Destiny 2 "The Witch Queen" Update and Beyond
By: Bryce L. Jackson
Bungie held a live stream today featuring their Destiny 2: Year 5 expansion content. In the stream, we got the first look at Savathun: The Witch Queen, a character that has been secretly pulling strings in the Destiny Universe for years. She is a Hive God with terrifying power and in year 5, she finally takes center stage to the larger narrative of Destiny. She comes with a new frightening ability: Once only thought to be a trait bestowed to the Guardians, Savathun can now harness the power of the Light and has her own army of “Hive Guardians’ at her beck and call. Guardians now must infiltrate her Throneworld, a new playable area, to try and put down this new threat.
All new to the Destiny sandbox will be weapon crafting, which adds a new dynamic to the loot grind for specific weapon types and perks. A new weapon “The Glaive” will make its debut, becoming the first spear and the only first-person melee weapon in the arsenal. Bungie also says that new subclass abilities will be slowly coming to the game, starting with the Void class. With the addition of the Stasis class, Aspects allowed for further customization within that subclass. Now that function is being brought to the other classes.
Following the trend from last year, Bungie also hinted at what is termed as the final installment of the “Light and Darkness Saga” of the Destiny Universe. “The Final Shape” is the title of the expansion scheduled after Lightfall that will mark the 10th year of Destiny.
The Season of the Lost begins today and will lead into next year’s big expansion. Mara Sov, Queen of the Forsaken has returned to warn and prepare Guardians for the imminent threat. Guardians will have to fight incursions in our reality as well as the Ascendant Plane. Weapons and armor inspired by the Queen’s Court are now open to Guardians and there are now more weapons that deal stasis damage. New updates coming with this season include a revamp of Trials of Osiris PvP mode and the soft launch of online anti-cheat programs.
The Season of the Lost will begin Bungie’s 30th Anniversary, dating back to when their days as the makers of Halo and Marathon. To celebrate, Destiny 2 will feature events and themed gear celebrating their history. That themed gear will include the famous Gjallarhorn Rocket Launcher, a weapon that has been missing from the game after being a key weapon in Destiny 1.
Pre-orders for The Witch Queen Expansion begin today. The Standard Edition starts at $39.99 and goes all the way to the Bungie 30th Anniversary Edition at $99.99.and will include all the seasons in Destiny Year 5. The Bungie 30th Anniversary will include free content like the 6v6 and paid content that can still be purchased during their intended seasons.