A Guardian's Guide to Conquering the Final Witch's Trials

The air in the Tower had shifted. The Season of the Witch, with its arcane secrets and Hive-deep bargains, had reached its narrative climax, but for a seasoned Guardian, the work was far from over. Eris Morn’s ritual table still pulsed with latent power, and Commander Zavala’s gaze remained fixed on the looming pyramid ships. The true grind, the pursuit of perfection through Season Pass ranks and that precious Bright Dust, continued through the ritual of the Seasonal Challenges. Every Tuesday, a new set of objectives materialized, promising a generous bounty of over 100,000 XP for those dedicated enough to complete them. For a Guardian chasing the last few tiers of their pass or saving for a particularly stylish ornament set, these challenges weren't just tasks; they were a calling.

This week’s trials demanded a balanced arsenal and a willingness to traverse the system, from the neon streets of Neomuna to the haunted depths of the Moon. It was a holistic test, pushing a Guardian to engage with core rituals and seasonal activities alike. But where to begin, and how could a single warrior optimize their time to conquer all seven challenges before the next reset?

The Commander’s first decree was simple in theory: Sol Sorcery. A Guardian stepped towards the vault, pondering their loadout. The task was elemental brutality—defeating 1,000 combatants with damage matching their subclass. For a Warlock, the choice was immediate. Slipping on the Sunbracers, the exotic gauntlets still warm from previous solar storms, they envisioned the chain of destruction: a swift, consumed melee to trigger an infinite cascade of Solar grenades. The air would soon be thick with fire and the dying echoes of Hive. A Titan, passing by, hefted their trusted throwing hammer, a clinically efficient tool for single-target elemental death, while a Hunter sharpened a fan of knives, mumbling about the satisfaction of a perfect, radiant-powered headshot.

Why limit yourself to one battlefield, though? The next challenge, Sun and Moon, was a natural complement. Within the Altars of Summoning, the very ritual space that defined the season, a Guardian only needed to destroy 75 enemies with Void or Solar energy. The synergy was undeniable. Why not achieve two goals with a single, spectacularly explosive effort? Loaded with a Solar subclass and a trusty Solar weapon—perhaps the incandescent roar of a crafted Ammit AR2—a Guardian could descend into the Altars and convert each encounter into a flashing progress bar for both challenges. The tier of the summoning mattered little; a Tier 1 or 2 offering was a fast, efficient path to a pile of XP.

But a true Guardian knows that true power is rooted in exploration and the conquering of hidden spaces. The challenge known as Into the Unknown was a map unto itself, a call to clear Lost Sectors on Neptune, Europa, or within Savathûn’s Throne World. One hundred completions seemed a daunting number, but the lore whispered a different truth—the actual requirement was far less punishing. The K1 Revelation on the Moon, a cramped Hive-infested complex, was famous among veteran players for its speed. A Guardian wielding a Strand grapple and an "Eager Edge" sword could slice through its corridors in under a minute, a blur of green tangles and bladed motion.

Yet, the siren song of the Festival of the Lost complicated the strategy in the most rewarding way. As 2026's Festival blankets the Tower in paper-mâché ghosts, the Haunted Sectors became the obvious choice. Why run a standard Lost Sector when a haunted one offered not just challenge progress but also event-specific currencies? Those candies and pages were the keys to unlocking this year’s spectral weaponry and, more importantly, the coveted chance at perfectly rolled Exotic armor. The grind for knowledge became secondary to the harvest of festival loot.

From the wild frontiers, the focus shifted back to the core pillars of Guardian discipline. A new task appeared at the Ritual Table: Ritual Ornament. This season’s prize was Malediction, a hard-hitting 120 RPM Hand Cannon. To earn its ornament, a Guardian had to either have already proven their immense dedication to the Vanguard, Crucible, or Gambit by resetting their reputation rank, or embark on that journey now. Lord Shaxx’s booming voice in the Crucible during a double reputation week was often the fastest route. The rule was simple: build up an activity streak and let the matches and Medallions compound your progress until the rank reset, at which point you’d need to climb to Rank 16 once more. For the devotee who had already done the work, the reward was instant, the ornament simply materializing in the inventory.

The Moon called again with Moon Activities, a straightforward directive to engage with the haunted satellite’s patrols, bounties, and Lost Sectors. Efficiency reigned supreme. Picking up a full suite of Eris Morn’s daily bounties before diving back into the K1 Revelation was a masterstroke of time management. Each enemy felled in that short, dense space not only pushed the Lost Sector counter but also completed a cascade of bounty objectives, creating a perfect feedback loop of XP.

A pivot to the Crucible was inescapable. Eyeing Iron did not strictly demand participation in the legendary Iron Banner, much to the relief of the PvP-averse. The challenge simply required the completion of 15 matches, with wins granting bonus progress. It was an opportunity to embrace the chaos. When the weekly rotator featured Mayhem or Team Scorched, the objective transformed from a chore into a rocket-propelled spectacle. A scorch cannon shot that sent three opponents flying off the Burnout map was progress; a glorious Nova Bomb multikill on a clumped team was even faster.

The final trial was a test of mettle for any fireteam-oriented Guardian: Darkest Nightfall. It demanded the completion of Nightfalls on Hero difficulty or higher. For the top 1% of warriors, a single Grandmaster Nightfall, a grueling coordination test against champions and locked loadouts, would instantly satisfy the requirement. Yet for the vast majority of the Vanguard, Hero difficulty was the sweet spot. It offered matchmaking, a comfortable density of shielded enemies, and a manageable number of champions. Three or four smooth runs with a matched fireteam, perhaps through a classic strike like The Arms Dealer, would complete the challenge and likely drop a shiny new Nightfall weapon into the Guardian’s hands.

As a Guardian completed their final run and claimed a massive boost of 50,000 XP and 150 Bright Dust, the ritual table’s glow seemed a little brighter. The path was never just about the singular objective but the elegant overlap—how a Solar subclass could feed two challenges at once, or how a Festival event could turn a simple patrol into a treasure hunt. The true reward for this week's effort wasn't just a stack of currency, but the quiet, efficient mastery of one's time and power in a universe constantly demanding both.

Challenge Name	Core Objective	Optimal Strategy	Key Reward
Sol Sorcery	Defeat 1,000 enemies with subclass-matching damage	Use a Solar subclass with ability-spam Exotics (Sunbracers, etc.)	XP, Bright Dust
Sun and Moon	Defeat 75 enemies with Void/Solar damage in Altars of Summoning	Farm Tier 1/2 Altars with a Solar subclass; overlaps with Sol Sorcery	XP, Bright Dust
Into the Unknown	Complete Lost Sectors on Neptune, Europa, or Savathûn's World	Speedrun K1 Revelation on Moon, or farm Haunted Sectors during Festival of the Lost	XP, Bright Dust
Ritual Ornament	Acquire a ritual weapon ornament for Malediction	Reset a ritual vendor rank (Vanguard/Crucible/Gambit) and reach Rank 16 again during a double rep week	100,000 XP, 300 Bright Dust
Moon Activities	Earn progress via Moon bounties, patrols, and Lost Sectors	Farm K1 Revelation while completing Eris Morn's daily bounties	25,000 XP, 75 Bright Dust
Eyeing Iron	Complete 15 Crucible matches (bonus for wins and Iron Banner)	Farm the weekly rotating playlist, especially Mayhem or Team Scorched	25,000 XP, 75 Bright Dust
Darkest Nightfall	Complete Nightfalls on Hero difficulty or higher	Run Hero Nightfalls via matchmaking for a balanced mix of efficiency and difficulty	50,000 XP, 150 Bright Dust, Nightfall Weapon