The Witness may have retreated from the Monolith for now, but the fight against the Darkness is far from over in Destiny 2 The Final Shape. And, wow, Bungie looks to be cheffing up a three-course meal for us on PS5 and Xbox when it comes to the Destiny 2 Episodes – at least, judging from the new stream. What’s more, it looks like Destiny 3 isn’t quite on the menu just yet.
In the multiplayer game’s new 6-minute deep dive into what’s in store for the rest of 2024 – titled ‘The Journey Ahead’ – Bungie confirms the names of the next three seasons (now known as Episodes) will be called ‘Echoes,’ ‘Revenant,’ and ‘Heresy.’
“An Echo is the direct result of a battle with The Witness,” art director Sam Rucks explains. As it transpires, the collision of Darkness and Light during your encounter with Destiny 2’s big bad created these Echoes, spreading them across the cosmos – you even see them shoot out of the Traveler in the cutscene that plays after The Final Shape’s Excision mission. Though we don’t know where all of the Echoes have landed, it is revealed that we’ll initially be heading back to Nessus.
As it transpires, the Vex aren’t quite behaving the way they should be, which sets us up for our first major activity – Breach Executable. Described by creative lead Jason Reynolds as a “three-player arena style activity,” Breach Executable will have us work with Failsafe to cap off Radiolaria geysers while keeping the Vex at bay. Unfortunately, things that originally were contained to the Vex Net are now materializing in reality, and things are going to get even weirder as we burrow deeper into Nessus.
Next up, we have the Fallen-themed Revenant. The Fallen homeworld of Riis has been gone for quite some time now, leading the Fallen across the galaxy in search of a new one. Turning the dark fantasy vibes up to 11, Bungie’s going full-Castlevania with its vampire hunter fantasy – we literally get to become Slayer Barons in the FPS game.
To really season the season, Bungie’s adding in potion crafting. “Combat potions will buff your Artifact directly,” Reynolds explains, “[while] loot potions are going to allow you to have agency over the rewards that you’re chasing.” Neat. What isn’t so neat, however, is that Fikrul’s returned – oh, and he has an Echo. Fikrul’s Vampire Keep sounds like quite the place to storm – I’m gassed.
Finally, there’s Heresy. Narrative director Alison Lührs teases that there’ll be some “new interesting revelations” within the Hive Pantheon. This involves putting the faction’s existing relationships through “such a stress test that they come out changed.”
If you’re into eldritch horror, then you’re going to want to lock in. Not only is Bungie finally taking us back to the Dreadnaught, but the studio’s repurposing it into an eldritch fortress that’s currently being occupied by a new force – yes, that’s eldritch too.
Rucks calls the new weaponry for the season “spooky” and “bony,” which already has me ready to dramatically up my hours in the space game. On top of this, Bungie has revealed two new armor sets – ‘Hive Ship Navigator,’ and one that is very ‘Team Eris.’ The former has got me feeling some kinda way.
Topping this all off is the revelation that it doesn’t look like Destiny 2 is going to end with Year 10. Right at the end of the rundown, something called ‘Destiny 2: Codename Frontiers’ has been teased for Year 11 – “The Journey Continues, 2025” flashing up as it finishes. Though we’ve all been expecting some sort of Destiny 3 announcement, my current bet is that Bungie won’t be leaving D2 behind until the next-gen Xbox release date and PS6 release date materializes.
For more of the latest on one of the best PS5 games and best Xbox games out there, read up on why Destiny 2’s new Pale Heart location is The Final Shape’s true hero. Before you go, don’t forget to drop us a follow on Google News – there’s plenty more D2 goodness coming as we head into the next phase of The Final Shape.