Destiny 2: Beyond Light is likely to be the biggest expansion for Bungie's space-shooter yet. Alongside the usual additions of new weapons, armour sets and quests, there are things being added that'll shake up the core of the franchise that has been around since way back in 2014.
Here's everything Guardians can look forward to with the expansion, kicking off the game's fourth year of content.
When Will The Beyond Light Expansion Launch?
The expansion was scheduled to land on September 22, 2020, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic shifted the release back significantly.
As a result, you'll be able to play the new content on November 10.
That said, expect some server downtime – find out more here.
It's also a huge download on PC, but you can pre-load on Steam.
Beyond Light Story
Beyond Light reintroduces The Exo Stranger from the first game, and takes us to Europa, the birthplace of the Exo race.
Here, we'll tangle with Eramis, a Fallen Kell intent on wielding the Darkness. The Exo Stranger calls Eris Morn and the Drifter to the Jovian moon to investigate a new power, explaining that she comes from a timeline where the Darkness won.
It looks as though there are plenty of secrets hiding under the snowy tundra of Jupiter's moon (spoilers!), and we know that there will be a new raid added for hardcore players to work towards completing.
SPOILER WARNING
According to an in-game lore book, the vendors on each of the game's soon-to-be-vaulted planets are going to be killed off.
Asher Mir sacrifices himself to bring down the Pyramidion, Sloane puts on some high-tech armour and disappears fighting the Hive, while notorious dimwit Brother Vance gets himself stuck in a paradox in the Infinite Forest.
Ana Bray makes it, though, dragging Rasputin back to the Tower with her.
Check out the below story trailer:
Beyond Light Trailer
Here's the gameplay trailer for Destiny 2 Beyond Light.
You can check out the new location, Europa, below:
Price
Standard Edition
Beyond Light is available for £34.99, or you can grab a version that includes a season pass for Season 12 for £42.99.
The season pass will allow players to unlock premium rewards by levelling up and essentially acts similarly to a battle pass.
The season pass bundle also includes the "No Time To Explain" exotic pulse rifle, while all players get the Exotic Rimed Ghost Shell and a Legendary Emblem.
Deluxe Edition
There's also a deluxe edition that includes season passes up to Season 15, as well as some cosmetics for £59.99.
Here's what's included:
- Exotic Rimed Ghost Shell
- Legendary emblem
- Access to the full year of season pass content
- Beyond Light Exotic Emote
- Stranger's Weapon Pack + Strangers Upgrade Pack
Xbox Game Pass
Good news, Xbox Game Pass subscribers.
Not only is Beyond Light launching into the service on Day 1, but previous expansions Forsaken and Shadowkeep can also be found on there.
They're only available on console at present, but Microsoft has previously mentioned that it hopes to bring the offer to PC players in the future.
Season Pass
Season Passes return from last year's Shadowkeep expansion and will offer premium and free reward tiers for players as they level up.
Luckily, Bungie has learned its lessons from previous passes. In a blog post, the devs had this to say:
"In Year 4, we are going to build a better-interconnected narrative and, more importantly, let players be a part of that narrative no matter when they enter the current year. This means if you start playing in March 2021, you could go back and experience the Season 12 and Season 13 narrative content. We want our stories to feel more cohesive, flow with meaningful momentum Season over Season, and lead to an exciting climax each year."
"We haven’t preserved enough history for a player who comes in mid-year to have any concept of what came in that year’s prior Seasons. As a result, players can feel left behind later in the year and unable to experience the stories or to acquire prior Seasons’ weapons and gear. The Forsaken Season Pass allowed its content to build up over the course of the year, and that’s where we’re heading in Year 4."
Beyond Light Exotics
Check out the exotics trailer below:
We've got the full rundown here, but here's what you can earn:
Weapons
- No Time To Explain
- Cloudstrike
- The Lament
- Salvation's Grip
Armour
- Icefall Mantle
- Mask of Bakris
- Athrys's Embrace
- Dawn Chorus
- Necrotic Grip
- Precious Scars
New Features
Here's everything we know is coming in Beyond Light.
New Element - Stasis
Ever since the first game, Destiny fans have become accustomed to three different element types; Solar, Void, and Arc (as well as Kinetic, which essentially has no element).
With Beyond Light, Guardians will be able to wield the Darkness through a new element known as Stasis.
This will unlock a new subclass for Titans, Warlocks and Hunters. Behemoth Titans use frozen fists to punch through enemies and cause shockwaves, while Revenant Hunters can trap and freeze enemies in place. Find out more here.
Finally, Shadebinder Warlocks can wield an icy staff and shatter enemies to pieces.
Each Stasis subclass tree will be highly customisable in terms of abilities, something which Bungie will look into with other subclasses depending on how it goes.
Check out the Stasis abilities trailer below!
Read More: Destiny 2 Season Of The Worthy Class Guides: Titan, Warlock And Hunter
New Customisation Options
After years of asking, Bungie is finally implementing a transmogrification option. Popular in MMOs like World of Warcraft, this allows players to keep the stats of one item while having it look like another.
For longtime fans that have constantly been looking like a series of mismatched armour parts, this is a huge deal.
New Raid
Beyond Light WILL feature a new raid, and will be set in the Deep Stone Crypt.
From the location's Destiny wiki page:
"Most information known about the Deep Stone Crypt comes from a dream that many Exos experience. In the dream, a tower lies on a black plain. Some make it to the tower in peace, while others are forced to slay an army of everyone they have met in order to reach it. The late Hunter Vanguard Cayde-6 vaguely recalled becoming an Exo in his Treasure Island Book, where he recorded going to an icy moon."
"The Deep may also be referring to the Darkness, while Stone Crypt may suggest that it is hidden, dead or dormant in stone or something similar. In the events of the Season of the Worthy, Ana Bray notes that she is working with Rasputin to find the location of the Deep Stone Crypt, given the control that he can exert over Exos it is perplexing why Rasputin does not know its location."
Destiny Content Vault
When Beyond Light launches, much of Destiny 2's content will be placed into what Bungie is referring to as the Destiny Content Vault.
It's a huge change, with Titan and Io being removed as destinations from the base game, while Curse of Osiris and Warmind expansion areas of Mercury and Mars are also being removed.
The Leviathan Raid location is also leaving the game.
Not only are these locations being removed as explorable patrol regions, but their missions are being removed, too - that includes strike content, and raids.
Speaking of raids, the Scourge of the Past raid is also being removed. That means we'll have the new raid, Last Wish (from Forsaken) and Garden of Salvation (from Shadowkeep) to play.
We still don't know if Gambit or Crucible maps on the soon-to-be deleted destinations will stick around, but Gambit is still planned as a condensed event rather than the two modes it currently entails.
You can check out everything that's leaving the game here.
If that all sounds like bad news, don't panic...
Bungie really undersold it, but older Destiny 2 content is going to be cycled out with the arrival of fresh expansions. While it'll be cycled in from time to time, Destiny 1 content will also be periodically added.
Considering how many fans have been desperate for a return to older content, this is huge news. This starts with the Cosmodrome returning as a selectable destination later this year, with three Destiny 1 strikes coming with it. We can't wait to battle Sepiks Prime again.
The devs have also confirmed that The Vault of Glass, Destiny's first raid, will be returning as part of Year 4!
Not everything is lost to the dark corners of time. Vault of Glass will return in Destiny 2 Year 4 (not during 2020).
— Luke Smith (@thislukesmith)
June 9, 2020
What about Exotics I haven't got to yet?
Good news, Guardians.
Destiny 2 Beyond Light introduces the ‘Monument to Lost Lights’ Exotic Kiosk, which will allow players to swap materials for exotics they haven't got yet.
Of course, it'll still be a grind, with more materials required for longer Exotic quests, but it's nice to know we won't be losing access to some of the game's coolest weapons and armour.
Find out more here.
Cross-Play
Destiny 2 has offered cross-progression since Shadowkeep launched last year, meaning players can pick up where they left off on PS4, Xbox One, PC or Google Stadia.
That's an awesome feature, but fans have wanted to know when they'll be able to go on missions with their friends or go head-to-head in the Crucible.
Bungie has confirmed that they are looking to get cross-play working in the next year or two, so while it isn't coming with Beyond Light, we'll hopefully hear more soon.
You can learn more here.
Next-Gen
With new consoles coming this year, Guardians will be able to continue their fight on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
PS4 players will get a free upgrade to the PS5 version, while the Xbox One version will be upgraded to the Series X version through smart delivery. Your expansions will come with you, too!
Both next-gen versions will run at 60 FPS in 4K, and we'd imagine some prettier lighting too (not that Destiny 2 has ever been a slouch in the visuals department).
Find out more here.
What's Next?
Bungie took us all by surprise by announcing that next year's expansion will be called The Witch Queen, and 2022's will be Lightfall.
We'll have more news on those in the coming months.