Destiny 2’s next great expansion,Beyond Light, is now only weeks away, and players are gearing up for the sweeping changes headed to the game. Luke Smith, game director ofDestiny 2, recently discussed one of the major features that will reshape the way players build and customize their characters.
On November 10th,Beyond Lightwill go live,vaulting a substantial amount ofDestiny 2’s current content. The vault system, which will periodically cycle through new and previously available content from bothDestinyandDestiny 2is designed to maintain quality in the face of the game’s ever-broadening scope. In addition to an entirely new early player experience,Beyond Lightwill bring a host of never-before-seen content, including a whole new subclass tree for each of the game’s primary classes: Warlock, Titan, and Hunter.
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The elemental “theming” of the new tree is Stasis, featuring a crystal-like motif, and abilities that can freeze and slow the franchise’s wide variety of enemies. Some veterans from the originalDestinyhave noted similarities between that game andBeyond Light’s new trees. The similarities are no accident. Bungie has stated it hopes to recapture some of themagic that madeDestinygreat, which seems like a smart move for the space-opera shooter.
In an interview with Edge Magazine, Director Luke Smith detailed how the Stasis trees would help facilitate that goal. Unlike the base subclasses andtheForsakenexpansion’s nine super trees, the Stasis subclasses can be customized with items called aspects and fragments. The subclasses' holy trinity of melee, active, and grenade abilities are still fixed, but the new items can impart unique active and passive abilities to help players' Guardians feel totally unique.
There is still some life left in the current build ofDestiny,beforeBeyond Lightdrops, however. The seasonal Festival of the Lost events are currently live and offering special rewards for a limited amount of time. Even though Bungie recently confirmed thatthis year’sDestinyfestivitiesdo not feature a special, secret mission, avid players will still want to claim their share of spooky loot by exploring the game’s procedurally generated Haunted Forest dungeon and partaking in other themed events.
The added practice will likely help players prepare for new content as well. High-level players will need to hit the ground running, asBeyond Light’s first raidwill go live just eleven days after launch. That breathless turnaround time is impressive and sure to please dedicated players, but it doesn’t leave much time for Guardians to acclimate to the new trees' nuances and abilities.
Destiny 2is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One.Destiny 2: Beyond Lightis set to launch on November 10th.
