After many, many years of teasing the expansion that will usher in the Savathun-era of Destiny 2, The Witch Queen, has finally been formally revealed. The new trailer, alongside the news-packed live stream, shed a decent amount of “light” on the upcoming expansion.
Let’s jump right into the plot since, well, Bungie didn’t pull any punches explaining it. All that time spent in her Throne Room after the events of The Taken King was clearly time well spent as she has developed the ability to create Hive Ghosts and Hive Guardians that are capable of wielding the Light. Yep, we’ll be going up against Void, Solar, and Arc Light-wielding Hive Knights, Witches, and more when The Witch Queen releases in 2022, likely in late February as that is when the Season of the Lost will end.
Fortunately, the Guardians will have new tools at their disposal as well. We don’t know the new Darkness subclass yet, but we do know about a new weapon archetype, the spear-like Glaive. The Glaive will be a first-person melee energy weapon that can not only perform melee combos but has a mid-range energy blast.
You won’t find the Glaive in any chest, though, it will be one of the first of the newly announced crafted weapons that are being added in Destiny 2: The Witch Queen. The expansion will usher in a new system where players can build their own dream weapon by leveling them up in combat and picking how they want to customize their gun. According to the live stream, this system will support new weapons and some legacy weapons as well. Still waiting for more specifics on that one.
According to Bungie, they put extra emphasis on the campaign of The Witch Queen, comparing it to the likes of Doom and other great shooter campaigns. We’ll have to see that one for ourselves when it comes out, but they did also add that there will be a more brutal legendary version of the campaign that is designed to be much harder and a challenge for experienced players.
The main setting of The Witch Queen appears to be Savathun’s throne world. It’s a dreary and swampy place, and in it, Guardians will need to play by the rules of Savathun.
In addition, The Witch Queen will also usher a new era where players can expect a new raid or dungeon every three months. The Witch Queen will see a free legacy raid return from Destiny 1, and it the paid version will feature two new dungeons.
We also got a peek at the collector’s edition. While not much was shown, it was confirmed that there would be a Hive Ghost replica that comes with its own stand the ability to make it glow. It’s quite cool!
Finally, it was also mentioned that The Witch Queen will be the beginning of Light subclasses getting the Dark/Stasis treatment in terms of fragments and aspects starting with Void subclasses and every season in year 5 will see another Light subclass touched up in the same way.
Season of the Lost Releases Today
In addition to all the news about The Witch Queen, Season of the Lost received more information as well.
It will serve as the prologue to The Witch Queen and will see Mara Sov return to The Dreaming City, reactivating all of the old Dreaming City technology.
Mara Sov is trying to rescue her lost covenant and is racing against Xivu Arath, the other Hive sister of Oryx, to get to them first in The Shattered Realm. Expect lots of Dreaming City secrets and Taken foes as you play through this season’s campaign.
Season of the Lost will feature Queen’s Guard-themed armor which looks absolutely sick and will of course have some new exotics as well. There will be a new exotic quest for Ager’s Sceptor, which appears to be a Stasis Trace Rifle, and the seasonal pass exotic will be Lorentz Driver, a void energy slot Linear Fusion Rifle.
Season of the Lost will also kick off crossplay for the first time in Destiny 2 along with, solo queue Trials, a new anti-cheat system with Battleye, and more.
It will be a long season, stretching from August all the way until late February. But fortunately, the Bungie 30th Anniversary event will carry the torch in the winter. You can read all about that here.
It was a jam-packed live stream. Destiny 2 players: what has you most excited? Let us know in the comments below.
As more information trickles out today, we’ll be sure to update this post.
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