Big news from Bungie today and for Destiny 2 gamers out there: The first-look footage from Destiny 2: Beyond Light was just revealed in a livestream event that doled out a ton of info on the content to come. Not only is the new expansion available for pre-order now, for its September 22, 2020 release, but two more expansions have been sketched out for the future of Destiny 2. Bungie's General Manager Mark Noseworthy and game director Luke Smith laid it all out in the reveal event, plus follow-up interviews in video and blog form.

The Drifter, Eris Morn, and the Exo-Stranger (with a floating companion that is not a Ghost ... but may become available to gamers in 2021 or beyond, according to Smith) lead off this first-look trailer and introduce players to the new story and location. Guardians will get to discover Europa, a brand-new place to play, which also happens to be the birthplace of the Exo. In Beyond Light, Eramis seeks revenge against The Traveler, and it's up to you to confront her and her empire on the frozen grounds of Europa, while also exploring the secrets hidden beneath the icy surface of the moon in the Deep Stone Crypt.

In this new release, Guardians will get to wield Stasis, a new power and a brand-new damage type that will be introduced alongside Solar, Arc, and Void (and Kinetic); it's the first newly introduced power set since the original launch, which is a pretty big deal. Expect a "brand-new model" of sub-class customization here.

But there is much, much more, including the Season of Arrivals and its new dungeon "Prophecy", launching today, plans for two more expansions through 2022, a commitment to Destiny 2 instead a new sequel that starts from scratch, archiving and refreshing older legacy content for future re-releases (like the Vault of Glass raid!), and not only inter-generational cross-play within a respective platform's ecosystem (ie PS4 and PS5, or Xbox One and Xbox One X), but plans for cross-platform play in 2021. This is great news for the future of the franchise and should be more than reason enough to hop back in.

Check out the first look at Destiny 2: Beyond Light:

A new power is born out of the ancient Pyramid ship above Europa's frozen frontier, and a dark empire has risen beneath, united under the banner of the Fallen Kell of Darkness, Eramis. Join your fellow Guardians and bring down the empire at any cost – even if it means wielding the Darkness itself.

 

As the new threat emerges, so too does a mysterious new power – Stasis. Rooted in Darkness, Guardians will wield this new elemental power alongside Arc, Solar, and Void to dominate the battlefield. Titans, Warlocks, and Hunters each use Stasis in a different way, from slowing down foes with Stasis fields to encasing and shattering enemies with destructive might.

 

Pre-Order Beyond Light: bung.ie/BeyondLight

Pre-orders go live today with some "sweet bonuses." Destiny 2 Season of Arrivals starts now! Consider this a prelude to the new story coming this fall. At 5pm PST, a new dungeon named "Prophecy" launches today, involving The Nine. Expect new and classic armor to chase, though it's a challengingly high power level, but it's free for all players.

Destiny 2 expansions will continue over the next two years with "The Witch Queen" and "Lightfall." They will include brand-new, never-before-seen locations and highly anticipated enemies.

On the technical side of things, Destiny 2: Beyond Line will enjoy next-gen support: 60fps, 4K resolution on new hardware. You'll be able to upgrade from PS4 to PS5 and Smart Delivery on Xbox supported for free. You won't have to re-buy expansions if you own them already. Inter-generational cross-play* is expected to work on both the PlayStation and Xbox ecosystems. (*NOT cross-platform play yet, though the team has a targeted goal of 2021 to make this available; Hat tip to DrLupo's chat with Smith for the intel.)

Since they're hitting their patch limits for Destiny 2, they don't want to start in on a sequel, so they're trimming legacy content: Each year, as a new expansion comes out, they'll be cycling older content into the Destiny Content Vault, the DCV. It also allows the team to prep content from the original Destiny to get it ready for a re-launch and re-release in Destiny 2 throughout the years. The Vault of Glass raid is confirmed to return!

Additionally, Bungie released trailers for today's launch of Season of Arrivals, and "Prophecy", the new Shadowkeep dungeon in the Season of Arrivals.

Fragments of the vanquished Almighty burn in the sky, but celebration is cut short as mysterious Pyramid ships reveal themselves throughout the system. An obscured message emerges from the darkness. Is it a greeting, a threat, or something else altogether? Eris and Zavala call upon you to find out…

 

Learn more: bung.ie/Arrivals

There's also a nicely edited recap / retroactive look-back at the history of Destiny and Destiny 2 so far. Dubbed "The Past Is Prologue", the video is not only a catch-up, it's also a tease of the content that might be stashed in the DCV to be refreshed and possibly re-released:

“Eyes up, Guardian”. A phrase first uttered in 2014 has become a rallying cry to all protectors of the Light. A Son, a King, a Conqueror, an Emperor, a God. No matter the challenge, Guardians rose up and overcame every odd. Now we must venture Beyond. The past is prologue.

 

Pre-Order Beyond Light: bung.ie/BeyondLight