Examine individual changes

'{{Infobox video game | title = Destiny 2: Beyond Light | image = Destiny 2 Beyond Light cover.jpeg | developer = [[Bungie]] | publisher = Bungie | director = Luke Smith | producer = | designer = | programmer = | artist = | writer = | composer = {{plainlist| * [[Michael Salvatori]] * Skye Lewin * Rotem Moav * Pieter Schlosser }} | platforms = {{plainlist| * [[Microsoft Windows]] * [[PlayStation 4]] * [[PlayStation 5]] * [[Google Stadia|Stadia]] * [[Xbox One]] * [[Xbox Series X and Series S]] }} | released = November 10, 2020 | genre = [[Action role-playing game|Action role-playing]], [[first-person shooter]] | modes = [[Multiplayer online game|Multiplayer]] }} '''''Destiny 2: Beyond Light''''' is an upcoming major [[expansion pack|expansion]] for ''[[Destiny 2]]'', a [[first-person shooter]] video game developed by [[Bungie]]. It is scheduled to be released on November 10, 2020, as the fifth expansion of ''Destiny 2''. Players will travel to Jupiter's icy moon [[Europa (moon)|Europa]] to confront the Darkness, which will give the player new subclasses and abilities called Stasis. The expansion will also see the return of the Exo Stranger from the original ''[[Destiny (video game)|Destiny]]''{{'}}s campaign, as well as Variks from the original game's ''[[Destiny post-release content#House of Wolves|House of Wolves]]'' expansion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidthier/2020/09/22/destiny-2s-beyond-light-europa-trailer-brings-a-beloved-character-back-to-the-game/#290f1b5b7b55|title=Destiny 2's Beyond Light Europa Trailer Brings A Beloved Character Back To The Game|date=September 22, 2020|last=Thier|first=Dave|work=[[Forbes]]|accessdate=September 22, 2020}}</ref> ''Beyond Light'' will add content across the game, including missions, [[player versus environment]] locations, player gear, weaponry, and a [[Raid (gaming)|raid]]. Some of the less played locations and activities from ''Destiny 2'' will be cycled out of the game, while locations and activities previously explored in the original ''Destiny'', such as Earth's Cosmodrome, will return. ''Beyond Light'' will be the first expansion of ''Destiny 2'' to be released on new platforms, the [[PlayStation 5]] and [[Xbox Series X and Series S]]. Bungie has described this expansion as the beginning of a new era for the ''Destiny'' franchise. ==Gameplay== {{main|Destiny 2#Gameplay}} ''Beyond Light'' maintains the basic gameplay of ''Destiny 2''; the player, as a Guardian using a power called Light that gives them superhuman abilities and the ability to be regenerated, fight in a mix of [[first-person shooter|first-person]] and [[third-person shooter]] gameplay in both [[player versus environment]] and [[player versus player]] activities in a [[massively multiplayer online]] game world. Cooperative activities include various bounties, story-related missions, strikes, [[raid (video games)|raids]], open-world public events, special seasonal events, while competitive matches include matches with other Guardians in the Crucible or a team versus team mode in the Gambit arena. Players are rewarded with both new weapons and armor as well as various materials that are used as a form of in-game currency to gain or upgrade other equipment. Players can have up to three active characters, one from each of the game's main classes: Titan, Hunter, and Warlock, each that has several subclasses based on the type of elemental damage they select prior to missions. Players seek to improve their character's overall Power level—a rough average measuring the quality of weapons and gear they have collected—that allows them to take on more challenging activities in the game. Prior to ''Beyond Light'', there were three main elements: Arc, Solar, and Void, which are rooted in Light; ''Beyond Light'' will introduce a fourth element called Stasis, which creates ice and cold-based damage, rooted in Darkness, and will have fully customizable skill options compared to the existing subclasses. Each class will get a new subclass for Stasis abilities: Warlock Shadebinders will have them using an icy staff that shoots projectiles and unleashes an explosion to freeze and shatter enemies through their "Winter's Wrath" super, Hunter Revenants will utilize ice picks that they can throw and create icy storms to trap and freeze enemies through their super "Silence and Squall", while Titan Behemoths use frozen gauntlets to allow for melee destruction and unleash icy shockwaves on the ground through their super "Glacial Quake".<ref name="polygon stasis skill tree">{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/15/21292037/destiny-2-beyond-light-stasis-supers-powers-abilities-skill-tree-warlock-titan-hunter-time-element|title=Everything we know about Destiny 2: Beyond Light's new Stasis power|date=June 15, 2020|last=Gilliam|first=Ryan|work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|accessdate=July 14, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/8/27/21404708/destiny-2-beyond-light-stasis-power-revenant-shadebinder-behemoth-hunter-titan-warlock|title=Breaking down Destiny 2: Beyond Light's Revenant, Behemoth, and Shadebinder subclasses|date=August 27, 2020|last=Gilliam|first=Ryan|work=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]]|accessdate=August 27, 2020}}</ref> Game director Luke Smith said that these new customization options for the Stasis subclasses are an "experiment...to see how this goes" and that they may later add these options to the existing Arc, Solar, and Void subclasses.<ref name="polygon stasis skill tree"/> Other major gameplay changes include: * Five of the game's current destinations—Titan, Io, Mars, Mercury, and the Leviathan ship and their associated campaigns and other activities—as well as activities and content from Year 2's Annual Pass, will be removed from the game and placed in the Destiny Content Vault (DCV), while two new areas, Earth's Cosmodrome (previously featured in the first ''[[Destiny (video game)|Destiny]]'') and Europa, will be added to the game. One of the original raids from ''Destiny'', "Vault of Glass", will also be added to the game sometime during Year 4.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-2-vault-of-glass-is-returning-but-old-cont/1100-6478197/ | title = Destiny 2: Vault Of Glass Is Returning, But Old Content Is Going Away | first = Phil | last = Hornshaw | date = June 9, 2020 | accessdate= September 25, 2020 | work = [[GameSpot]] }}</ref> * The shell for the player's Ghost, who in-game provides a companion for the character and aids in respawning the character if they die, will be able to be customized with modifications similar to other armor pieces introduced with the Armor 2.0 system. Prior to ''Beyond Light'', while the player could obtain Ghost shells with various properties, these were typically fixed or had some random generated perks given to them. Bungie stated this was intended to give even further customization options to the character.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-2-beyond-light-will-make-ghosts-more-customizable-and-useful/1100-6482335/ | title = Destiny 2 Beyond Light Will Make Ghosts More Customizable And Useful | first = Phil | last = Hornshaw | date = September 17, 2020 | accessdate = September 25, 2020 | work = [[GameSpot]] }}</ref> * The hybrid PvE/PvP Gambit mode will drop the original three-round mode in favor of the newer single-round Gambit Prime mode, tweaking some of the enemies that spawn in the mode and other timing factors. Impacts of armor from the Reckoning (a PvE arena activity introduced in ''Season of the Drifter''), which could boost certain Gambit gameplay factors such as being able to summon more powerful blockers to the opponent's side of the map, will be reworked into armor mods.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.gamespot.com/articles/heres-how-gambit-is-changing-in-destiny-2-beyond-l/1100-6482095/ | title = Here's How Gambit Is Changing In Destiny 2 Beyond Light | first = Phil | last = Hornshaw | date = September 11, 2020 | accessdate = September 25, 2020 | work = [[GameSpot]] }}</ref> * Armor transmogrification will be introduced sometime in Year 4, which will allow players to change legendary quality armor pieces into universal ornaments, similar to those purchased in the Eververse microtransaction store.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2020/5/11/21252477/destiny-2-bungie-eververse-changes-update-armor-activities-cosmetic-transmog-luke-smith-ship-sparrow | title = Bungie promises more loot from playing, less from microtransactions, in Destiny 2 | first = Ryan | last = Gillam | date = May 11, 2020 | accessdate = October 3, 2020 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] }}</ref> * All weapons and gear will now have a Power infusion cap, meaning older weapons and gear introduced in previous seasons will have a maximum Power infusion limit and eventually will be less viable in activities that require a high Power level.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2020/6/10/21286544/destiny-2-sunsetting-weapon-gun-retirement-sunsetting-interview-bungie-luke-smith | title = Destiny 2's expiring weapons system is about fixing the sins of the past | first = Ryan | last = Gillam | date = June 10, 2020 | accessdate = October 6, 2020 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] }}</ref> * Players can now re-obtain any abandoned quests through a quest archive kiosk in the Tower; this kiosk will also grant access to the new player experience for ''New Light'' for veteran players. Players will also have access to an exotic archive in the Tower as well, where they can purchase exotic, pinnacle and pursuit weapons and gear from associated areas, activities and seasons that are placed in the DCV.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.polygon.com/2020/11/5/21551538/destiny-2-beyond-light-exotic-archive-destiny-content-vault-quests-weapons-monument-lost-lights | title = Here’s how players can get old Exotics in Destiny 2: Beyond Light | first = Ryan | last = Gillam | date = November 5, 2020 | accessdate = November 6, 2020 | work = [[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] }}</ref> New and existing players' Power levels will be increased to the new minimum Power level of 1050 upon the release of ''Beyond Light'' and the first seasonal content offering, ''Season of the Hunt''. Prime Engrams will begin to drop at the first soft Power level cap of 1200. The second Power level cap will be at 1250, while the pinnacle cap will be at 1260. A new raid mission will be released on November 21, 2020, and will take place in the Deep Stone Crypt, a Clovis Bray facility located on Europa which is the birthplace of the Exos. ==Plot== Following the events of ''Season of Arrivals'', in which multiple Pyramid ships began invading the [[Solar System]], a new power is born out of the ancient Pyramid ship above Jupiter's icy moon [[Europa (moon)|Europa]], and a dark empire has risen beneath, united under the banner of the Fallen Kell of Darkness, Eramis, the Shipstealer. The Exo Stranger, last seen at the end of the original ''Destiny''{{'}}s campaign, calls Eris Morn and the Drifter to the Jovian moon to investigate the ship. The Exo Stranger explains that she comes from a different timeline where the Darkness won. Just as she had provided aid to the Guardian against the Vex six years ago, she has returned to the present time to help prevent the Darkness from claiming victory and causing a second Collapse. The "mysterious logbook" included with the Collector's Edition of the game turns out to be a gift to the Guardian from the Stranger, revealing her to be Elsie Bray, the granddaughter of the creator of the Exos, Clovis Bray I. The logbook depicts Clovis I's descent into madness as he arrives at his Europa research station, the Deep Stone Crypt, and repeatedly sabotages his life-support system to die and commune with the Darkness, which he calls "Clarity Control." By using the Sword Logic, or "Clarity," to reduce Vex radiolarian fluid to an inert and base form, he is able to use it as a key component in the development of Exos, while Elsie's human form begins to die of [[fatal insomnia]]. The logbook abruptly ends just as Clovis I discovers that Europa's atmosphere has destabilized his own DNA, activating the prion disease in himself. ===''Season of the Hunt''=== Taking place alongside the events of ''Beyond Light'', ''Season of the Hunt'' will focus on Osiris, the Spider, and a resurrected Uldren Sov, now a Guardian known as The Crow, as they fight corrupted Hive, Cabal and Fallen under Xivu Arath, God of War, a Hive god and youngest sister to Savathûn and Oryx. ==Release== Unveiled on June 9, 2020, ''Beyond Light'' was originally scheduled for release on September 22, 2020; however, due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], its launch was delayed to November 10.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/paultassi/2020/07/16/destiny-2-has-delayed-its-beyond-light-expansion-in-part-due-to-covid-lockdown/#31e8034722c9|title='Destiny 2' Has Delayed Its Beyond Light Expansion In Part Due To COVID Lockdown|date=July 16, 2020|last=Tassi|first=Paul|work=[[Forbes]]|accessdate=July 16, 2020}}</ref> In addition to beginning Year 4 of ''Destiny 2''{{'}}s life cycle, Bungie has described this release as the start of a new era for the franchise, as ''Beyond Light'' begins a trilogy of expansions where players "will explore the true nature of Light and Dark"—''Beyond Light'' will be followed up by ''[[Destiny 2: The Witch Queen|The Witch Queen]]'' in 2021 and ''[[Destiny 2: Lightfall|Lightfall]]'' (working title) in 2022.<ref name=viablefuture>{{cite web|url=https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/49189|title=BUILDING A VIABLE FUTURE IN DESTINY 2|date=June 9, 2020|author=DeeJ|work=[[Bungie]]|accessdate=July 14, 2020}}</ref> The expansion will be available as paid [[downloadable content]] (DLC) and there will also be a collector's edition and a digital deluxe edition. The collector's edition has been sold out.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/destiny-2-beyond-light-preorder-guide-every-editio/1100-6478180/|title=Destiny 2: Beyond Light Pre-Order Guide: Every Edition, Collectible And Bonus (PC, PS4, And Xbox One)|date=July 14, 2020|last=Sitzes|first=Jenae|work=[[GameSpot]]|accessdate=July 14, 2020}}</ref> Seasonal content for Year 4 will also change. During Year 3, seasonal content was only accessible during the season it was active. While season passes will still be available à la carte as they were during Year 3, the content of previous seasons in Year 4 can be experienced all year, regardless of when a player begins playing, much like the seasons during Year 2 of ''[[Destiny 2: Forsaken|Forsaken]]''{{'}}s Annual Pass, though the player must still purchase each season's seasonal pass to access the content. The narrative across each season will also be more interconnected instead of being cut into individual seasonal arcs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/destiny-2-year-4-will-have-seasons-that-can-be-experienced-all-year/|title=Destiny 2 Year 4 will have "Seasons that can be experienced all year"|date=May 1, 2020|last=Wood|first=Austin|work= [[GamesRadar+]]|accessdate=July 14, 2020}}</ref> Destiny 2 Beyond light is launching with 10 new exotics and 3 new to the season pass along with the return of hawk moon. A new subclass (statsis) ia also arriving Not Much of the plot is known but before the release The DCV is going to take io,titan,mars,and mercury. But we are reciveing the cosmadrome again ===Core client changes=== ''Destiny 2''{{'}}s size over its first three years had grown too large for Bungie to efficiently update and maintain, creating several [[software bug]]s when they introduced new content. The total content had reached about 115&nbsp;GB and often required large patches with some updates. Rather than focus on developing a ''Destiny 3'', Bungie decided to work on refreshing the current ''Destiny 2'' content and address the state of the game with ''Beyond Light''.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.pcgamesn.com/destiny-2/content-vault-destiny-3 | title= The Destiny Content Vault is for remaking old content as an alternative to Destiny 3 | first = Anthony | last = McGlynn | date = August 29, 2020 | accessdate = September 12, 2020 | work = [[PCGamesN]] }}</ref> ''Beyond Light'' will introduce the "Destiny Content Vault" (DCV) as part of this major reworking of the game. Five of the game's main worlds (Titan, Io, Mars, Mercury, and the Leviathan area) will be removed from the game and placed in the DCV along with certain activities including the campaigns, raids, weapons, armor, and items associated with those worlds. The DCV also includes all of the content from the original ''Destiny'' game. After ''Beyond Light'' is released, Bungie plans to go back to areas in the DCV and remaster them over time so that they can be better incorporated into the game at a later time (as seen with Earth's Moon location in the previous ''[[Destiny 2: Shadowkeep|Shadowkeep]]'' expansion).<ref name=viablefuture/> Because of this change, the install size of the game will drop by about 30 to 40% on all platforms, but will require players to effectively reinstall the full game once ''Beyond Light'' is released.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.ign.com/articles/destiny-2-beyond-light-install-size |title = Destiny 2: Beyond Light Update Will Reduce the Size of the Game, But Will Need a Full Reinstall | first = Wesley | last = LeBlanc | date = September 25, 2020 | accessdate = September 25, 2020 | work = [[IGN]] }}</ref> ==References== {{reflist}} {{Bungie}} [[Category:Upcoming video games scheduled for 2020]] [[Category:Action role-playing video games]] [[Category:Bungie games]] [[Category:Centaurs (minor planets) in fiction]] [[Category:First-person shooters]] [[Category:Multiplayer video games]] [[Category:PlayStation 4 games]] [[Category:PlayStation 4 Pro enhanced games]] [[Category:PlayStation 5 games]] [[Category:Post-apocalyptic video games]] [[Category:Role-playing video games]] [[Category:Science fiction video games]] [[Category:Stadia games]] [[Category:Video games about extraterrestrial life]] [[Category:Video games containing battle passes]] [[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] [[Category:Video games featuring protagonists of selectable gender]] [[Category:Video games set in Europe]] [[Category:Video games using Havok]] [[Category:Video game expansion packs]] [[Category:Windows games]] [[Category:Xbox One games]] [[Category:Xbox Series X and Series S games]] [[Category:Destiny (series)]] [[Category:Loot shooters]] [[Category:Europa (moon) in fiction]]'