With Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate, the Destiny development team launched a new saga for Guardians everywhere. In the expansion, players explore the planetoid of Kepler, located on the edge of the Sol system, offering intrigue, adventure, and access to strange powers that Guardians used to solve puzzles, defeat enemies, and progress deeper into the location’s mysteries.
Today, the next chapter in the story is unveiled with the Ash & Iron major update. Ash & Iron will feature, among other rewards and activities, a new Exotic Mission (coming in October) and a new three-player activity known as Reclaim. A fast-paced and constantly evolving Fireteam Ops activity, Reclaim will find Guardians searching for Golden Age tech in the Plaguelands, which just so happens to be the foothold for antagonist Maya Sundaresh.
“The Vanguard is sending Guardians in on what feels like a form of guerrilla warfare — short, sharp strikes to reclaim territory and recover Golden Age assets before they can be turned against us,” said Destiny 2 design lead Clayton Kisko. “The Vex are the primary force holding these zones, but they’re not alone. Reclaim is all about methodically dismantling Maya’s presence, uncovering what her motivation is for pursuing the Golden Age technology, and reestablishing control in an area that’s been contested for too long.”
What will be standing in Guardians’ way is more than just those pesky Vex. One of the pillars for Reclaim was variety and dynamic challenge. “No two runs should feel exactly alike,” said Destiny 2 creative director Ben Wommack. “One run might ask you to defend a point under waves of enemies, while the next could push you to unlock a Vex code password. Enemy lineups shift between the different versions of Reclaim, and enemy compositions shift between runs. You may face off against Vex forces in one activity and a different enemy faction the next. Bosses are randomized, and between activities, each comes with its own set of mechanics that evolve in higher difficulties.”
The strategic elements that result from those dynamic challenges give Reclaim its replayability, offering players multiple ways to complete an encounter. “You might uncover hidden chests tucked away in the environment, track down and eliminate roaming high-value targets, or choose from any of the available encounters scattered around the space — each with their own mechanics and enemy compositions,” said Destiny senior design lead Jason Reynolds. “You’ll also find research objects that can be gathered and turned over to the Vanguard to advance the mission. The ‘problem’ isn’t just about surviving the fight in front of you, it’s about deciding how you want to move the progress meter forward. Do you split up to cover more ground and gather efficiently, or stick together and muscle through one encounter at a time?”
That Golden Age tech that you’re hunting for in Reclaim is more than just a sci-fi MacGuffin, too. Uncovering Golden Age devices will offer a chance at buffs that will change a fireteam’s approach to an encounter. “They aren’t entirely predictable, which adds to the excitement, but they also reward exploration and awareness,” said Kisko. “A team that communicates, checks side paths, and experiments a bit is going to have a better chance of uncovering these advantages than one that just burns straight through the objective. It’s another way for us to reward attentiveness and teamwork. And how about this for a tease: We have one that makes you eternally radiant AND amplified for the remainder of the activity.”
“When you layer in the Golden Age buff system, suddenly every run becomes a mix of tactical decisions and on-the-fly problem solving,” said Wommack. “That’s the essence of Reclaim: different fireteams can succeed in different ways, and your choices shape the path through each playthrough.”
The new Reclaim activity is available today with the launch of the Ash & Iron major update in Destiny 2.
In addition, today Bungie revealed the next expansion in the Fate Saga, Destiny 2: Renegades, inspired by the Star Wars universe. Following the events of The Edge of Fate, players will defy the Vanguard to pursue Drifter across Sol, navigating a world of shadows and syndicates in the new social hub, Tharsis Outpost, as they work across story missions to build a crew and resist a rising faction tied to the Nine.
At the heart of Renegades is the Lawless Frontier, a chaotic, cooperative new game mode, where players take on a variety of high-risk jobs and contracts to earn reputation, unlock all-new Renegade abilities that change the tide of battle, and wield weapons that include the iconic Praxic Blade and an energy-based arsenal from the new Blaster archetype. Beyond this frontier, players will venture off-planet to face unique challenges in a new dungeon launching shortly after release.
Destiny 2 Renegades is available for pre-order now and launches on December 2.
