Destiny 2's Shadowkeep Expansion Takes You Back To The Moon In September

After a leak showed Destiny 2's third year would kick off with a major expansion titled Shadowkeep, Bungie has outlined what players' return to the moon will entail in a new extended trailer.

When they revisit the locale, Guardians will find the moon "twisted, reshaped, and haunted by the trials of our past." The expansion also makes the return of Eris Morn, a vanguard hunter who was the main quest-giver in the original Destiny's The Dark Below expansion. Considering Shadowkeep takes place on the moon and involves hive, it's fitting she'd make her comeback to the series now.

The moon has changed since we last saw it. Along with the regular hive threat, the moon itself is visually different – cracks of green light are breaking across its surface, and a new scarlet fortress has emerged. Old enemies are also returning as phantasms; in the trailer, we saw a Crota and Ghaul phantasm.

A new "ViDoc" trailer details much of the expansion, and also outlines Bungie's ongoing strategy for Destiny 2. Shadowkeep is also part of a move by Bungie to further dive down the RPG and social rabbit holes that already make up much of Destiny 2's DNA. To that end, Bungie is changing the way armor works with "armor 2.0". Mods can now be applied to any piece of armor. There's a new seasonal artifact item with upgradable perks, the last tier of upgrades, Bungie says, will offer perks that feel akin to what an exotic provides. 

We also learned several smaller details:

• Finishing moves add an extra flourish to combat. How these moves will work and affect the game wasn't made clear, however. 
• We saw some new exotics, including a bow with knockback capabilities, and trace rifle that creates an enlarging weak point as it hones in on an enemy, and a hand cannon that fires special ammo to burn enemies.
• Crucible playlists will be getting reworks.
• The endgame climb will be abridged drastically; Bungie wants players to feel like they're always in the midst of the endgame. This is make it easier to jump into Destiny 2 from ground zero.
• The next raid will return guardians to the original Destiny's Black Garden location.
• The "New Light" free-to-play option will have a new intro that returns to the Cosmodrome (the first location in the original Destiny 2). After that, they'll be able to launch into most of the currently available content.
• The New Light content will be available to all players, along with new ones. This includes a redux of the first mission of the original Destiny.
• After finishing the New Light mission, you will receive a series of short missions that will slowly unlock each destination.
• Shadowkeep will cost $34.99, and will offer access to other upcoming seasons as well. Those seasons will be available separately. You'll be able to enter year two and three locations, but you'll have purchase the single-player campaign, exotic quests, and high-level content as part of an all-encompassing $40 bundle.
• Season eight of Destiny 2 will focus on the crucible.
• Shadowkeep will continue some of the loose plot threads from Destiny 2's base campaign.

The expansion will launch on September 17,  and can be purchased standalone, meaning players won't need to buy Forsaken or last year's Annual Pass to jump right in. If these details make you curious to try Destiny 2, you can now hop in through the game's free-to-play "New Light" option – which includes all the content from the game's first year and will also be available on Steam and Stadia with cross-save.