Destiny 2 leaks suggest Bungie working on new “Vapour” element for future update

Destiny 2 leaks revealed in Season 14 have suggested that a fifth element may be in the works, with “Vapour” subclasses potentially set to join Solar, Arc, Void, and Stasis in a future update — like next year’s Hive-themed Witch Queen expansion.

When Destiny first arrived in 2014, it did so with just three elements in play. Solar, Arc, and Void were the three core damage types for the six years of content that followed.

Through all the major storylines and all the biggest content drops, players were only able to wield those primary powers. That all changed in 2020 with the introduction of Stasis, a controversial ice-based element that all but dominated PVP in its first year. And, while it took a six-year wait for this fourth element, that doesn’t appear to be the case for the fifth.

New leaks have suggested “Vapour” is already in the works at Bungie, and that it could be on the way soon to flip the Destiny universe on its head once again.

A huge ‘498-line’ document full of supposed leaks gained traction on Destiny’s Raid Secrets subreddit on July 14. This isn’t the first time some of these leaks have been mentioned either; the list has proven to be accurate, with various tidbits for previous seasons already coming true.

While not everything can be taken as fact, the leaker appears to have a clear picture of the next major beats in Destiny 2. From story spoilers to new weapons and bundles, the document is quite thorough.

Among the laundry list was a leak regarding a brand new element in Destiny 2. The alleged fifth element is referred to here as “Vapour.”

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While details are scarce, it’s described as a “damage over time” effect. The leaker even compared the new element to Thorn Exotic and its lingering damage.

Kujay imagines Destiny 2 “Corruption” subclasses

While the various leaks that popped up during Season 14 have yet to be confirmed, speculation that the game’s next Darkness-based subclass will feature Thorn-like poison has continued to heat up — with bits of lore even feeding into the theory.

Now, the Vapour idea from those leaks has been taken to the next level. Kujay — known for his video essays on how to address controversial issues in Destiny 2 — created an entire mock-up of what the game’s next subclasses might look like, and aptly labeled the new element “Corruption”.

In his video, Kujay explained how Destiny 2’s existing lore and gameplay mechanics (like Thorn’s synergy with the Necrotic Grip Hunter exotic) make his Corruption mechanic a perfect fit for the game’s next element, and even designed three new sublcasses from the ground up using the idea.

Crafted in painstaking detail, the three new subclass options — Tormentor Hunters, Lancer Titans, and Alchemage Warlocks — all feature a heavy focus on damage-over-time, ability debuffs, and stealing health from enemies, which all perfectly align with the Vapour idea proposed in those earlier leaks.

Despite the hype around the idea, there’s no way to know exactly what the element might look like inside Destiny 2. Given the depth of these leaks, though, it could only be a matter of time until Vapour (or Corruption) makes its way to Destiny 2 — we’ll simply have to wait and see.

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For now, take these leaks with a grain of salt; things can always change as development continues, and leaks can be proven wrong. And, while Kujay’s Corruption subclasses fit the Thorn aesthetic perfectly, only time will tell what Destiny 2’s next Darkness subclass will really look like.