Destiny 2: Lightfall
| Destiny 2: Lightfall | |
|---|---|
 Cover art, featuring a Warlock wielding Strand with the Witness, Emperor Calus, and the city of Neomuna in the background | |
| Developer | Bungie |
| Publisher | Bungie |
| Director | Joe Blackburn |
| Composers |
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| Series | Destiny |
| Platforms | |
| Release | February 28, 2023 |
| Genres | Action role-playing, first-person shooter |
| Mode | Multiplayer |
Destiny 2: Lightfall is a major expansion for Destiny 2, a first-person shooter video game by Bungie. Representing the seventh expansion and the sixth year of extended content for Destiny 2, it was released on February 28, 2023, after being pushed back from its original fall 2022 release as a result of the delay of the previous expansion, The Witch Queen. Lightfall revolves around the exiled Cabal emperor Calus, a recurring character throughout Destiny 2, now a Disciple of the Witness, as he, the Witness, and their army of Shadow Legion Cabal and Tormentors attack the secret, technologically advanced human city of Neomuna on Neptune to procure a mysterious being called the Veil to herald a second Collapse.
The expansion added a second Darkness subclass for players called Strand, with powers based on unraveling, suspending, and severing opponents via manipulation of reality through an extra-dimensional matrix called the Weave. Other content includes new missions, Player versus Environment locations, a Player versus Player map, player gear, weaponry, and a new raid. Two new dungeons as well as a returning reprised raid, "Crota's End" from the original Destiny's (2014) The Dark Below expansion, were released over the course of the year.
There were also four seasonal content offerings released throughout Year 6 of the game: Season of Defiance, which was available alongside the expansion, Season of the Deep in May 2023, Season of the Witch in August 2023, and Season of the Wish in November 2023, which was Destiny 2's longest traditional season ever, lasting nearly seven months (27 weeks) due to the delay of the next expansion, The Final Shape, to June 2024. Due to the lengthened time, a free content update was released in April 2024 called Into the Light, which added a new three-player PvE activity called Onslaught, new PvP maps, the return of two previously removed exotic missions and weapons with new perks, as well as a boss rush mode featuring bosses from various raids. This was also the final content year for Destiny 2 to use the seasonal model that had been utilized since Year 2, as the seasons were replaced by larger episodes in Year 7. With the release of The Final Shape, Year 6's seasonal content was removed from the game with the exception of the Onslaught activity, PvP maps, and exotic missions and gear that were added with Into the Light; Onslaught received its own dedicated playlist. Onslaught was briefly removed when The Edge of Fate launched in July 2025, but it was re-added in the second week, along with the Savathûn's Spire and The Coil activities from Season of the Witch and Season of the Wish, respectively.
The seasons bridged the events of Lightfall to the next expansion, The Final Shape. Following the end of Lightfall's campaign, Season of Defiance focused on Earth's defense after The Witness's initial assault, with the Guardian teaming up with Queen Mara Sov, Devrim Kay, and Crow to rescue abducted citizens from the Shadow Legion's prisons using the Ascendant Realm. Season of the Deep had the Guardian work with The Drifter to travel back to Saturn's moon, Titan, which had returned after its disappearance by the Darkness at the end of Season of Arrivals, with the Guardian sent to rescue Deputy Commander Sloane, who survived the Darkness by forging a psychic bond with an ancient proto-Hive creature named Ahsa, who revealed the origins of The Witness. Season of the Witch then saw the Vanguard resurrect Savathûn to learn how to pursue The Witness into the portal it created on the Traveler's surface at the end of Lightfall. In Season of the Wish, the Vanguard struck a bargain with the spirit of the Ahamkara dragon, Riven (who was slain in the "Last Wish" raid in Forsaken), in order for her to grant a 15th and final wish to allow Crow to enter the Traveler and pave the way to confront The Witness in The Final Shape. In Into the Light, which was a prologue to The Final Shape, the Guardian worked with Lord Shaxx to fight back against The Witness's forces that encroached upon the Last City.