Everything Revealed During Destiny 2 2023 Showcase
Bungie held their annual Destiny 2 showcase, which revealed the latest season, the reprised raid, plus first details The Final Shape and their post Light and Dark saga plans.
As expected today marks the start of Season of the Witch. It involves are first steps on reviving Savathûn, along with a couple new activities to explore. While this will be an exciting season to explore, the first big moment takes place on Sept. 1 when Crota’s End returns.
Bungie revealed very little about the revised raid besides confirming Necrocasm will return and the usual two clears (normal/challenge) are required to earn the emblem. We previously reported rumors suggested this raid will return, one of of them touching on mechanics. This does not confirm that rumor is accurate, just more likely now that the raid is actually Crota’s End.
While this covers the big reveals that we can expect in the coming weeks, you can find Bungie’s detailed explanation of future events and the aforementioned details below.
BECOME LEGEND
The Final Shape has been revealed and the Witness’s plans have almost been brought to fruition. This is the hardest challenge you have faced yet, but you won’t be alone. Ikora Rey, Commander Zavala, and even a mysteriously returned Cayde-6 will be at your side, ready to walk a path of remembrance and discovery through The Pale Heart of the Traveler itself.
The main story of The Final Shape will be told throughout the course of its campaign, which you will be able to complete with increased difficulty and rewards in the Legendary campaign. Players will explore the familiar yet unsettling panoramas of The Pale Heart, the first linear destination in Destiny 2.
When the campaign has been completed, there’s plenty more coming. In the new raid, Guardians will confront the Witness head on and try to break its hold on The Pale Heart. But even that might not be enough… the culmination of the Light and Darkness Saga is upon us, and all Guardians must answer the call if we want to overcome The Final Shape and the Witness once and for all.
The time has come, Guardians. Rally the Vanguard, raise your Light, wield your Darkness, and become legend.
The Showcase gave everyone a look at a long list of features coming to Destiny 2 in the next year. Many have been long requested by the community, and we are excited to finally get them in the players’ hands. Here is a quick recap of what is coming down the pipe.
THE PALE HEART OF THE TRAVELER
A realm of infinite possibilities awaits within the Traveler, The Pale Heart is born both from the power of Light and the memories of the Darkness. It’s the place the Witness has been trying to reach for so long, and now that it has arrived, it’s where The Final Shape will be conceived. Unless we stop such machinations, the universe will become a single moment, frozen in time forever.
It’s hard to define exactly what The Pale Heart is, but it’s a world has been created by the Traveler’s consciousness, one that has been influenced both by the presence of the Witness and the Guardians. It’s a realm of infinite possibilities made reality by the experiences and desires of those inside of it.
Exploring The Pale Heart through The Final Shape campaign will feel like a more focused experience than ever and will have a clear path for players to follow. It’s the first linear destination in Destiny’s history and will feel both familiar and unsettling. It will evolve along with your actions, and the enemies plaguing it will escalate their aggression the more you advance on your mission to stop The Final Shape from coming to fruition.
But the campaign is only one part of The Pale Heart. Once completed, the destination will open up, and new secrets and activities will be available. Players will be able to explore it thoroughly then, causing a reaction that will a change the world surrounding them.
Guardians will have three new Super abilities at their disposal when the new expansion arrives, as well as three new Aspects. Warlocks will become the ultimate expression of Solar power. They will be able to obliterate waves of enemies with Song of Flame, a new Super that overcharges their abilities while buffing their allies with Scorch for their Solar weapons. And let’s not forget about the new Aspect that creates a Solar Soul when using a class ability. It can set entire armies ablaze from a distance.
Titans will have Twilight Arsenal, a ranged one-off Void Super with three very potent functionalities. First, you throw three consecutive huge Void axes to disintegrate enemies on hit. Second, once those axes plunge into the ground, they will start pulling enemies to keep damaging them. Third, you and your allies can wield the axes in battle to finish whoever dares cross your path. Titans will also have a new Void Aspect that lets them consume their grenade to create a moving shield that not only protects them and their fireteam, but that also absorbs enemy attacks. The stored energy can then be released into a massive area-of-effect attack that won’t leave a single combatant standing.
And finally, Hunters will have a new Arc Super called Storm’s Edge. Arc energy is all about movement, so it seems natural that Hunters can summon an electrified dagger that teleports them on impact and allows them to perform a powerful whirling strike for massive damage. It can even be executed two additional times. There’s also the new Arc Aspect that allows Hunters to consume their class ability while airborne, propel themselves into the air, Jolt and damage enemies that are below, and Amplify themselves and nearby allies—all with just a single move. And yes, you can pair it with Tempest Strike for an amazing Arc-based combo.
THE SUBJUGATORS
Guardians will face great challenges in their mission to stop The Final Shape. Content with Rhulk’s prowess (even if his ego led him to defeat at the hands of Guardians), the Witness has started the mass production of two totally new units with even more versatility. They are called the Subjugators.
The first type of Subjugator is a master of Stasis. These deft casters use their powers to slow, freeze, and shatter, forcing their enemies out of the cover and making them vulnerable. The other type is even rarer. It’s the first enemy that will use Strand against you. Using proximity mines, this Subjugator can suspend foes and launch projectiles that sever adversaries before dissolving them into oblivion.
If Lucent Hive and Tormentors made you shiver, prepare for the aggression and area denial abilities of Subjugators.
RENEWED ARSENAL
New Exotics, new Legendaries, new subfamilies, new perks—there are tons of weapons awaiting you in The Final Shape. Tessellation will be the first of them at your disposal. You can equip right now by preordering The Final Shape + Annual Pass (more on that below).
This Exotic Fusion Rifle feeds on the subclass element of the player to change the damage input, something that allows an all Strand or all Stasis weapon build for the very first time. But that’s not all: It can also consume your grenade to load a single, high-damage projectile that creates a huge elemental explosion on impact.
Tessellation is just a taste of what’s coming. There’s also a new Auto Rifle that heals the allies you shoot; a Special ammo Sidearm that shoots small homing rockets; and even some returning classics, like the very hot Dragon’s Breath Exotic Rocket Launcher, the customizable Khvostov Exotic Auto Rifle, and the heavy-metal-looking Red Death.
ENTER THE EPISODES
Episodes are a big shake-up to the actual content delivery for Destiny 2. Instead of four Seasons, next year you will get three larger, content-packed Episodes named Echoes, Revenant, and Heresy.
The three first Episodes will be focused on the consequences and the aftermath of The Final Shape. One of the narrative goals is to tell standalone stories that are easy to follow even if you haven’t played previous content. Episodes will also deliver more frequent story beats, compared to Seasons, so players can expect to experience new bursts of storytelling told through Acts.
Each Episode will be split into three Acts. Each Act will launch around every six weeks with new story elements, new quests, new rewards to earn, and more. The first Act of an Episode will feel packed with a big offering of new stuff to do and chase, and the second and third Acts will expand the Episode experience with more activities, story, and rewards, along with new additions to rank rewards such as Exotic ships.
On top of the new story planned for each Episode, each one will have a new Exotic weapon and a new Exotic Mission, as well as new Legendary weapons, additional Artifact perks, and 200 Pass ranks split across the three Acts. The first 100 ranks and their rewards will be available during the initial Act of each Episode, and the second and third Acts will each have 50 more ranks. It’s a similar idea for the Artifacts perks: the first Act will have 25 available and establish a particular meta, then the two following Acts will unlock another five perks each, to make your existing builds grow even further.
The three Episodes launching in 2024 are included in The Final Shape + Annual Pass, while the Standard Edition includes the active Episode at the time of purchase. Each Episode will be available separately in the in-game store for 1,500.
BRINGING PLAYERS CLOSER
BREAKING BARRIERS
We want every Guardian to be able to experience the entirety of the Light and Darkness Saga. With that in mind, we have implemented several changes to how activities take your Power level into consideration. While many activities will still scale with player Power, the campaigns and free roaming destinations will no longer ask you to level up to experience them as they are intended. This way, the story of The Final Shape and Destiny 2’s other expansions will always feel fair and exciting, no matter your Power level.
FIRETEAM POWER
To ensure you can always play with your friends, most activities that use Power will also include a new “Fireteam Power” feature. Let’s say you want to play a Nightfall, but your friends’ Power levels are low enough that they would have a difficult time. No problem, because, once they join your fireteam, the member with the highest Power Level will boost the rest of the team close to their level for as long as you are all together. This way, no one will be left behind, even on the most demanding pursuits!
TIMELINE REFLECTIONS
One of the several quality-of-life improvements that Season of the Witch brings is Timeline Reflections. These short playable missions can be accessed through the Timeline menu in the Director. They are openly available to all players and serve as brief narrative introductions to the world of Destiny 2. New Lights can play them to catch up on the ongoing narrative; veterans can relive and enjoy pivotal moments from the past; and everyone will get special end-of-mission rewards.
FIRETEAM FINDER (COMING IN SEASON 23)
When Season 23 launches in November, we’re also rolling out a new in-game tool to help players find fellow Guardians and assemble their collective might. Just choose the activity you are aiming to complete and pick between a few different tags, so players interested in joining your fireteam so you can understand your objectives a bit better. Are you a new player or a veteran? Do you have the afternoon free or only a little time? Just looking for a checkpoint? There’s a tag for almost everything.
LONG LIVE THE WITCH!
The Witness is still out of our reach. The only clue that could’ve helped us continue pursuing it was held by none other than Savathûn, the Witch Queen herself, but Guardians defeated her a year ago after she gained the power of the Light. However, her Ghost, Immaru, claims that Savathûn foresaw her own death and prepared a fiendish bargain: Immaru can resurrect her and she’ll share the secrets she holds, but only if we defeat her sister Xivu Arath first.
Can we trust the god of cunning and lies? How will we defeat a god of war that gets stronger the more we fight her? To find out the answers, you’ll have to harness arcane Hive magic, and help Eris Morn grow her power.
A key element of Season of the Witch is the Deck of Whispers, a new method of player progression that allows Guardians to customize their loadouts and powers in new ways. Completing Seasonal activities will reward cards that players can then use to build their own deck full of buffs and perks for certain activities. So, choose wisely and carefully strategize with your fireteam to maximize your combined battle effectiveness.
And speaking of maximizing battle efficiency, the new Exotic Grenade Launcher, Ex Diris, will be available as a Season Pass reward. Don’t you hate it when Hive Knights make your life hard with those big, badass Arc Boomers? Well, now you can use one yourself and even unleash some of those pesky Arc moths on kills to return the favor.
Ex Diris is the perfect weapon for both Seasonal activities. The first one, Savathûn’s Spire, is where Guardians will work together to complete magical objectives to earn passage into the second activity, Altars of Summoning. This cesspool holds several arenas of different horrors that need to be conquered and to harvest their power for Eris Morn.
Aside from the Seasonal Content, Season of the Witch also brings two new game modes to The Crucible (Checkmate and Relic) as well as a brand-new map, based on the Vex Network. And let’s not forget the Exotic Mission Rotator that will allow players to go back and play Presage, Vox Obscura, and Operation: Seraph Shield to claim the craftable versions of Dead Man’s Tale, Dead Messenger, and Revision Zero.
The banished Hive Prince Crota is back. Season of the Witch reprises another legendary raid from Destiny’s past, Crota’s End, included with the very first expansion of the original Destiny back in 2014. Players will have the opportunity to explore the most dangerous corners of the Hellmouth on the Moon to confront the Hive Prince. Just don’t get too confident because you played it back then. Oryx’s son is still very much a force to be reckoned with, and there are new twists and changes you might not expect.https://www.youtube.com/embed/WtrlgWDwnRs
The World First race kicks off at 10 AM PT on September 1. The rules are similar to the Vault of Glass and King’s Fall World First races: players must beat the whole raid once in Contest Mode, and then do it once more while completing challenges in each of its encounters.
The first team to complete such a test of strategy, endurance, and adaptability will earn the World First title and be rewarded with a unique belt. All other teams that complete the race in the first 48 hours will be rewarded with a unique emblem for their impressive feat.
Guardians who haven’t explored The Witch Queen expansion yet will have an unmissable opportunity: you can experience it all at no additional charge during the upcoming Witch Queen Trial Weekend, from August 24 to 27.
Journey deep into Savathûn’s Throne World, fight the Light-wielding Lucent Hive, play the campaign’s Legendary difficulty (if you dare) for a new level of challenge and extra rewards, and of course, earn tons of amazing gear.
And if you like what you see, The Witch Queen expansion will be on sale from August 22 through September 5. It’s also already available at no extra cost for PlayStation Plus Extra and PlayStation Plus Premium members.
THE FINAL SHAPE FAQ
Do you need some help picking the right edition of The Final Shape? Check this quick guide to be certain which one is perfect for you. For the full list of features included in each package you can also check out this page.
I play everything Destiny has to offer, what should I get?
The Final Shape + Annual Pass includes all the following items:
All The Final Shape base content.
All three Episodes planned for 2024: Echoes, Revenant, and Heresy.
The Final Shape Dungeon Key that grants access to the two 2024 dungeons.
The ability to instant unlock these goodies:
Tessellation Exotic Fusion Rifle
Exotic Emote
Exotic Ghost
Expansion Emblem
A premium Exotic bundle with the Exotic Catalyst and Exotic Ornament for Tessellation as well as an Exotic Sparrow.
A Secret Stash bundle with in-game resources to be delivered at the start of each Episode.
A replica model of the original Tower from Destiny, featuring LED lights and sounds.
Vanguard mentor figurines.
Vanguard mission dossier and patch.
Autograph book.
Code for a Collector’s Edition exclusive emblem.
Digital version of Destiny 2: The Final Shape Original Soundtrack.
And some hidden clues you’ll have to find yourselves.
I already have a game code. Can I get the Collector’s Edition goodies separately?
No problem, you can grab the Destiny 2: The Final Shape Collector’s Edition without a game code.
I just want The Final Shape.
You can buy Destiny 2: The Final Shape Standard Edition, which includes The Final Shape’s base content and the first Episode (Echoes) with its three Acts. If you preorder it, you can also instantly unlock a new Exotic Ghost and a Legendary emblem. You can later decide if you want to upgrade to the Annual Pass, buy each Episode as they come, or purchase the Dungeon Key separately.
Can I upgrade to The Final Shape + Annual Pass Edition later?
You can get the Annual Pass Upgrade that unlocks all the contents of the Annual Pass Edition listed above.
If I purchase the Standard Edition of The Final Shape, how can I access the new dungeons?
You can acquire The Final Shape Dungeon Key in the in-game store to access them when they launch in 2024.
GENERAL FAQ
Do I have to buy Season of the Witch to play the Crota’s End raid?
The reprised Crota’s End raid is available for all players at no additional cost.
Is PlayStation Plus required to play online during The Witch Queen Trial Weekend?
Nope.
What happens to the gear and weapons I earn during The Witch Queen Trial Weekend?
All the gear you earn will be yours to keep when the trial weekend is over.