Bungie Reveals Next Destiny 2 Expansion, The Witch Queen, Coming In February

Today, Bungie announced its next expansion for Destiny 2, The Witch Queen, properly introducing its titular villainess, Savathûn, her minions, and a whole lot more about what's to come. Guardians will take the fight to Savathûn's Throne World, a pocket universe described as a “deep part of Destiny lore,” and take on a new wave of enemies, the Lucent Brood.

Savathûn's minions will have their own ghosts, which – if the videos are any indication – Guardians will be able to satisfyingly crush with their bare hands. Bungie developers compared the campaign against the as akin to storming a castle and diving into “the depths of hell.” If that wasn't, well, hellish enough, legendary difficulty will also be an option, for those looking for an even greater challenge.

Guardians will have a new weapon to aid them in the fight against Savathûn. The glaive is a combo melee/ranged weapon with super-stabby power as well as the ability to fire energy projectiles. You'll build your first glaive as an introduction to Destiny 2's new weapon-crafting system, which will allow you to choose many of your weapon's attributes as it progresses. Yes, “progresses,” as you'll need to use your weapons in battle to power them up.

Season of the Lost has already begun and will serve as a prologue to the expansion. The new season finally implements cross-play for Destiny 2, as well as adding all the usual new exotic weapons and legendary stasis guns. The Trials of Osiris gain BattleEye anti-cheat and matchmaking, as well as shifting from a focus on winning matches to winning rounds and completing matches.

Bungie also revealed much about what's to come in the future for Destiny. Each season that is to come through 2022 – five in all – will add two new Light subclasses. As we already know, the Lightfall expansion is next, but after that comes The Final Shape, which was described as “the Light and Darkness Saga will end.” Don't worry, that doesn't mean Destiny 2 itself is going anywhere.

To cap it all off, Bungie is celebrating its 30th anniversary by introducing a six-player raid, free for all players. Other loot, including the Gjallarhorn exotic rocket launcher from the original Destiny, can be obtained by purchasing the expansion's 30th Anniversary Edition.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is available for pre-order now on the Destiny site in four versions: Standard ($39.99), Deluxe ($79.99), Collector's ($150) and the Deluxe + 30th Anniversary Edition ($99.99). The Collector's Edition includes a number of physical goodies, highlighted by a hive ghost. The Witch Queen expansion launches on February 22, 2022 on Xbox, PlayStation, Stadia, and PC.