Today,Destiny 2’s general manager and game director, Mark Noseworthy and Luke Smith respectively, sat down to discuss the future ofBungie’s popular loot shooter. During the livestream, not only did they reveal a new expansion and season, they announced some really exciting content for this brand new era ofDestinycontent. Here is everything revealed during the stream.
Destiny 2:Beyond LightExpansion Launches on August 25, 2025
As many may have expected,Beyond Lightis the next big expansion forDestiny 2and will launch on July 03, 2025. It will feature a brand new zone, Jupiter’s moon Europa, which has an active pyramid ship. The cinematic trailer, which you’re able to see above, features The Drifter, The Stranger, and Eris Morn on the surface of Europa looking at the ship in the distance.
As mentioned in the interview, Europa is one of the first locations Bungie envisioned. It is the birthplace of the Exo (the robot race inDestiny), and the home of Aramis. Smith says she is a warrior who has “a brand new power born from a very ancient darkness.” While she is a “leader,” as Noseworthy describes, she is out for revenge for the people who destroyed her home. She is the expansion’s antagonist, and you will have to confront her in some way inBeyond Light.
As seen in the gameplay trailer (which you can also view above), the first look of Europa is shown. Despite its icy makeup, it does look like the new zone will have some variety in terms of its environments. More interesting is the reveal of a new damage type called stasis. This is the first time a new damage type has been implemented since the originalDestinylaunched.
Destiny 2ExpansionsThe Witch QueenandLightfallRevealed
WhileBeyond Lightmay be in the immediate future, the next two expansions forDestiny 2were also revealed. In 2021, we can expect to seeThe Witch QueencontinueBeyond Light’s story. In 2022,Lightfallis slated to release and seems to be the end of this “new era” ofDestiny.
The term “new era” cannot be emphasized enough. The three expansions,Beyond Light,The Witch Queen, andLightfall, are somewhat of a new beginning for Bungie andDestiny 2.
“We are buildingDestiny’s future today right inside ofDestiny 2,” says Noseworthy. “And it starts withBeyond Light, coming this Fall.”
“It’s going to continue with the next major expansion,The Witch Queen, andLightfallis going to kind of drive this all to a… moment,” says Smith. “These three releases represent this new era inDestiny.”
There aren’t many details on these two newly announced expansions, but surely, there will be more revealed as we approach its releases.
Features and Improvements Bungie is Currently Working On
During the interview, there were several features and improvements Noseworthy and Smith mentioned that may appease some long-time players.
However, before mentioning the new features and improvements Bungie plans to bring toDestiny 2, Smith mentions how the team has a vision for building the “definitive action MMO” where you can play anytime and anywhere. They are very much committed to bringing that vision to life but that doesn’t mean they have been successful, which Smith points out. Much of these improvements were based on feedback from the community, as well as within the studio.
The seasonal model inDestiny 2will be changed during Year 4. While nothing specific was detailed, Smith says it is to “get a bunch of the FOMO that is in the game right now out of it.”
Smith also mentions they are working on a transmogrification system inDestiny 2. For those unaware, in other games likeWorld of WarcraftorDiablo 3, to transmog your gear means to alter its look. So, in theory, if you don’t like the look of a certain piece of armor, you may change it to a model you prefer.
There are also some smaller changes being implemented toDestiny 2. One of the goofier ones mentioned was bringing back a dark title screen so you don’t have this blinding white lit screen lighting up your living room.
Next-Gen Support forDestiny 2Detailed
While it has been known thatDestiny 2will be coming to next-gen platforms, concrete details have not been given. However, during the stream, Noseworthy and Smith gave a full rundown of how Bungie will bring its loot shooter to Xbox Series X and PS5.
It is now confirmed thatDestiny 2will run at 60 frames per second in 4K resolution on next-gen hardware. Additionally, any content you already own will be available to you for your platform of choice at no extra charge; so, you won’t have to purchase the expansions a second time. This feature does seem to be specific to what ecosystem you purchase your content on. So, if you purchaseBeyond Lightfor PS4, that purchase will carry over to the PS5, but not the Xbox Series X.
There will also be intergenerational crossplay within each platform’s ecosystem. To put it simply, Xbox One players will be able to play with Xbox Series X players and PS5 players will be able to play with PS4 players. The focus right now is to bring intergenerational crossplay toDestiny 2, with crossplay across all platforms potentially coming next year.
Destiny 1Content is Coming toDestiny 2and Will Be Revamped
At this point,Destiny 2has a ton of content. Between multiple expansions and the base game, there is plenty to do with your fellow Guardians. But some of that content has aged, and there really isn’t a point to play old missions anymore. That is about to change as Bungie plans to bring some of its legacy content back.
How Smith describes it in the interview, just as a new expansion releases, Bungie will cycle out content that players are not actively playing. This content will be placed into the “DestinyContent Vault” (the DCV) and taken out of the live game. In turn, older content will be brought into the live game, including content fromDestiny 1.
Revealed on the stream, the Cosmodrome zone, and its three Strike missions will be coming toDestiny 2this Fall. Additionally, during Year 4, the classicDestiny 1raid Vault of Glass will also make a comeback. There will be some updates to this content but still remain true to its original release.
Season of Arrivals Formally Revealed, Brings a New Dungeon
Although it was leaked earlier today, Season of Arrivals forDestiny 2has been officially revealed and brings brand new content to the shooter today. Here are the new features coming with the new season:
As mentioned, the Season of Arrivals begins today, June 9, and will last until September 21, a day beforeBeyond Light’s release. There was also a gameplay trailer for the new Prophecy dungeon which will go live at 5 pm PDT today. You will be able to earn Daito Foundry Armor in the new dungeon. You can check out the gameplay trailer for Prophecy below.
That is everything revealed during the June 9, 2020Destiny 2stream. What are your thoughts about today’s announcements? Are you excited about the future ofDestiny? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
