Destiny 2 Nightfall weapon schedule: What is the Nightfall weapon this week?
How to get your hands on rare weapons from Nightfall activities.
Destiny 2's Nightfall activity gives you the opportunity to unlock a number of rare weapons.
Each Destiny 2 season, there is a rotation of weapons that can drop from the end of the strike, with one being highlighted per week.
The higher the challenge, the higher the drop rate - with Adept versions being available in the second half of seasons for those who really want a challenge (and a reward to match).
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Destiny 2 Nightfall weapon schedule: What is the Nightfall weapon this week?
Destiny 2's Nightfall weapons work on a schedule, with six weapons rotating in sequence each week.
For the Season of the Witch, these weapons include Loaded Question, BrayTech Osprey, Buzzard, THE SWARM, Warden's Law, and Pre Astyanax IV.
The Destiny 2 Nightfall weapon schedule is as follows:
- August 22nd to August 29th - Loaded Question
- August 29th to September 5th - BrayTech Osprey
- September 5th to September 12th - Buzzard
- September 12th to September 19th - Warden's Law
- September 19th to September 26th - The SWARM
- September 26th to October 3rd - Pre Astyanax IV
- October 3rd to October 10th - Loaded Question
- October 10th to October 17th - BrayTech Osprey
- October 17th to October 24th - Buzzard
- October 24th to October 31st - Warden's Law
- October 31st to November 7th - The SWARM
- November 7th to November 14th - Pre Astyanax IV
- November 14th to November 21st - Loaded Question
* These are new Nightfall weapons from this season.
Remember there is only a chance they may drop - it's not guaranteed. That might mean multiple attempts at the Nightfall to get a drop (let alone the roll you want!), so patience and luck is needed. That said, as shown above, there are multiple chances to get a weapon in a season if you don't get one during a given week.
If you are farming these weapons, then know the Nightfall is a source of Pinnacle gear - and make sure you pick up a few Vanguard Bounties for some additional XP while you are at it, too.
How to increase your chances of a Nightfall weapon dropping
Nightfall weapon drop rates are impacted by the score you earn (Platinum, Gold will offer the highest chances) and the difficulty of the Strike. The higher the difficulty, the more likely a weapon will drop - and is arguably the easiest way to increase the likelihood of getting your hands on one.
The Nightfall difficulty adjusts drop rate as follows:
- Adept - Rare
- Hero - Uncommon
- Legend - Common
- Master - Common
For example, you can see the Uzume RR4 drop from a previous season at the end of this Platinum (solo!) Nightfall run by Esoterickk on YouTube:
Note that though your chances will increase, they will still be rare; rates continue to be arbitrary at best, and developer Bungie is yet to provide any official info on them. Relying on luck is something Destiny players are already accustomed with, but currently, Nightfall weapons have been rather elusive. Reddit user i-dont-grok-it completed over 30 Nightfall strikes in the span of a week, around half on Hero difficulty and the other half on Legend difficulty, for a chance to unlock a Hung Jury. But still - no dice!
When are Destiny 2 Nightfall Adept weapons available this season?
Adept versions of each Nightfall weapon can drop during their rotated week if you play a Grandmaster Nightfall - which is a Nightfall at difficulty above the current 'standard' gear cap. In the Season of Defiance, this is 1825, requiring a significant amount of Artefact Power to meet.
Grandmaster Nightfalls only appear during the latter half of the season - in the Season of Defiance, this was April 11th, near the mid point, onwards - and again, the better your score, the higher your chances will be.
Adept weapons not only have a different appearance, but they offer an additional stat boost when Masterworked and the ability to equip Adept mods - making them well worth the effort if you can take on a Grandmaster Nightfall.
