerate your seasonal progression timeline.

Action Checklist

  • Complete The Challenger’s Proving quest in full to unlock all seasonal tools
  • Run introductory Battlegrounds on Europa to learn mechanics before tackling playlist version
  • Upgrade Hammer of Proving charge capacity first for optimal loot efficiency
  • Check and complete seasonal challenges each Tuesday for War Table reputation
  • Save Umbral Engrams for higher-tier focusing options unlocked through seasonal progression

No reproduction without permission:SeeYouSoon Game Club » Destiny 2 Battlegrounds Guide: How The Hammer Of Proving, HELM, And Umbral Engrams Work Master Destiny 2's Season of the Chosen mechanics, loot systems, and Battlegrounds strategies for optimal rewards