With one month left in Destiny 2’s Season of Dawn, Bungie revealed the first details regarding the game’s upcoming season 10 update. In a new blog post, the developer explains that major sandbox changes are coming starting with a complete overhaul of swords.
Swords will now have their own energy bars, which overtakes the melee slot while a sword is equipped. While ammo will still be used to carry out basic actions, energy can now be spent in a variety of ways.
Guarding will now cost energy in addition to using one ammo. The next season will bring a variety of guard options, which will have different behaviors and resistances. Bungie’s development team explained that sword defense has long been underutilized and that the new update is meant to make it a more viable strategy.
Heavy attacks will consume energy with their damage determined by how full the meter is. The change is meant to force players to diversify their attack types rather than simply spamming big slashes.
On the other side of offense, light attacks will loop for an infinite combo with the new tweaks, as opposed to a standard three-hit cycle, allowing for more “hack ‘n’ slash” action.
Finally, swords will be able to partially bypass enemy shields, which is meant to set their utility apart from shotguns in close combat situations.
Swords have been a mainstay of the Destiny series since they were introduced in The Taken King. The tweaks will radically alter what longtime players are used to, with Bungie explaining that perks and damage amount will also be reworked as part of the update.
The new functions and differences between attack types seem like they’ll make swordplay more diverse, but the energy system is confusing at first glance. The adjustments mean that players will have to juggle two different ammunition types while swashbuckling. The update may also have a major impact on the game’s speedrunning community, which has long used the weapons to create shortcuts. Concerns aside, reducing the vulnerability of blades is a welcome change that could have an exciting impact on the game’s meta.
While swords are the main focus of the blog post, Bungie has stated that more sandbox changes will be announced in the coming weeks. The developer will unveil more changes to weapons and abilities, which will affect both PvP and PvE players.
As for next season’s plot, Bungie released a surprise teaser for season 10 alongside a weekly reset. When players log in, they can see a short cutscene that shows Osiris confronting Rasputin, Destiny’s resident super-intelligent computer. The short sequence shows a tense confrontation between the two, in which Osiris questions Rasputin’s allegiance in the ongoing war between light and dark.
If that scene is any indication, it may mean that season 10 will take players back to Mars, which was originally introduced in 2018’s Warmind expansion.
Season of Dawn will conclude on March 9, shortly after the game’s annual Valentine’s Day event ends. In the meantime, players can contribute to the game’s new Empyrean Foundation community event, which may also have major implications for season 10.
