A new season kicks off in Destiny 2 soon, bringing with it a new weekly storyline, changes to the sandbox, and new gear to acquire over several weeks. We’re rounding up all the known and confirmed details on what Season of the Deep has to offer, and while Bungie is remaining tight-lipped on narrative content, the studio has been sharing plenty of details on the evolving landscape of Destiny 2’s gameplay and the changes that’ll be coming next season.

Start date

Season of the Deep will begin on May 23, after the weekly reset at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET. It’s worth noting that if you haven’t purchased the season pass, the cost to grab single seasons is going up in price from 1,000 Silver ($10) to 1,200 Silver ($12).

Story

As usual, Bungie is playing its cards close to its chest regarding the storyline for Season 21, but the teaser image that the developer posted did hint at the return of a familiar location and face. With The Witness having succeeded in its plan to gain access to the Traveler, the key art hints that Titan might be accessible once again and Commander Sloane is still alive and now sports a Taken-like arm. Titan has been off-limits–and vaulted–since the Pyramid Fleet first arrived several seasons ago, and beneath the waters of this location, lurks a being that has been described as the “enemy of the Witness” at the end of the Winterbite quest.

New seasonal armor

Like previous seasons, you can expect to collect new armor that’s thematically linked to Season of the Deep. For the upcoming line of good-looking gear, Bungie’s teaser image is showing off flowing robes and choral armor pieces that create an elegant approach to functional fashion. Aquaman would be jealous of these impressive underwater threads.

More clarity on Lightfall’s story

Lightfall’s main campaign is easily the weakest part of this year’s expansion, due in part to it being frustratingly vague. For anyone looking for more answers on The Veil, the cosmic MacGuffin that we spent the entire mission chasing, a new quest will provide some answers to this paracausal mystery at the heart of Destiny 2. There’ll also be a chance to add a new Legendary hand cannon to your arsenal, which was previously featured in promotional art for Lightfall but never made it into the expansion or Season of Defiance. This story mission will be available to all Lightfall owners, regardless of whether they own the season pass or have Season of the Deep access.

Gameplay changes

With Lightfall introducing a new subclass and sweeping changes across the board, Bungie is ready to do some more fine-tuning on Destiny 2. Some of these changes will be incredibly nuanced, and others will be more noticeable but expect almost every facet of Destiny 2 to be tweaked once Season 21 goes live.

Roaming Supers are getting upgrades

Bungie has been detailing how the game will change in a series of updates over the last few weeks, with some of the more noticeable changes including more powerful roaming Supers. Bungie is aiming to put these abilities on a more level playing field when compared to other Supers, so expect Fists of Havoc, Golden Gun, and Chaos Reach to be even deadlier when Season 21 begins.

New Armor Mods are being introduced

A streamlined Armor Charge system for Armor Mods will be introduced in Season 21, giving players more options to activate the unique perks of their builds more easily. The armor mod system will undergo an overhaul that’s primarily focused on the Armor Charge mechanic and enhancing how you activate it. Bungie is looking to provide a “more generous” collection method through buildcrafting and two new armor mods that’ll collect Orbs of Power and elemental resources within a specific radius.

Improved accessibility options

Several new accessibility improvements will be available next season, with the expanded list including reticle changes, full auto melee, new subtitle color options, and more.

Older raid Exotics will also be easier to obtain

Exotics from five more raids will have Triumphs that will boost their drop rate in Season 21. If you’ve been looking for a fresh roll of One Thousand Voices, Eyes of Tomorrow, Collective Obligation, Vex Mythoclast, or Touch of Malice, expect to get your hands on these weapons more easily next season.

Exotic armor focusing

Beginning in Season 21, Master Rahool will offer new Exotic armor focusing for gear that you already own. Advanced Decryption will allow you to focus an engram into an Exotic from a particular expansion or season, while Precision Decryption will allow you to specifically focus a piece of Exotic armor of your choice, if you already obtained that Exotic. These will be pricy, but the current cap on Exotic Ciphers will be increased from one to five to help balance the in-game economy when this feature is introduced.

Strand updates

Destiny 2’s newest subclass, Strand, is expanding in Season 21 with three new Aspects. Each class will receive a new Aspect, and these include Threaded Specter for Hunters, Flechette Storm for Titans, and The Wanderer for Warlocks. Threaded Specter creates a dangerous decoy that attracts enemy fire when you activate your class ability, Flechette Storm uses a slide and charged melee combo to launch your Titan into the air, and The Wanderer allows Warlocks to get more utility out of Tangles and Threadlings.

Grapple cooldowns are also being significantly reduced, and these Season 21 Strand changes are being described as part of a larger ability-balance pass by Bungie.

New Dungeon

There’s no word yet on what the theme of the next dungeon will be, but if the previous two seasons have been any indicator, expect the latest challenging PvE activity to be thematically tied to Season 21. If a Titan dungeon is on the cards, there’s a good chance it’ll be crawling with Hive and Taken, and to paraphrase the Drifter, remember to bring a sword.

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