A new story trailer for Destiny 2's next expansion The Witch Queen has gone live, finally revealing the next big threat, Savathun, and when the next big chapter in Bungie's space sandbox will launch. Some of these details were leaked a few hours ahead of Destiny 2's Witch Queen showcase event today, confirming a February 22, 2022 release date. That's 2/22/22 on a Twosday Tuesday, so the math all adds up.

　　Having already defeated Oryx the Taken King and foiled the plans of the Hive war god Xivu Arath, Destiny's next big villain is a more cunning and devious threat who is stepping out of the shadows and into the spotlight after successfully stealing the Traveler's Light.

　　

Savathun Revealed

With references dating back to the start of Destiny in 2014, Savathun's threat will unfold in what Bungie is calling the definitive Destiny campaign, and will introduce a new destination to explore. Savathun herself appears to have tapped into and stolen the power of the Light, as the trailer shows off an army of Hive Guardians who each have their own Ghosts to revive them after they have fallen. These Ghosts can apparently be destroyed physically, so this might be a callback to the Hive necromancer Nokris who used forbidden magics to resurrect warriors during the Mars campaign.

　　Savathun's throne world is described as a twisted wonderland of corruption and splendor that reflects her character and includes a deadly swamp and her palatial estate. Beyond that, The Witch Queen will introduce new crafting systems and the new Glaive-type weapon class that can be used for melee combos, projectile attacks, and a deployable energy shield.

　　

The Campaign Gets Tougher With Legendary Mode

Bungie calls this new difficulty setting an "aspirational" mode, where respawning is heavily restricted, every boss hits harder, and scalable difficulty based on how many people you bring with you. Designed to be brutally difficult, Bungie says the rewards will be worth the effort.

　　

The Glaive is A First-person Melee Weapon

Bungie explained that the Glaive is its first first-person melee combat weapon and will be forged using the new weapon crafting system. You'll be able to craft not only the Glaive, but seasonal and raid weapons as well

　　

Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack Adds New Armor Sets And Cosmetics

For its 30th anniversary, Bungie is celebrating the occasion with a free Destiny 2 pack that includes a new pirate-themed dungeon, a Thorn-inspired armor set, Bungie-themed ornaments and cosmetic sets, the claymore sword from Myth, and more.

　　

Gjallarhorn Is Coming Back

Destiny's legendary Exotic rocket launcher has been absent throughout the Destiny 2 era, but Gjallarhorn is finally coming back. Bungie didn't reveal too many details on how Guardians will claim it, but the Destiny 2 version of the fabled rocket launcher looks as resplendent as ever.

　　

The Light And Darkness Saga Will End, But Destiny 2 Will Still Continue

Bungie's Destiny saga is closer to the finish line than ever before, as the ten-year plan for the series will see the current war between the Light and the Darkness finally conclude.

　　Building up to that moment, Bungie added that it plans to reach a transformative point in Destiny 2's future after the Lightfall expansion, called The Final Shape. Season of the Lost will lay the groundwork for this content, acting as a prologue to The Witch Queen and the stories that lie beyond Savathun's campaign.

　　

Light Subclass Updates

Every season in Year Five of Destiny 2 will bring a new update to the Light subclasses, as the Aspects and Fragments system from the Stasis subclass will be applied to the more classic set of Guardian powers.

　　Void-type subclasses will be the first to benefit from this system once The Witch Queen expansion begins.

　　

Trials Of Osiris Returning On September 10

With the soft-launch of the anti-cheat system of Battle-Eye, Trials of Osiris is ready to give PvP players the ultimate challenge once again from September 10. Bungie says that there'll be solo queuing in Trials or you can match-make with friends, as well as a new rewards structure that focuses on winning rounds and completing matches instead of just winning rounds. Being flawless, is still recommended.

　　

The Collector's Edition Includes A Replica Hive Ghost

The expansion will be available in both regular and deluxe editions, with the latter giving players access to Seasons 16-19, two new dungeons to explore, and several other in-game items. For fans wanting to get their hands on a version that offers a physical extra, the Collector's Edition will offer a replica of the Hive Ghost shell that you can display on your shelf.

　　Like previous Destiny 2 expansions, The Witch Queen will be available on PC, Stadia, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S. Preorders are live now.

　　Darryn Bonthuys on Google+