How to get and upgrade the Hammer of Proving in Destiny 2

Need a hand with the Destiny 2 Hammer of Proving? New seasons can only mean one thing in Bungie's MMO: new activities. For the Season of the Chosen (and those that own the Season Pass), Battlegrounds is the new hotness and with it comes a series of rewards, resources, and quests to complete to ensure you're kept plenty busy until the next big expansion. 

So here’s everything you need to know about Battlegrounds, the Hammer of Proving and how to earn Cabal Gold in Destiny 2.

How to get the Destiny 2 Hammer of Proving

Complete the introductory mission

When you first dive into Destiny 2 for Season of the Chosen, you’ll be thrust into the new game mode: Battlegrounds. It’s here you'll need to kill Cabal, destroy some generators, and then fight one big boss Cabal before you’re allowed to dip your toe in the new season.

Accessing the H.E.L.M.

After completing the first mission, you will be beckoned to the new social area in the Tower: The H.E.L.M. From there, visit the War Table and then talk to Zavala, Crow, and Osiris to progress the mission. You’ll now be able to pick up Battlegrounds Bounties and some new Destiny 2 mods. This will also progress the Challenger's Proving quest to step 2. 

What is Battlegrounds?

Battlegrounds is the Season of the Chosen’s seasonal activity. As a matchmade team of three, you're tasked with repelling Cabal to prevent Empress Caiatal from establishing more forces in the galaxy. Players need to kill waves of enemies and fight to the final confrontation with one of Empress Caiatal’s generals. There are four Battlegrounds in total, but only two are currently available: Hailstone on Europa and Behemoth on Nessus. The remaining two, Cleansing and Oracle, will be available on February 16 and 23, respectively. 

At the end of these events, players will be able to earn world and season-specific loot, with an additional chest available to those who have earned their Hammer of Proving. 

Unlocking the Hammer of Proving

To unlock the Hammer of Proving, you’ll need to complete the Destiny 2 Decrypting the Darkness quest which reintroduces Umbral Engrams to the game, and then continue through the Challenger’s Proving questline. During that you’ll be introduced to Battlegrounds again, but this time you’ll complete the Hailstone variant on Europa before being awarded the Hammer of Proving after returning to the War Table in the H.E.L.M.

Next, charge the Hammer of Proving with Cabal Gold—find out how to get that below. By the way, you won't need to do anything else here to 'equip' the hammer: it is already equipped once you've unlocked it.

What does the Hammer of Proving do?

It has two main uses: to focus Destiny 2 Umbral Engrams and to smash open additional caches at the end of a Battlegrounds events. This dual purpose creates an effective loop in which you'll need to earn Cabal Gold and infuse an Etched Challenger Medal (cost: 14 Cabal Gold) that lets you smash an additional cache at the end of a Battlegrounds event. Smashing this chest then awards you with a Hammer Charge, allowing them to focus an Umbral Engram from a whole table of options, although many of which have prerequisites prior to their unlocking.

How to upgrade the Hammer of Proving

First, you'll need to upgrade the War Table, which requires War Table Reputation. The only way to earn War Table Reputation, currently, is through the weekly season challenges, of which there are 75. At time of writing, you can earn three lots of War Table Reputation and it’s likely further challenges will become available every Tuesday after reset. Check your Quest tab every week and prioritise those challenges before you go swinging your hammer. 

How to earn Destiny 2 Cabal Gold

Cabal Gold is the currency used to buy Etched Challenger Medallions. It's earned in any playlist activity (Strikes, plus Gambit and Crucible matches), Dungeons (Prophecy, Pit of Heresy, and Shattered Throne), and public events after earning and equipping the Hammer of Proving. Strikes are by far the most time-efficient means of obtaining Cabal Gold, offering 14 Cabal Gold per Strike, while Gambit and Crucible offer eight per match completion. 

Either way, if you're pursuing weekly Powerful and Pinnacle Gear, you’ll soon find yourself with stacks of Cabal Gold. It should also be noted that you can only carry a finite amount of Cabal Gold at any one time, which is indicated on the Hammer of Proving, which starts with a capacity of 42. 

If one thing is certain, it’s that you won’t be able to complete an entire season’s worth of content in its first week. If you're committed to upgrading the Hammer of Proving you’ll have a plethora of challenges to complete every week until the end of the Season of the Chosen.