How Destiny 2 Seasons 22 And 23 Will Be Different Than Usual

So far, Destiny 2's 2023 seasons have created a more direct link with the current expansion, Lightfall. While previous seasons were linked to past and upcoming expansions, they've also been separate adventures with distinct themes and modes. Season of Defiance and Season of the Deep have acted like an epilogue to Lightfall in comparison as they further flesh out the story of that expansion, one of the major criticisms that fans had for it back when it launched in February.

In a roundtable interview with Bungie, several of the studio's narrative, design, and creative leads spoke about how the next two seasons of Destiny 2 will help set up the game's next expansion, The Final Shape. Season 22 has yet to be revealed, but senior narrative designer Robert Brookes explained that "these are some of the most serialized and interconnected seasons we've ever done."

"The interconnection between annual releases and seasons is kind of a chain link, and this year is different in that like normally we ramp up to an expansion and then we start new stuff with the seasons that come after," Brookes added. "There are a lot of narrative threads that were left in and are very intentionally unresolved to dig into and expand upon. And then from Season 22 and Season 23 onwards, it's the ramp-up and lead into The Final Shape. So it's a very different shape than what we were used to."

Brookes explained that in the post-Lightfall seasons, Bungie has been experimenting with new narrative systems to tell different kinds of stories, helping to shake up the structure of Destiny 2 so that players could still be surprised. Season of Defiance dealt with Shadow Legion's invasion of Earth and the high cost of war, while Season of the Deep has dropped several narrative bombshells such as the origins of the Witness, more details on the Veil, and a major revelation for what's next in Destiny 2.

For more on Destiny 2, you can read up on how the Hive are experiencing the downfall of their species and how Bungie plans to add more stability to the game over the next two seasons.