Season 22 ofDestiny 2will drop towards the end of August, and fans have been anxiously compiling any and all information they can about the impending release. Bungie has yet to give an official announcement for the upcoming season, including what its title will be, but there are plenty of resources to pull from and patterns to go off for whatDestiny 2’s most recent content update will contain.
Following the early 2023 release of the Lightfall expansion forDestiny 2, Bungie has hit a solid tempo in delivering new updates to the game.Lightfall’s reception was initially mixedbut the studio has mostly been making all the right moves since then. Season of the Deep, which came out in May, has had a positive reception, with endearing new activities for both casual and hardcore players, boding well for the live-service game as it churns out fresh content ahead of The Final Shape expansion. The recent trailer for that expansion, which will mark the conclusion ofDestiny’s 10-year plan, has its fans abuzz with anticipation following the unexpected reveal of Cayde-6’s return.
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Destiny 2’s Story May Lean Toward More Second Comings
In the theme of character resurrections, the thread of Season of the Deep’s plot has tangled tothe inevitable return of Savathun. The pieces are in place for the Witch Queen’s revival, as the implication stands that she is the only one able to pursue the Witness into whatever cosmic void was carved from the husk of the Traveler. The Final Shape trailer implied a setting akin to some sort of afterlife, and now closing on its purported release window, Season 22 will likely lay the groundwork for what exactly that setting is and how it ties to the Light.
Savathun’s ghost Immaru lives, giving a clear path for her return. How much of season 22’s story will revolve around that process and how much will revolve around convincing Savathun to aid the Guardians is unknown, but providing villains with an avenue for aredemption arc is very much baked into the DNA ofDestiny 2. Between Uldrin and Empress Caiatl, a shaky alliance between adversaries is a common and arguably effective trope, the depths of which the franchise has often explored.
Bungie’s Mastery of Live Service Foretells Destiny’s Future
The pattern ofDestiny 2’s seasonal release model has been honed to clockwork, allowing fans to extrapolate what its next season will likely entail before any official announcement. The Season of the Deep’s end date confirms a late August release for season 22, and unless its contents totally eschew precedent, it will contain new loot to pursue along with a new seasonal Exotic weapon, some seasonal activity that will provide an additional route to Prime Engrams, and piecemeal story content that will unfold over the course of the season. Additions with less assurance include new Crucible and Gambit maps as well as further core changes toDestiny 2’s loot-chasing gameplay loop.
Another likely inclusion toDestiny 2at some point during season 22’s run is a legacy Raid returning to the game. Any confirmation on what Raid might make the comeback is pure conjecture, but a recent leak places Crota’s End as the likely candidate. Between leaks, inference from patterns, and the looming final chapter of the Light and Darkness Saga, all signs point to Season 22 being another absolute hit. At the tail-end of Season of the Deep is aDestinyShowcase which will pull back the curtain on the new season in addition to more information on The Final Shape. This year and 2024 are set to be the most seismic inDestiny’sdecade-spanning tenure, and unless Bungie utterly drops the ball, fans will be in for a treat
Destiny 2is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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