A perceptive player has noticed something from Destiny 2's Season of Dawn that the series hasn't done since very early on in the lifetime of the first Destiny. According to the player, Season of Dawn is the first Destiny 2 season or expansion to have no recycled exotic since House of Wolves released for Destiny in 2015.
This means that every exotic revealed during Season of Dawn so far has been a completely original weapon or armor piece, with none returning from previous installments. The repeated and returning exotics were actually a point of contention for players who made the initial crossover from the first Destiny to Destiny 2.
According to a post by u/friendlyelites on Reddit, this is the first time that Destiny has not included a returning exotic in some form through one of the new expansions. Many players expected to see a return of some old favorites through the Corridors of Time, considering the name implied revisiting the past. However, that has surprisingly not been the case, with only original designs cropping up throughout the events and quests that launched with Season of Dawn.
The reason for this may have more to do with how Bungie has changed its strategy for updating weapon drops and light levels, than whether or not there has been a conscious decision to be more or less creative. After the House of Wolves expansion, light levels have been transferable from weapon to weapon in one way or another, meaning that any gun available from the beginning of Destiny 2 to now is able to be upgraded as players grow. As a result, fewer exotics have to be reintroduced repeatedly the way they were back in Taken King and Rise of Iron.
As a result of these changes, the Destiny series has been evolving over the last five years, leading to the recent success of Season of Dawn. With any luck, Season of Dawn will be the start of a new trend for the remainder of Destiny 2's lifespan, with original concepts and designs dominating every new quest and expansion, as opposed to falling back on previous successes. The Destiny series has always been at its best when it has been exploring new avenues and introducing players to fresh ideas.
That being said, there are still more exotics that some players have been hoping to see a return to Destiny 2 since the game launched. Warlocks for one have been waiting for ages for the Nothing Manacles to return.
Destiny 2 is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
Source: Reddit