Destiny 2: Lightfall Release Date, Trailer, And Gameplay - What We Know So Far

In the near future, "Destiny 2" will wrap up a trilogy detailing the battle between two sides: Light and Darkness. This storyline kicked off with the "Beyond Light" expansion and was furthered by its sequel, "The Witch Queen." Throughout the narrative, the Guardians — Earth's last surviving protectors — have battled vigorously against malevolent alien forces, even going as far as to adopt the powers of Darkness in their bid to save the world. This trilogy is now approaching its conclusion with the upcoming expansion, "Dying Light 2: Lightfall."

The lead-up to "Lightfall" has been a slow burn. Despite the launch of "Beyond Light" all the way back in late 2020, "Destiny 2" players have had to wait almost two years and play through two other expansions before more details about the trilogy finale emerged. Thanks to an August 2022 event hosted by "Destiny 2" developer and publisher Bungie, fans of the looter shooter finally have some idea of what they can expect when "Lightfall" arrives.

Bungie revealed during the "Destiny 2" Showcase 2022 that the "Destiny 2: Lightfall" expansion will release on February 28, 2023. The DLC will be available for all platforms the base game is currently on — PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia. Pre-orders for "Destiny 2: Lightfall" have already gone live and boast three different editions that players can choose from:

• The Standard Edition for "Lightfall" contains all the essentials for the DLC, including Season 20 access. Pre-ordering the Standard Edition ($49.99) also comes with two bonus items: the Exotic Ghost and a Legendary Emblem. 
• The step up from the vanilla DLC is the Annual Pass Edition ($99.99) which includes all of the aforementioned content, as well as access to Season 21, 22, and 23 and the new Quicksilver Storm Exotic Auto Rifle, Exotic Emote, Lightfall Exotic Sparrow, Lightfall Dungeon Key, and Rahool's Secret Stash once per season. 
• Finally, there's a Collector's Edition which retails at a whopping $249.99. It comes with all the benefits of the Annual Pass while throwing in a bunch of memorabilia. These collectibles include a digital soundtrack, LED light-adorned replica figurine, Vanguard lore books, letter from Zavala, mini-lithograph, vinyl sticker, and a Collector's Edition emblem.

The reveal trailer for "Destiny 2: Lightfall" was unveiled at the same time as the release date. It shows three characters representing the classes featured in the game — Warlock, Hunter, and Titan — readying themselves for battle against what appears to be hundreds of enemy sentries in the new city of Neomuna. Scenes of high-octane combat are intercut by glimpses of the expansion's antagonist, The Witness. The trailer ends with all three protagonists using the all-new Strand subclass to both dispense with the pursuing enemies and traverse the sprawling cyberpunk-inspired map.

The trailer met with positive feedback from "Destiny" fans. On YouTube, some commenters were thrilled with the enemy types, along with the look of the new Titan, the Tyrant. The biggest takeaways for others, however, were the amazing aesthetics of Neomuna, as well as the Strand sub-class and its perceived Spider-Man-like abilities.

The reveal trailer didn't include any discernable gameplay footage for "Lightfall." However, Bungie highlighted many of the new features it will bring to "Destiny 2" in a blog post and on the official site.

The "Lightfall" expansion will take place in Neomuna, a technologically advanced secret city that boasts a cyberpunk look — a first for "Destiny." Players will also have access to the new Strand subclass available across every type of Guardian. The main function of Strand is the grapple hook, which can be used to quickly traverse Neomuna and its magnificent skyline. It also has benefits in battle, too. The Titan class will receive claws, Hunters will use the Strand as a whip of sorts, and the Warlock can manipulate the Strand with its telekinetic abilities.

In addition to the highly anticipated subclass, other features will also be available. This includes new enemies, a new Raid, and two pinnacle challenges for Annual Pass owners.