Destiny 2 is getting ready for its newest flagship expansion, Beyond Light. This one will quite literally be a game changer, so here is all the key information players should know before jumping in.
For those out of the loop, Bungie had announced that Destiny 2: Beyond Light will be delayed by seven weeks, pushing the release from September 22 to November 10. This was a conscious decision on its part to deliver the best possible experience on launch rather than patching in features and fixes post-launch. Thus, the expansion's content offering remains the same.
Europa
Beyond Light players will be greeted with a never-before-seen destination: Europa. The expansion will take place on a vast icy tundra that has as much open landscapes as it does interior spaces. Trailers have shown that players will delve into sprawling cavernous locations made by the Vex, the Fallen as well as the Clovis Bray corporation, creators of the Exo program and race.
This will be Bungie's first true attempt at an original zone after severing its ties with Activision. Shadowkeep was also produced following the split, but due to time constraints, had abundantly re-utilized old pieces of content. With Europa, Bungie will explore uncharted territory and substantially expand the universe like how the Dreaming City had done.
Beyond Light Campaign and Story
Arriving on Europa will also begin the player's journey through the campaign, while fan-favorite characters such as Eris and Drifter have returned and united with the Exo Stranger to uncover the Darkness that has infested Europa. This will directly continue the story of Season of Arrivals, which is a novel thing to do for Destiny 2.
Moreover, Beyond Light will set up a three part arc spanning three major expansions, all of which will also come with a never-before-seen location to explore. So, players should expect to see story beats ramp up as year 4 launches and anticipate that many of them will likely be resolved in the next 2-3 years.
As far as villains go, Savathun has been teased greatly this season, but Beyond Light will actually focus on Eramis, technically a returning villain but one that hasn't seen any time in the spotlight. She is a Fallen Baroness that escaped the Prison of Elders during the events of Forsaken, and now has embraced the latent dark powers on Europa. She will introduce a new Fallen faction to the game, the House of Darkness, who will be the first enemy type to utilize Stasis.
Destiny 2 Stasis
This is a brand new element type coming to Destiny. It will be present in all areas of the game which means the introduction of Stasis could be one the most significant shifts in Destiny's formula since its launch. The game has always been balanced around threes (three races, three classes, three subclasses, three elements, three guns, etc.), so it is quite exciting to see Bungie willing to shake up the recipe.
Stasis subclasses will feature wholly unique abilities, such as constructing walls, with many of them having the trait of freezing combatants in place on contact. Different enemy units from existing enemy races will adopt Stasis abilities as year 4 progresses, and this fourth element will also be featured on many Beyond Light weapons.
Destiny 2 Raid and Loot
Beyond Light's raid will take place below Europa's crust, in the Deep Stone Crypt, the long-teased birthplace of the Exo race. Fireteams will be sent down into this mysterious facility to enact "the final plan," and the expansion will, of course, also feature tons of themed loot and returning exotics such as The Stranger's Rifle and the fabled Hawkmoon.
A New Year in Destiny 2
This November will set off a new year for Destiny 2 which will feature notable changes from previous years. For example, the mass exodus of locations will be happening right away, removing Titan, Io, Mars, Mercury and the Leviathan along will all of their related activities from the live game. This will help Bungie more freely introduce locations and make managing Destiny 2 easier.
Next, old pieces of content from the Destiny Content Vault (which features everything not currently playable in Destiny 2) will gradually be added to the live game. First will be the Cosmodrome patrol zone, followed by its related strikes and later the Vault of Glass raid. This will dramatically increase the amount of content fed into the game throughout a year after the annual expansion has launched. Furthermore, new armor sets will be distributed to Strike, Crucible and Gambit activities alongside the reintroduction of seasonal pursuit weapons.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light is available on November 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.