Only two weeks remain before Destiny 2: Shadowkeep finally releases and gets the game's third year underway. Anticipation is high, and to raise it even higher, Bungie released a new video documentary teasing all of the new content that’s about to drop.
The ten-minute "ViDoc" touches upon much of what Bungie has already teased regarding Shadowkeep in recent months, like the changes being made to Destiny 2's weapon mods, but it also opens up a little more on how the studio is approaching seasonal storytelling going into the expansion. Whereas Destiny 2 up until now has mostly continued its narrative through more self-contained tales, Shadowkeep will mark the start of a new storyline that will expand beyond a single season.
Without going into too many details, Bungie teased that players will discover something on the moon that’s "really important to where Destiny is going." This important thing will involve them confronting ghost-like "nightmares" that are "manifestations of trauma of Guardians who come back to the moon."
Players will initially pursue this plotline in tandem with Season 8 of Destiny 2, Season of the Undying, and the invasion by the time-traveling Vex at its heart. Although there will be some plot resolution to be found before the Season wraps up, that will just mark the beginning of a year-long story that won't see a complete conclusion until Season 11.
How this story will unfold, Bungie wouldn’t say, but there might be some hints hidden in the ViDoc. In one shot director Luke Smith and production director Justin Truman can be seen filling out a grid on whiteboard with information on Destiny 2's upcoming Seasons. According to that, it appears "Season of the Dawn" will be the one following Season of the Undying and will have players seeking to "fix the timeline." Whether that means simply defeating the Vex or some other time-related objective like ending the Dreaming City's curse remains to be seen.
Despite this new approach to storytelling, the roadmap for the game in Year 3 remains largely the same as before, with a new expansion in the fall followed by four seasons of content. After that, the cycle will start again in Year 4 with Season 12 and beyond. Still, Bungie is definitely getting more ambitious with Destiny 2, and with luck that will result in a deeper and more engaging experience for players.
Destiny 2: Shadowkeep launches on October 1 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. A Google Stadia version of Destiny 2 is also in the works.