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Destiny 2 presents the Deck of Whispers, Bungie’s own take on deckbuilding. Introduced in Season of the Witch, you can now find Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards across the solar system. This mechanic allows to further customize your loadouts for certain activities. In classic Destiny fashion, however, there are multiple considerations to keep in mind.
As you progress through the new seasonal activities, you’re bound to come across these cards. While the game briefly explains you how the mechanic works in broad terms, it can be a lot to take in. If you’re wondering how the Deck of Whispers works in Destiny 2, as well as how to obtain Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards, we’ve got you covered.
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Now Playing: Destiny 2: Lightfall | Season of the Witch Launch Trailer
How the Deck of Whispers works in Destiny 2
Destiny 2’s Season of the Witch adds several new activities and item types to keep track of. The biggest addition, though, is the Deck of Whispers. Once you’ve gained access to the Lectern of Divination by progressing through the “Toil and Trouble” questline, you’ll begin to obtain Opaque Cards.
In essence, Opaque Cards are cards that haven’t been uncovered, so to speak. Whenever you obtain one, you first need to return to the Lectern of Divination through the HELM, open the Deck of Whispers, and interact with the card. The game will then tell you if it’s a Major Arcana or a Minor Arcana card.
Here’s how the Deck of Whispers works in Destiny 2. In order to convert Opaque Cards into Major Arcana cards, you’ll first need to complete the corresponding quest. The objective usually involves collecting a specific amount of Insight, but it might have an additional task for you to tackle. Once done, interact with the card once more in the Deck of Whispers, and you’ll be set.
After you’ve obtained at least five Major Arcana cards, you’ll be able to create a deck. Of all five Major Arcana cards in your deck, one will be randomly selected before each encounter in the Savathun’s Spire and Altars of Summoning activities. Of course, the more Major Arcana cards you have, the larger the variety of options for your deck there’ll be.
In terms of benefits, Major Arcana cards offer myriad bonuses, including the chance to drop heavy ammo and regenerate health and shields for rapidly defeating enemies, or final blows dropping special ammo on occasion.
Minor Arcana cards, on the other hand, tend to be single-use perks, items, or upgrades. For example, the “II of Worms” Minor Arcana makes it so the next Season of the Witch weapon you focus on at the Ritual Table will be Deepsight Resonant, if possible with the weapon of choice.
How to find Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards in Destiny 2
Since the primary loot of Opaque Cards doesn’t actually signalize what you’re getting until you inspect them in the Lectern of Divination, it can be hard to tell if it’s a Major Arcana or a Minor Arcana card.
In my experience, Major Arcana cards usually drop from the seasonal quests. For the first week of Season of the Witch, these are “Toil and Trouble” and “The Bladed Path.” The theory seems supported by Destiny 2 senior designer Joshua Billeaudeau. In a PlayStation Blog post, Billeaudeau mentions that “As the Season goes on, the Guardians will find more Major Arcana cards and can use them to build a deck (choosing which cards to take with them into Seasonal activities) allowing players to buildcraft around their class, loadout, and their fireteam.”
As for Minor Arcana cards, they can be found as loot for completing Season of the Witch activities. This includes the waves of rituals of Altars of Summonings. As you’re tackling bounties and weekly challenges, you’re bound to get your hands on more Opaque Cards. Make sure to visit the Ritual Table at the HELM often, as the prestige rewards for increasing your reputation with it also lead to Opaque Cards as rewards.
Opaque Cards can be either Major Arcana or Minor Arcana cards, but hey, the fun is in trying to collect them all, regardless of how long it might take to see the full collection.
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