After some opening fluff talking about the health of the game, a brand new trailer shows off the new villain of the next expansion: Savathûn The Witch Queen. The trailer appears to show off a new location for players to explore as well as new Hive enemies controlled by the Hive Goddess. The trailer shows a Witch Queen release date of February 22, 2022.
The new area is explained by the presenters as Savathûn's very own Throne World. This is basically a pocket dimension controlled by the Hive Gods where they control reality itself. Within this world are new enemies called the Lucent Brood, twisted versions of the player's own powers against them by the Witch Queen herself. These "Hive Guardians" have their own versions of Ghosts, and even use similar Super abilities like a Hunter’s Blade Barrage or a Titan's Sentinel Shield, as they've got access to Light. Thankfully, it appears these Hive Ghosts can be destroyed.
New Weapon Archetype - The Glaive
The Witch Queen showcase then revealed a brand new weapon archetype to the game: The Glaive. This is Destiny 2’s brand new first-person melee weapon. It has a melee attack and can also fire energy blasts. Furthermore, it is not part of the game’s loot pool, but will be built by players
Weapon Crafting coming to Destiny 2
For the first time, weapon crafting will be introduced to Destiny 2. Better still, it will not be limited to these new Glaives, instead, everything from the Throne World can be built - so all the raid and dungeon gear can be crafted, providing players more control over what they get from playing.
More about The Witch Queen campaign
The presentation then went into further details about the campaign of The Witch Queen. While discussing the various set pieces, even confirming new activities like a six-player activity called Conflict Eternal as well as a new Raid. the team reveals a new Legendary Challenge mode of the campaign. Respawns are limited, enemies are tougher, and the difficulty will scale whether you tackle the campaign solo or with a fireteam.
Following up on this, Bungie gave new details about The Witch Queen's physical Deluxe Edition. This edition includes a digital code for the expansion and all other upcoming events happening this year. Also included are a hidden psychic investigation kit, Hive Ghost replica, a hidden keycard, lore booklet, and other mysteries from Savathûn’s Throne World. This physical edition is on sale on Bungie's site for $150. Supplies are limited though, so order while you can.
The Final Shape Announced
Bungie recapped the events of prior seasons and said that the ten-year narrative they had envisioned was coming to a close, with the saga of Light and Dark getting close to the endgame. The final part of it will be Destiny 2: The Final Shape, following The Witch Queen and Lightfall. That won't be the end of Destiny 2, but just the start of another journey.
Destiny 2 Crossplay Live now with Season of the Lost
Following that is new information on the newest season of Destiny 2: The Season of the Lost. This is seen as a prologue to The Witch Queen, centered around the Awoken Queen Mara Sov and the Dreaming City. A new community event called The Shattered Realms will be introduced and It will feature a new Exotic Quest titled Ager’s Scepter. Finally, this season marks the introduction of Crossplay to the game
Bungie goes into further details about Season of the Lost. They discuss that the Light-based Subclasses will be getting some updates. A quick look at new Stasis-based energy weapons was shown. Furthermore, new quality of life features will be added to the competitive Trials of Osiris mode. Introducing new anti-cheat software as well as a new rewards system that rewards winning rounds compared to matches. You still want the best stuff, you will need to go Flawless though.
All of these new features and activities of Season of The Lost will be going live today...
Bungie 30th Anniversary Destiny 2 Pack
The showcase then continues with a brand new premium event for Destiny 2. It is called the Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack and it will cost you $24.99. What you get for this purchase is access to a new three-player Dungeon set in the Cosmodrome's infamous loot cave. where you can earn and unlock "weapons inspired by past Bungie Worlds." Successful runs through the dungeon will also unlock a new armor part of the Thorn set. In addition, you will get new ornamentation sets based on Bungie's Marathon series and a Bungie Streetwear look for all three classes. But the biggest draw by far is the pack granting you one of the most iconic weapons in Destiny. You will get the Gjallarhorn, its exotic catalyst, and a brand new ornament for the weapon all at once.
There will be three different editions of Destiny 2 The Witch Queen. There is the Standard Edition, which just includes the new expansion. The Deluxe Edition will include the expansion as well as a premium exotic SMG (catalyst and ornament included), an Exotic Sparrow, and season passes for the next four seasons. Finally, the Deluxe Edition 30th Anniversary Bundle will include everything from the Deluxe Edition as well as the Bungie 30th Anniversary Pack.
The presentation ended shortly after this. But the presenters at Bungie did end the presentation with one last tease: another legacy Raid will be returning to Destiny 2. As for which one and how it will be changed has yet to be revealed.
