summation
- Contest of Elders lacks exciting loot compared to The Coil.
- The tonic system has a negative impact on the drop rates of Destiny 2 activities due to the low base chance that takes tonics into account.
- Bungie is trying to replicate the successful seasons in Destiny 2 after The Coil.
Everyone might say no. Destiny 2's seasonal activities are born equal from a design perspective. Some activities are more basic and accessible for all levels of play, while others are more complex and generally more rewarding. Over the years, there have been many instances where some seasonal activities failed to resonate with the player base for various reasons. Destiny 2The best activity is The Coil. This was added to Season of the Wish and had several secrets, score-based loot, additional chests for players to find, and several bosses. Contest of Elders is very similar to The Coil except in one department.
Elder Contest Destiny 1It is the Prison of Elders endgame activity from the House of Wolves expansion and follows a similar approach to Season of the Wish's The Coil in its overall design. It's very similar to a coil. Destiny 2Contest of Elders features multiple rooms and bosses for players to encounter, again featuring a mix of random modifiers, but this time they change and reset with each encounter rather than maintaining them for the entire run. Nonetheless, elder conferences are arguably one of the best seasonal activities. Destiny 2Compared to its history, loot is very scarce.

relevant
Destiny 2 doubles down on Revenant's greatest sin at the worst possible time.
Destiny 2's Episode Revenant has sparked several controversies since its debut, and Bungie is doubling down on the biggest controversy yet.
Why Destiny 2 Elder Tournaments have less loot than Coil
The fact that there are trophies from the Elders' Conference Destiny 2 It's not entirely the activity itself that's bad, but rather the bigger culprit is that this should have been the default activity when The Revenant was released and not just award seasonal weapons that can't be crafted. Coils can award some of the best loot in the game, including Ascension Alloys, craftable red-rimmed guns, and high-stat armor.
Elder Tournaments don't offer great new loot.
Instead, councils of elders were introduced. Destiny 2In Revenant Act 2, the pool of new weapons that can be dropped has become dramatically smaller (three, to be exact). This reduces overall excitement. You can continue to drop other Revenant weapons through this activity. Destiny 2But the better ones in Act 2 are Noxious Vetiver and Scavenger's Fate. However, some of the improved Splicer season weapons do look good. Still, the problem is that Contest of Elders offers very little loot compared to The Coil, which doesn't really justify its shorter duration. This is a symptom of a bigger problem with Revenant, and that is Tonics.
How Destiny 2 Tonics Affect Elder Loot Tournaments
Destiny 2's Tonic system is supposed to improve the drop rate of Revenant weapons, but this system falls short due to the low amount of harvested materials and the high cost of making tonics. Additionally, the tonics are bugged throughout Act 1 and parts of Act 2, and the increased drop rates for Revenant weapons do not compensate for the lower drop rates for seasonal activities, including Elder Tournaments. Even if Elder Tournaments are fun, if you don't have the loot you want, such as weapons or materials, it probably won't be worth your time compared to other activities.
for example Destiny 2GM Nightfalls is better than Contest of Elders, and the loot is more interesting. Destiny 2For example, the Rake Angle Glaive can work with Replenishing Aegis and Chill Clip, making it a very cool weapon for champions. Even though Bitter/Sweet and Noxious Vetiver are upgrades over existing alternatives, Revenant weapons are not the best weapons. So Bungie has yet to replicate what made The Coil such a great seasonal activity, even if Contest of Elders ticks some of the same boxes.