Bungie is pushing onward with Destiny 2’s next chapter: This afternoon during its Twitch broadcast, the studio took the wraps off The Final Shape, expected to be the last installment of the long-running Light and Darkness saga. It’ll send players into The Traveler for the first time to take on The Witness as the labyrinth of the Pale Heart changes all the rules of reality. Gamers can also expect new supers and exotics.
“The Final Shape looms—a nightmarish calcification of reality into the Witness’s twisted design. Embark on a perilous journey into the heart of the Traveler, rally the Vanguard, and end the War of Light and Darkness.”
The Final Shape launches February 27th of next year; preorders are already open, or rather I should say, the queue for preordering is already open, at least as I type this. If you’re reading later, it ought to be a bit less clogged!
In more immediate news, Season 22 (Season of the Witch) is underway as of today as planned through November 28th, though the highlight of the season, Crota’s End, doesn’t technically open until September 1st.
Today, during the annual Destiny 2 Showcase event, Bungie announced details and immediate pre-order availability for its upcoming expansion, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, releasing on February 27, 2024. During the event, the studio revealed new gameplay and narrative stakes that will power the final expansion in Destiny 2’s “Light and Darkness Saga,” as well as important features coming to the game in the next year and beyond. The Showcase event also saw Bungie announce Episodes, its updated approach to seasonal content, detailing the aftermath of The Final Shape and setting the stage for more Destiny 2 stories and content. The first Episode, Echoes, will begin shortly after the launch of Destiny 2: The Final Shape in March 2024.
In addition, the studio revealed Season of the Witch, the new Season in Destiny 2, which launches worldwide today. Season of the Witch will see Guardians turn to their long-time ally Eris Morn, as they work together to wield arcane Hive magic in order to follow the trail left behind by The Witness when it entered the Traveler.
In Destiny 2: The Final Shape, Guardians will confront oblivion in the form of their ultimate adversary –The Witness – alongside their iconic Vanguard companions: Ikora Rey, Commander Zavala, and the mysteriously returned Cayde-6. Players will embark on a perilous journey of remembrance and discovery into the heart of the Traveler, rally the Vanguard, and end the War of Light and Darkness. The story of this final confrontation will be told throughout the course of The Final Shape’s campaign, as well as in the new raid that will launch in March 2024. Accompanying the launch of the raid will be a new World First Race, beginning the day of the raid’s launch. Fireteams around the world will compete to be the first six-Guardian team to fully complete the new raid.
Into The Traveler: During the campaign of The Final Shape, Guardians will explore a mysterious new destination – The Pale Heart, located inside the Traveler. Shaped by The Witness but also influenced by the history and journey of the Guardians themselves, The Pale Heart destination will feature nostalgic callbacks from throughout the history of the Light and Darkness Saga, including a version of the original Tower from Destiny. As the first linear destination in Destiny history, The Pale Heart will also gradually evolve.
Alongside a new campaign and a new destination, as well as a reunion of iconic characters who have gathered to face the threat of The Witness together, The Final Shape expansion will offer players new offensive capabilities in the form of three new Super abilities and Aspects (Void for Titans, Solar for Warlocks, and Arc for Hunters), each developed with teamplay in mind. Further, new additions to the Destiny 2 arsenal will make Guardians even more imposing, including a new weapon subfamily that includes the Rocket Pistol Sidearm and a new Support Frame Auto Rifle that can deal damage while healing allies. Additionally, classic weapons from the original Destiny will return, and a new Exotic Fusion Rifle, among others.
Guardians will put these tools to use against an imposing new enemy type – Subjugators – who are able to use Stasis and Strand powers against Guardians while also adding an element of control to the battlefield.
Destiny 2 developers also detailed features coming to the game in the next year, including an improved Power system that will make it easier for players of different Power levels to take part in activities together, the upcoming Fireteam Finder feature (coming in November 2023) designed to help players find fellow Guardians to play with in activities across the game, as well as PvP updates including a new Vex-themed map called Multiplex, a new Relic-based game mode, and the new Checkmate modifier.
Before the opening of today’s Showcase event, a moment of silence was observed for Lance Reddick, who passed away in March. Reddick’s dignified portrayal as the English language voice actor of Zavala made an inspiring fan-favorite character in the Destiny universe. Earlier this month, Bungie announced that film and television actor Keith David would take over the role of Zavala, allowing the character’s story to continue in The Final Shape. In addition, film and television actor Nathan Fillion announced his return to the Destiny franchise as the voice of the Hunter Vanguard Cayde-6 in May of this year.
Enter Episodes: As part of the Showcase, Bungie detailed its new Episodes content format for Destiny 2, which will begin in March 2024 shortly after the launch of The Final Shape. Replacing the current seasonal model, Episodes represent an entirely new approach to storytelling and content. There will be three separate Episodes in 2024 – titled Echoes, Revenant, and Heresy respectively – with the first Episode launching in March. Each Episode will be a standalone story told in three Acts, exploring the aftermath and fallout of the events of the conclusion of the Light and Darkness saga, while also introducing more content and rewards, more often than previous Destiny 2 Seasons.
[…]Destiny 2’s newest season – Season of the Witch – launches today. In Season of the Witch, Guardians will continue their ongoing pursuit of The Witness, and will confront old allies and enemies along the way. Savathûn’s ghost Immaru proposes a deal: aid in the resurrection of The Witch Queen and help defeat her sister, Xivu Arath. In exchange, Savathûn will reveal the key to the portal through the Traveler where The Witness is preparing to enact The Final Shape. Guardians will harness arcane Hive magic as they help their ally Eris Morn prepare for the showdown against the Hive god of war by transforming into a Hive god herself.
Key to Season of the Witch is the new Deck of Whispers, a new method of player progression that allows Guardians to customize their loadouts and powers in new ways. By completing Seasonal activities, players earn cards that can be used to build a customized deck full of buffs and perks for certain activities. Players in fireteams have the option to carefully strategize which cards they bring along to maximize their battle effectiveness on each run.
Time To Reflect: Alongside the adventure and action in Season of the Witch, the Destiny 2 development team is launching several new quality-of-life features to the game, designed to improve the experience of Guardians across the game. Among these key features is Timeline Reflections. These short playable missions, accessible through the Timeline feature in the Director, offer brief narrative introductions and summaries of key narrative events from Destiny 2 and are intended to help new players catch up with the ongoing story and to allow experienced players to relive and enjoy moments from the past.
With the launch of Season of the Witch, three Timeline Reflections missions are available, including Cayde-6’s final showdown with the Scorn from Destiny 2: Forsaken, the debut of Stasis from Destiny 2: Beyond Light, and the introduction of the Lucent Hive from Destiny 2: The Witch Queen. These missions are available to all players at no additional charge.
Reprised Raid: Crota’s End – Season of the Witch will also bring with it a reprised raid from Destiny’s past: Crota’s End. Originally released shortly after the launch of the original Destiny in 2014, Crota’s End finds Guardians braving the Lunar landscape to enter the Hellmouth and confront Oryx’s son once and for all. Crota’s End will launch on September 1 and Bungie will be celebrating with a World First Race to recognize and reward the first fireteam to successfully complete the reprised raid. Fireteams all over the world will have 48 hours to complete the raid in Contest Mode, complete the Crota’s End Challenge Mode, and earn the Superior Swordplay Triumph. The first fireteam to finish every encounter, loot the final chest, and return to orbit after completing Challenge Mode will be declared World First and have their victory immortalized with Crota’s End World First raid belts.
Season of the Witch launches today and will end on November 28.
The Witch Queen Trial Weekend: Players who have yet to experience the Destiny 2: The Witch Queen expansion will be able to do so at no additional charge during the upcoming Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Trial Weekend, from August 24 – 27. Explore the groundbreaking campaign that follows Guardians as they explore Savathûn’s Throne World destination and encounter the Light-wielding Lucent Hive, as well as the expansion’s Legendary mode campaign difficulty option for a new level of challenge and even more rewards! In addition, The Witch Queen expansion will be on sale from August 22 – September 5, and the expansion will be available for PlayStation Plus Extra and PlayStation Plus Premium members beginning on August 15th.
