The time Destiny fans have been waiting for has come. During the annual Destiny 2 Showcase event, Bungie announced details and immediate pre-order availability for its upcoming expansion, Destiny 2: The Final Shape, which is set to release on February 27, 2024. During the event, the studio revealed new gameplay and narrative stakes that will power the final expansion in Destiny 2’s “Light and Darkness Saga,” as well as important features coming to the game in the next year and beyond.
In Destiny 2: The Final Shape, Guardians will confront oblivion in the form of their ultimate adversary –The Witness – alongside their iconic Vanguard companions: Ikora Rey, Commander Zavala, and the mysteriously returned Cayde-6. Players will embark on a perilous journey of remembrance and discovery into the heart of the Traveler, rally the Vanguard, and end the War of Light and Darkness. The story of this final confrontation will be told throughout the course of The Final Shape’s campaign, as well as in the new raid that will launch in March 2024. Accompanying the launch of the raid will be a new World First Race, beginning the day of the raid’s launch. Fireteams around the world will compete to be the first six-Guardian team to fully complete the new raid.
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The Final Shape will also introduce Guardians to a new and mysterious destination – The Pale Heart, located inside the Traveler. Shaped by The Witness but also influenced by the history and journey of the Guardians themselves, The Pale Heart destination will feature nostalgic callbacks from throughout the history of the Light and Darkness Saga, including a version of the original Tower from Destiny. As the first linear destination in Destiny history, The Pale Heart will also gradually evolve.
Alongside a new campaign and a new destination, as well as a reunion of iconic characters who have gathered to face the threat of The Witness together, The Final Shape expansion will offer players new offensive capabilities in the form of three new Super abilities and Aspects (Void for Titans, Solar for Warlocks, and Arc for Hunters), each developed with teamplay in mind. New additions to the Destiny 2 arsenal includes a new weapon subfamily that includes the Rocket Pistol Sidearm and a new Support Frame Auto Rifle that can deal damage while healing allies. Additionally, classic weapons from the original Destiny will return, and a new Exotic Fusion Rifle, among others.
But what are new weapons without new enemies? The Final Shape also introduces Guardians to a new and imposing new enemy type: Subjugators. This new enemy is abl to use Stasis and Strand powers against Guardians while also adding an element of control to the battlefield.
Destiny 2 developers also detailed features coming to the game in the next year, including an improved Power system that will make it easier for players of different Power levels to take part in activities together, the upcoming Fireteam Finder feature (coming in November 2023) designed to help players find fellow Guardians to play with in activities across the game, as well as PvP updates including a new Vex-themed map called Multiplex, a new Relic-based game mode, and the new Checkmate modifier.
But that’s not all The Destiny 2 Showcase also featured the announcement of Episodes, Bungie’s updated approach to seasonal content, detailing the aftermath of The Final Shape and setting the stage for more Destiny 2 stories and content. The first Episode, entitled Echoes, will begin shortly after the launch of Destiny 2: The Final Shape in March 2024. Episodes represent an entirely new approach to storytelling and content by replacing the current seasonal model. There will be three Episodes in 2024 – Echoes, Revenant, and Heresy, respectively. Each Episode will be a standalone story told in three Acts, exploring the aftermath and fallout of the events of the conclusion of the Light and Darkness saga while also introducing more content and rewards, more often than in previous Destiny 2 Seasons.
Still, Bungie also shared how fans can keep engaged with the game as they wait for February. Get ready for “Season of the Witch,” the new Season in Destiny 2 starting today. “Season of the Witch” will have Guardians turn to their long-time ally Eris Morn, as they work together to wield arcane Hive magic in order to follow the trail left behind by The Witness when it entered the Traveler.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape will launch on February 27, 2024.
