Bungie have released a big overview video of Destiny 2‘s Final Shape expansion, introducing a new, openly overpowered Prismatic subclass, fresh Exotic items and the new Dread enemy faction.
As reported by lovely Matt Wales at hated adversary/beloved stablemate Eurogamer, the expansion pits you against a new major antagonist, The Witness, but I imagine returning players will be most excited about the new subclass, which lets you combine certain class abilities and damage types.
This happens via a new Light and Dark meter, filled by inflicting Light and Dark damage, which unlocks a new power level, Transcendence. Transcendence lets you transcend Light and Dark by smushing them into a Light Dark grenade, available to all classes. Hunters get an additional Fire and Ice combo, while Titans can combine Strand and Arc, and Warlocks can deploy Stasis and Void at the same time. Transcendence also resets your grenade and melee cooldowns, and there’s also a new weapon damage bonus that stacks with other bonuses. As for those new Exotics, they’re designed to work with the Prismatic subclass, which lets you steal random perks from other Exotics and combine them into a single Exotic.
If you’re thinking this sounds a touch overpowered, you’re right – Bungie confess in the footage that the subclass “feels a little game-breaking”.
The Final Shape’s Dread faction include the returning Tormentor and the new Subjugator, Weaver, Attendant, Grim, and Husk. Some notes for your bestiaries: the Husk is an acrobatic bruiser that harbours a Geist which might pop out if you kill them incorrectly. The Weaver shoots waves that suck in players, and the Grim is a bat with a gun. Commendable Sinister Six vibes.
The Final Shape launches 4th June. It’s prefaced by an on-going event Into the Light, which started yesterday and runs till 3rd June. This brings back 12 “fan-favourite” weapons and old Exotic missions, while introducing a new Onslaught PvE wave defence activity, the new Hall of Champions social space, new PvP maps, the Pantheon raid boss gauntlet, and more besides.
It comes at a delicate time for Bungie, which saw layoffs last year and reportedly faces a full Sony takeover if The Final Shape flops. The recent Ghostbusters crossover may reflect a certain urgency about driving up revenues.