Here Are 16 Major Changes Coming to Destiny 2 When the Final Shape Expansion Goes Live

Bungie is gearing up and is less than a month away from the release of The Final Shape expansion for Destiny 2, the most important content drop of the looter shooter live service game as it concludes the game’s light versus darkness arc that started way back in the first Destiny game.

They aren’t holding back with this expansion as there are so many changes and additions coming to the game that Destiny 2 will feel like a completely new game when The Final Shape goes live on June 4, 2024.

Here are 16 major changes and inclusions coming to the game that you should be aware of as we get closer to the expansion’s launch.

New Subclass- Prismatic

The new subclass is pretty nuts as it simply gives Guardians the ability to mix different light and dark subclasses abilities, Fragments, and Aspects to allow players to make multi-class builds. There are limitations to each version of the Prismatic subclass as there are set choices available for the Titan, Warlock, and Hunter classes. Aspects and Fragments from different subclasses will be made available as you’ll have built using a void grenade, a melee stasis ability, then supported with void and stasis aspects, for example.

The new ability unique to Prismatic is Transcendence, which slowly builds up in battle. Once charged, a player can trigger Transcendence, which converts your grenade to a new grenade that mixes two elementals and will deal substantial damage and apply effects that could turn the fight in your favor.

Here are the new grenade abilities for each class when your Guardian activates Transcendence.

• Hunter—Hailfire Spike: Throw a device charged with Stasis matter and Solar energy that attaches to surfaces or targets and then erupts into a slowing storm. After a short duration, the device ignites, creating a deadly scorching cyclone.

• Titan—Electrified Snare: Throw an explosive device energized with Strand matter and Arc energy that detonates in a supercharged suspending burst. The suspended target takes heavy damage over time and chains jolting lightning to any nearby targets.

• Warlock—Freezing Singularity: Throw a mass of Void energy and Stasis matter. On impact, it deploys a miniature black hole orbited by a halo of slowing ice. After a short duration, the black hole implodes, suppressing and dealing heavy damage to all nearby targets.

Exotic Class Items to expand Class Builds

To further expand on build diversity and deep customization, Bungie is adding Exotic Class items, a first for the Destiny franchise as these exotic items simply allows players to have more than one exotic armor perks in their builds as Exotic Class items can randomly roll two exotic armor perks.

We still don’t know what perks will be available but Bungie did confirm that these items can even roll with exotic perks from different classes. The builds for each class will never be the same when The Final Shape goes live.

Light Subclasses getting new Supers

With the new Prismatic subclass coming in June, many are wondering if the other subclass will be overshadowed by Prismatic. Chances are high but at least the Light subclasses are getting some attention in this expansion as there will be a new Super for each class as well as new Aspects.

Hunter Arc

Hunters will get a new Arc Supper called Storm’s Edge. This Super allows Hunters to throw a Knife and be instantly teleported to where your knife lands. When the Hunter is teleported, they do a circular slash to surrounding enemies. The kicker here is that you will be able to do this three times.

As for the new Aspect, the Hunters get an Arc Aspect called Ascension. When equipped, Hunters will have the ability to twirl upward when airborne, triggering Jolt and giving the Amplify buff, to you and your allies while damaging enemies below you.

Warlock Solar

Warlocks get a new Solar Super called Song of Flame, which enhances your melee and grenade abilities like adding more projectiles to your melee or make your grenade track enemies. The Super also buffs nearby allies’ Solar weapons by adding the ability to Scorch targets.

For the new Solar Aspect, it’s called Hellion. This Aspect will allow Solar Warlocks to create a Solar Soul when casting your Rift, which launches itself to a nearby enemy, dealing damaging and adding Scorch to the target.

Titan Void

Void Titans are getting the new Super called Twilight Arsenal, which when triggered, allows the Titan to throw three Void axes at targets. These axes damage on impact and can pull enemies closer to them. These axes stick to the ground and can be picked up by you and your allies to be used as melee weapons for a limited time.

The new Titan Void Aspect is called Unbreakable. This Aspect will give players a Void shield for you and your allies when using their grenade ability. Hits blocked by this Void shield on your Titan can redirect the damage absorbed by the shield into a Void blast around the Titan.

New Enemy Faction - The Dread

The Final Shape is all about taking out the series’ big bad called The Witness, and it’s only fair to have his own faction to support him in this fight against the Guardians. This new Faction is called The Dread and it brings new enemy types to change the gameplay landscape in PvE as these enemies features unique abilities to the table. Tormentors was the first Dread enemy type introduced in the Lightfall expansion. In The Final Shape, players will have to deal with six more enemy types.

Here are all Dread enemy types coming in The Final Shape.

• The Husk

• Tormentors

• Omen (Stasis)

• Harbinger (Strand)

• The Attendant (Stasis)

• The Grim

• Weavers (Strand)

New Raid is coming on June 7

Just like previous expansions, a new 6-player Raid activity will go live soon after The Final Shape goes live. Bungie has not given new details on the new raid or even the name, but they did reveal when it will be available. Those looking to raid on day one will have a small window to prepare for it as the The Final Shape raid will go live on June 7, 10 AM Pacific time, that’s roughly three days to go up to the new Light level and prepare for the raid.

Just like any new Raid release, Contest Mode will be activated during the first 48 hours of the raid’s release. During this time, the top raiders in Destiny 2 will race to see who can be the first group to fully clear the new raid.

This is an important raid encounter as this will be the event where we get to face the The Witness himself.

New Destination - The Pale Heart

Similar to previous Destiny 2 expansions, The Final Shape will come with a new Destination called The Pale Heart. This new area where players can explore lies within The Traveler itself. This space will contain familiar locations for Destiny fans and Bungie stated that this will be the “very first linear destination” in the game.

HUD Updates

New content are coming with the release of The Final Shape expansion, but there are also free quality of life improvements coming to the game. One of them is an update to the game’s heads up display (HUD). This is considered a significant overhaul as the HUD update places key information in front of the player from wipe mechanics in Dungeons or Raids to clearly displaying the buffs currently active in your character.

Pathfinder System

In The Final Shape, Bungie also plans to rework the game’s bounty system with a system currently called the Pathfinder system, which is meant to replace the current Bounty system found in the game. While this is exciting, there’s still very little we know about this system as the last time Bungie talked about this was back in August 2023.

We don’t know if this new system will completely replace the current system or just partially. We’ll just have to stay tuned, but regardless, this is a major change that will hopefully help streamline the quest system that, for me, is feeling a bit overwhelming, especially for new players.

Fireteam Power

The release of the expansion will also come with the release of the Fireteam Power feature, which is Bungie’s way of significantly change how power levels work in the game to make content more accessible for new and returning players.

Simply put — The Guardian in a Firetime with the highest Power level gets the role of the Power Leader. This makes all other members of the Fireteam have a Power Level 5 points below the Power Leader. This change prevents new and returning players from not being able to participate in more challenging encounters because they don’t match the recommenced Power Level.

Though, it is worth noting that the lower level Guardians will still gain rewards according to their actual Power Level, so don’t think this is an easy way to boost yourself.

Account-wide Power Level

Speaking of Power Level, your Power Level is now account-wide, meaning drops will be based on your character’s highest Power Level.

For example, you have a Hunter at the new Soft cap of 1940 Level in The Final Shape. If you play your Warlock that is still at the new starting Power Level of 1900, future drops will be in Power Level 1940 for your Warlock.

This lessens the grind to level your alternate characters moving forward. A great change for players that love playing multiple characters.

Speaking of Power Levels, This is the new Power Levels when you enter The Final Shape.

• Starting Power Level: 1,900

• Power Level soft cap: 1,940

• Power Level pinnacle cap: 2,000

Since the release of Lightfall, the Power Level cap has been at 1810 with recent seasons not increasing the Power Level cap. A major change as it’s been awhile since Bungie raised the cap.

Shader Icon Update

The release of The Final Shape will also come with an update to the game’s Shader system, which is the ability for players to color every armor or weapon with a specific color pattern to customize their Guardian’s look.

It’s not an overhaul but simply an icon changed or each Shader to properly relay what color color combination you can expect before you even apply it to your armor set. A minor change for some, but many will appreciate this change, especially when going through multiple Shader pages.

Master Rahool Update

The vendor Master Rahool is being updated as well as he will now be the main source of any new Exotic armor releasing in the game moving forward. When The Final Shape lands, this vendor will have a new rewards system with his own reputation track. To progress through this new rewards track, players will simply need to decode engrams with him. The more you decode, the more your reputation with him increases.

Once you reset the rewards track for the first time, players will gain access to the ability to purchase any piece of Exotic armor for any character on your account for one Exotic engram and one Exotic cipher. Best thing about this new addition is there won’t be a limit as long as you have resources to purchase the Exotic piece you want.

No more Sunset for old (legacy) weapons

Another change is Bungie no longer Sunsetting old weapons, which simply prevents legacy weapons items from being upgraded to the current highest Power Level. This means veteran players that have kept their precious god roll items from the past can upgrade them to the new Power Level and use them in the latest content.

The problem is, it’s likely a good portion of the player base has already deleted their stash. But if you are lucky few that held with a few legacy items, you’re patience will be rewarded in June.

Xur Rework

During the postshow of Destiny 2’s 2023 showcase of The Final Shape, they mentioned that every Guardian’s friend Xur will be getting a rework in the new expansion. Former game director Joe Blackburn mentioned the rework but sadly no other information was given. There are hints that Strange Coins will be attached to the new Xur but expect a change in Xur in June.

Legendary Shards will be leaving the game

Legendary Shards, the currency you get when breaking your unwanted legendary and Exotic items, will be discontinued when The Final Shape goes live. The reason for this is to make the game “more approachable and fair for all players”, according to Bungie.

With this change, Glimmer will be the game’s prime currency moving forward.

After June 4, expect these rewards when you decontruct your items.

• Exotic Armor: 2000 Glimmer, Enhancement Core (60% chance), 20 Gunsmith Rep

• Legendary Armor: 1000 Glimmer, Enhancement Core (25% chance), 10 Gunsmith Rep

• Exotic Weapon: 2000 Glimmer, Enhancement Core (60% chance), 20 Gunsmith Rep

• Legendary Weapon: 1000 Glimmer, Enhancement Core (25% chance), 10 Gunsmith Rep

• Exotic Ghost: 1500 Glimmer

• Legendary Ghost: 1000 Glimmer

• Rare Items: 75 Glimmer

If you are a returning or new player stocking up on legendary shards, it’s best to burn them soon.

Exotic Weapons and Weapon Perk Tweaks for The Final Shape

Just like any major release from Bungie, The Final Shape will bring tweaks to some weapons and perks that should affect a player’s loadout and builds. Bungie has not revealed all the major changes to previous weapons, but there were mentions of upcoming changes from Bungie’s Chris Proctor and Mercules during a podcast episode of Podcast vs Enemies and Firing Range.

They mention exotic weapons such as The Queenbreaker, Truth, The Colony, and Tesselation getting some tweaks that could entice players to use them. As for weapon perk tweaks, the famed Chain Reaction will be nerfed in The Final Shape in Special Weapons. They also mention the infamous Riptide Fusion Rifle with Chill Clip will take longer to freeze compared to other weapons with the perk.

This is an extensive list of major changes but not even the full list as Bungie tends to keep a few things wrapped and secret, and it wouldn’t be surprising if they have a few more announcements weeks before release. This is just pointing out the major ones that new and returning players should keep an eye on as the upcoming expansion is looking to be a major turn for the franchise that has been running for 10 years.

The Final Shape expansion goes live on June 4.

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