Bungie has revealed the long awaited fall expansion for Destiny 2, called Beyond Light. As the social media teasers had suggested, it primarily takes place on Europa and features fan favorite characters such as the Drifter, Eris Morn, and The Exo Stranger.
Beyond Light was highly anticipated among fans since it was rumored to be substantially bigger than Shadowkeep, which not only reused previous Destiny content but also entered development while the studio split from its partner, Activision. When the split happened, Bungie said that moving forward, it would publish Destiny 2 on its own and no longer sign exclusivity deals, like it had done previously with companies like Sony. Thus, Beyond Light will be the first ever Destiny installment developed and published solely by Bungie.
This fall, players will explore the frozen wastes of Europa, which harbors the birthplace of the Exo race, the Deep Stone Crypt. The main antagonists will be Fallen, rallied by Eramis, a Fallen Captain seeking revenge. In the meantime, the secrets of yet another buried pyramid ship will be revealed and players will finally get to wield the Darkness, a very big change in the Destiny formula and a highly rumored feature for years. Darkness powers will be separate from the traditional elements of Destiny (Arc, Void, Solar), being their own new damage type.
Europa was in fact a destination that was planned to be added to the game years prior but couldn't leave the concept stage. It's arrival this year shows Bungie's willingness to revisit old concepts. Alongside Beyond Light, the Cosmodrome and 3 of its strikes are coming back. The starting mission that takes place inside Cosmodrome was already playable in Destiny 2 but now the whole zone will be completely explorable. The first ever Destiny raid, Vault of Glass, is also expected to come back in year 4, which Beyond Light will kick off.
This trend of bringing old Destiny content forward to the new engine will continue for years as Bungie aims to provide a singular Destiny experience, giving players access to all the content it has ever produced, under a single Destiny umbrella called Destiny Content Vault. It seems like year 4 of Destiny 2 will set the game on a path of transformation and make it into the experience Bungie originally envisioned.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light launches September 22 on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.