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Destiny 2: How to unlock and upgrade the Splicer Gauntlet

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Destiny 2’s Season of the Splicer brings a ton of new ways to play the game. The new Splicer Gauntlet is similar to last season’s Hammer of Proving, offering an interesting gameplay loop attached to the new Override activity. In this guide, we’re going to show you how to unlock and upgrade the Splicer Gauntlet, as well as how to efficiently gather Ether, craft Key Codes, and crack Conflux Chests.

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What the Splicer Gauntlet is, how to use it, and how to unlock it

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You will automatically earn the Splicer Gauntlet after starting Season of the Splicer and playing the first seasonal quest. Before you can get to that, you need to complete the season’s introductory quest, The Lost Splicer. It’s short and easy, and you’re booted directly into it the first time you start Destiny 2 since the new season began.

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After it’s done, you’ll end up in an expanded version of the HELM with the first seasonal quest: Path of the Splicer I. Like most seasonal quests, this one shouldn’t take you too long (plus you’ll knock out a weekly challenge). Complete it to progress the story and to unlock the Splicer Gauntlet.

The Splicer Gauntlet is similar to last season’s Hammer of Proving. You can use it to unlock chests at the end of this season’s Override activity to earn season-exclusive armor and weapons, but you can only unlock chests if you have a special Key Code. Like any mechanic in Destiny 2, there’s a gameplay loop attached to the Splicer Gauntlet.

Here’s how it works: You earn Ether by playing Destiny 2. You use that Ether to craft a Key Code with the Splicer Gauntlet, and then you can use that Key Code to unlock a Conflux Chest at the end of an Override activity. It’s similar to how Armor Synthesis works in Season of the Splicer, just way less grindy.

How to gather Ether for the Splicer Gauntlet

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Before you can do anything, you need to gather Ether. The good news is that you can do, well, anything to gather Ether. Playlist activities, public events, and defeating combatants anywhere in the system will reward you with Ether. However, some activities reward you with more than others.

Hover over the Splicer Gauntlet in your Director to see where you can earn bonus Ether. At the time of writing, players can earn bonus Ether by completing strikes, but we imagine Bungie will update the bonus Ether drops throughout the season.

You don’t need to worry about that too much, though. The Splicer Gauntlet can only hold 100 Ether at a time, and you’ll hit that within an hour of doing basically any activity in Destiny 2. You don’t really need to focus on gathering Ether. You need to focus on using it.

How to craft Key Codes and use the Splicer Gauntlet

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After you hit 100 Ether, you won’t gather any more. To keep things moving as efficiently as possible, you need to use your Ether as it comes in. Open the Director and navigate to the Quests tab to find the Splicer Gauntlet. Follow to the Details page to start crafting Key Codes.

Under the Key Codes tab, you can spend 50 Ether to craft one Key Code, and the Splicer Gauntlet can store up to three Key Codes at a time. At the beginning of the season, this is the only way to craft Key Codes. However, there are empty slots next to where you can craft Key Codes, so it’s possible you can use some currency other than Ether to craft them down the time.

From there, all you need to do is complete an Override activity. At the end, you’ll find a Conflux Chest next to the main chest that will reward you with Season of the Splicer gear and another vague resource: Decrypted Data. This is the resource you’ll need to upgrade the Splicer Gauntlet.

How to upgrade the Splicer Gauntlet (and the best upgrades to unlock)

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You can purchase various upgrades for the Splicer Gauntlet with Decrypted Data. These upgrades are all focused around the Override activity and the Splicer Gauntlet itself, and they can make the process of gathering Ether and crafting Key Codes much easier.

You can purchase upgrades from the Splicer Servitor. Head to the HELM using the Director, then head to the new section for this season to find the Splicer Servitor. Interact with it and choose Splicer Gauntlet Upgrade from the menu to see the upgrades.

There are three tiers of each upgrade, and you need the previous tier to unlock the next. Tier I upgrades cost 100 Decrypted Data, Tier II upgrades cost 300, and Tier III upgrades cost 500. You, of course, earn Decrypted Data from Conflux Chests, but you can also earn it by completing weekly challenges.

Here are the upgrades you should invest that hard-earned Decrypted Data in:

  • Memory Expansion: This is, without a doubt, the first upgrade you should pick up. The Tier I version increases your Gauntlet’s Ether capacity by 50 and gives you an extra Key Code slot. We recommend going straight to Tier III with this one, actually. With all three upgrades, your Splicer Gauntlet can hold 300 Ether and six Key Codes.
  • Override Efficiency: Override is a great way to get new seasonal gear, and this upgrade increases the rewards of Override chests. Additionally, the Tier I upgrade offers a chance for Vex chests to drop seasonal gear and increases the reward of Conflux Chests to have a chance to drop an Umbral Engram and up to one Focused Umbral Engram per week.
  • Codestrider: This upgrade opens up additional platforms in the Vex network during Override activities. It’s not really necessary, but it can make getting through the tricky Vex obstacle course a little easier. You could also invest in Deletion Exclusion, which reduces the damage of lasers and wall defenses in the Vex network.

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Jacob Roach
Jacob Roach
Lead Reporter, PC Hardware
Jacob Roach is the lead reporter for PC hardware at Digital Trends. In addition to covering the latest PC components, from…
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