Destiny 2’s annual Dawning event has arrived. This wintery wonderland event brings the usual task of baking cookies for Destiny 2’s NPCs and receiving gifts in return, with some of them turning into great unique weapons that are only available during the Dawning. There are also new armor ornaments to get into the holiday spirit along with Ghosts, Sparrows, and more.
But for longtime fans, this year’s Dawning is basically the same as every other year. There might be some new cosmetics and a new Pulse Rifle to obtain, but otherwise, it's the same old, same old. Except for one key difference: snowball fights will help grind crafted weapons much faster.
Introduced with The Witch Queen expansion, crafting has been criticized as being just as much of a grind as Destiny 2’s random weapon drops. It’s gotten better over the past year, with improved drop rates for red-bordered weapons, a reduction in the materials required, and improvements to experience gains, but most players still wish it was a little easier to go from zero to the weapon of their dreams.
Thankfully, the Dawning has a new benefit for Destiny’s weapon crafters. "For duration of event, you’ll earn bonus progress for crafted weapon leveling when completing activities," wrote community manager dmg04 on Twitter. Additionally, "Defeating enemies with snowballs also contributes progress to any equipped crafted weapon!"
Previously, smacking enemies with snowballs didn’t do much other than progress quests and bounties. Destiny fans are calling this a welcome change for an event that hasn’t changed much in years.
Despite Destiny 2 having a seasonal model, players are noticing that the core progression of each season is still kind of the same, and annual events are becoming a little repetitive too. Game director Joe Blackburn recently addressed the problem of seasonal burnout on Twitter, saying that he hears player feedback "loud and clear." Blackburn promises "novelty, thematic variety, and new ways to progress your character coming to Destiny over the next several months," starting with the arrival of Lightfall in February.