One of the first trailblazers for the live-service genre as a whole, Destiny 2 is still adding content even five years after its release. While Destiny 2 is mainly known for its large-scale expansions that drop every year or so, Bungie actually updates its Sci-Fi shooter on a very regular basis, aiming to bring four large updates every year. These sizeable updates are referred to as Seasons, and Destiny 2's latest, the Season of the Haunted, is a pretty significant one.
Released on the 24th May, Destiny 2: Season of the Haunted brings some big changes to the game, along with a healthy supply of new content. One of the more interesting aspects of this Season is that it has brought back an iconic location from the early days of Destiny 2, but provided new story context and visuals to make everything feel fresh again. Along with the returning area, Destiny 2: Season of the Haunted is also bringing some new Exotics, a revamped Solar skill system, some new dungeons, and a few weapon balance changes for good measure.
The Leviathan Makes a Return
Both a breath of fresh air and a hit of nostalgia, the Leviathan flagship from Destiny 2's first ever raid has made an impressive return. It's been a while since players have seen the Leviathan, but in that time, Calus the dethroned Cabal emperor has been communicating with the mysterious pyramid on the moon, attempting to harness its dark power. Calus and the Leviathan have now returned, unleashing a storm of nightmares.
Players can now free-roam around the Leviathan, exploring its eerie metallic hallways and fighting off the nightmares within. In the lower decks of the Leviathan, players can participate in a public event where they're tasked with taking down as many nightmares as possible. Over the course of the Season, players will be prompted to take part in more events across the Leviathan, each one uncovering more of Calus' devious plans.
Solar Skill Trees are Getting Revamped
Destiny 2 fans have been asking for a change to the Solar subclass for quite some time, and with Destiny 2: Season of the Haunted, fans have gotten their wish. Named "Solar 3.0," this revamp sees Solar abilities go from being primarily damage reduction-based moves to healing powers and attacks that inflict the burn status effect.
While each of Destiny 2's main classes each receive unique Solar abilities, they all now have access to grenades that are capable of healing themselves and their allies. The Titan class has a brand new, devastating melee ability, which acts as an Aspect. This new ability, called "Consecration," sees the Solar Titan slide forward, spewing fire around them, launching into an uppercut, before slamming back into the ground.
The Solar Warlock has both a new melee attack and a new projectile weapon. The "Touch of Flame" aspect turns the Warlock's grenades into fire cluster bombs, while the "Incinerator Snap" gives the Warlock a powerful new melee attack. With just one snap of their fingers, the Warlock sends out a wave of fire, dealing damage to all foes in its vicinity.
On the Hunter's side, players will now be able to use "Gunpowder Gamble," which launches a cluster bomb into the air, capable of dealing some pretty big damage if the player can shoot it out of the sky in time. The Solar Hunter can also slam their knife into the ground, buffing their teammates.
New and Returning Exotics
Destiny 2: Season of the Haunted has brought five new Exotics to the game, those being two Exotic weapons and three Exotic armors. Fitting with the theme of returning characters and locations, one of Season of the Haunted's new Exotic weapons is actually an old Exotic from the first Destiny, the Trespasser.
The Trespasser has been buffed quite a bit since its debut in Destiny, and now features the Unrepentant Exotic perk, which makes every burst after a kill longer and more powerful. The secondary perk, Be The Danger, instantly reloads the weapon when a kill is achieved with this longer burst. The Trespasser is available straight away for those with the Season Pass, or can be unlocked at level 35 for those staying free-to-play.
The Heartshadow is the brand new Exotic weapon. This sword can be obtained from the Duality dungeon, and features a random roll mechanic, meaning that players can attempt to get this weapon multiple times in order to receive a different third perk. As a standard, the Heartshadow has a primary perk of Exhumation, which turns the player invisible and launches an AoE attack when fully powered heavy attacks are used. The second perk, Shot in the Dark, gives a damage boost if the player remains invisible for a long duration.
The three new Exotic armors include the Second Chance gauntlets, which give the Shield Throw ability two charges, and allows the projectile to pierce through barriers; the Rain of Fire leg armor, which causes an instant reload when the player air dodges and increases the effectiveness of fusion rifles while in the air; and Caliban's Hand gauntlets, which allows Proximity Knives to explode, causing fire damage.
A New Dungeon
Not much is known about the Duality Dungeon just yet, only that players will be able to unlock the Heartshadow Exotic weapon by completing it. The Duality Dungeon will be available on Friday May 27, but only for those who purchased the Witch Queen Deluxe Edition, or to those who bought the in-game Year 5 Dungeon Key. This key is available for 2000 Silver, which is roughly $20 at the vast majority of retailers.
Other Big Changes In Destiny 2: Season of the Haunted
There are a few other pretty significant changes coming in Destiny 2: Season of the Haunted. Some weapon types are receiving a much-needed rebalance, including the relatively new Glaive weapon, which has been given new perks and a stronger melee attack. Trace rifles have also been buffed, making them deal more damage.
Iron Banner is also getting some big changes, including a brand-new map and the return of the Rift game mode. Power levels have also been disabled for Iron Banner. Trials of Osiris' competitive mode is returning on June 10, in tow with a bunch of new loot. Solstice of Heroes is also making a comeback later on in the Season, being reworked from its previous appearances.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.