Destiny 2's Season of the Undying looks uncomfortably Vexy based on this story trailer

Bungie dropped a big surprise at Gamescom tonight: While Guardians are busy trying to figure out what's happening on the Moon in Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, their old nemesis the Vex are on the way back.

The return of the Vex appears heavily rooted in (big surprise) the lore: The trailer references the Black Garden, "a realm isolated from time and space" that's protected by the Vex, a machine race powered by genocidal sentient milk. But as Ikora Rey narrates, "The Black Garden is the birthplace of the Vex, but it was not the beginning—it was the reason. The life in the Garden called out a question. The Vex are the answer."

Ominous, eh? It makes slightly more sense if you played the first game on console, where an encounter with a floating gobbet of raw 'Darkness' in the Black Garden was the unsatisfying conclusion to the main campaign. Now, with Shadowkeep, it feels like that story thread might get a more thorough tug. Especially as we already knew the new raid, Garden of Salvation, is set in the Black Garden. We also know that it will be accessed via a gate on the moon, and will of course be absolutely lousy with vex.

The Vex will return to Destiny 2 in Season of the Undying on October 1, when Destiny 2: Shadowkeep goes live. The raid will launch arrive shortly after on Saturday (phew!) 5 October. If you want to know more about the Black Garden and how it relates to the Vex in preparation, take a look at the explainer video below from lore-lover Myelin Games.

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.