Destiny 2 enters the era of darkness next September
This week, Bungie revealed the next major Fall content release for Destiny 2. The new expansion, releasing on September 22nd, is called Beyond Light. Beyond Light will take guardians to Europa, a frozen moon of Jupiter, to fight the newest threat in the solar system.
Although low level details for the new content are scarce, Bungie has confirmed the new destination Europa as a playable area in which most of the expansion content will take place. Additionally, Beyond Light will also be the first Destiny expansion to add a brand new element type: Stasis. Currently, Destiny has three main element types: Arc, Solar, and Void. All of those existing elements are based on light, which is power that guardians leverage to do all their space magic. As the expansion name suggests, Beyond Light will focus more heavily on facing off against the darkness, and ultimately harnessing the darkness into the new Stasis element and guardian subclasses. Endgame lovers will also be happy to know that the expansion includes a brand new raid, taking place in the Deep Stone Crypt.
Story-wise, Beyond Light will see the return of an old friend, and the rise of a new enemy. The Exo Stranger, a key player in the original Destiny campaign all the way back in 2014, resurfaces as the fight against the darkness reaches its critical mass. On Europa, a Fallen Kell named Eramis has rallied the Fallen, seeking vengeance against the Traveler for abandoning her people.
Even with a big announcement for the next expansion, Bungie wasn't done there. In a quick teaser, Bungie outlined the major expansion names for through 2022. The 2021 expansion is called The Witch Queen and most likely refers to the Hive God Savathun, who longtime players have been expecting for years. The 2022 expansion has a working title of Lightfall.
The last big announcement of Bungie's presentation focused a new feature called the Destiny Content Vault (DCV). With the size of the game rapidly expanding, it's finally time for Destiny 2 to trim some of the excess and less-used content. The DCV is a place where Bungie can retire existing locations and activities in order to make room for the new. The most interesting part of the vault isn't what Bungie chooses to put in, but rather what can come out. During the Fall release with Beyond Light, Destiny 2 locations Mars, Io, Titan, Mercury, and the Leviathan. With the vaulting of those locations, activities that came with them will also be departing. For instance, putting the Leviathan in the vault means the year 1 raids of Destiny 2 and the Crown of Sorrow raid will no longer be available to players. Despite the loss of these locations, year 4 will unvault the Cosmodrome, a popular Earth destination from Destiny 1. Bungie also confirmed one of the most beloved raids of the series, Vault of Glass, will return during year 4.
Despite the series entering an "era of darkness", the future of Destiny 2 is looking bright as Bungie moves into the game's fourth year. Rejuvenating old content will bring nostalgia to long time players, while giving new guardians exposure to the history of the series. A glimpse into the long term future of the series is also welcome sight, showing that Bungie has content plans for years to come, and the life cycle of Destiny 2 isn't near done.
