Destiny 2’s Lightfall expansion has finally been released and there’s a ton of new content for players to sink their teeth into. Along with a new story, exotics, loot, endgame content, and a build crafting system, Lightfall also introduces our second Darkness subclass, Strand. Coupled with this expansion is the Season of Defiance, which revolves around the Shadow Legion invading Earth. Similar to previous seasons there is a second chest at the end of this activity you can open for additional rewards. However, you won’t need to horde seasonal currency to unlock this, instead, you’ll need to obtain a Defiant Key. Here’s how to get Defiant Keys in Destiny 2 so you can earn a bunch of extra seasonal loot.
How to Get Defiant Keys
You can earn Defiant Keys at the end of most activities in Destiny 2. Unlike seasonal currency, Defiant Keys are not a guaranteed drop so don’t expect to always get one. Additionally, these keys can also drop at the end of Defiant Battlegrounds so if you solely want to grind out the new activity you still have a chance of earning this item. Players can only hold a total of five Defiant Keys, so I strongly recommend using them as they are acquired. As you complete activities and quests on Neomuna, there’s a good chance you’ll get a few of these to drop. Make sure to hop into the Defiant Battlegrounds to use them, otherwise, they will be gone forever if you’re full.
At the time of writing this, we know that Defiant Keys drop from:
- Crucible matches
- Gambit matches
- Vanguard Ops (Strikes/Battlegrounds)
- Defiant Battlegrounds
- Season Pass Rewards
- War Table Vendor Rewards
- Lightfall Campaign Missions
- Terminal Overload
- Dares of Eternity
- Raid Encounters
- Dungeon Encounters
Out of these sources, I found that the Terminal Overload is one of the best farming methods. Currently, there’s an exploit that lets you hit the reward chest multiple times which means you have a much better chance of getting one of these keys as a reward. Alternatively, certain Crucible modes will be your fastest method as modes like Mayhem and Team Scorched can be completed in about 4-5 minutes depending on your team. This makes it one of the most efficient methods for farming Defiant Keys in Destiny 2.
Additionally, you will want to pick up the Queensguard’s Arsenal upgrade from the War Table as this will give you a chance to earn a Defiant Key any time you focus a Season of Defiance weapon. Given you will be doing this a lot in Destiny 2, acquiring this upgrade gives you another way to efficiently obtain keys by just participating in the reward loop. However, given the season just started I wouldn’t worry about farming these as you’ll be drowning in Defiant Keys before the next Destiny 2 season drops.
