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Destiny 2 Grandmaster Nightfall this week: Season 20

by | May 16, 2023 | Leveling

Grandmaster Nightfalls are perhaps the most challenging endgame activity in Destiny 2. With an insane Power Level requirement and unforgiving modifiers, Grandmaster Nightfalls will challenge all but the top fireteams out there.

This page will provide you with everything you need to tackle them: their rotation, Champions, and detailed guides.

Checkmark icon V3 Updated as of Season of Defiance (S20).

Grandmaster Nightfall this Week: May 16, 2023

The Grandmaster Nightfall this week is the Lake of Shadows and rewards THE SWARM(Adept) machine gun.

ArtNightfallThreatShieldsChampionsRequires
Lake of Shadows Nightfall featuredLake of ShadowsDestiny 2 Arc ArcDestiny 2 Void Void
Destiny 2 Solar Solar
Destiny 2 Arc Arc
8x Shield Piercing rounds Barrier
8x Unstoppable rounds Unstoppable
Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play

As with most things in Destiny 2, Grandmaster Nightfalls are on a weekly rotation. For the sake of clarity, the week officially resets on Tuesdays at 9 AM PDT.

Grandmaster Nightfall Infographic, Destiny 2

Grandmaster Nightfall Infographic, Destiny 2

Grandmaster Nightfalls in Season 20:

  1. Proving Grounds
  2. Battleground – Mars
  3. Hypernet Current
  4. The Arms Dealer
  5. The Glassway
  6. Lake of Shadows

Grandmaster Nightfall rotation

Grandmaster Nightfalls are not available for the entire season. Given their onerous level requirements, they become available around mid-season. For Season of Defiance, GMs become available on April 11, 2023 (Week 7):

Season 20 GM rotation

WeekNightfallLocationEventsWeek #
17 January 2023The Insight TerminusNessusDouble RewardsWeek 7
24 January 2023Scarlet KeepMoon-Week 8
31 January 2023The GlasswayEuropa-Week 9
7 February 2023Birthplace of the VileThrone World-Week 10
14 February 2023The CorruptedDreaming City-Week 11
21 February 2023Warden of NothingDreaming City-Week 12
28 February 2023The Insight TerminusNessus-Week 13

Grandmaster rewards

There’s a reason why Nightfalls are such a popular activity in Destiny 2. While they can certainly be fun and challenging, most Guardians tackle GMs every week for a chance to earn Adept weapons and Masterworking materials.

Adept Nightfall weapons

There are many Nightfall-specific weapons in total, and with Season of the Risen (S16), only 6 of them are on a weekly rotation. These can drop from completing Nightfalls on any difficulty; however, completing Grandmaster Nightfalls rewards you with adept versions of these weapons.

WeekArtWeaponTypeElementAmmoWeek #
30 May 2023Hung Jury SR4 artHung Jury SR4Scout RifleKinetic symbol Destiny 2 KineticPrimary ammo Destiny 2 PrimaryWeek 2

You can read all about Nightfall weapons, including adept versions, drop rates, and rankings, here.

Grandmaster Power Level Requirements

If you’re interested in running a GM, you need to have a proper Power Level (including your Artifact’s bonus Power):

Difficulty Recommended Enemies Power Level  Adept drop rate
Grandmaster 1815 1840 Common+

For the record, Power Level requirements were drastically reduced last season to allow more players to experience Grandmaster Nightfalls.

GM Shields & Champions

Grandmaster Nightfalls are challenging activities, even for veteran players.

Barrier Champions Destiny 2 featured

But regardless of your skills, you need to make sure you bring weapons with matching elements and armor with the necessary Champions mods:

ArtNightfallThreatShieldsChampionsRequires
Proving Grounds Grandmaster NightfallProving GroundsDestiny 2 Solar Solar3-6x Destiny 2 Arc Arc
3-6x Destiny 2 Void Void
0-5x Destiny 2 Solar Solar
10x Shield Piercing rounds Barrier
9x Unstoppable rounds Unstoppable
Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
The Glassway NightfallThe GlasswayDestiny 2 Void Void3x Destiny 2 Solar Solar
8x Destiny 2 Arc Arc
12x Shield Piercing rounds Barrier
14x Overload rounds Overload
Beyond Light Destiny 2 icon
Beyond Light
The Arms Dealer Grandmaster NightfallThe Arms DealerDestiny 2 Solar SolarDestiny 2 Solar Solar
Destiny 2 Void Void
8x Shield Piercing rounds Barrier
8x Unstoppable rounds Unstoppable
Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
Mars Battleground featured Destiny 2Battleground - MarsDestiny 2 Solar SolarDestiny 2 Void Void
Destiny 2 Solar Solar
Destiny 2 Arc Arc
8x Shield Piercing rounds Barrier
8x Unstoppable rounds Unstoppable
Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play
HyperNet Current NightfallHypernet CurrentDestiny 2 Arc ArcDestiny 2 Void Void
Destiny 2 Solar Solar
Destiny 2 Arc Arc
Overload rounds Overload
Unstoppable rounds Unstoppable
Lightfall Preorder icon
Lightfall
Lake of Shadows Nightfall featuredLake of ShadowsDestiny 2 Arc ArcDestiny 2 Void Void
Destiny 2 Solar Solar
Destiny 2 Arc Arc
8x Shield Piercing rounds Barrier
8x Unstoppable rounds Unstoppable
Free to Play Destiny 2 icon
Free-to-Play

GM Detailed Guides

MacticsThe following guides come straight from friend of the channel Mac. His GM video guides are famous within the community for a reason, and we definitely recommend you check him out!

PS: The following guides are still to be updated…

The Corrupted

With Overload and Unstoppable champions, all 3 shields, and an Arc elemental singe, loadouts for this strike are simple with 2 players wanting Arbalest, an arc energy scout rifle such as the Eternal Blazon, and a Stormchaser, with the 3rd guardian wanting a kinetic scout like the Night Watch, a Divinity, and a Stormchaser as well.

For class loadouts, Hunters want to rock Moebius Quiver with Trapper’s Ambush, Vanishing Step, and Omnioculus. Warlocks want to spec into Well of Radiance with Icarus Dash, Touch of Flame, and either Phoenix Protocol or Aeon Soul. And Titans want to run Ward of Dawn with Bastion, Controlled Demolition, and Heart of inmost Light.

Watch Mac’s step-by-step video guide here.

Your turn

Hopefully, you now have everything you need to know how to conquer and “easily” farm Nightfalls in Destiny 2.

About The Author

Ric Molina
Ric Molina
I've been covering gaming since 2012, and some of my work has been featured by large brands, including MSN.com, Forbes, Rock Paper Shotgun, and more. I've been obsessed with Destiny 2 for years now, and I hope to provide new and returning players with the guides and resources I wish I had when I first started.
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