| Destiny 2: Lightfall | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Bungie |
| Publisher(s) | Bungie |
| Composer(s) |
|
| Platform(s) | |
| Release | February 28, 2023 |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing, first-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Destiny 2: Lightfall is an upcoming major expansion for Destiny 2, a first-person shooter video game by Bungie. Representing the seventh expansion and the sixth year of extended content for Destiny 2, it is scheduled to be released on February 28, 2023. Lightfall will add new content across the game, including new missions, Player versus Environment locations, Player versus Player maps, player gear, weaponry, and a new raid and two new dungeon, as well as a returning reprised raid. There will also be four seasonal content offerings to be released throughout Year 6 of the game.
Gameplay
Lightfall expands on the base Destiny 2 gameplay by adding a new free roam world for the city Neomuna on the planet Neptune. Over the course of the year of content for Lightfall will include one new raid, to be available a week after Lightfall's release on March 10, 2023, two new dungeons, and one returning raid from either Destiny or Destiny 2 which had been removed from the game previously.[1]
Beyond Light introduced the game's first Darkness subclass, Stasis, which used customizable Aspects and Fragments to give the player more customization of how Stasis could be used; during The Witch Queen, the original Light powers of Void, Solar, and Arc were revamped to be given the same Aspect and Fragment system as Stasis. Lightfall will add a second, brand new Darkness subclass called Strand, which will also feature this modularity. Strand's powers are based on entanglement and unweaving via manipulation of reality through an extra-dimensional matrix called the Weave. One such power is a grappling hook-like ability that allows Guardians to grapple onto environmental features or other characters, enabling new forms of movement. Each of the main character classes gain a new subclass based on Strand: Berserkers for Titans, Broodweavers for Warlocks, and Threadrunners for Hunters.[1][2]
Among gameplay improvements, Lightfall will bring an in-game loadout feature, which previously were performed through third-party applications that interfaced with Destiny 2. This will allow the player to set pre-determined armor and weapon sets, including all mods and appearance modifiers, making it easy to switch between various loadouts for various activities.[1][3] Lightfall will also introduce an improved in-game "looking for group" (LFG) feature, which will allow players to easily find other players to engage with content that is designed for matchmaking; a commendation system will also be introduced to allow players to provide positive recognition and accolades to other players after an activity has been completed.[4][5] These new features will be layered atop a new Guardian level system which is designed to reflect how much expertise the player has with Destiny 2, and will also serve as a new player onboarding system, with some features locked out until the player has reach a specific Guardian level.[1][6][7]
Other significant gameplay changes include:
- The seasonal artifact, which provides bonus power levels across all characters on a player's account for a season as introduced in Shadowkeep, continues to be used in Lightfall. However, mods on the seasonal artifact have been replaced with unique, unlockable perks which only 12 can be active per character, and these perks are applied passively when active; moreover, resetting the artifact to change perks will be free.[8]
- In addition to the in-game loadout feature, a mod customization feature will also be present in Lightfall, which will allow players to view and modify all weapon and armor mods and character stats on a single screen. Furthermore, armor and armor mods will no longer have elemental affinities, with some armor mods now providing benefits to weapons based on their damage type, and the general energy cost of mods will be reduced to encourage more experimentation in buildcrafting. As well, the Charged With Light combat style mods will be replaced with an Armor Charge system, while Elemental Wells will replaced with those of damage-type-specific spawned objects, such as Stasis shards and Arc ionic traces.[8]
- The Match Game modifier will be removed from high-difficulty endgame activities such as Grandmaster Nightfalls and Master-level raids, with base elemental shield resistance to non-matching elemental damage to be adjusted as a result. As well, in addition to anti-Champion perks that can be unlocked on the seasonal artifact, each subclass' elemental status effects can now be used to stun Champions (Void volatile, Solar radiant and some Strand abilities will stun Barrier Champions; Arc jolt, Void suppression and Stasis slow will stun Overload Champions; and Arc blind, Stasis shatter, Solar ignition, and some Strand abilities will stun Unstoppable Champions).[8]
- Ada-1, who serves as the vendor for armor transmogrification for players since Season 15, will begin to sell shaders offered from the first three years of Destiny 2 starting in Season 20, with three shaders featured for purchase every week. As well, legacy weapons and gear focusing will be introduced for strikes and Nightfalls, Crucible, Gambit, Trials of Osiris and Iron Banner, which each vendor (Commander Zavala, Lord Shaxx, the Drifter, Saint-14 and Lord Saladin, respectively) providing a selection of weapons and gear that were released in previous seasons and expansions. Umbral engrams, which were reintroduced in Season 13 and are used to focus seasonal weapons and gear at the H.E.L.M., will be removed in Season 20 in favor of the weapon and gear focusing system used by the ritual vendors in the Tower.[9]
Plot
Lightfall is based on the discovery of the cyberpunk-like city Neomuna on Neptune. Neomuna has survived the Collapse and the arrival of the Black Fleet in the Solar System. The city is populated by humans that had been previously cut off from the rest of the system; these humans lack the Light granted by the Traveler but instead have trained Cloud Striders—voluntary human soldiers who have undergone cybernetic augmentation at the cost of reducing their lifespan—that help to defend the city.[1]
Following events of The Witch Queen, the exiled emperor of the Cabal, Calus, became a Disciple of the Witness, the being leading the Black Fleet's attack on the Solar System. Emperor Calus has discovered Neomuna and has set his loyal Cabal forces, called the Shadow Legion, and the Witness's personal soldiers, the Tormentors, to attack it, leading to the city to call for aid from the Vanguard.[1]
Release
Lightfall is scheduled for release on February 28, 2023, for PlayStation 4 and 5, Windows, and Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S platforms.[1] It will be available as paid downloadable content (DLC), and there will be various versions of the expansion. The standard version of the expansion includes access to Season 20 of the game. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes the Lightfall Annual Pass that grants access to all four seasons of Year 6 (Seasons 20–23), the Lightfall Dungeon Key, which grants access to the two dungeons to be released in Seasons 21 and 23, respectively, the Quicksilver Storm Exotic Auto Rifle, an exotic sparrow, and a stash of upgrade materials that can be redeemed once each season. There will also be a physical collector's edition, which includes the Digital Deluxe Edition of Lightfall, the expansion's soundtrack, as well as physical items like a replica of a Pouka, a creature similar to the player's Ghost, as well as other various items, such as lore books and emblems.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Martin, Sean (January 10, 2023). "Everything we know about the Destiny 2 Lightfall expansion". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ Tronti, Elijah (October 25, 2022). "Destiny 2: What To Expect From the New Strand Subclass". CBR.com. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ Ahmed, Saniya (August 23, 2022). "Destiny 2 Lightfall Adds In-Game Loadouts And A Mod Manager". GameSpot. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ Martin, Sean (August 23, 2022). "Destiny 2 is finally getting in-game LFG and loadout systems with Lightfall". PC Gamer. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ "Destiny 2 Commendations Explained". www.ggrecon.com. Retrieved 2023-01-29.
- ^ Isenhour, J. T. (2023-01-20). "Destiny 2 Guardian Ranks Explained". Attack of the Fanboy. Retrieved 2023-01-24.
- ^ Duckworth, Joshua (August 24, 2022). "Destiny 2: Lightfall Adding Guardian Ranks to Help Players Learn the Game". Game Rant. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ a b c "Bungie.net". www.bungie.net. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
- ^ "Bungie.net". www.bungie.net. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
- ^ Bitner, Jon (August 23, 2022). "Destiny 2 Lightfall Preorders Are Live: Multiple Editions And Bonuses Up For Grabs". GameSpot. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
