This week at Bungie, we returned to Presage.

Before we go about our weekly TWAB programming, we have some required reading! Well, maybe required isn’t the correct word, but you are definitely going to want to read the news that was delivered earlier today about the state of the game and our plans for the future, provided by Assistant Destiny 2 Game Director Joe Blackburn.


We aren’t going to provide a TL;DR, as we want you to go read this thing, but I would like to provide a quick list of topics covered:

• News about The Witch Queen’s release date, Lightfall, and beyond.
  
• Power, and how it raises Season over Season.
  
• No additional Infusion Caps.
  
• PvP: Our goals for the future of Crucible, Stasis balancing, game security, and Trials of Osiris
  
• Information about Vault of Glass.
  
• The new transmog system we’re calling Armor Synthesis.
  
• And more!

Now, we leave it to you to read the article! Don’t worry, we’ll still be here when you get back.

...have you read it yet? Yeeees? Good. We hope that you’re just as excited for the future of Destiny 2 as we are. Now, let’s shift our focus to the live game.

This week has been a fun ride so far! Saladin is not only hosting Iron Banner but has sent Guardians back to Nessus to fight through a fourth Battleground. With approval from the Vanguard, we’ve also been seeing many Guardians venturing back into the Presage mission, uncovering new lore, and finding a sweet new catalyst for Dead Man’s Tale (for those of you who like to shoot from the hip).



Master difficulty can prove challenging, but with the right fireteam, you can absolutely find success. As you venture through this derelict ship, be sure to watch out for scannable objects. They may prove valuable to you on your journey to uncover more knowledge.

The TWAB this week will be looking at a few feedback items concerning Ritual playlist rewards, an update on DDoS protection for consoles, and an announcement of our upcoming Deep Stone Crypt developer deep dive. Read on for more.

This week at Bungie, we intercepted a distress signal.

Strange things are afoot. Guardians have discovered a distress signal and Commander Zavala has ordered that the source be investigated. A mysterious derelict ship lurks in the abyss of space. Terrifying sounds of the unknown ring from within. What puzzles and treasures await? Find out for yourself by starting the mission from inside the Arms Dealer strike – this week’s Nightfall: The Ordeal.

We don’t want to spoil anything and do recommend going into the new Presage Exotic mission without reading up on what horrors await but did want to give anyone who is curious the sneakiest of peeks.

If you did happen to get sidetracked during your Arms Dealer Nightfall, it’s worth looping back to earn this week’s featured weapon. We are hearing good things about Palindrome which was a popular Hand Cannon from the Destiny 1 era.

That’s not all that went live this week. A new Battleground has opened on the Cosmodrome with more huge engagements that will pit heavily outnumbered fireteams up against large waves of enemies who have entrenched themselves in defensive positions. Don’t forget to pick up a few of those Cosmodrome bounties before you start taking out the Cabal, one by one.

Check out the full TWAB on Bungie.net.

This week at Bungie, Season of the Chosen began.

Season of the Chosen kicked off with a bang of sorts. Caiatl, Empress of the Cabal, has entered the fray. Zavala stood his ground when being offered a seat on her war council. Ever since, we’ve been watching countless Guardians doing their best in the new Battlegrounds activity to keep the Cabal from uniting into an unstoppable threat to the system. New Seasonal Challenges have made their appearance, the H.E.L.M. has opened its doors, and a fresh collection of loot has been introduced, fueling your hunt for new tools of destruction. We’re just getting started. Week-1 of a new Season is always fun, but there's more coming. Stay tuned!



For those who’ve purchased Beyond Light, you may notice a few new goodies as well. The Stranger has a collection of new Stasis Aspects and Fragments to earn, giving you more combat options to choose from. A new landing zone has been added to the northern reaches of Europa to help you complete quests a bit quicker and new Exotic armor pieces have been added (one per class) for you to discover.

Even if you haven’t purchased Beyond Light just yet, we’ve also updated power floors and caps to help you get caught up for Raids, Dungeons, and general Quests! If you’re looking to spend some time in our ritual activities (Strikes, Crucible, Gambit), we’ve added some new weapons for you to hunt from post-game drops. Word on the street is that Bottom Dollar is a pretty spicy 120 RPM handcannon, currently available from Gambit. We’re excited to see what new loot you claim as you start digging in to the new season.

So, let’s turn our eyes to the rest of the TWAB, shall we? We have a collection of patch notes that we’re eager to cover, an update from Black@Bungie, and a Player Support Report walking us through known issues from Season of the Chosen.

Hit the jump for more!

THE NEW EMPRESS  
With the Pyramids and Xivu Arath destabilizing the system, Empress Caiatl, leader of the Cabal and daughter of Calus, seeks an alliance. But when she demands more than Zavala can offer, negotiations collapse, and Guardians must become the tip of the spear that strikes at her growing war council.  



WELCOME TO THE H.E.L.M.  
Designed as the ultimate Vanguard staging ground, the spaceport provides the resources Guardians need to face the most powerful of incursions. Here, the War Table has been set. Meet with Zavala, acquire the Hammer of Proving, and orchestrate an honorable victory. 



BATTLEGROUNDS  
The fallout from the failed treaty has resulted in Cabal forces taking up arms on multiple destinations – prepared to defend the glory of the Empire. In this three-player matchmade activity, Guardians will engage in ritual combat against Caiatl’s chosen warriors.  



EXOTIC QUEST / REDACTED  
Redacted. 

EXOTIC BOW / TICUU'S DIVINATION  
This ancient recurve Bow charges multiple Solar arrows that can track several targets at once.  



WEAPONS & ORNAMENTS  
A cache of new and reissued weapons to collect. Exotic, Legendary, ritual – over 25 weapons added to the loot pool.  



UMBRAL ENGRAMS  
Earn rewards by playing your way. Unlock the power of the new Prismatic Recaster and Focus Umbral Engrams into the rewards you desire.  

SEASONAL ARTIFACT 
Bell of Conquests  
Used to celebrate the triumphs of the warrior who carries it, the Bell of Conquests increases your Power every time it’s upgraded. Unlock new Seasonal mods and customize your playstyle.  



STRIKES  

Devil's Lair  
Find and destroy the single, exalted Servitor that sustains the Fallen House of Devils in the Cosmodrome.  



Fallen S.A.B.E.R.  
Rush to the aid of the AI Warmind Rasputin as he broadcasts a plea for help across the system.  



Proving Grounds  
The champions of humanity face the champions of the Cabal to determine the fate of the Last City.  



UNLOCK THE SEASON PASS  
Gear, XP, rewards! Get the Season Pass and instantly unlock the new Seasonal armor set and the new Solar Bow, Ticuu's Divination. You also get an XP boost that speeds up your Seasonal ranks and engram unlocks. 

This week at Bungie, we revealed Season of the Chosen. 

A new Season is upon us. Next week, Season of the Chosen goes live on February 9. Empress Caiatl has arrived to fight against the Hive. She has proposed an alliance, but the cost is too high, and whether he wanted it or not, Zavala is faced with a difficult choice. Check out the trailer to see how that conversation went down.  



We have a whole page dedicated to details about the new Season. Give it a visit to learn about the new private staging ground called the H.E.L.M., our new matchmade Battlegrounds activity, and more. 



Here is the full Seasonal calendar laying out what you can expect from Season of the Chosen, and what dates to carve out for universe saving.

Check out the https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/50095 for more info on what is coming with Season of the Chosen.

This week at Bungie, we introduce Seasonal Challenges.

Welcome to the second-to-last TWAB of Season of the Hunt. Many of you have been navigating the secrets of the Harbinger mission, uncovering randomly rolled Hawkmoons and earning the Radiant Accipiter Exotic ship. Content-wise, we’re coming to a close for the Season, and we’re incredibly excited for what’s to come in just a few short weeks. We’ve been covering some upcoming quality of life changes to Destiny 2, like the return of Umbral Engrams, but it’s almost time to take a peek at fresh content.

Season of the [REDACTED] trailer goes live on February 2, 2021.
Before we get there, we have a new feature to cover, Seasonal Challenges, and a round of weapon-focused sandbox changes to walk through. As a warning, this is a pretty large amount of information in a small space. We've joked about "meaty" TWAB's before, but this one may feel a bit overwhelming if you rush through it. Let's take it slow, step by step, and get through it together in one piece.

This week at Bungie, Hawkmoon is back on the menu.

The new Harbinger activity went live this week to accompany the Hawkmoon Exotic quest... like a proverbial peanut butter and jelly. You can now finish this new activity to earn your catalyst to add some extra spice to Hawkmoon. The new activity also lets you earn random rolls so you can start hunting for the perfect one to fit your style. Play the tape! 



Completing the Hawkmoon catalyst from the Harbinger activity will not only bring your winged weapon to its full potential but also unlock the Bungie Rewards long-sleeve shirt for purchase. This Hawkmoon inspired shirt is the latest Seasonal offering available on your Bungie Rewards page.

For info on Season 12 content sticking around, Umbral Engrams returning and more, check out the full TWAB on Bungie.net.

This week at Bungie, we’re back in action.

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Since the last TWAB, you’ve gotten your hands on Hawkmoon. The Dawning has come and gone. Next-generation consoles received some wonderful enhancements. You’ve released a crow from their cage, and Lord Saladin watched as you decimated your foes with Stasis in the Iron Banner.

On the Bungie side of things, we took a breather. This last year has been full of challenges that none of us expected. Even through everything 2020 had in store, we were able to get Beyond Light and Season of the Hunt in your hands. This did come at a bit of a cost, though, and we needed some time to recharge our batteries for a new year. We have no doubt that 2021 will have mountains to climb and unexpected surprises, but we’re all excited to get back into the groove for a new year of Destiny development.

So, let’s get this party started. We’ve got four TWABs between you and a fresh Season of Destiny 2 content. You’re hungry for what we've got planned, and we’re eager to dish out the goods. First up, we’ll be looking at a few changes to vendors, Dreaming City and Moon rewards, and some sandbox tuning for Hunter Stasis abilities in the Crucible.

Even the biting chill of Europa can’t freeze the warm hearts of Guardians during this special time of year. Eva Levante welcomes you to the Tower to learn a new recipe, to find an unexpected gift or two, and take a trip in your tricked-out Exotic ship while you’re at it. Spread cheer and get gear… The Dawning has returned.


A delicious holiday treat has a few requirements: a handy recipe, the finest ingredient materials for you to gather, and a primed Holiday Oven. New vendors and seasonal rewards await!


Celebrate the season and spread good cheer! Earn Dawning Spirit by completing missions, bounties, and recipes. With personal and communal goals available, the more Spirit that Guardians generate, the better the rewards that Eva will have for everyone to share.


Enjoy a cozy ride in a new Exotic ship, complete with a smorgasbord of features. Generate Dawning Spirit to unlock your ship’s aesthetic delights, including three selectable engine effects, a unique transmat effect, an animated shader that’s as unique as the ship itself, and more!


Earn the new Legendary Fusion Rifle Glacioclasm and show the enemies of humanity that, even though this is a season of forgiveness, the forecast still calls for pain.


Looking for something special to spruce things up? Tess has just what you need to finish off your holiday décor, from an elf-themed Ghost shell (shelf not included) to weapon ornaments that will turn heads as you trim down your naughty list.

This week at Bungie, Hawkmoon, next-gen, and the Dawning, oh my! 

OK, so it’s been another action-packed week with updates to the game and news about the future, so let’s just get into it. We started off on Tuesday with an early morning dev update on the state of rewards in the game. We wanted to share some of the plans to improve rewards as well as a few other exciting things coming up. The whole update is definitely worth a read, but I stole some bullets: 

• In Season 13, we’re adding six new Legendary weapons to our ritual activities, two each for strikes, Gambit, and Crucible. 
• In addition to the weapons above, Nightfall strikes are getting three unique weapons, with The Palindrome, The Swarm, and Shadow Price all making their Destiny 2 debuts. If you’re brave enough to take on Grandmaster Nightfalls, you will be also able to earn Adept versions of these weapons.  
• Transmog will be coming with Season 14. More details to come. (See work-in-progress mock-ups!) 
• DDoS protection for Destiny 2 players on all consoles will be coming in Season 13. 
• The Vault of Glass raid returns in Year 4. 
• Crossplay is coming in 2021. 
• Two strikes (Fallen S.A.B.E.R. and Devil’s Lair) are coming to Destiny 2 in Season 13. 
• Legendary and Master Lost Sector rotation will be expanded to include the Lost Sectors on the Moon in Season 13, and there will be new three new pieces of Exotic armor to chase. 

That very same day, Update 3.0.1 went live with several important fixes as well as next-gen enhancements for consoles so you can experience the beauty of Destiny 2 with moar frames and moar FOV! We wrote up an article that covers these new enhancements in detail as well as the new ability to pick up bounties from the Companion App and the return of the Prophecy dungeon.

This week also saw the return of Hawkmoon. The highly sought-after Exotic Hand Cannon makes its debut into Destiny 2 with a reworked perk that no longer relies on RNG but still packs a punch. Season Pass owners can now visit Spider to set off on the quest to claim their Hawkmoon.


You can read about the Dawning, Warlock melee changes and more in the full TWAB on Bungie.net.