Destiny 2's latest season, Season of the Lost, is here - and we're in for a long one. That's because the game's next expansion, The Witch Queen, was delayed, it'll run all the way to February 2022.
We've got The Witch Queen, starting with Destiny 2 Season 16, followed by a year of content before the launch of Destiny 2 Lightfall in 2023. Following on from Lightfall we also know that the next expansion after that, currently titled Destiny 2 The Final Shape, will launch around 2024, suggesting that Bungie's loot-shooter MMO is likely to keep going for a fair while yet.
To keep things simple, we're keeping all the relevant info together in one place, so here's everything you need to know about Destiny 2: The Witch Queen.
Destiny 2 Witch Queen Release Countdown
Countdown to Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Expansion Release
Witch Queen Latest News
22 February 2022 -
Today's the day! Destiny 2 Update 4.0.0.1 is now available to pre-load on all platforms. The complete Destiny 2 Witch Queen patch notes won’t be available until following the release later today.
For the time being, we suggest reading this Twitter thread from Bungie Help which details some of the Top Issues Being Investigated by the development team.
21 February 2022 -
Bungie’s latest blog post has confirmed the release times and required maintenance for Witch Queen. Here's the key dates and times to make a note of:
- February 21: 6:45 PM PST (0245 GMT): Destiny 2 is brought offline.
- February 21: 7 PM (0300 GMT): Pre-load for Update 4.0.0.1 will be available on all platforms.
- February 22: 9 AM (1700 GMT): Destiny 2 will be brought back online. Update 4.0.0.1 will be playable on all platforms and regions. This coincides with the weekly reset.
- February 22: 10 AM (1800 GMT): Destiny 2 maintenance is scheduled to complete.
15 February 2022 -
It's here, the launch trailer for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen. Only 1 week to go now!
"Savathûn has gifted her soldiers with the powers of the Light. As the Knight you’ve struck down rises from the dead for the second time, a feeling of betrayal washes over you and you can’t help but wonder: When the Light offers no shelter – no solace – where will you turn? A twisted wonderland of corruption and splendor, Savathûn’s Throne World plays host to a fragile balance of terrifying power. From the foundation of her glistening palace to the gnarled roots in the swamp, all that she hides can be found here. Seek the truth and learn that in this place, mystery makes its home in both the Darkness and the Light."
8 January 2022 -
No teaser, but instead Bungie is dropping a lengthy ViDoc to run through The upcoming Witch Queen expansion.
As per the youtube desciption, Bungie's developers will discuss "Savathûn, The Witch Queen, Season of the REDACTED [Season 16], Void Subclass updates, weapon crafting, and more."
7 January 2022 -
Given the past few weeks, we could see another Witch Queen teaser later today. We've normally seen a teaser released every Monday and Thursday in the past two weeks, so with any lucky Bungie continues the trend. Stay tuned...
4 February 2022 -
Holy moly, Bungie's latest 'This Week at Bungie' blog post was a long one. The reason was to focus heavily on the new weapon crafting system called The Enclave. They also announced the introduction of a new Origin perk system for weapons, allowing players even greater customisation.
Both of these two new features are detailed, heavily, in the blog post and we really can't do it justice here in a sentence or two, so head over to the blog for the full breakdown.
Elsewhere, the blog also gave an overview of a wide variety of weapon archetypes and Exotics changing with the release of Witch Queen. Again, we can't handle the full scope of these changes here, so get yourself over to the Bungie blog post for the full lowdown.
2 February 2022 -
It's been announced that the next issue of Game Informer will focus on Destiny 2: The Witch Queen and we've already learnt a few new details. This includes mention of a brand new six-person activity called Wellspring. Here's the full quote, via Game Informer:
There’s even a new six-person matchmade activity called Wellspring that plays out in the Throne World, built to convey the fantasy of storming the seemingly insurmountable castle. Conceptually, the swamps, heat, and humidity represent something novel and distinct from what we’ve previously seen from the franchise.
Despite the inside info, it's still unclear precisely what the new activity could be. No doubt we'll learn more in the coming days and weeks.
31 January 2022 -
Bungie has released a MEATY new look at The Witch Queen with a trailer dedicated to new Weapons and Gear. Although it's easy to understand if you might have missed the trailer, what with Sony gazumping the news by revealing it had purchased Bungie.
The trailer itself starts with a tease for a new weapon crafting system before diving headfirst into the all-new exotics and class-specific Glaive's, listed below (Courtesy of Destiny obsessive Lloyd Coombes at Dexerto).
- Grand Overture — Slug launcher charges full auto missiles (Season Pass required).
- Parasite — Worm launcher with increasing damage (grenade launcher).
- Osteo Striga — Swarming projectiles trigger a toxic burst (looks like an SMG).
- Hoarfrost-Z chest (Titan) — replaces Titan barricade with a Stasis wall.
- Osmiomancy gloves (Warlock) — additional coldsnap grenade with enhanced seeking.
- Blight ranger helmet (Hunter) — reflected projectiles deal increased damage
- Titan Glaive: Edge of Action — Place a protective shield.
- Warlock Glaive: Edge of Intent — Deploy a healing turret.
- Hunter Glaive: Edge of Concurrence — Tracking chain lightning.
28 January 2022 -
In the latest “This Week at Bungie” blog post, Bungie cast their net a bit wider touching on some upcoming changes to various activities. So now, we know a little more about what's changing with Trials of Osiris, Battlegrounds, Nightfalls, and Lost Sectors. There are a few other changes, like improvements to HDR, but the above was the core at the heart of the latest TWAB.
We've also got a new Witch Queen Teaser, this time featuring Mara Sov. Take a look below:
21 January 2022 -
In its latest “This Week at Bungie” blog post, Bungie touched on everything from the release date for the next raid, the next power caps, changes to 'rare' blue drops and so much more. There's a lot to digest and for every nitty-gritty change, we'd advise thoroughly reading the 1600+ word blog post on the link above. If you want the TLDR, we've added all proposed updates to the game on our dedicated page for all Destiny 2: The Witch Queen changes coming in Season 16.
19 January 2022 -
With just a few weeks to go until the launch of Witch Queen players should get used to receiving plenty of new intel every Thursday with each new 'This Week at Bungie' blog post. Ahead of time (and perhaps to set expectations) the Senior Community Manager at Bungie has outlined what new info will be dropping later this week. It includes:
- Changes to blue drops in the pipe
- Power floors & Raid launch date
- Gunsmith updates (Spend your gunsmith mats...)
We wait with bated breath and can't wait to see what some of these proposed changes turn out to be.
14 January 2022 -
As suspected, the first major This Week at Bungie blog post of 2022 has yielded some pretty substantial changes coming to the game with the release of Witch Queen in February.
There is, quite honestly, so much to cover that we didn't want to cram it into a small update on this page, so follow the link below for the full breakdown of changes detailed by Bungie.
Bungie Outlines Destiny 2 Season 16 Changes
The TLDR:
- You'll be able to unlock all 25 seasonal artifact mods 25 in the future.
- Fully Masterworked Legendary armor can be changed to another energy type (at a cost)
- Orbs of Power are getting reworked (although it's still not specific how)
- 30th Anniversary Content & Dares of Eternity will not be vaulted with Witch Queen.
11 January 2022 -
Bungie has released a brand new trailer which shows our best look yet at Savathûn's Throne World. You can take a look at the trailer below, but here's a bit more info courtesy of the trailer description:
"A twisted wonderland of corruption and splendor, Savathûn’s Throne World plays host to a fragile balance of terrifying power. From the foundation of her glistening palace to the gnarled roots in the swamp, all that she hides can be found here. Seek the truth and learn that in this place, mystery makes its home in both the Darkness and the Light."
10 January 2022 -
Last week Bungie decided not to release a new 'This Week at Bungie' blog post, but the good news is it should return this week. This has been confirmed by the team's Senior Community Manager, @dmg04. With any luck, we'll get plenty of new info about Bungie's plans as we race towards the launch of Witch Queen in February.
29 December 2021 -
If you're still confused by which content is heading into the Destiny Content Vault when The Witch Queen releases, you're not the only one. Thankfully, a Reddit post by u/Spawnling has outlined all of the content that will be vaulted with the launch of the new expansion.
It's well worth a quick look, if only so you know what content you'll be prevented from playing/using when Witch Queen drops.
15 December 2021 -
We can't take any credit for this Reddit thread we've stumbled across but the info Posted by u/iamtjsmith is absolutely fascinating.
13 December 2021 -
Following the new trailer at The Game Awards 2021, one fan's uncovered hidden frames for The Witch Queen, potentially hinting at new story details. We won't post those directly for spoiler reasons, but you can find a full breakdown here.
10 December 2021 -
During The Game Awards 2021, Bungie released a new trailer for The Witch Queen, mixing cinematics with some gameplay. You can find that in full below:
6 December 2021 -
So this is interesting. It would seem as though there is one big event left to come in Season of the Lost’s storyline and it might have been revealed. Following server maintenance last week, The Game Post reported that Destiny 2's API had been updated, and new items were uncovered on Light.gg. Reportedly, those items/quest steps detail three objectives tied to this latest mission.
'Savathun’s Exorcism' will reportedly serve as Season 15's finale and was previously teased in-game. Follow the link for the full low down, but it's possible that this finale could feed into what is to come with Witch Queen and Season 16.
3 December 2021 -
One small but important quality of life change has just been announced in the most recent This Week At Bungie blog.
With the launch of The Witch Queen, USB keyboard text chat will arrive for consoles.
For those wondering what this means and how it will work, here you go:
- You will NOT be able to move your character via the keyboard.
- You’ll be able to invoke the text chat window by pressing enter.
- You’ll be able to text chat using the full suite of chat channels in Destiny.
- You will be able to pick from five different font size display options.
- IME support will follow in an update shortly after Witch Queen.
29 November 2021 -
We're likely going to get a lot of new info later this week with the next TWAB blog post, however, how much it will deal with Season 16 is up for debate. We could get some more info on the 2022 roadmap, however, we might get very little. We'll be sure to keep an eye out later this week, but for now, we would advise watching the latest video from My Name Is Byf.
The latest lore video looks at Savathun's children, and namely who they are and whether they are still loyal to her. As with all Lore videos from Byf it's another great watch so make the time for it. You'll find it further down the page with the rest of our Lore videos.
19 November 2021 -
The latest 'This Week At Bungie' blog post has announced a raft of changes coming to the game as part of the 'Destiny 2 Anniversary Update' due to arrive on 7 December. Whilst this isn't directly Witch Queen news, it will have a big knock-on impact when the new expansion launches next year. The changes are extensive and it's a very long blog post. If you want some topline understanding of what's going to change we suggest reading the below thread from @legionlesstv on Twitter. Give it a read when you have 3-4 minutes free.
12 November 2021 -
We've a couple of new details about The Witch Queen from the most recent This Week At Bungie blog post. For one, the team confirmed they're working on a new accessibility option allowing full auto fire, particularly on fast-firing semiautomatic weapons.
"We have a settings option in the works for a season after The Witch Queen launches but decided to put in a stopgap (coming with December's 30th Anniversary) to help players until we are able to ship it."
On top, the team also confirmed that they're working on some 'Weapon differentiation' changes. Here's some more info from Design Lead Chris Proctor:
If I have two Void adaptive Hand Cannons, one from the Suros foundry, and one from the latest raid, why do I care about one more than the other? The stats tend to be fairly close. Perk pools can be different, but there are only so many perks, and it's a stretch to say the perk pool gives the weapon its identity. We've got something shipping on all new and reissued weapons in The Witch Queen that addresses this issue directly and are working to expand the same solution to all weapons that drop in the future.
8 November 2021 -
Destiny 2 is having a slow period, so it's good to have a moment of reflection and brush up on some lore with My name is Byf. One of his most intriguing new videos takes a look at Eris Morn, or more specifically, a video looking at why she isn't in the Season of the Lost? Given Eris has spoken a lot about her desire to hunt Savathun, it is curious. We'll almost certainly see her feature heavily in Season 16 and the Witch Queen expansion. So let's try to understand why she's been absent from the Season of the Lost.
1 November 2021 -
It's now November and things are about to get a bit quiet for Destiny 2. Witch Queen's delay until February, means we've many months to go before launch. Festival of the Lost ends tomorrow, November 2 and Destiny 2’s 30th Anniversary Event won't begin until December 7. Either way, it seems like we should get ready for a slow period for the next few weeks.
27 October 2021 -
Look we won't make this a big thing but we love this idea on the Destiny 2 Sub-Reddit. The TLDR is a very compelling argument for why Bungie should look to adopt something close to the Halo model so players can find a way to unlock or level older seasons after they've finished. There's some discussion about FOMO and more. It's a good read. We'd love your thoughts too!
20 October 2021 -
Bungie has announced that the Standard Edition for The Witch Queen will not include Year 5's Dungeon quests. Rather, two Dungeons will be included in the Deluxe Edition, with an extra one to be featured in Bungie's 30th Anniversary pack.
The Witch Queen package containing the Deluxe Edition and celebratory DLC costs $99.99/ £87.99, granting access to all three Dungeons for Year 5.
15 October 2021 -
It's a bit slow for Witch Queen news, what with the launch of the Festival of the Lost earlier this week, so for now, why not catch up on some lore courtesy of My name is Byf.
In this latest video (added further down the page in our Lore section, Byf delves into how Mara Sov, Queen of the Awoken silenced Savathun The Witch Queen, but not before Savathun got under her skin. Give it a watch, we're sure you'll learn something.
13 October 2021 -
There's some speculation that the Witch Queen Power Level could rise as high as 1710, this seems to be based on the max power level on some new Festival of the Lost Halloween Masks.
For context, the Destiny 2 Season 15 Max Power Cap Level is currently set to 1330 in Season of the Lost.
However, Bungie has already confirmed that the power increase will be +10 each season, and +50 for major expansions, so we doubt we'll be jumping up to 1710 anytime soon!
11 October 2021 -
For those curious, check out the website http://destinyemblemcollector.com. It includes a filter to display emblems that might be entering the Destiny Content Vault when Forsaken gets vaulted with the launch of Witch Queen.
8 October 2021 -
Although fans will mostly be over the moon at confirmation of the Destiny 2 Festival of the Lost start time coming next week, there was some even bigger news shared by the developers This Week at Bungie blogpost.
Bungie has announced they'll be vaulting Destiny 2’s Forsaken Campaign & Tangled Shore for the release of The Witch Queen Expansion. Follow the link for all the details from the developer.
6 October 2021 -
We've added some new lore to the page further down, courtesy of My name is Byf. This time around the Destiny expert is delving into why the Hive God Xivu Arath is hunting Savathun.
It's a very good watch, especially for those who don't always delve into the games more obscure lore.
1 October 2021 -
Bungie Teases a Major Death in Destiny 2's Next Expansion Witch Queen. That's all we'll sat, you'll have to click the link for all the juicy details.
29 September 2021 -
In an interview with GameSpot, game director Joe Blackburn and general manager Justin Truman have explained how they're approaching onboarding new players to the Witch Queen expansion.
"So we really want to start attacking all of our systems that are sprawled out in the complexity and find out, 'Okay, this is the stuff that's working for us. What's the stuff that feels like corruption now? How can we get rid of that?'... And then that the really good thing for us with our big beats is that that question becomes really easy to answer when you start talking about the Witch Queen. And that we really think about that a lot as the Witch Queen as a great place to come back into Destiny or get into it because if you're into it for the first time, it's like, 'Okay, I should do this thing.' And then you're going to get dumped into the first mission of the Witch Queen."
In addition, it sounds as though the team are considering the best way to onboard new players when the game is releasing new seasonal content every few months. "That can be really intimidating for a player that's coming in season 15, now," Blackburn said.
"We're always working on tweaks in UI and UX. So you can always feel like, 'Okay, this is the thing that my friends are talking about. I want to get this done and maybe I'll go play around with some stuff that they did three years ago in the background, but here's what I need to be doing to stay relevant."
24 September 2021 -
There's a brand new Destiny 2 Witch Queen teaser and it sure includes several big teasers. We're 5 months from launch and Bungie are dropping teasers already.
Come on Bungie what are you trying to do to us!
17 September 2021 -
Bungie creative director Joe Blackburn has been speaking with GameSpot and gave a bit more insight into Season 16, which launches alongside the Witch Queen expansion. If you follow the link you can read the full quotes, but as a teaser, Blackburn is calling Season 16 "the next big boiling point for us".
14 September 2021 -
Added some new lore from MyNameisByf, available further down. This time around the Destiny Lore expert is taking a look at Savathun's Throne world & how Throne worlds work. A very important piece of info since the Witch Queen expansion will see us entering Savathun's Throne world (as seen in the trailer). Go give it a watch, it's very enlightening and you'll enjoy it we're sure.
10 September 2021 -
We've added some new lore from MyNameisByf which is available to watch further down. This time, Byf is looking at the implications of Savathun saying "Oh Guardian Mine..." in her conversations with Guardians.
8 September 2021 -
As per DestinyNews+ on Twitter, it would seem as though Destiny 2 has been steadily growing in popularity over the past year and we imagine it will continue to snowball as we approach the release of The Witch Queen. Don't believe us, here's a look at the player counts for each new season on launch day:
- Season of the Chosen: 132,225 (Feb 9)
- Season of the Splicer: 157,679 (May 11)
- Season of the Lost: 178,241 (Aug 24)
We're not taking bets, but we think Witch Queen can easily surpass 200,000 by February 22.
27 August 2021 - No New Darkness Subclass
Don't expect a new damage type in Witch Queen - instead, we'll be getting a full rework of our Void abilities.
August 26 - The Remaining Questions
Bungie's epic reveal stream was incredible, but it's opened up a bunch of new questions. Join us as we attempt to break them down.
August 24 - Destiny 2 The Witch Queen Expansion Revealed
We've updated this page with a wealth of knowledge from Bungie's reveal stream - so the information below is as up to date as possible!
Witch Queen Release Date
Despite being intended to launch in 2021, The Witch Queen has been pushed back to February 22, 2022. To make it easier to remember, that means it'll launch on 2/2/22.
As per a blog post in early 2021:
“Last summer, we outlined our ambition for the next era in Destiny 2 by announcing the full arc, starting with Beyond Light, followed by the Witch Queen and Lightfall. As we began to scale production on the Witch Queen last year, we made the difficult but important decision to move its release to early 2022; we also realized we needed to add an additional unannounced chapter after Lightfall to fully complete our first saga of Destiny.”
That additional chapter is Destiny 2: The Final Shape.
Witch Queen Story and Campaign
This expansion will focus on Savathun, sister of the Taken King, Oryx.
The PSN description reads:
"Delve into Savathun's Throne World to uncover the mystery of how she and her Lucent Hive stole the Light. Learn the secrets to crafting new weapons, the new Glaive, and survive the truth within her web of lies."
According to a press release, players will "unravel the truth" behind Savathun, while also coming face-to-face with her Lucent Hive.
In short, these are Hive that now hold the power of the light - they've got their own supers, subclasses, and even their own Ghosts.
Bungie specifically compared the campaign to the likes of DOOM and Titanfall 2, suggesting a more unique approach than we've seen in recent story content.
There's also a new Legendary difficulty that Bungie says will challenge players but also offer better rewards.
Witch Queen CGI Trailer
The first CGI Trailer for The Witch Queen has been revealed, showing Guardians arriving on the Hive Throne World.
Witch Queen Gameplay Trailer
Check out the first gameplay for The Witch Queen below:
New Location - Hive Throne World
The teaser image Bungie shared has set fan speculation wild, suggesting that we could be heading to the swampy region of Old Chicago, but it actually appears it'll be the Hive Throne World instead.
As glimpsed in the teaser below, expect lots of... uh, water and debris? You can get a better look in the gameplay trailer above.
New Weapon Type - The Glaive
There's a new weapon type coming with Witch Queen. It might look a lot like a spear, but it's actually a Glaive, which is traditionally a polearm featuring a single-edged blade.
This new first-person melee weapon has a lot of defensive capabilities, but also offers Guardians the chance to unleash "powerful melee combos, fire projectiles, and deploy a powerful energy shield".
Take your first look at the new Glaive weapon, just below:
Destiny 2 The Witch Queen Price
Things are a little up in the air here. While Destiny's larger expansions have usually been in the £30 - £40 range, the move away from seasonal content might see the game experiment with new pricing strategies.
We'll hopefully find out more soon enough, and the expansion could also be part of Xbox Game Pass.
Season Pass and Deluxe Edition
Witch Queen will kick off the next few seasons of Destiny 2, and Season 16, 17, 18 and 19 will be included in the game's Deluxe Edition.
Players will also get two Dungeons, an exotic SMG, catalyst, ornament, and sparrow - according to the PlayStation Store.
Pre-order customers will get an Exotic Ghost Shell, emote, and a new emblem.
Does The Witch Queen Add A New Subclass
Despite some rumours of a new subclass called Vapor, we won't be wielding any new Darkness-based powers in Witch Queen. Instead, our Void abilities will be brought up to the standard of Stasis, with customisable Fragments and Aspects.
Want to know more? We've detailed all the big changes, here.
A New Raid In The Witch Queen Expansion
The Witch Queen's Raid will take place in a Pyramid Ship on the Throne World. Expect it to form some of Witch Queen's most challenging combat.
Vaulted Content
At the reveal event, Bungie announced the game's older content will be cycled in and out of Destiny 2. When it's out, it'll be in what's known as the "Destiny Content Vault". This allows Bungie to rework game modes and missions, and also allows for content from Destiny 1 to be cycled into the game.
That's a huge deal, especially with confirmation that the original game's first (and best) raid, Vault of Glass, will be coming to Destiny 2 sometime in 2021.
In an interview with PC Gamer, Game Director Luke Smith noted that expansions won't necessarily reintroduce vaulted content – specifically noting that The Witch Queen will not.
"Each expansion is going to include a brand-new destination," Smith explained, "so The Witch Queen is not going to unvault one. For a destination to be unvaulted, it has to be updated to the latest context for the universe, so even with Cosmodrome, we updated a bunch of it to the latest context."
Find out more here.
Will A Major Character Die In The Witch Queen?
Ominous it appears the answer could be yes.
In Season Of The Lost, the Legendary sidearm 'Spoiler Alert' made a return with the weapon description plainly stating: "Someone is going to die."
It's worth noting the last time Bungie took it upon themselves to start dropping the weapon at current Power levels was right before the release of the Destiny 2 Forsaken expansion; which as noted, is when Bungie killed off Cayde-6.
Speaking to GamesRadar, senior narrative designer, Nikko Stevens, stated "It's not a coincidence. That's all I'll say."
Nobody is safe it seems.
The Witch Queen Expansion Lore
Have you heard of My Name Is Byf? He's arguably one of the most authoritative fountains of knowledge when it comes to Destiny 2 Lore and backstories. This is incredibly important when so many story beats are hidden in journals, small bits of conversation between players and more.
So to answer some of the biggest burning questions about The Witch Queen, give some of these Lore videos a watch:
Where are Savathun's Children? Who are they? Are they still loyal to her?
Mara Sov silenced Savathun, but not before The Witch Queen got under her skin.
What We Know About Savathun's Throne world
How Hive Ghosts Were Made By Savathun?
What we know about Savathun's Hive Guardians
This is why Xivu Arath is hunting Savathun
"Oh Guardian Mine..." Why Savathun says it, what it could mean
What Comes After Destiny 2 Witch Queen?
After The Witch Queen, we know that the next expansion (for 2023) will be called Destiny 2: Lightfall and following that expansion, there is one last expansion set to arrive.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape will bring an end to the franchise's narrative threads with a "dramatic conclusion".
Bungie also describes this moment as a "transformative moment", instead of an ending.