Destiny 2 Lightfall Release Date Confirmed, Trailer Reveals New Strand Darkness Power

With the conclusion of Season of the Haunted, Bungie has shown a new trailer for its upcoming Destiny 2 expansion Lightfall. The developer has been teasing a major change to the status quo of Destiny 2 with Lightfall, and in the new trailer, Bungie has revealed the release date for this expansion, the new Strand subclass, and gameplay that's full of grappling hooks.

Bungie describes this expansion as the last stand against Calus--who became the latest disciple of The Witness at the end of Season of the Haunted--and a "pivotal" moment for the Destiny franchise as it heads to the end of the Light and Darkness saga.

Lightfall takes place in a new city on Neptune, Neomuna, which has a pristine and retro-futuristic design. As for the fifth subclass that was briefly seen, Bungie revealed that this new Darkness power is called Strand and allows for new traversal methods in Neomuna. The city is inhabited by a new race known as Cloudstriders, who managed to escape The Collapse of the solar system and remain hidden from the Darkness.

With The Witness having discovered the city, it has come under siege from Calus, the Shadow Legion, and gigantic Pyramid Demons that can use a scythe to attack from a distance and drain your life-force.

Strand is designed to be a psychic power that allows players to latch onto cosmic webs to catapult themselves around the map. For abilities, Warlocks can fire Strand missiles, Titans can wield claws in battle, and Hunters have a Super that allows them to weave a rope dart that can do lethal damage.

Warlock Architects can use Strand to become telekinetic sorcers and manipulate sentient creatures to do their bidding, while Titan Tyrants leap headfirst into battle and sever opponents from the psychic Weave and life. Finally, Hunter Threadrunners can move between points agility and speed as they spin Strand webs in the sky.

Other big changes include a renewed focus on Destiny 2 communities, as Bungie will be introducing gear loadouts and making the game more approachable to new players. Guardian Ranks, a "knowledge ladder" where you'll explore 11 ranks of gameplay systems will help with this accessibility push and more challenging content will have improved Looking For Game elements.

Another social aspect being added are Guardian Commendations, which will let players indicate if the Guardian they joined for an activity was fun to play with.

Destiny 2: Lightfall will launch on February 28, 2023, for PC, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PS5, PS4, and Stadia.