Concept artists for game developer Bungie release pieces of their work for Destiny's Rise of Iron expansion and the results are nothing short of stunning.

Now that Bungie officially announced Destiny's Rise of Iron expansion via a reveal trailer, fans of the wildly popular science fiction shooter are undoubtedly excited at the prospect of finally getting to the bottom of the Iron Lords' story. However, since Guardians are going to have to wait until this fall to jump into the add-on's action, some of the concept artists for Rise of Iron went ahead and posted several stills of artwork that they have been working on for players to admire.

All of the art was shared online by Bungie's Senior Artist David Stammel, Character Artist Allan Lee, Artist Chelsea Velazquez, and 3D Artist Sóstenes Reis. Not only does the Destiny artists' work reflect the wonderfully meticulous craftsmanship that has been present in the weapons, environments, and gear from the very beginning, but the pieces also reveal how richly the title's style has evolved since its origins.

As seen in the gallery below, fans can get a glimpse of some conceptual Titan and Warlock armor done by Allen Lee, some Iron Lord axes put together by David Stammel, and an Iron Lord sigil poster crafted by Chelsea Velazquez. While each of the aforementioned pieces is certainly marvelous, perhaps the most impressive is Sóstenes Reis' interactive 3D Rise of Iron crest found right underneath this paragraph.

[HTML1]

At this point in time, there's no telling as to whether or not any of the above pieces of concept art will find their way into Destiny's Rise of Iron expansion in some capacity or get left on the cutting room floor. Nevertheless, it's safe to assume that most fans of the action-MMO wouldn't complain if they found themselves wielding one of those impressive-looking Iron Lord axes, or were able to sport that bright cherry red Titan armor during the expansion's Gjallarhorn quest.

Whatever the case may be regarding the fate of the concept artists' gear, we at least know for sure that fans won't see any of it at all on last-gen systems. As it happens, Rise of Iron is not going to be obtainable on PS3 and Xbox 360. Unfortunately, the only way for Destiny players to get the forthcoming expansion is to upgrade their hardware.

However, should Bungie's history of yearly updates be any indication of what's to come, it's possible that fans on older consoles won't be completely left out, as there could be a large Year 3 update that alters the game's systems before Rise of Iron drops. Of course, this isn't a guarantee, so we will have to wait until E3 2016 for more details on the matter, as Bungie is expected to show off more of Destiny: Rise of Iron.

What do you think about the concept art for Destiny's Rise of Iron expansion? Which piece is your favorite? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Destiny's next expansion, Rise of Iron, is set to release on September 20, 2016 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

Source: ArtStation