Destiny 2 players are gearing up for the start of Season of the Deep, which will kick off on May 23. While Bungie has yet to reveal much on the new season’s narrative content, the studio has shared some exciting details on upcoming gameplay changes, new gear, and more. Here’s everything we know so far:
Start date
Season of the Deep will begin on May 23, following the weekly reset at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. It is worth noting that the cost to purchase single seasons is going up from 1,000 Silver ($10) to 1,200 Silver ($12), so players who are interested in getting the season pass should consider buying it now to save some money.
Story
As usual, Bungie is keeping details on the narrative for Season 21 close to the vest. However, the teaser image that the developer posted did hint at the return of a familiar location and face. The key art hints that Titan might be accessible once again, and Commander Sloane is still alive and appears to have some Taken energy coursing through her arm. With Titan having been off-limits since the Pyramid Fleet arrived several seasons ago, it will be exciting to see what changes have happened there and what players can expect to encounter.
New seasonal armor
Like previous seasons, players can expect to collect new armor that is thematically linked to Season of the Deep. Bungie’s teaser image shows off flowing robes and choral armor pieces that have an elegant underwater theme.
More clarity on Lightfall’s story
Lightfall’s main campaign is the weakest part of this year’s expansion, due in part to it being frustratingly vague. A new quest will provide some answers to the paracausal mystery at the heart of Destiny 2. The quest will also allow players to add a new Legendary hand cannon to their arsenal, which was previously featured in promotional art for Lightfall but never made it into the expansion or Season of Defiance. This story mission will be available to all Lightfall owners, regardless of whether they own the season pass or have Season of the Deep access.
Gameplay changes
Bungie is making some fine-tuning adjustments to almost every facet of Destiny 2 in Season of the Deep. Some of the noticeable changes will include more powerful roaming Supers, a streamlined Armor Charge system for Armor Mods, new accessibility options, and more raid Exotics available to obtain.
Roaming Supers are getting upgrades
Bungie is aiming to make Super abilities more balanced when compared to others. Expect Fists of Havoc, Golden Gun, and Chaos Reach to be even deadlier when Season 21 begins.
New Armor Mods are being introduced
Players will have more options to activate the unique perks of their builds more easily with the streamlined Armor Charge system for Armor Mods. Bungie is introducing two new armor mods that will collect Orbs of Power and elemental resources within a specific radius to provide a more generous collection method through buildcrafting.
Improved accessibility options
Several new accessibility improvements will be available next season, including reticle changes, full auto melee, new subtitle color options, and more, making Destiny 2 more accessible to even more players.
Older raid Exotics will also be easier to obtain
Exotics from five more raids will have Triumphs that will boost their drop rate in Season 21. Players will have a better chance of obtaining weapons like One Thousand Voices, Eyes of Tomorrow, Collective Obligation, Vex Mythoclast, and Touch of Malice.
Exotic armor focusing
Beginning in Season 21, players will be able to focus their engrams and specifically focus a piece of Exotic armor. Master Rahool will offer new Exotic armor focusing for gear that players already own, allowing them to focus an engram into an Exotic from a particular expansion or season. Precision Decryption will allow them to specifically focus a piece of Exotic armor of their choice, if they already obtained that Exotic. This feature will be expensive, but the current cap on Exotic Ciphers will be increased from one to five to help balance the in-game economy.
Strand updates
Destiny 2’s newest subclass, Strand, is expanding in Season 21 with three new Aspects. Each class will receive a new Aspect, such as Threaded Specter for Hunters, Flechette Storm for Titans, and The Wanderer for Warlocks. The Threaded Specter creates a decoy that attracts enemy fire when you activate your class ability. Flechette Storm uses a slide and charged melee combo to launch your Titan into the air, and The Wanderer allows Warlocks to get more utility out of Tangles and Threadlings. Grapple cooldowns will also be significantly reduced as part of a larger ability-balance pass by Bungie.
New Dungeon
There is no word yet on what the theme of the next dungeon will be, but if the previous two seasons are any indicator, players can expect the latest challenging PvE activity to be thematically tied to Season 21. If it is a Titan dungeon, players can expect it to be crawling with Hive and Taken. In the words of the Drifter, remember to bring a sword.
It looks like Season of the Deep has a lot in store for Destiny 2 players. With less than a week until the season kicks off, players will soon get to experience all the changes and additions that Bungie has been teasing over the past few weeks.
