Destiny 2: Beyond Light expansion revealed – Everything you need to know
BungieBungie has outlined the roadmap for the future of Destiny 2, and curiously enough, Destiny 3 is not in the cards – but there are three new expansions on their way.
The latest Destiny 2 stream that debuted on Tuesday, June 9 was one of the biggest reveals the game has had in quite some time. Players were treated to a glimpse of what they could eventually expect over the next few years, but curiously enough, that did not include Destiny 3.
Instead, the stream revealed the September 2020 expansion Destiny: Beyond Light, as well as a wealth of additional content. Bungie’s Mark Noseworthy and Luke Smith discussed a variety of information across the length of the stream, including plans for a 2021 expansion called The Witch Queen and 2022’s Lightfall. Miss out on the festivities? We’ve got everything that was announced wrapped up here for your convenience. Read on, Guardians.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light story details
This fall, players can check into Destiny 2: Beyond Light when it debuts on September 22. In a brief trailer, Eris, the Drifter, and the Stranger were shown to be meeting at Europa, the icy moon of Jupiter, which was originally cut from the first game. With the Drifter’s wavering moral compass and Eris’s disturbing history, Beyond Light could make for a deep, satisfying addition to Destiny lore. The Stranger has been curiously absent since the original game, but the odd individual is making a big comeback – and she won’t let the Darkness win, no matter what.
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Together, the Stranger and Guardians are poised to take the fight to a new Fallen enemy called Eramis, as the Darkness, the game’s resident mysterious force and malevolent entity, approaches. This time, however, you’ll use the Darkness itself by way of powers such as Stasis to manipulate time and push back the enemy and ensure it never has a chance to take hold. There will also be Stasis weapons to stop the oncoming Darkness as well as other new abilities.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light: New raid, Fallen enemy types
BungieWhen Guardians head to Europa this fall, they’ll also be able to take on a new raid inside the Deep Stone Crypt. It’s a new, mysterious location found deep within the game universe that the Exos area of. It makes sense as that’s where the first Exo consciousness was built, after all. There are scant details about what can be discovered there, but that’s all part of the fun of exploration.
Of course, as previously mentioned, there will be a new type of Fallen enemy to tackle. Eramis refers to herself as the Fallen Kell of Darkness, and she and her army have overtaken Europa. There are several factions players will have to fight through if they want to claim the Darkness for themselves, but to what end?
Destiny 2: How the new Destiny Content Vault works
BungieIn addition to revealing Beyond Light and a vast amount of additional information, Bungie unveiled a new feature called the Destiny Content Vault. It will remove content currently in the game and add new locations in its stead. For instance, older content like strikes, raids, and locations that were previously left behind in the original Destiny could potentially come out of the Destiny Content Vault, including the recently-teased Vault of Glass raid, which will come out of the Vault around Year 4.
When fall rolls around, Bungie will be removing Mars, Mercury, Io, and Titan from Destiny 2. That includes their missions and strikes as well as exploration options. Bungie did extensive research in terms of what to remove and what to keep in-game, citing a need to eventually cut back since the game can’t “grow forever,” in an interview with Polygon.
As such, the Destiny Content Vault will start adding new locations in from the past as well as brand new areas players haven’t seen before. The original Cosmodrome will soon be on its way back as well, including the very first Strike, an epic showdown against Sepiks Prime in The Devil’s Lair, and an additional couple of Strikes from the original game. It may take some getting used to, but it may ultimately end up as a great move for those looking to get more out of Destiny 2 as a whole.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light release date
BungieBungie is set to launch Destiny 2: Beyond Light on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, and Google Stadia on September 22. Additionally, next-generation versions for Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 will launch later this year following the consoles’ debut this holiday season.
There will be multiple versions of the game that players can preorder, with many of them including physical and digital incentives for buying early. This includes statues, backpacks, and an assortment of additional items that you’ll get depending on where you preorder your copy.
Destiny 2 future plans and expansions: The Witch Queen and Lightfall
BungieIn addition to revealing Beyond Light, Bungie made it very clear that it would not be proceeding with Destiny 3 as many players had assumed, and instead released a content plan for new expansions over the next couple of years. The second is The Witch Queen, and it’s slated for release in 2021. The third, Lightfall, is set for a 2022 release.
Bungie was reticent about a Destiny 3 in the future. In fact, Luke Smith himself announced that “We’re not planning to make one” in a stream Q&A with Ben “DrLupo” Lupo. Still, it looks like Destiny 2 will receive additional support for some time, so there’s still a lot more content to go. Whether the team will ever complete a trilogy here in the series’ mythos is unclear, but at least there’s not going to be any shortage of things to do for the foreseeable future.