Destiny 2 isn’t slowing down, and Bungie just wrapped its annual showcase timed with Gamescom Opening Night Live. We finally got details on the next expansion, Lightfall, and Bungie revealed what activities players can enjoy in the game’s latest season. And, of course, Bungie revealed it’s bringing back the King’s Fall raid to Destiny 2.
You can comb through the full event above, but we rounded up all the big announcements so you can get up to date.
Lightfall and Strand
Before getting to what’s coming this season, Bungie showed the first trailer for the next expansion, Lightfall. Game designer Joe Blackburn said this is “the beginning of the end” with Lightfall, and the trailer dropped several big hints about what we’ll see in the expansion.
A new subclass called Strand takes point. It’s a darkness subclass like Stasis, but Bungie says Guardians are the first to wield it. A grappling hook seems to be a big focus on the new subclass, allowing you to quickly transverse the city on Neptune. Strand is “about peeling back the curtain of reality,” utilizing the hidden threads that tie the universe together.
We got some story details as well. The infamous emperor Calus has been chosen as the new disciple of The Witness, and the expansion is centered around Neptune (a new destination for Destiny 2). There, you’ll find a metropolis where a race known as Cloud Striders have developed separately from humans.
The expansion launches on February 28, 2023, and pre-orders are available now. Just like The Witch Queen, Lightfall will feature a Legendary campaign mode for hardcore players.
Better community tools
Alongside Lightfall, Bungie said it plans on making some community changes over the next year. You can give Guardians commendations for being a good player, easily find groups for raids or dungeons, and gain Guardian Ranks, which allow you to level up and show off your mastery of Destiny 2 from top to bottom.
We’ll also see a mod manager and loadout builder. Bungie says you’ll be able to save a few different loadouts directly in Destiny 2 so you can easily swap between them when you want to change up how you play.
Season of Plunder and King’s Fall
The showcase marks the start of Season of the Plunder, which is a pirate-themed season that includes new weapons, three new activities, and the return of an iconic raid from the original Destiny.
The season starts with Eramis breaking out of the Stasis Guardians left her in at the end of Beyond Light. Your pirate crew, which Bungie says you’ll be able to build during the season, will start with some returning faces including The Drifter and Mithrax.
Players have three new activities: Hideouts, Expeditions, and Ketchcrash. Ketchcrash is a six-player activity where players will raid pirate ships, Expeditions take you through looking for hidden treasure, and Hideouts let you take out Eramis’ quarters where strange artifacts are being held.
Bungie announced it would bring back another raid from Destiny this year, similar to what it did with Vault of Glass last year. Destiny 2 is seeing the return of King’s Fall, which is one of the most iconic raids from the original game. It will go live on Friday, August 26 at 10 a.m. PT. During the first 24 hours, Bungie will hold a raid race with the Contest Mode modifier, which caps your power level for a more difficult challenge.
The first fireteam to beat King’s Fall and complete each encounter’s challenge will win the raid race. Good luck, Guardians.
Destiny 2 is coming to Epic Games Store
Destiny 2 is coming to the Epic Games Store today, and to sweeten the offer, Bungie is offering its 30th Anniversary content pack for free to anyone who downloads. Over the next week, players will also be able to play all of the Destiny 2 expansions for free regardless of the platform they’re on, as well as claim a free gear set called Gift of the Thunder Gods, which includes a set of Arc gear including the Thunderlord exotic.
As leaks suggested prior to the showcase, Destiny 2 and Fortnite are coming together. Three Destiny 2 skins are available in Fortnite starting today, and three armor sets inspired by Fortnite are in Destiny 2. In addition, Fall Guys will receive a set of Destiny–themed costumes on September 17.
For long-time Guardians, Bungie had an even more exciting announcement — no more sunsetting. Destiny 2 saw most of its content removed with the launch of Beyond Light, but Bungie says it won’t take any more expansions out of the game moving forward.
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