I don't know about you, but when Bungie finally dropped the name "Season of the Seraph," I let out a little yelp that scared my Ghost. It was December 2022, and my Warlock had been waiting for a proper Rasputin comeback since the Warmind went dark. Now, in 2026, I still get a warm fuzzy feeling remembering that season, mostly because it gave me one of my favorite oddball Exotics and a hefty dose of Hive-smashing chaos.

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The elevator pitch is simple: the Hive God of War, Xivu Arath, wants to hijack Rasputin's network of weaponized satellites, and Ana Bray is trying to stuff the big red AI into a new Exo body before everything goes sideways. Guardians like me get the honor of running into Braytech facilities, bypassing defenses, and turning Wrathborn into space dust.

The trailer showed Ana standing next to an offline Exo body that looked about as finished as my Sunday meal prep. Its limbs were hooked up to the WarSat network like some kind of DIY smart-home project. I remember thinking, "Ana, sweetheart, you can't just plug Rasputin into the nearest outlet and call it a day." But hey, that's why Guardians do the heavy lifting.

One of the main draws was the new Exotic mission for Revision Zero, a Pulse Rifle with an identity crisis. In its regular mode, it's a perfectly respectable pulse rifle. Flip the switch, and it turns into a Sniper Rifle. I'm not saying I accidentally deleted a few Dregs from low orbit, but let's just say Shaxx sent me a passive-aggressive thank-you note. The mission took us to a Braytech orbital platform above the Last City, because nothing says "covert operation" like a floating space lab with a pulse rifle inside.

The multiple catalysts were the real carrot on the stick. Each catalyst promised to add to Revision Zero's power, and the community immediately started theorizing about hidden firing modes. I spent more time chasing those catalysts than I'd like to admit. My fireteam had a running joke: "One more run, and if the catalyst doesn't drop, I'm deleting my sparrow." Spoiler: I did not delete my sparrow, but I did develop a minor twitch every time I saw the orbital platform loading screen.

Let's talk about Rasputin's lore, because honestly, the big guy deserves some respect. He was humanity's Golden Age defense AI, one of the few survivors of The Collapse, and a key player in holding back the Hive. Then The Darkness rolled back around and Rasputin got taken offline. We got a cheeky hint of his return back in January 2022 with some Exotic cosmetics, and Bungie kept us hanging for almost a year. By the time Season of the Seraph arrived, I was ready to hand over my entire vault if it meant hearing that robotic voice again.

The season ran from December 2022 until Lightfall arrived on February 28, 2023. Looking back from 2026, it's funny how much that season set the table for later stories. At the time, I was mostly concerned with three things: not getting clapped by Wrathborn, making Ana Bray proud, and figuring out whether Revision Zero was better as a pulse or a sniper. The answer, by the way, was "yes."

Quick hit list of what made Season of the Seraph memorable:

  • 🛰️ WarSat network drama: Xivu Arath wanted it, Rasputin needed it, Ana Bray had a wrench.

  • 🤖 Exo body watch: Would Rasputin get a fresh new look? I spent way too long inspecting that unfinished Exo frame.

  • 🔫 Revision Zero: Pulse rifle by day, sniper rifle by afternoon, catalyst grind by night.

  • 🦴 Hive Wrathborn: The universe's angriest door-to-door salesmen, and we were the "no soliciting" sign.

  • 🚀 Orbital platform heist: Because regular heists are for amateurs.

If I'm being honest, the real star of the season was the vibe. There's something special about a story where an ancient AI gets a second chance, and Guardians get to be the muscle. The Season of the Seraph felt like a love letter to long-time players who had followed Rasputin's story since the early days. It mixed nostalgia, sci-fi nonsense, and the usual Destiny 2 grind into a package I still talk about years later.

So, if you're a newer Guardian in 2026 wondering why old-timers get misty-eyed about a red robot and a rifle that couldn't decide what it was, now you know. Season of the Seraph was a weird, wonderful ride, and I still occasionally pull out Revision Zero in Crucible just to watch the confusion.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go see if Ana Bray has finally finished that Exo body. Knowing Destiny, there's probably another catalyst to find.