It's almost hard to believe that Destiny 2 Year 4 is almost here. Yes, Guardians, the latest major announcement from Bungie is on its way, and likely delivering this next major epoch of Destiny 2 in the aftermath of Season 11 (which started on June 9).
And thanks to a new announcement, we've got a firmer grasp on when to expect Destiny 2 Year 4 news. Even better: it's coming quite soon.
And as you'll see below, Destiny 2 Year 4 is bringing a very welcome improvement, where you're not going to be as limited by when you're going on raids. This appears to be a part of a strategy to expand the game's userbase by making it easier to move around and not have to play levels before they disappear.
Destiny 2 Year 4 release dates
On June 9 we got our first glimpse of Destiny 2 Year 4. It starts on Sept. 22, 2020 with the release of the Beyond Light expansion. In this next chapter of Destiny, a new Pyramid Ship appears near Jupiter's icy moon Europa and Guardians are summoned to look into the plague of Darkness
The above trailer highlights the travels of The Drifter, who is dealing cramped cargo space and is here to help Eris Morn (whom we first met in The Dark Below), who is walking uphill in a snowstorm against strong winds. Jupiter is visible in the sky, which is part of why folks quickly guessed that The Drifter was headed to one of that planet's moons.
As Darkness encroaches, a new elemental power is being revealed. It's called Stasis, and — as its name suggests — Hunters, Titans and Warlocks will use it to warp matter, slowing down foes and breaking them into pieces as well.
Destiny 2 Year 4 roadmap
The next three major Destiny 2 major expansions have been announced! 2020 will see Beyond Light, 2021 will get The Witch Queen, and 2022 will see Lightfall arrive.
Developer Evan Nikolich explained that Bungie's year 4 goals won't lock people into the moment they're in, saying "if you start playing in March 2021, you could go back and experience the Season 12 and Season 13 narrative content. We want our stories to feel more cohesive, flow with meaningful momentum Season over Season, and lead to an exciting climax each year."
This, Nikolich says, is meant to "build a better interconnected narrative and, more importantly, let players be a part of that narrative no matter when they enter the current year."
This may be the Destiny Content Vault that Bungie announced in its June 9 stream, embedded below. This feature will see old and current Destiny and Destiny 2 content made available in a cycle-in-and-out based nature.
Destiny 2 Year 4 exotics
If you're worried about exotics changing, we've got good news. While Destiny 2 Year 4 exotics haven't leaked yet, they won't be subject to a new rule that limits weapon power.
You know how Destiny 2 lets people power up guns with an infusion from another gun? Well, starting this month (June 2020), weapons in Destiny will have maximum power levels for infusion bonuses. This will not apply to exotics, according to a blog post from Bungie.
Destiny 2 Year 4 PS5 and Xbox Series X ports
We already assumed (correctly) that Destiny 2 would be on the PS5 and Xbox Series X, but we've just learned some important details about these releases. First off, current-gen console owners who buy Destiny 2: Beyond Light will be getting free upgrades to the next-gen versions, with all existing content.
On June 9, in the below video, Bungie announced that Destiny 2's PS5 and Xbox Series X versions will thankfully support 60 fps and 4K resolution (big jump from the current generation's 30 fps and 1080p rates).
In just as good news, the PS5 and XSX versions will have cross-play with the previous-gen consoles, but only across the same company's consoles. In other words, PS5 and PS4 gamers can play against each other, and Xbox Series X gamers can do raids with Xbox One owners.
Bungie even teased that by 2021, players may get cross-play across PlayStation and Xbox consoles. Fingers crossed, guardians.
