The Destiny 2 Final Shape DLC is almost here after an extensive wait, and after seeing new gameplay footage, new trailers, and new updates from the development team at Bungie, there’s a cautious optimism on the rise. After a tumultuous year for the game, the conclusion to the Light and Darkness saga has high expectations to meet if it wants to win back fans and give the game a shot at continued longevity. But just what do we know so far that’s got us hyped for June 4?
Here, we’re going to rank our 10 most anticipated features and changes coming in the Destiny 2 Final Shape expansion based on everything we know so far. Keep in mind of course that there will be some slight spoilers ahead. But with any luck, you’ll be just as excited as us by the time you’re done reading. If you’re looking for things to do while we wait out the last few weeks, check out our list of 10 things to do before The Final Shape, too.
Changes to the Power Level system
Destiny’s Power Level system has been far from perfect for as long as most players can remember. While The Final Shape isn’t planning the necessary overhauls to revitalise the mechanic, Bungie has announced some changes that look to move the system in the right direction.
First, they’re introducing Fireteam Power. This system will allow the higher Power Level players in your fireteam to uplift lower level players. The highest Power individual in an activity will become the Power Leader, and those with a lower Power Level will be brought up to five Power under that Leader, assuming they weren’t under five power closer already. Somewhat frustratingly though, this feature won’t be available in Contest Mode, so don’t expect any easy grinding for the Day One raid preparation.
In addition to Fireteam Power, they’ll be reworking the UI for ritual activities to clarify when and where Power Level is enabled or disabled. They’ll also be raising the Power Level caps to a hard cap of 2000 and a Power floor of 1900, extending the list of activities that can drop powerful rewards to help you level up faster, and enabling cross-character Power levelling.
While it may not be the true rework we feel the system really needs, it’s nice to see a number of tangible improvements coming to the system with the launch of The Final Shape expansion.
New Supers
Announced all the way back in the Destiny 2 Final Shape showcase, Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans will each be getting a brand new Light subclass super in TFS.
For Hunters, they’ll pick up a new mobile Arc super called Storm’s Edge. It’ll allow them to roam and teleport with an electrified chain whip perfect for rapid ad-clear. For Titans, it’ll be a new offence-oriented Void super called Twilight Arsenal. You’ll be able to throw up to three powerful Void axes into the ground, which you and your fireteam can then retrieve and continue dealing melee damage with. And for Warlocks, the new Solar super Song of Flame will empower nearby allies with potent damage and Solar buffs, working almost like a roaming Well of Radiance, albeit a bit more tuned for offence than defence.
In all likelihood, these new supers aren’t going to reshape the gameplay meta of Destiny 2. However they all look interesting, all look useful, and all look like a lot of fun to play around with.
Un-sunset Weapons
There’s one feature of the Power Level changes we neglected to mention until now, and in our minds, it’s one of the most exciting ones. Starting at the launch of The Final Shape DLC, all previously sunset weapons will have their maximum Power Level unlocked, allowing you to infuse them up to current Power and making them viable again in PvE content.
Mechanically, this isn’t the biggest news. After all, the sandbox has evolved a lot over the years, and few weapons will be able to still compete. But it’s not all about the meta – it’s also about what’s fun. We’re looking forward to breaking out our Ringing Nail auto rifles and 21% Delirium machine guns, and having a blast with them regardless. As an added bonus, the devs have also suggested they’ll begin adding in ways to reacquire these weapons in-game, and may even update some with new Origin Perks and traits, so be sure to keep an eye on upcoming TWIDs if you’re regretting emptying all your old gear out of your Vault.
New Weapons
What could be better than old weapons? New ones, of course. We’ve yet to see the full lineup of what to expect, and that includes some exotic weapons we’re still in the dark about, but between recent TWIDS, leaks, and the showcase, there’s a good deal to expect.
We know for example that some exotics are absolutely returning, including Red Death and Khvostov, two old D1 favourites re-tuned for the modern experience. Brand new weapon archetypes will also be making an appearance, such as auto rifles with the ability to heal allies on hit. We’d also be willing to bet that recent archetypes like the rocket-sidearm frame that dropped with Warlord’s Ruin will get some new additions.
It’s too early to tell if and how the meta might change with these new guns, but we’re hopeful that at the very least, we’ll pick up one or two new personal favourites.
New Enemy Faction
The most recent gameplay showcase gave us a lot of new information on what to expect. Among the most interesting was a brand new faction of enemies that we’ll be facing down in our fight to reach The Witness. The Dread are a sect of Darkness-twisted abominations, some hailing from pre-existing forms and others seemingly manifest directly by their master.
This is the first fresh faction in quite a while, especially if we’re not counting Scorn, Lucent Hive, or Shadow Legion as definitively original in nature. The Dread will contain a number of varied enemy types. We’ve met only one so far, that being the Tormentors. But come June they’ll be joined by the Subjugators/Habringers, Weavers, Husk, and Grim.
Some, like the Weavers, can wield Darkness subclasses, using Strand to grapple and pull in unlucky targets. Others, like the Grim, will utilise their flight abilities and post-death tracking entities to reign havoc on fireteams in large numbers. As a collective faction though, the thing we’re hoping they’ll bring most of all is some fresh and interesting new gameplay, and a new set of challenges to overcome.
The Pale Heart
Although Lightfall drew plenty of criticism from fans, one general consensus seems to be that, as far as locations go, Neomuna looks gorgeous. We’re expecting a repeat in The Final Shape with the arrival of The Pale Heart as a destination.
Across multiple showcases and trailers, we’ve already had a good look at the land inside the Traveler, and the environmental storytelling there of the battle between light and dark. There’s plenty we still don’t know, of course, and we’re looking forward to learning and exploring. It’ll certainly be interesting to see if the practical layout can meet the standards suggested by the incredible aesthetics, and we’re pretty hopeful that it can.
Exotic Class Items
It’s been a requested feature for a long time, and in The Final Shape, it’ll finally be returning. Exotic class items are making a comeback in a big way for the end of the Light and Darkness saga. While there’s only one announced for each class, they’ve got a pretty special exotic trait.
Exotic class items will be blank slates onto which players can combine two perks from other exotic gear. This, of course, means a whole lot of crazy new options, and greatly expands the capabilities of build-crafting. We should stipulate that the list of exotics probably will be limited, and the perks themselves will lose a little potency when combined on the items this way. Nevertheless, it’s a huge change that could have a lot of fun applications, and we’re greatly looking forward to getting our hands on all three.
The Prismatic Subclass
As expected, we’re getting a new subclass with The Final Shape. Sort of. As definitely not expected – but certainly fantasised about – Prismatic will be a special sort of subclass, allowing you to mix and match abilities, aspects, and fragments from all the other subclasses in the game.
Arc, Solar, Void, Strand, and Stasis are all on the cards, and you’ll gain access to a new ability too. By using both Light and Darkness, you can fill up two new metres under your super bar with Prismatic equipped. When full, you’ll gain access to Transcendence, a powerful state of enhanced damage, ability regen, and survivability.
Unfortunately Prismatic won’t be the new pinnacle of gameplay, with many aspects and abilities excluded from the available choices in order to keep it balanced against the other subclass options. Even so, Prismatic is in a perfect position to offer a lot of new build variety, a whole host of new ways to play, and plenty of fun.
The Final Shape Raid
For veteran players, there’s nothing quite like a new endgame activity to reinvigorate the Destiny 2 experience. A terrifyingly short three days after The Final Shape launches, we’ll have just that, with the arrival of a brand new raid. Though reprised raids can sometimes be a hit or miss, Bungie have been on something of a winning streak where the new raids are concerned. Both Vow of The Disciple and Root of Nightmares are considered among the best late-game activities players can jump into. With all the extra time bought by the Final Shape delay, we’re hopeful that they’ll make it three-for-three.
Even more interestingly, what little we’ve gleaned about the surprisingly short prep time before the Day One Raid experience opens on June 7 seems to be due to how it ties into the narrative of The Final Shape. We’re intrigued to see if this then might result in a new height for raid spectacle and story.
The Campaign
We’ve covered a lot on this list. While some features have been hotly anticipated since the first TFS showcase, and some we’ve only more recently learnt about, there’s one thing everybody’s known this DLC would bring since the beginning: the end of the Light and Darkness saga. Come June, we’ve got to get ready to say goodbye to the end of a 10-year-long era in Destiny. The conclusion to the story of the Traveler and the Witness, and our Guardian and humanity’s role within it.
While we can’t say with any certainty that the last campaign for this chapter in a pretty monumental game will be great, or even good, we can have hope that it’ll do justice to a journey that’s had a lasting impact on us all. That’s why, more than anything, we’re hotly anticipating the grand finale offered up in the campaign of The Final Shape.
Those are the top 10 things we’re most excited about for Destiny 2 The Final Shape. With any luck, we’ll soon find our hype to be justified, and if not, we’ll be glad to have at least been along for the ride. If you’re still not done with Destiny content, why not check out some of our dedicated guides? Whether you need a rundown of how to use Scrap in Onslaught, or you’re curious about the best Void Hunter builds, we’ve got you covered.
Published: May 2, 2024 05:30 am