Highlights
- Destiny 2's last week of Season of the Deep redeemed the disappointing Lightfall expansion with new lore drops on Neomuna and The Veil.
- The Final Shape expansion, expected in February, needs to live up to high expectations after Lightfall's negative reception.
- While a new Darkness subclass in The Final Shape would be exciting, focusing on delivering a good story may be a better choice for Bungie. Leaving a new subclass for the next saga could also provide players with an element of familiarity when they return to the game.
Destiny 2 is now in its last week of Season of the Deep, which was a fantastic follow-up to the disappointing launch of the Lightfall expansion thanks to new lore drops that are finally explaining the story of Neomuna and The Veil. Given the overall negative reception of Lightfall, all eyes are on The Final Shape expansion, which is likely coming toward the end of February of next year and has to live up to the expectations set on it. One of the best aspects of Lightfall was the addition of Strand as a new subclass, and while Destiny 2's The Final Shape could complete the Darkness trifecta, there's an equally strong case for Bungie not to release another subclass with it.
Having new subclasses in the game is a great boon for buildcrafting and adding more diversity to the gameplay loop, and Destiny 2's Strand proved just as much thanks to its incredible traversal kit as well as suspend abilities. Subclasses also unlock new builds with the many weapons of the game, with new guns being made specifically to fit the themes and powers provided by them, such as The Navigator Exotic trace rifle. As good as having a new Darkness subclass could be for Destiny 2, however, it's probably best that Bungie sits this one out for multiple reasons.
Destiny 2's The Final Shape Should Deliver a Good Story More Than a Subclass
One of the biggest reasons why Lightfall's story in Destiny 2 failed to meet expectations was that a good chunk of it was focused on unlocking the powers of Strand more than it was on the promised "beginning of the end" ahead of The Final Shape. Destiny 2's Witch Queen campaign was arguably the best after Forsaken if not the best overall, and it delivered on the premise of it being about unveiling mysteries regarding Savathun and the Hive wielding the Light, all while answering some questions and still leaving puzzles open-ended.
Notably, The Witch Queen didn't have a whole new subclass, but rather Bungie started reworking Light subclasses to fit the new model that came with Beyond Light's Stasis. Many abilities changed mostly from a sandbox perspective rather than in terms of animations, and many assets were already there - not to mention weapons with a whole new damage type not being needed. Since The Final Shape needs to deliver on its story most of all, being the end of Destiny 2's Light and Darkness saga, it could be a good idea to leave buildcrafting tools for later.
Destiny 2's Next Saga Could Use a Darkness Subclass to Stay Grounded in Familiarity
More importantly, The Final Shape does not only have to go big, but its legacy should endure the test of time and still provide players with new concepts and gameplay mechanics to entice them to return in the future. As such, not completing the Darkness subclass trifecta in The Final Shape could mean leaving one door open for the future of Destiny 2 post-Light and Darkness saga, possibly creating new stories that are still tied to the original 10-year saga as an element of familiarity.
Still, Bungie has plenty of story threads that have been left hanging for a while now, with Destiny 2's The Nine being pretty much wrapped in mystery, as well as the past of the Drifter. There's also the Saint-14 story about the Guardian's death in a future that's been hinted at in Season of Dawn. Yet, it would make perfect sense for Destiny 2's future stories to start where The Final Shape leaves things off, and unlocking a new subclass in the next expansion that still holds relevance to the Light and Darkness saga could be a great way to pay homage to the game's biggest era.
Destiny 2 is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
