The following contains spoilers for Destiny 2 Episode: Revenant Act 1.

Destiny 2's second Episode, Episode: Revenant, is finally here, introducing a brand-new gameplay loop for players that involves the game's newest activity. Players should expect to spend plenty of time in Destiny 2's new gameplay loop, as it requires extensive farming and can be quite time-consuming.

Players open up Destiny 2's latest gameplay loop upon completing the initial story mission for Episode: Revenant, "Na-Veskirisk." It should be noted that the mission itself introduces gameplay mechanics that come into play later on, especially with the new Onslaught mode, Onslaught: Salvation. Once the mission is completed, players will arrive in the new Last City social space — which replaces the H.E.L.M. — and the new gameplay loop for Episode: Revenant (at least for Act 1) begins to show itself.

Destiny 2 Revenant Guardians Holding Weapons
Destiny 2: All Revenant Weapons, Ranked

Destiny 2's episode Revenant comes with brand-new weapons available from its new Onslaught activity. Here's which ones to grind for.

Destiny 2 Episode: Revenant's Full Gameplay Loop

The Setup for Episode: Revenant's Gameplay Loop

At the end of the day, Destiny 2 Episode: Revenant's gameplay loop largely revolves around Onslaught: Salvation and the new Tonic and Fieldwork system, which has already proven to be divisive among players. This dissension is primarily because a large portion of what Destiny 2 players will be doing in the first act of Episode: Revenant involves plenty of menu navigation and crafting. That's not to say there isn't plenty of combat and gameplay involved, but it's generally all for the purpose of crafting Tonics and completing Fieldwork.

Upon arriving in the new Last City social space, players are introduced to Eido and her Tonic Laboratory. There, she has been researching ancient Eliksni recipes and concoctions in an attempt to save her father, Mithrax, who is sick from Nezarec's curse. From there, after completing the initial prologue mission and obtaining the Slayer Baron Apothecary Satchel Artifact, players will obtain the first main story quest for Act 1 of Episode: Revenant, which first sees them brewing a Tonic at Eido's Tonic Table.

Episode: Revenant's Gameplay Loop of Tonics, Fieldwork, and Onslaught: Salvation

A tutorial will then take players through the process of brewing Tonics — which involves choosing a Tonic, gathering the necessary ingredients, taking those ingredients to the Eliksni Apparatus to brew the Tonic, taste-testing it, and then imbuing it with the power of the Light to obtain the finished product. This is the process players are required to perform any time they want to craft a Tonic in Episode: Revenant, so they will be repeating this many times throughout the Episode. Tonics are then used to give players a chance to obtain specific rewards from Destiny 2 activities, and obtaining the reagents necessary to craft those Tonics is most easily accomplished by playing rounds of Onslaught: Salvation.

Once the Tonic-brewing tutorial has been completed, players are introduced to Episode: Revenant's Fieldwork system, which is used to acquire new Tonic recipes. Essentially, the Fieldwork system is a more advanced bounty system that sees players completing a series of objectives to obtain Tonic Reagent Sacks and Tonic Upgrades. Reagents are gathered from each Tonic Reagent Sack that can then be turned in for new Tonic recipes at Eido's Tonic Table. The more recipes that are unlocked, the higher the rarity of recipes that will become available.

This process is repeated for all Tonic types in Episode: Revenant — Volatile Tonics, Onslaught Tonics, World Gear Tonics, Shadestalker Tonics, and Resource Tonics.

All of this taken into account, Onslaught: Salvation is likely where most players will spend their time, as it is the best place to farm reagents, obtain new loot, and take advantage of Onslaught Tonics. This is the heart of Destiny 2 Episode: Revenant's new gameplay loop, which sees players completing rounds of Onslaught: Salvation, performing Fieldwork, and crafting and using Tonics before the cycle repeats itself. Things may change in Act 2 of Episode: Revenant, but this is where the game is currently.

Rating block community and brand ratings Image
Destiny 2 Tag Page Cover Art
Display card tags widget Display card system widget
Systems
Display card community and brand rating widget Display card open critics widget
Top Critic Avg: 84 /100 Critics Rec: 88%
Display card main info widget
Released
August 28, 2017
ESRB
T For TEEN for Blood, Language, and Violence
Developer(s)
Bungie
Publisher(s)
Bungie
Engine
Tiger Engine
Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer, Online Co-Op
Cross-Platform Play
PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S
Display card main info widget end Display card media widget start Display card media widget end

WHERE TO PLAY

DIGITAL
PHYSICAL
Checkbox: control the expandable behavior of the extra info

Dive into the world of Destiny 2 to explore the mysteries of the solar system and experience responsive first-person shooter combat. Unlock powerful elemental abilities and collect unique gear to customize your Guardian's look and playstyle. Enjoy Destiny 2’s cinematic story, challenging co-op missions, and a variety of PvP modes alone or with friends. Download for free today and write your legend in the stars.

An Immersive Story
You are a Guardian, defender of the Last City of humanity in a solar system under siege by infamous villains. Look to the stars and stand against the darkness. Your legend begins now.

Guardian Classes
Choose from the armored Titan, mystic Warlock, or swift Hunter.

Cross Save
yes
Expansions
Destiny 2: Forsaken, Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Destiny 2: Lightfall
Franchise
Destiny
Number of Players
1-6 (Co-Op)
Steam Deck Compatibility
no
Genre(s)
FPS
How Long To Beat
100+
X|S Optimized
YES
PS Plus Availability
Essential, Extra, & Premium (The Witch Queen)
OpenCritic Rating
Mighty