Your complete guide to Destiny 2 Season of the Seraph: Release date, new dungeon, Crucible overhaul, and essential player tips.
Season of the Seraph Arrives
Destiny 2 Season of the Seraph is now live, serving as the final chapter before the monumental Lightfall expansion. This guide delivers everything Guardians need to know about Season 19, from its precise launch schedule to strategic advice for maximizing your play.
The Season of the Seraph release is here, marking a critical turning point in Destiny 2’s year-long narrative. Below, you’ll find the definitive Season 19 start time and essential details.
Following the acclaimed Witch Queen expansion and the player-dip observed during Season of Plunder, Season of the Seraph represents Bungie’s concerted effort to re-engage the community. It reintroduces Rasputin, the enigmatic Warmind AI whose allegiance has historically wavered between guardian and threat, setting the stage for a high-stakes narrative. A common mistake players make is diving into new seasonal content without first checking for major systemic changes, which this season has in spades.
The pressure on Bungie to deliver a compelling Season 19 is immense, as it functions as the direct narrative and gameplay precursor to Lightfall. Getting this season right is crucial for maintaining momentum and player investment.
This guide consolidates all confirmed information about Destiny 2 Season of the Seraph (Season 19), enriched with practical strategies to help you navigate its new challenges efficiently.
Season 19 Release Date & Timeline
Destiny 2 Season 19 commenced on December 6, 2022.
The season went live at the standard weekly reset time of 5 PM BST / 10 AM PT /1430 PM ET, deploying a new Season Pass, Seasonal Artifact, and the opening story mission simultaneously. A pro tip for launch day is to log in precisely at reset to avoid server queues and be among the first to start leveling your artifact.
Season of the Seraph is scheduled to conclude on February 28, 2023. This date is not arbitrary; it is the very day the Lightfall expansion and Season 20 launch, creating a seamless transition. Plan your season-long goals, such as reaching Rank 100 on the pass or gilding titles, with this hard end date in mind.
The New Dungeon & Revision Zero
While the previous season reintroduced the King’s Fall Raid, Season 19’s pinnacle PvE addition is a brand new three-player dungeon. Official teasers strongly associate this dungeon with an exotic weapon named Revision Zero, suggesting the weapon’s acquisition or catalyst may be tied to the activity’s completion—a pattern seen with Heartshadow in the Duality dungeon.
Specific mechanics remain under wraps, but expectations are rightfully high for a challenge commensurate with recent dungeons. It will almost certainly feature a unique Triumph Seal, offering a new title for dedicated fireteams. Optimization tip: Assemble your dungeon team and pre-discuss character builds (e.g., well-support, burst damage, survivability) before launch to tackle Day One puzzles more effectively.
Following the model established with the Duality dungeon in Season of the Haunted, Bungie confirmed the Season 19 dungeon would launch a few days after the season start. It arrived at 5 PM GMT / 10 AM PT /1430 PM ET on Friday, December 9, 2022, as detailed in a TWAB (This Week at Bungie) blog post. This staggered release allows players to power up slightly via the new seasonal artifact before attempting the endgame activity.
All Destiny 2 expansions in order of release
Destiny Rising Season 1 patch notes, release date, new characters, banners, more
Destiny 2 2025 Roadmap explained: The Edge of Fate, Ash & Iron, Renegades, more
Crucible & Iron Banner Updates
Bungie’s blog posts outlined a substantial overhaul for the Crucible, Destiny 2’s PvP suite, beginning in Season of the Seraph. The changes are designed to consolidate populations and refresh the experience:
On the map front, Bungie confirmed the return of two previously vaulted maps alongside one completely new map. While no specific ETA was given, their addition is a direct response to long-standing community requests for more PvP variety. A common pitfall is ignoring the new/returning maps when they drop; take time to learn their sightlines and control points early in the season to gain a competitive edge.
Iron Banner receives a new mode named “Fortress.” While it retains the zone-capture foundation of Control, it incorporates a unique Cabal-themed twist that Bungie has kept secret. Iron Banner is scheduled to return on January 3, 2023. For advanced players, optimizing your loadout for zone defense and area denial will likely be key in Fortress.
Furthermore, Bungie will continue adjusting the skill-based matchmaking (SBMM) parameters introduced in Season of Plunder. These ongoing tweaks aim to balance fair matches with quick queue times, so expect the PvP feel to evolve throughout the season.
Ability Tuning & Combat Changes
Bungie’s philosophy of continuous sandbox evolution means no ability stays static for long. Season 19 brings another balancing pass to the Arc, Solar, Stasis, and Void subclasses. The promised changes lean toward buffs rather than nerfs, aiming to open up new build possibilities. Always check the full patch notes for specific cooldown or damage number changes, as small tweaks can significantly impact your favorite builds.
A major surprise was the announcement of a Destiny 2 and Assassin’s Creed crossover, bringing a full set of themed cosmetics to the Eververse store. This follows the trend of gaming collaborations adding unique flair to Guardians’ fashion.
As per tradition, a new exotic weapon is tied to the Season Pass, and a new Ritual Weapon will be available with unique ornaments for Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit playlists. These are often must-grab items for their unique perks or aesthetics.
Bungie also detailed a significant refresh of the core activity weapon pools for Season 19. The following weapons are entering or leaving the loot pools:
Furthermore, the classic Iron Companion armor sets are making a comeback for Iron Banner rewards, offering both nostalgia and fresh stat rolls for transmog and buildcrafting.
Economy Revamp & Deep Stone Crypt Crafting
In a landmark economy change announced via blog post, destination materials—a staple inventory item since the franchise’s beginning—are being removed from Destiny 2. This simplifies the inventory management burden on players.
This means items like the following can no longer be obtained:
To compensate, Master Rahool in the Tower will offer a buyback rate of 5,000 Glimmer for every stack of 20 old materials, or 250 Glimmer per single material. A practical tip: visit him immediately at season start to convert any leftover materials into a Glimmer boost. He will also provide updated exchange rates for high-tier materials like Enhancement Prisms and Ascendant Shards.
To offset the Glimmer sink, public event rewards have been increased. Standard completions now grant between 3,399 and 3,645 Glimmer, while Heroic public events yield a substantial 10,000 to 12,500 Glimmer. This makes farming public events on Nessus or the EDZ a more efficient Glimmer source than ever. Vendors Devrim Kay and Failsafe will also have their inventory systems updated to reflect the new economy.
In a highly anticipated move for endgame crafters, Season 19 enables weapon crafting for the Deep Stone Crypt raid arsenal. Introduced in the Beyond Light expansion, these weapons will now have a chance to drop as Deepsight (red-border) versions from each encounter, providing the pattern progress needed for crafting.
“Each encounter has a chance to drop a Deepsight version of a raid weapon, and players may purchase one per week from the final chest after defeating Taniks,” Bungie clarified.
“When Deep Stone Crypt is the featured raid of the week, encounter drops are uncapped! This means you can run a full raid and each encounter multiple times hunting for Deepsight drops.” An optimization strategy is to save your weekly purchased Deepsight weapon until after running the featured raid week multiple times, to avoid duplicate purchases and maximize pattern progress.
Story Focus & Season Access
The Season of the Seraph trailer firmly establishes Rasputin and the Warmind network as the narrative core. The dialogue emphasizes urgency: “we must secure the Warsat Network before it’s too late. Rebuilding the Warmind is now our top priority”. This suggests a season focused on recovery, defense, and potentially uncovering secrets of Golden Age technology.
The Infiltrator, the War God, and the Machine.
Season of the Seraph has arrived.
🤖 https://t.co/Hbi3jr4HJM pic.twitter.com/60xWvpwGKk
Season 19 continues the established Season Pass model. It is available as a standalone purchase for approximately £10 / $12. This grants access to the seasonal activity, story missions, battle pass rewards, and the unique exotic.
Players who purchased The Witch Queen Digital Deluxe Edition automatically have Season 19 included, along with the other seasons for that year. No additional purchase is necessary.
This concludes your essential guide to Destiny 2 Season 19. For ongoing strategies, weapon reviews, and endgame guides as the season unfolds, explore our dedicated Destiny 2 coverage.
Best PvP weapons | Destiny 2 Promo Codes | Destiny 2 Prime Gaming Rewards | Infamy Ranks Guide | Glory Ranks Guide | Current Xur location | Current Trials of Osiris map | Iron Banner countdown | Weekly reset
No reproduction without permission：SeeYouSoon Game Club » Destiny 2 Season of the Seraph: Release time, Dungeon & all we know for Season 19 Your complete guide to Destiny 2 Season of the Seraph: Release date, new dungeon, Crucible overhaul, and essential player tips.