7 New Features Coming to Destiny 2 with Lightfall

Destiny 2: Lightfall is just around the corner, and with it comes a whole range of new and improved features; many of which have been requested by fans for years.

Ahead of Lightfall’s release date on February 28th, Game Observer discusses 7 of the most interesting features coming to Destiny 2 in 2023.

1. A New Subclass – Strand

Destiny 2 players haven’t been treated to a new subclass since Stasis was introduced in 2020’s Beyond Light expansion. Although Stasis itself was fairly divisive amongst fans, especially PVP players, it did introduce a fresh take on the entire concept of subclasses within D2; allowing players to collect abilities and customise their subclass to work exactly how they would like.

Fast forward three years and Bungie has been hard at work bringing the older subclasses of Void, Solar, and Arc up to the same standard as that of Stasis with the introduction of the 3.0 updates. With Lightfall, Bungie are now ready to introduce an entirely new subclass for players to explore and customise: Strand.

Strand is a new addition to the Darkness class type, and will this time focus on poison as its element of choice. It also looks as though the new subclass will provide players with alternate methods of traversing the new destination of Neomuna with the use of grappling hooks, as seen in the recent trailers.

So far, Bungie have remained fairly quiet about exactly how Titans, Warlocks, and Hunters will utilise their new elemental abilities, but according to the official Destiny 2 website, players can expect to be able to control sentient creatures as a Warlock Broodweaver, manifest strand claws as a Titan Berserker, and swing through the new destination as a Hunter Threadbearer. It all sounds extremely interesting, and a fresh take on Destiny 2’s subclasses that we haven’t seen before.

What is the Lore of Strand in Destiny 2: Lightfall?

Details on the official lore of strand have yet to be released. What we do know is that, unlike the existing elements of Arc, Void, and Solar, which were sound long before the Guardian’s resurrection at the hands of the Traveller, Strand is an entirely new power in the universe, and the player Guardian is in fact one of the first to discover and wield this exciting new ability.

2. Loadouts

For years, players have been turning to third and first-party apps, such as Ishtar Commander or the official Destiny 2 mobile app, to switch out weapons, armour, mods, and vaulted items on the fly, but it is still something that has yet to be integrated into the game itself, despite years of player requests for this feature.

This is something that is finally coming with Lightfall. Players will have the option of saving up to 10 separate loadouts, with options for colour coding them for each required scenario, such as having a Raid or Crucible loadout. The entire feature looks like it will massively alleviate the frustrations of many players who simply don’t have the time, or desire, to constantly switch out mods and armour for different game modes.

3. Customisable Mods

In addition to the new loadout feature, mods will also be getting their own screen to allow for easy customisation. Much like the armour transmog system that was introduced in Season 14, which provided a dedicated screen for players to easily customise their characters’ appearance, the new mod system will be housed on a single page that will allow players to see all of their currently equipped mods; including how they are affecting the characters’ stats.

With the new mod and loadout features in particular, it looks like Bungie are making moves to encourage players to experiment with new character builds regularly.

4. LFG Features (Looking for Group)

Looking for Group is also another highly requested fan feature, and again, one which has already been available on third party apps and the Destiny 2 companion for years. Hopefully now that this feature is being directly integrated into the game, solo and small fireteam players will have a much easier time joining in on the high level ‘matchmaking off’ activities that have eluded some players for years.

Seriously, this feature will be literally game changing for thousands of solo players who have been unfairly locked out of these types of activities since the inception of Destiny 1.

However, Bungie has stated that this feature will not be available the same day as Lightfall is released, and instead will be available later in 2023.

5. A New Destination

The most obvious new feature in Lightfall will be the introduction of a brand new environment, and it looks incredible!

Following the example set by The Witch Queen, who’s environments broke the visual mould of previous destinations in the franchise by taking heavy inspiration from the works of Zdislaw Beksinski, Lightfall will be taking players to a cyberpunk inspired metropolis unlike anything seen in Destiny before.

Unlike the previous destinations of Destiny 2, destitute worlds that were struggling to survive following the collapse, Neomuna has throughout the history of Destiny by remaining hidden from outsiders. However, now that The Witness has reached our solar system, it looks like the humans of this neon metropolis have decided to open the gates of the neptunian city to our Guardian.

Neomuna will be free to all players, whether they have purchased the expansion or not, and one can expect to find hours worth of secrets, lost sectors, and side quests to discover and complete in the new destination.

6. New Guardian Ranks

Ever played a game with a random Guardian and thought ‘wow, I hated that player’? Well now you can let them know how much of an ass they were with the new Guardian Ranks system, which will allow you to commend players on their performance or attitude after a match or activity has concluded.

These commendations will take the form of cards that will appear on a player’s profile, and each card will fall under one of the following categories: Ally, Mastery, Fun, Leadership.

These categories will essentially help other players determine if they actually want to play with a certain Guardian, or just look at their achievements as a player over the years. It will also, presumably, play a big role in the Looking for Group elements being introduced later in the year.

7. The Current Saga Nearing its Conclusion

One of the most exciting aspects of the Lightfall expansion, especially for story players, is the near conclusion of the ‘Light and Dark’ saga, the saga we have been in since Destiny 1.

With our true enemy, The Witness, having now been named and revealed at the conclusion of The Witch Queen, players are now ready to begin their final journey to confront the heart of darkness once and for all.

Lightfall is to be the penultimate expansion in this saga, and will see players race to the edge of our solar system to confront Emperor Calus, a character who has been both friend; ally, and antagonist to our character at various points throughout Destiny 2, as he attempts to aid The Witness in his potential assault on The Traveller.

This is an extremely exciting point in the timeline of Destiny, and represents the near culmination of many promised story points that have been weaved throughout Destiny’s past seasons and expansions.

Is Lightfall the End of Destiny?

Lightfall represents the penultimate expansion in the current saga of destiny, and is being hailed by some players as the ‘Infinity War’ of Destiny. Once the story of Lightfall is concluded, players will experience a further 4 seasonal stories throughout 2023 before the release of The Final Shape in early 2024, which will provide the conclusion of the current saga’s story for Destiny 2.

Summary

So there we have it. There will, of course, be more features that will come to light once Lightfall has been released on February 28th 2023, and we can’t wait to experience everything the exciting new destination has to offer.
Enjoyed this article? Why not explore our article on How Destiny 2’s Seasons Need to Change.