Destiny's The Dawning Event Has Modified Strikes, New Exotics, and More

Bungie has revealed more details about what Destiny's upcoming event, The Dawning, entails, which serves as both a holiday update and this year's iteration of Sparrow Racing League.

Speaking with GameSpot, Destiny community manager David Dague explained how The Dawning--as in the holiday itself--is sort of an amalgamation of the different cultures that were brought together prior to the events of the game. These various groups decided to combine their traditions and histories to "celebrate the dawning of the Traveler's Light," he explained.

"This is a holiday that is rooted in the fiction of our world; it just so happens to coincide with a time we are all celebrating our own things we can be thankful for. It's an opportunity for Destiny to be festive but to also maintain its own lore and its own parallel universe."

Despite the good feelings that might suggest, The Dawning event manifests itself in two ways: sparrow racing and a new Strike scoring system. Sparrow racing will operate much as it did last year, with two new tracks to race on and "great drops" available to earn. Unlike last time out, this gear can be infused, giving it a better chance to be useful to you long-term. Items drop based on your Light level, so you'll again be able to grind up your Light level through SRL. A record book will also be available to anyone who owns Rise of Iron, providing you with objectives as you race.

Asked if sparrow racing could become a permanent fixture of Destiny, Dague revealed that, following The Dawning, it will be added as an option for private matches. Playing it in that way won't offer the same sorts of rewards as races during The Dawning, but it will at least be an option for those with friends to get into a match.

Strike scoring will also be a component of the Dawning record book, which will put you on a "pathway" to earning new Exotic heavy machine guns. Zavala will also have quests and bounties related to Strike scoring, where you'll earn accolades for things like killstreaks, flawless runs, and speed runs.

Three Strikes--The Shadow Thief, Nexus, and Will of Crota--also get something of a makeover, with a new Hard modifier that introduces Devil Splicers into missions where they weren't previously present.

Dague also referenced other Exotics and the return of certain weapon ornaments, but he didn't share any specifics.

The Dawning kicks off for all owners of Rise of Iron on December 13. It runs until January 3.