This week’s Destiny 2 Showcase event unveiled exciting news for Bungie’s popular sci-fi action MMO. From new features to a brand-new season and an in-depth look at the upcoming expansion, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, there are numerous changes on the horizon that every Guardian should be aware of.
The Final Shape Expansion
The Witness has arrived, signaling the beginning of a grand confrontation for Guardians. Destiny 2’s upcoming expansion, The Final Shape, serves as the conclusion to the Light and Darkness saga, which began with the original Destiny back in 2014. In this epic expansion, players will face off against the Witness in an attempt to thwart its villainous plans for the universe.
“[The Witness] sees a lack of purpose, no meaning [in the universe],” said Destiny 2 creative director James Tsai. “It wants to fix all of that. It’s trying to put the universe in this frozen perfection, where everything’s just exactly how it thinks it’s supposed to be. That is the Final Shape.”
Guardians will venture into The Pale Heart, a new destination in Destiny 2, to confront the Witness. This surreal world is being reshaped by the Witness and the memories of Guardians’ past experiences. Players will encounter familiar locations from the original Destiny, such as the Tower, and will join forces with Vanguard allies like Ikora Rey, Commander Zavala, and Cayde-6, voiced by Nathan Fillion.
The expansion’s campaign will lead up to a raid that will launch after The Final Shape’s release, offering an exciting climax to the story. The Final Shape will be available starting on February 27, 2024.
All That Power
Power level has long been a measure of player progression in Destiny 2. With The Final Shape expansion, Bungie aims to revamp the Power system to make it easier to understand and allow players of different levels to enjoy activities together.
Under the new Power system, certain activities will have fixed Power levels, allowing players with varying Power levels to participate. Additionally, a feature called Fireteam Power will enable players to bring friends of any Power level into dungeons and raids. The player with the highest Power level will raise the Power level of their fireteam members, giving more players access to challenging content.
While some events will still require specific Power levels, the revamped system aims to make Destiny’s most rewarding content accessible to a larger player base.
Fireteam Finder
Coming in November 2023, the Fireteam Finder feature will make it easier than ever for Guardians to connect and team up. With this feature, players can find one another and form fireteams directly in the game.
The Fireteam Finder includes a new tag system that allows players to indicate their play style, gameplay preferences, and accessibility needs. Once a listing is created, players can join a lobby to chat and find others who are also looking for a group to play with.
Bungie’s goal with Fireteam Finder is to create a convenient and efficient way for players to connect and start playing without wasting time.
Timeline Reflections
A new feature called Timeline Reflections is now available to all Destiny 2 players. This feature serves as a way for players to catch up on the game’s narrative.
Timeline Reflections consists of three playable missions that cover important moments from recent Destiny expansions. These missions include key events from Destiny 2: Forsaken, Destiny 2: Beyond Light, and Destiny 2: The Witch Queen. The missions offer gameplay snippets and cinematic summaries to quickly convey the significance of these moments.
Destiny 2 Design Lead Kevin O’Hara explained, “Players who play these won’t be able say, ‘Now I know everything that happened over the last ten years.’ But they should be able to say, ‘I know who the Witness is, what it has been up to, and I’m ready to take it on!'”
Season of the Witch
Currently ongoing in Destiny 2, the Season of the Witch sees Guardians joining forces with Eris Morn to track down the Witness. As part of this season, players will assist Savathûn in defeating her sister Xivu Arath, the Hive god of war, in exchange for a key needed to pursue the Witness.
The Season of the Witch introduces two new activities: Altars of Summoning and Savathûn’s Spire. Altars of Summoning is a three-person activity where players use Hive magic to conquer waves of challenging opponents and tithe their power to Eris Morn. Savathûn’s Spire is a three-person matchmade activity that takes Guardians inside the Witch Queen’s spired reliquary.
Both activities feature the Deck of Whispers, a collectible deck of cards that provides buffs for players during the Season.