When Bungie announced in November that the upcoming Destiny 2: The Final Shape expansion was delayed from February to June, the studio also promised ongoing content to fill the months after Season of the Wish's core storyline concluded, including Destiny 2: Into the Light, due in April. Game Director Joe Blackburn also name-dropped this piece of content in a video update when the delay was announced but shared little details other than Bungie's intention to gear it toward veteran and new players alike.
In a This Week in Destiny (TWID) blog post published Thursday, Bungie revealed the specific launch date: April 9, 2024.
It was always going to be a Tuesday no matter what since that's the weekly reset day for Destiny 2 and when all significant updates roll out, but the shape of things to come before The Final Shape (pun intended) is starting to look a bit clearer. Into the Light will last precisely eight weeks leading directly into the launch of The Final Shape and be available for free for all players. Blackburn specifically said the content was for anyone who wanted to "prepare for The Final Shape." The emphasis on "preparation" is consistent even in the newer update. What do we need to do to prepare for the biggest changes in The Final Shape? The answer remains unclear.
Official teaser art for Into the Light is a bit frightening since it shows what looks like a Hive invasion of the Midtown Crucible map which is within the Last City. There have been plenty of Pyramids in orbit since Lightfall when the Witness arrived, but this suggests the Hive may assault the City directly. Does that mean we'll get PvE content on PvP maps as part of Into the Light?
The Titan is wielding the Falling Guillotine sword with a new Ornament style or perhaps a totally new sword that's a reskin. The Hunter has a hand cannon that looks like the Midnight Coup from the Leviathan raid. Is the Raid coming back? Or is this just a reskin?
The latest TWID offered no concrete info about Into the Light but did promise a series of weekly livestreams leading up to its launch:
- Tuesday, March 19 at 10 AM PT
- Tuesday, March 26 at 10 AM PT
- Tuesday, April 2 at 10 AM PT
"Leading up to the launch, a series of three livestreams featuring the development team will showcase new content, features, and rewards with hands-on gameplay," a press release reads. Perhaps one live stream will detail story-focused PvE content, another PvP, and the third general balancing changes? In any case, the Version 7.3.6 Update also launches on April 9, including "further tuning to the sandbox and quality-of-life updates." Considering how much content remains in the Destiny 2 Content Vault, we might revisit old missions or areas with new loot, but that's pure speculation.
Bungie also announced in February three new Crucible maps slated for release in May: Eventide Labs on Europa, Cirrus Plaza on Neomuna, and Dissonance on the Terraformed Pyramid. These will seemingly run alongside but not necessarily part of Into the Light. In the same blog post, the following Crucible tweaks were also outlined for Update 7.3.6:
- Checkmate will be back in Crucible Labs, returning in a form closer to its original iteration
- 30% penalty on ability cooldowns.
- No starting Special ammo.
- Melee damage will not be increased, so it will take 3 base melees to kill.
- Primary weapon optimal times-to-kill will be shifted to allow for a more tactical sandbox, in line with the original goal of Checkmate as a modifier.
- A new modifier, Hardware, will be tested in Labs.
- It’s no abilities, only weapons! Grab Special and Heavy ammo from crates located around the map and get to shooting.
For those who are keen, watching these livestreams can earn you exclusive emblems, so be sure to tune in.
