Bungie has confirmed it: You don't need to gear up for a new Destiny game. Instead, the developer is going to continue to support Destiny 2 into the foreseeable future, meaning that most of the things you've acquired, from premium cosmetics to hard-to-earn weaponry, will stay with you in Destiny for years to come. But although we won't be seeing Destiny reset with a new game the way it did with Destiny 2, it is about to get a substantial shakeup. The next big expansion for Destiny 2 is Beyond Light, and it's going to create some major changes when it arrives.
Beyond Light will majorly alter Destiny 2 as we know it. It marks the return of some big pieces of Destiny 1 content, including the Vault of Glass raid--but several locations and pieces of content that have been part of Destiny 2 since its release are being removed. Beyond Light will also change the onboarding experience for new players and is bringing the game to the next generation of game consoles.
We've run down all the details that are available about Beyond Light so far so you can see exactly what's ahead for the next chapter of Destiny 2.
There are several different versions of Beyond Light you can get by preordering the expansion. The standard edition will run you $40 and just includes the game (the Destiny 2 base game, which is now known as New Light, is free-to-play, it's worth noting).
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The new Destiny 2 expansion with access to Season 12 is $50
You can get the expansion and a season pass, which gets you access to more content and allows you to earn rewards more quickly, for $50. That preorder also comes with a few extra in-game goodies, including a Ghost shell and the Stranger's Weapon Pack, which comes with the No Time to Explain Exotic Pulse Rifle and its Exotic catalyst.
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Destiny 2: Beyond Light Digital Deluxe edition is available for $70
There are also some more involved versions of the expansion that offer more rewards. The Digital Deluxe edition will run you $70 and includes the expansion, the season pass, Beyond Light's soundtrack, an emote, a Ghost shell, an emblem, and a sparrow.
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Destiny 2: Beyond Light Stranger edition comes with a figurine depicting the StrangerThe Stranger edition gets you everything in the Digital Deluxe edition, plus a 10-inch physical statue of the Exo Stranger character for $130.
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The final, most involved version is the Collector's edition, which comes with the Digital Deluxe edition, a die-cast Splinter of Darkness replica that lights up, a Europa-themed messenger bag and canteen, something called a "mysterious logbook" (which likely contains extra story content, and "other discoveries from Europa"). That version costs $200, but is currently sold out.
The good news is that, if you buy Beyond Light for PS4 or Xbox One, you'll automatically be upgraded to the next-gen version of the expansion when it's released (within that console family--buying Beyond Light on PS4 gets you the PS5 version for free, but not the Xbox Series X version, for instance). So you can comfortably buy or preorder Beyond Light for whatever platform you're currently playing on, knowing that when your new console comes, you'll be able to jump right to it. Destiny 2 now has cross-save support, so the characters you're already playing will come with you to the new platform with no issues.
Expect the next-gen console versions of Destiny 2 to sport 4K resolutions and run at 60 FPS. That's in contrast to the current console versions, which are capped at 30 FPS--if you want it to go higher, you have to play on PC. The next-gen versions also will all include a field-of-view slider, which also was previously only in the PC version.
When the next generation of game consoles launches in November, Destiny 2 will include cross-generation cross-play, which seems to be part-and-parcel with the free upgrade from current-gen to next-gen consoles. Essentially, that means if you're playing the Xbox Series X/S version of Destiny 2, you'll be able to play with your Xbox One friends; if you're playing on PS5, you can play with your PS4 friends. So there's not cross-play between Xbox One and PS5, or between the two consoles and PC or Stadia. Within the same console family, though, you won't lose friends if you choose to upgrade (or choose not to).
What we do know so far is that Beyond Light's story takes place on Europa, a frozen moon of Jupiter. That adds a new planetary destination and a large new area to the game. The icy wastes of Europa also have dynamic weather, a new addition to Destiny 2. While you're there, you'll have to contend with enemies as well as blinding snowstorms that should alter your encounters, at least somewhat.
We don't know everything that comes with Europa and the missions we'll find there, but we do know the expansion has an all-new Europa raid: Deep Stone Crypt. This is a location that's been discussed in Destiny lore for a while now, and players will venture inside when it becomes available on November 21, the second weekend after Beyond Light's release.
Also coming to Destiny 2 in Beyond Light is the Cosmodrome, an Earth destination that was part of Destiny 1. We've spent only brief stints in the area for story missions since the release of Destiny 2--the area was replaced by the European Dead Zone in the sequel--but Guardians will visit a spiffed-up version of the Cosmodrome area in Beyond Light. The Cosmodrome will get some heavy use in a new slate of missions meant to introduce new players to Destiny 2.
At some point, Beyond Light will also add the Vault of Glass raid, which is being revived from Destiny 1. Vault of Glass will be tweaked to refresh it for Destiny 2, but we're not exactly sure what will be changed yet.
Beyond Light is also adding a new power for players to utilize, called Stasis. More on that below.
With Beyond Light, the onboarding experience is expanded pretty significantly. Players will spend a lot more time in the Cosmodrome, where they'll meet a new Guardian NPC named Shaw Han. Hanging out with Shaw will teach players the ropes--everything from combat to how activities work, how to deal with bounties, what vendors offer, and more. Once they finish that experience, they can then head to the Tower, where they will hopefully have a better understanding of how the entire game works and will have a solid idea of what to do next.
Veterans can experience the new starting story in Beyond Light, too. You won't have to delete a character to access the new starter missions--Bungie says you'll be able to access them even if you've been playing for years.
With Stasis powers come three new subclasses. Hunters get the Revenant subclass; Titans can access the Behemoth subclass; and Warlocks gain the Shadebinder subclass. The Stasis subclasses can also be augmented with a new system that sounds a bit like armor and weapon mods, but for special abilities and Supers, utilizing new items called Aspects and Fragments.
Aspects are class-specific physical items that can be slotted into your inventory, unlocking new abilities that can be mixed and matched. Fragments, which aren't locked to specific classes, can be added to these Aspects and offer passive perks at the cost of a stat penalty. In general, the system will give you the opportunity to customize your Stasis classes a little more than the current set of subclasses, and might suggest the direction Bungie intends to take Guardian character customization in the future.
Check out the trailer showing off the subclasses below. You can also read more specifics about each on Bungie's website.
How that works out in practice is yet to be seen, but a number of things are going into the DCV starting with Beyond Light. These include three planetary destinations--Io, Titan, and Mercury--and the Leviathan area, plus all their related content. We're also seeing some streamlining of Strikes, Crucible maps, and the two current Gambit modes. Gambit is getting reworked to incorporate some ideas of Gambit Prime, like the longer single round rather than a best-of-three system, but going forward, there will only be one Gambit mode. The Gambit Prime armor mechanics, where you use a certain armor set to get bonuses in the mode, are getting retired. The Reckoning activity that goes with Gambit Prime is also going into the DCV.
Here's the full list of everything leaving Destiny 2 with Beyond Light:
SturmMIDA Multi-toolRat KingLegend of AcriusSleeper SimulantPolaris LanceWorldline ZeroAce of SpadesThe Last WordLe MonarqueJotunnIzanagi's BurdenThornLuminaTruthBad Juju
Bad JujuThe HuckleberryIzanagi's BurdenLegend of AcriusPolaris LanceSkyburner's OathSleeper SimulantTelestoOutbreak PerfectedWhisper of the WormWorldline Zero
To alleviate that issue, Bungie has introduced a Power limit on guns, which has the effect of putting a lifespan on all the weapons in the game. Right now, all weapons and armor have a Power level, and the average Power of all your equipment determines your character's overall strength. Guns and armor have a certain Power level when you obtain them, but you can increase it by cannibalizing other items you don't want with a higher Power level through a process called Infusion. So up to now, even if you earned a gun back in Destiny 2's first year, you could still be using it today by continually infusing it to make it stronger--even though the Power level caps have been raised significantly since then.
Beyond Light changes that. Now, most guns will have a maximum Power level, which will usually be whatever Bungie intends for the Power cap to be one year from the season you earn the gun. Old weapons, like the pinnacle guns The Recluse and The Mountaintop, are hitting their maximum Power levels right now, in the Season of Arrivals. That means in Beyond Light, you're going to be finding guns that will be up to the new Power level cap of 1230, but your Recluse will be stuck forever at 1060. And that means the gun will be underpowered for new content.
It's worth noting that even though a gun will be underpowered for new content, it'll still be viable in some situations, like in the Crucible, where Power levels don't matter. In activities such as the Trials of Osiris and the Iron Banner, however, those underpowered guns are going to be pretty worthless. A lot of old favorites are being sunsetted--basically anything from before the last few seasons will be pretty much useless in the new expansion's PvE content. "Gunsetting" is a contentious issue for the Destiny 2 community, and a lot of players are not happy about it, particularly if they spent hours and hours trying to earn top-tier weapons like Recluse, Mountaintop, Luna's Howl, and others.
First, we have to talk about what's been happening this year in the world of Destiny. In the Shadowkeep expansion, players discovered a Pyramid ship hidden on the Moon. These are the ships controlled by the entities we know only as the Darkness, who were responsible for the Collapse. That's the apocalypse that happened in the distant past of Destiny, transforming humanity's solar system-spanning Golden Age into a new dark age of death and suffering. The Darkness hates the Traveler, the big robot god that hovers over the Last City and gives Destiny players, the Guardians, their cool powers. Much more than that, we don't really know.
At the end of the Destiny 2 vanilla campaign, players saved and awoke the Traveler after it had been dormant for centuries. That let out a wave of Light energy, the Traveler's power, that seems to have also reawakened the Darkness. A scene during the ending of the Destiny 2 story campaign showed the Pyramid ships outside the solar system, heading back toward Earth. In Destiny 2's most recent season, the Season of Arrivals, the Darkness finally showed up.
This whole season has been a strange conflict between the Darkness and Savathun, the trickster queen of the death-worshipping aliens known as the Hive. When the Darkness arrived, it sent a message to Guardians, and we spent the season trying to decrypt it--while also accepting "gifts" from the Darkness in the form of powerful new weapons. The Hive seem actively opposed to the Darkness despite a long history serving its power, and Savathun has been trying to prevent us from learning what the Darkness has to say.
When we finally got the message from the Darkness at the end of the Season of Arrivals, it told us to investigate Europa for some hidden power there. To find that message, we've been working with Eris Morn, an expert in the Hive, and The Drifter, a former Guardian who seems to have gotten closer to the Darkness than anyone else. The announcement trailer for Beyond Light sees both of them heading to Europa to find out what the Darkness wants us to see there. They're also joined by the Exo Stranger, a character from the Destiny 1 vanilla campaign, about whom we know almost nothing (but who directed us to fight the Vex in the Black Garden and destroy its Heart, which was seemingly a big floating mass of Darkness).
It's also worth noting that the Darkness seems like it's trying to seduce Guardians to its side, and we don't know its full agenda. Instead of coming back to Earth and waging war on the Traveler, the Pyramid ships have been relatively nice and welcoming, even offering weapons--but it all feels like a trick to pull players to the evil side. Eris and the Drifter have been cautiously trying to figure out what the Darkness's endgame is, and that answer seems to lie on Europa. The inclusion of new Stasis powers, however, suggests that maybe the Darkness could be successful in coaxing some Guardians to its side.
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Destiny 2: Beyond Light – Official Expansion Reveal Trailer
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Destiny 2: Beyond Light – Official Expansion Gameplay Trailer
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Now, a Fallen Kell called Eramis has discovered the power of Stasis on Europa and means to use it to fight Guardians and get to the Traveler. That's got Variks worried, since the dark power is apparently doing more harm than good for the Fallen. Check out the trailer below.
We also got a new story breakdown from Bungie that details the characters in play on Europa. It gives some background on the villains you're facing: Eramis, the Kell of House Salvation, who has discovered the power of Stasis.
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"The deadly Kell of Darkness seeks to restore the glory of her people," Bungie's description of Eramis reads. "To exact revenge on the Traveler for abandoning them. To forge Eliksni culture anew, free from the weight of its past. Now imbued with the power of Stasis, she has found the ultimate tool to achieve her aims."
We also learned a bit about the other enemies we'll be facing under Eramis:
"Eramis's lieutenants -- Atraks, Kridis, Phylaks, Praksis. The highest-ranking and most trusted subjects of the Fallen Kell of Darkness. Skilled Stasis wielders, they are as lethal as they are loyal; potent foes who will stop at nothing to advance Eramis's cause."
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As usual, a big part of Destiny 2 is the loot. Beyond Light adds a lot of new gear, with the coolest additions being new Exotics Bungie has detailed ahead of the expansion's release. There are a few new guns with interesting capabilities, augmented by armor pieces that can give you new abilities. Here's everything Bungie has detailed:
A throwback to Destiny 1, No Time To Explain is a pulse rifle used by the Exo Stranger. It's not the same gun that players might be familiar with, though. It now refunds ammo when you land precision hits on regular enemies and when you shoot enemies affected by Stasis. Land precision hits on enemies with Stasis and a portal opens to send bullets at your foes from another timeline, increasing your damage.
Cloudstrike is an Exotic similar to the Trinity Ghoul bow or Thunderlord machine gun. Landing precision hits causes your enemy to get hit with a lightning strike, while rapid precision hits will trigger a lightning storm on the enemy.
A technologically advanced sword, The Lament charges up power when you activate your sword block ability. When it's revved up, the sword can decimate enemy energy shields. At its full charge, doing damage with the sword also heals the user.
Salvation's Grip is a grenade launcher that fires Stasis crystals, freezing opponents in its blast radius. You can charge the gun up to fire more crystals and increase the radius.
Titans replace their Barrier abilities with an Overshield when wearing Icefall Mantle, allowing them to absorb more incoming damage.
You get a boost when teammates revive you thanks to Precious Scars, which gives you an Overshield aura when you come back to life that protects both you and your nearby allies.
Your Dodge ability changes while wearing the Mask of Bakris, becoming a Shift ability that covers more ground and temporarily cloaks you when you use it.
With Athrys's Embrace, you get a powered-up Weighted Throwing Knife. The knife can ricochet off surfaces twice, and landing rapid precision hits with it increases its damage and can stagger enemies.
Dawn Chorus increases the power of your Daybreak Super projectiles, while also setting enemies on fire for even more pain. You also gain back melee energy whenever the burn deals damage to an enemy.
Your melee ability also corrupts enemies when you hit them wearing Necrotic Grip, causing them to take damage over time. Kill a corrupted enemy, and the corruption will spread to nearby enemies while granting you melee energy.