Bungie revealed during today's livestream that Destiny 2 Year 2 will bring major changes, including a new raid called Dreaming City, a new Gambit mode that will combine PvE with PvP in a potentially very interesting way, new super abilities, randomized weapon rolls and mods in the style of Destiny 1, and a brand-new weapon class: bows.
The Forsaken expansion, which will kick off Year 2 on September 4, will take place on The Reef, as previously rumored, and will feature a "Western revenge vibe" built around a major breakout from the Prison of Elders. This leaves a flood of bad guys overrunning the Tangled Shore, a new location on The Reef, headed up by "Barons"—bosses with different powers and abilities who players will have to take out in "Baron hunts."
Gambit is a 4v4 "hybrid" mode that will see two teams battling enemies in separate arenas, collecting and banking "motes" from fallen foes. Once 75 of them are banked, a "Primeval" can be summoned on the enemy side, blocking access to the bank until it's destroyed. Not only that, one player can "invade" the enemy team to kill them and take their motes.
The return to Destiny 1-style random rolls and mods is a major change aimed at giving players a reason to stick with the game over the long term—a long-overdue feature aimed square at die-hard grinders. "We want Forsaken to feel like a game that never ends," Bungie's Eric Osborne said during the stream. Likewise, Forsaken channels Destiny 1's weapon system in new, free-form loadouts allowing players to equip any weapon type in any slot, and in seemingly any combination. "Three shotguns" was the example given on stream, which is a far cry from the current double primary system.
Destiny 2: Forsaken will sell for $40, or $70 bundled with its own three-part "annual pass." The first part of that pass, Black Armor, is set for winter of this year, followed by Joker's Wild in spring 2019 and Penumbra the following summer. A Digital Deluxe edition, with "premium digital content," will be available for $80.
Obviously there are still a lot of questions to be answered, including how the weapon changes will impact ammo and whether existing gear can be infused to Forsaken's power level, but it looks like a very promising start, with lots to see and do, and far more effective hooks to keep players coming back for more. We'll have a more detailed analysis of the Destiny 2: Forsaken reveal later today, and for now you can check out some new screens below.
