In the aftermath of The Final Shape, Destiny 2 developer Bungie has taken a new approach to seasonal storytelling. The first “Act” of this new approach–Episodes comprised of three Acts each–has wrapped up its story, but players have noted that the new Episode-based structure doesn’t feel all that different to seasons so far. According to Bungie, there’s much more on the way, and the new setup is enabling it to build one of its biggest Exotic missions ever, which will release later in 2024.
“We’re going to finish some threads off, but we’re also going to start opening up some doors to new stories to be told,” game director Robbie Stevens said to GamesRadar. According to Stevens, Act 2 will introduce “a completely new set of activities” on top of the new Breach Executable activity and will take players deeper into Nessus as the planet transforms. Act Three will see a new Exotic mission debut, one that Stevens described as being an ambitious step forward for Bungie.
“We have an Exotic mission coming in Echoes Act Three,” Stevens said. “It is one of the biggest Exotic missions we’ve ever built, and it’s only possible because of this new content cadence. The ability for us to build this massive Exotic mission–literally one of the biggest–it wouldn’t have been possible in the past. This is where we see the [development] team taking the opportunity, their willingness to change, their willingness to adapt to this new cadence with us, and really seize the opportunity to expand Nessus, expand this world.”
Echoes is designed to serve as an epilogue to The Final Shape campaign that examines the fallout of the Light and Darkness Saga’s conclusion in greater detail. While Bungie has big plans for Year 11 of Destiny 2, Stevens explained that the studio is aiming to tie up several character stories and “open up some doors” for the franchise. We’ve already seen the first glimpse of this new approach, as a new Vex antagonist called The Conductor is at the center of Echoes, and the next Episode focuses on fulfilling the Eliksni prophecy of the Kell of Kells and putting an end to the Scorn baron Fikrul, once and for all. Finally, Episode Three will see players return to Oryx’s Dreadnaught flagship.
While the first Act of Echoes is over, Destiny 2 players can look forward to two weeks of PvP fun when the Iron Banner returns. Now a longer event, earning some of the rare loot from that multiplayer mode will be a little easier thanks to the extended duration of Iron Banner and several other tweaks to how it functions.
