Destiny 2: Lightfall Now Available On All Platforms Worldwide

Written by Brandon Hofer on February 28, 2023

News: The next chapter in the Destiny 2 saga has arrived with new story content, game mechanics, a new raid, and more.

Bungie has revealed that Destiny 2: Lightfall is now available on all platforms. Lightfall is the penultimate chapter in Destiny 2’s ongoing “Light & Darkness Saga,” and will have Guardians encountering the malevolent forces of the Shadow Legion, exploring a secret city hidden on the surface of Neptune, and discovering a new Darkness-powered subclass: Strand.

In Lightfall, Guardians will be tasked with preventing the apocalypse by stopping the Witness and its newest disciple, Calus. Along the way, Guardians will cross paths with the Shadow Legion, including the terrifying and formidable new Tormentors, who are bent on causing devastation in the high-tech capital of Neomuna.

Guardians will wield a new subclass power in Lightfall; Strand will give the ability to pluck the threads that bind the universe together, creating unprecedented combat and movement capabilities. Strand will grant powerful new attacks for each Guardian class to use in unique ways, in addition to a new grapple ability which will greatly increase their mobility and traversal options throughout the game.

Lightfall’s accompanying season, Season of Defiance, launches on the same day as the new expansion for Destiny 2 and will find Guardians called into action by Mara Sov and the Queensguard to investigate the Pyramid outputs appearing across the planet and stand in defiance of humanity’s greatest foes. There are the Defiant Battlegrounds, a new three-person activity available in the Season, where Guardians will use their newly acquired Awoken powers to tear portals into the Ascendant Plane to challenge the Shadow Legion.

New Raid, World First Race Coming March 10

Shortly after the launch of Lightfall, Bungie will unlock its latest raid, Root of Nightmares. Destiny raids are pinnacle aspirational activities designed for six skilled Guardians who want to be challenged not just for their fighting skills, but their ability to work cooperatively, think on their feet, and solve seemingly impossible challenges.

The Root of Nightmares will launch for all Lightfall players on March 10 at 9 AM Pacific (17:00 UTC). With the launch of the raid, Bungie will also kick off its worldwide competition to crown the first fireteam in the world to complete the raid. The confirmed winning fireteam will win one-of-a-kind World First title belts for each fireteam member along with the glory of being awarded the World First title. You can look for the official announcement of the winning World First team in the days following the launch of the raid.

Destiny 2: Lightfall’s Story

Calus has returned as a disciple of the Witness and threatens the neon city of Neomuna with destruction. Guardians will stand strong against the apocalypse knowing that, now, our end begins.

Strand - The newest elemental power in Destiny 2, Strand is powered by Darkness and allows Guardians to tap into the cosmic strings of the universe to unleash powerful attacks. Each Guardian class uses Strand in a unique way, and all Strand-enabled Guardians can take advantage of the new grapple ability to greatly increase mobility in and out of combat.

Neomuna – This neon-drenched city on Neptune is the newest destination in Destiny 2. Under siege by Calus’ Shadow Legion, Neomuna is also home to Guardians’ newest allies, the heroic Cloud Striders, who protect the city from invasion.

Legendary Campaign – The Legendary Campaign mode returns for Lightfall. Designed for players who want to experience the narrative of Destiny 2’s latest storyline while also challenging their skills and earning better rewards.

Loadouts & Mod Customization – New Loadouts and Mod Customization features make customizing a Guardian faster and easier than ever. Easily view and place new mods via a single Mod Customization screen; save gear and mods into loadout slots that can be accessed on the fly.

Commendations & Guardian Ranks – Lightfall comes with a pair of new social systems meant to encourage friendly play and teamwork, and to better help players understand the skill level and experience of others. With Commendations, players will be able to award a variety of commendation awards to fireteam members upon completing activities together. Guardian Ranks will offer a quick visual shorthand of each Guardian’s skill and experience level, and players can move up Guardian Ranks by earning Commendations and completing activities throughout the game.

Terminal Overload – In this new destination activity, Guardians will repel attacks from both the Vex and the Cabal as they try to flood the Neptunian city with their forces.

New Raid: Root of Nightmares – Ferried from an unknown time and place, a haunting presence has been detected. Guardians must confront the ancient threat growing at their doorstep. The raid opens on March 10.

The Lightfall + Annual Pass Edition is now available on all platforms. In addition to what comes with the Lightfall standard edition (Lightfall expansion, raid, and current Season access), the Lightfall + Annual Pass Edition includes:

Access to Seasons 21 – 23

Lightfall Dungeon Key – Access two dungeons releasing in Year 6 of Destiny 2

Instant Unlock of Quicksilver Storm Exotic Auto Rifle, Catalyst, and ornament

Lightfall Exotic Sparrow

Rahool’s Secret Stash – Earn this bonus cache of premium goods at the start of Season of Defiance and Seasons 21-23. This cache includes an Ascendant Alloy, Ascendant Shards, an Exotic Cipher, upgrade modules, and an Exotic cosmetic item.

Season of Defiance

The latest Season in Destiny 2 – Season of Defiance – is here and players can immediately earn new Season ranks. In Season of Defiance, the Vanguard calls upon its closest allies to respond after the attack on the Traveler. Guardians must master the righteous powers of the Awoken to stand against the encroaching Shadow Legion and prove themselves as Queensguard.

Defiant Battlegrounds – In this new three-player activity, Guardians will bypass the Shadow Legion’s security by entering their outposts via the Ascendant Plane. Navigate the abyss and find missing captives by completing rituals that open the gateway to safety.

Vanguard Ops Playlist Update – Now featuring Heist Battlegrounds and PsiOps Battlegrounds, the updated Vanguard Ops playlist will also include refreshed versions of two strikes: The Arms Dealer and Lake of Shadows.

Guardian Games 2023 – The annual clash of Guardian classes arrives in May and is free for all Destiny 2 players. Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans will compete to complete events, bank medallions to receive great rewards, earn a commemorative statue in the Tower, and have bragging rights for a full year.

Destiny 2 is Free-to-Play

Destiny 2 is free to play and includes many of the new features being launched with Season of Defiance, including the Guardian Games 2023 event, access to the intro mission of the Lightfall expansion and the first mission from Season of Defiance, and more. Season Pass holders have access to all activities with additional premium rewards and instant unlocks:

New weekly missions

Instantly unlocked Exotic Bow: Verglas Curve

Unlock Seasonal universal ornament set per class

Bonus XP, Exotic engrams, and more

You can purchase the Season of Defiance Silver Bundle and receive a new Legendary emote along with 1,700 Silver (1,000 + 700 bonus Silver) which can be used to purchase Seasons, cosmetics, and more.

Take a look at the launch trailer below and then tell us what you think about all of this new content coming to Destiny 2. Will you be playing it?