Destiny 2 Gamescom trailer shows off new Shadowkeep exotic

A new Destiny 2: Shadowkeep trailer released today at Gamescom. As expected, the action is set on the moon, the expansion's returning and expanded location, and showcases new gear, slow-motion finishing moves, and—very briefly—the Assassin's Cowl. It's a veil-like exotic mask for Hunters that grants invisibility and restores a portion of health and shields when you defeat an enemy in PvE with a finishing move or a fellow guardian in PvP with a melee attack.

Courtesy of redditor ShottyBiondi, here's a closer look at the Assassin's Cowl. I'm getting serious Dancer of the Boreal Valley from Dark Souls 3 vibes off it.

(Image credit: Bungie, via ShottyBiondi (Reddit))

The Assassin's Cowl will of course use the new Armor 2.0 system coming in Shadowkeep and New Light, the latter being the rebranded free version of Destiny 2 set to launch alongside Shadowkeep. Bungie discussed the changes that system incorporates in a livestream last week, and game director Luke Smith added more detail in his three-part mega-update on the state and future of the game.

Shadowkeep and New Light arrive on October 1. Below you can watch the Destiny 2 section of the Inside Xbox livestream from earlier today. The show provided additional info on how the game's new seasonal artifact will work. 

From the looks of things Bungie is going to be experimenting with some powerful new mods that will only be unlocked by upgrading your artifact. One example given on stream was a mod that would grant your entire fireteam a heavy ammo brick after you perform a finishing move, though it will cost you half of your super bar. 

The stream also included brief footage of one of Shadowkeep's new strike activities: The Scarlet Keep.

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.