Destiny 2: Lightfall is a battle of light vs. dark in a cyberpunk world

Bungie first teased its next major Destiny 2: Lightfall expansion more than two years ago, and since then, players have gained control of the Darkness, fought Savathûn and her undead army, and witnessed… The Witness. Now it’s time to shake things up again with the launch of Destiny 2: Lightfall on February 28th, with its new cyberpunk world, new Strand subclasses, and much more.

It’s also the final battle of the epic light vs. dark saga of Destiny.

At the center of Destiny 2: Lightfall is an unusual new location for Bungie’s franchise that’s heavily cyberpunk. A new hidden Neomuna city on Neptune serves as a dystopian futuristic setting for the continuation of Destiny 2’s storyline, which will see the return of Calus as the main villain once again. The Witness, a mysterious humanoid villain, has Calus on its side in the battle to destroy the equally mysterious Traveler.

Neomuna, the capital city of Neptune, has bright neon lights everywhere and an aurora borealis-like illumination throughout. It’s unlike anything that exists in the Destiny universe, and it’s a secret technologically advanced city. It also houses new Cloud Striders that protect Neomuna, and the Shadow Legion Cabal faction and huge Tormentors that can attack from a distance.

Bungie is once again introducing a new subclass with Lightfall. Strand is a green-colored subclass, and it hugely powers up Destiny 2 guardians like nothing we’ve ever seen before. If you thought Stasis was powerful, Strand goes even further with abilities that are more focused on movement and traversal to help.

Image: Bungie

The big new addition in Strand is a grapple hook, much like what we’ve seen in Fortnite, Halo Infinite, and Apex Legends. You’re able to grapple at any point, and you can use the hook to grapple anything. Originally developed for the Hunter class, Bungie made the call to expand it to all three classes so every guardian can wield the grapple hook.

Strand isn’t all about the grapple hook though, it includes a lot of damage abilities. Titans get giant claws for damage, Hunters get a rope that you can weave and whip with, and Warlocks get a blade barrage-like super ability.

Image: Bungie

Bungie is also making Destiny 2: Lightfall a lot more accessible for players new and old. Guardian ranks is a new system that players can use to identify experienced players in Destiny 2. Bungie is also adding a built-in looking for group (LFG) system in 2023 that will help players group up for activities. There’s also a new commendations system where players can show appreciation for fellow players.

Other quality of life improvements include in-game loadouts and a mod manager. Destiny 2 players have had to use third-party tools like DIM for years, so something inside the game will be a very welcome addition.

Before Destiny 2: Lightfall arrives next year, there’s a new season of Destiny 2 that starts today. Season of Plunder is all about being space pirates, and it sees the return of the Fallen Eramis villain. Battles include a new Ketchcrash mode where you board pirate ships and loot chests, and another activity where you hunt down pirate leaders.

Season of Plunder also introduces Arc 3.0, the final rework for class abilities. Titans get a new Thunderclap charged melee attack with big damage, with Hunters getting Blink movement once again. Warlocks get Two new lightning melee attacks, too.

The King’s Fall raid also returns on Friday, originally part of the original The Taken King expansion. It’s a big season as we move closer to Destiny 2: Lightfall, alongside a Fortnite and Fall Guys crossover and Destiny 2 arriving on the Epic Games Store.

Destiny 2: Lightfall arrives on February 28th on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and Stadia.