Destiny 2’s highly anticipated expansion, The Final Shape, is set to release in just over a month. To help prepare players for this year’s annual expansion, we have compiled a comprehensive list of 25 major features and updates that are shipping with the expansion.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape marks the end of a decade-long story arc known as the Light and Darkness saga. As players gear up to face the ultimate threat, the Witness, developers at Bungie have now revealed a series of updates that are set to shake up the gameplay experience.
The Final Shape will bring some of the biggest updates to Destiny 2 in the franchise’s history, from new subclasses and enemies to substantial changes to the power level system.
HUD Update
One of the exciting updates that players can expect in The Final Shape is a significant HUD and UI overhaul. The new HUD will feature two new locations where important information will appear. The activity information, such as wipe mechanics and modifiers, will be displayed at the top center of the screen, just below the health bar. Meanwhile, weapons-related information, such as active perks, will be located above the subclass Super bar.
Moreover, Bungie has also made updates to buff and debuff icons to make them more accessible for colorblind players. “All of our green buffs and red debuffs now have a thick line weight on the top or bottom respectively to make them easier for colorblind players to read,” said Bungie in its weekly This Week in Destiny article.
Legendary Shards Deprecation
With the release of The Final Shape, Bungie is removing Legendary Shards from Destiny 2 – a currency that has been widely used for purchasing items in the game for years. “We will be removing all the remaining Legendary Shard sources and costs from the game, which includes Collections, Trials Passages, rituals, vendor purchases, and many more,” Bungie said last year.
The primary motivation for this change is to make the game “more approachable and fair” for all players.
Here’s what you can expect to get when dismantling items in Destiny 2’s The Final Shape expansion. (values and drop chances are subject to change)
- 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
It’s worth mentioning that Bungie is also removing the cost associated with pulling ships and Sparrows from Collections, which is why they are not included in the list above.
More Vault Space
Destiny 2 players often face the problem of running out of vault space to store their weapons, armor, and other valuable items. However, we have some good news!
With the launch of The Final Shape, Bungie is adding 100 more vault slots, bringing the total number of slots to 700. This means that players will now have more space to store their god roll weapons, curated armor, materials, and other cosmetics. The announcement was made during the second developer livestream for the Into the Light update.
Exotic Weapons and Perks Updates
Similar to major updates in the past, The Final Shape is set to bring updates to some of the exotic weapons, tweaking beloved perks like Chain Reaction, and Chill Clip.
While Bungie has not yet revealed the complete list of updates for every exotic weapon and armor in the game, the official information shared by Bungie’s Chris Proctor and Mercules during Podcast vs. Enemies and Firing Range podcasts gives us a glimpse of what we can expect from this update.
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We have compiled a list of currently-known updates for exotic weapons, perks, and mods, coming in The Final Shape:
- The Queenbreaker: It is getting a buff; damage against bosses, minibosses, Champions, and vehicles increased by 12%. Ammo reserves increased by 3.
- Truth: It’s also getting a buff; increased AoE damage to do full damage output (as if it were doing both Impact and Detonation). Reverses increased by 3 which is on top of the previous reserve buff.
- The Colony: Now spawn additional Insectoid robots on final blows.
- Rank-a-file enemies (red bars) spawn one Insectoid on final blows. There is short cooldown.
- High-value targets spawn up to five Insectoids on final blows.
- Tessellation: It’s getting an exotic catalyst and will be “Subclass/Ability-related,” likely for the new Prismatic subclass.
- Chain Reaction: This perk is getting reworked in The Final Shape.
- Special weapons: 15% smaller detonation radius and 20% less damage.
- Heavy weapons: Same detonation radius and 30% more damage.
- Chill Clip: Riptide with Chill Clip will freeze in 3 shots while other Fusion Rifle archetypes & other weapons will freeze in 2 shots.
- Rocket Sidearms: The Final Shape will add two new Rocket Sidearms; one Solar and one Strand.
New Ritual Armor Coming in The Final Shape
For those eagerly waiting for new Ritual armor to grind, we have some good news for you. Last year, Bungie confirmed that there will be brand-new Ritual armor sets coming in The Final Shape.
“We are prioritizing the delivery of a new ritual armor set alongside The Final Shape to infuse some new looks you’ll be able to show off from your time in the Vanguard, Crucible, and Gambit playlists,” said Bungie in August’s State of the Game article.
Unfortunately, as of right now, we don’t know what the new armor looks like. We will update this section once we have more details on this.
Pathfinder
With the launch of The Final Shape, Bungie is introducing a new system called Pathfinder (name subject to change) that will replace some of the core bounties in the game with a “more rewarding and engaging system.”
“This is going to be debuted on the new destination in The Final Shape, and we’re currently nailing down a plan for how we can use this new system to replace core ritual bounties in the new year,” stated Bungie in the same State of the Game article.
We do have a work-in-progress preview of the Pathfinder UI, which you can see below.
Xur Rework
During the postshow of the 2023 annual showcase, former game director Joe Blackburn revealed that Xur will undergo a major revamp in the upcoming The Final Shape expansion. Furthermore, it was hinted that Xur will be using Strange Coins currency as a means to obtain exotics from the vendor.
“We want to do two things here; we want to make Xur a really exciting experience…You’re going to be excited about what Xur is selling this week. Two; going back to Strange Coins,” said Blackburn.
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Blackburn also hinted that players will be able to get Strange Coins by completing Ritual activities; Gambit, Crucible, and Strikes.
Fireteam Power
In The Final Shape, Bungie is making significant changes to how Power level works with the introduction of Fireteam Power. If you’re a new or returning player who wants to jump into an activity with your friends, Fireteam Power will allow you to do exactly that, without the need to grind for Power level.
Here’s how Fireteam Power works in The Final Shape: In a fireteam, the Guardian with the highest Power level gets the role of the Power Leader. All other fireteam members will have their Power levels adjusted to five below that of the Power Leader, ensuring a balanced and fair playing field for all participants.
This adjusted Power Level only affects the difficulty of activities, and the rewards you get from activity completions will still be according to your actual (unadjusted) Power Level. Additionally, Power Leaders will receive a commendation boost at activity completions.
No More Sunset Weapon – Sunrising
Say goodbye to the sunset weapon mechanic with the introduction of Sunrising. Among other power-related updates coming in The Final Shape, one of the biggest ones is Bungie removing Power limits from legacy (sunset) items in the game.
This means any current sunset weapons you may have stored in your vault will be relevant again once this update goes live on June 4th.
With the introduction of Fireteam Power—which we explained above—Bungie says the adjusted Power would “sidestep the [Power] caps on old Power limited items.” Because of this, Bungie made the decision to “remove Power limits from all [legacy] items starting in The Final Shape.”
In addition to that, Bungie has acknowledged that many players have already dismantled old sunset weapons at this point and has assured fans that it plans to “reintroduce sources for most or all of these, updated to modern Destiny sandbox standards with added properties such as Origin Traits and buildcrafting perks.”
Account-wide Power Level
Destiny 2 players who find it tiresome to level up all three characters individually should be pleased to know that The Final Shape will finally introduce Account-wide Power. This means that the gear rewards earned on any character will now drop “with a Power level relative to the highest Power character on your account.”
For example: If you level up your Hunter, when you switch to your Titan or Warlock, they’ll get gear that matches your Hunter’s power level. So, the stronger your main character gets, the better gear all your characters can get.
Gambit Updates
There’s no denying that Gambit has been overlooked by Bungie for a considerable amount of time. There haven’t been any new maps or modes added to the game mode recently. Although Bungie has stated that it doesn’t want to allocate “more resources to significantly transform Gambit” due to lower player engagement, there are some promising updates coming to Gambit in the year of The Final Shape.
Firstly, players will see the return of the Cathedral of Scars, an old Gambit map that takes place in the Dreaming City. Moreover, players can expect to encounter new enemy types such as the Shadow Legion and Lucent Hive in Gambit. The Shadow Legion first made an appearance in Lightfall, while the Lucent Hive were introduced in The Witch Queen.
Stasis Updates
Bungie is introducing a new Stasis keyword called Frost Armor (name subject to change) that will be heavily focused on survivability when using the Stasis subclass in Destiny 2 – something fans have been asking for, for quite some time.
“A new Stasis keyword we’re tentatively calling Frost Armor, aimed at addressing some of the player feedback regarding survivability when running Stasis, particularly when not using Whisper of Rime and Whisper of Chains,” Bungie stated in a This Week in Destiny article last year.
In addition to this, there will also be some “changes and reworks to existing Stasis Fragments,” as well as adding “additional behavior to the Harvest Aspects.”
It is expected that the changes will come with The Final Shape, although Bungie has not explicitly stated so.
Well of Radiance Nerf Incoming
Last year, In an interview with PC Gamer, former game director Joe Blackburn revealed that the Destiny 2 team is planning to “make some changes [to Well of Radiance] before The Final Shape raid,” implying that a nerf to one of the most used subclasses in Destiny 2’s end-game activities.
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“At some point you’re like: ‘Hey, this super provides utility that a lot of people like, but we are handcuffing a bunch of our players too,” said Blackburn. “So what’s the version of this where we can say: ‘Okay, the time for everyone feeling like they have to run this is over’. We know that we have to make some changes before The Final Shape raid.”
Following this, Bungie officially confirmed a nerf to both Warlock’s Well of Radiance and Titan’s Ward of Dawn that will “push the gameplay space of these two Supers further apart.”
“[Well of Radiance and Ward of Dawn] are currently operating in too similar a space, leaving little room for them to breathe on their own,” stated Bungie in a This Week in Destiny article. “Well of Radiance in particular offers too much, and its effective invulnerability is not something we believe the sandbox can or should continue to support.”
“We’re not making further changes to Well or Ward with Season of the Wish, but we have a suite of future changes planned to reduce Well’s dominance in PvE and push the gameplay space of these two Supers further apart.”
Bungie has yet to reveal the new changes for these two Supers.
Shader Icon Update
Last year, Bungie revealed that there’s a Shader icons rework coming to Destiny 2 with The Final Shape. Fast-forwarding to last week, Bungie officially revealed what this new shader icon update will bring to the table.
Bungie says its goal with this update is to “help make the shader icons more accurately reflect the colors and textures they will apply” on weapons armor, and other in-game cosmetics. The new shader icons will include all six colors.
Here’s what the new shader icon layout will look like in The Final Shape.
Power Bands and Activity Power Update
Destiny 2’s Power Bands, or Power level caps, are undergoing a significant adjustment in The Final Shape update, aimed at enhancing the player experience, particularly for newcomers. The Soft Cap will now require only 40 Power to reach, down from the previous 150, further lowering “the barrier to entry” for new players.
Here are the Power Level caps for The Final Shape:
- Starting Power Level: 1900
- Soft Cap: 1940
- Powerful Cap: 1990
- Hard Cap/Pinnacle Cap: 2000
Furthermore, Bungie is also introducing two new categories for activities in The Final Shape; Power Enabled and Power Disabled activities.
- Power Disabled activities in Destiny 2: In Power Disabled activities, everyone plays on equal footing, regardless of their Power level. Whether you’re a seasoned Guardian or just starting out, you can dive right into these activities without worrying about your Power level affecting the gameplay. Power Disabled activities include:
- Campaigns (Normal and Legend)
- Seasonal story missions
- Free-roam destinations
- Crucible
- Some legacy content
- Power Enabled activities in Destiny 2: In Power Enabled activities, your Power level directly impacts your effectiveness, allowing you to grow stronger as you progress. Power Enabled activities include:
- Vanguard playlists
- Nightfalls
- Seasonal activities
- Exotic Missions
- Trials of Osiris
- Raids
- Dungeons
In addition, Bungie is renaming some difficulty tiers for Power Enabled activities in Destiny 2 The Final Shape. New names and power level caps are listed below.
| Difficulty Tier | Power Level Cap | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 1945 | Vanguard Ops, Seasonal activities, Exotic missions, raids, and dungeons |
| Advanced (Previously Hero) | 1995 | Nightfalls |
| Expert (Previously Legend) | 2005 | Nightfalls, Lost Sectors, Seasonal activities, Exotic missions |
| Master | 2010 | Nightfalls, Lost Sectors, raids, and dungeons |
| Grandmaster | 2020 | Nightfalls |
| Contest Mode | 1965 | Raid during the first 48 hours |
Master Rahool Reputation System and Lost Sector Exotic Armor Grind Update
In The Final Shape, Bungie is making some big changes to how players acquire Exotic armor in Destiny 2, with Master Rahool becoming the exclusive source for new Exotic armor in the game. Similar to other activity vendors in the game, Master Rahool will also get a Reputation system.
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Here’s how Bungie explains it: “The more you decode engrams with [Master Rahool], the more you increase your reputation with him” and once you have reached level 16 and reset this rank, you will gain access to “a new tier of focusing” that will allow you to “purchase any piece of Exotic armor for any character on your account for one Exotic engram and one Exotic cipher, in addition to the previous focusing options.”
With this update, Lost Sectors will no longer drop Exotic armor directly. Instead, they will “drop engrams whenever they would have previously dropped gear” with the same exotic drop rates. While Neomuna will continue to drop new Exotic armor upon completing a Vex Strike Force encounter, Bungie will not be adding any new Exotic armor to its loot pool after Season of the Wish.
Clan Updates
In The Final Shape, Suraya Hawthorne is stepping into the spotlight with a brand-new vendor reputation system for clans. Players can now earn clan reputation by completing activities, with “higher difficulty activities giving more progress and playing with clanmates giving a large bonus to progression.”
Bungie is also adding two new clan bounties; one for dungeons and one for seasonal activities. Additionally, clan perks are getting a total refresh with some exciting new rewards, including Ascendant Alloy, bonus crafted weapons progress, and more.
Check out the updated clan perks below.
- Clan Level 2 – Live Fire Sale: Raid Banners sold from Hawthorne cost less.
- Clan Level 3 – Bountiful Bounties: The first clan bounty completed each week grants an Exotic engram.
- Clan Level 4 – Of Hawks and Pigeons: Raid Rotator Challenges grant Spoils of Conquest. Trials wins grant additional Trials reputation.
- Clan Level 5 – Weapon Ritualist: Earn bonus crafted weapon XP from completing ritual playlist activities.
- Clan Level 6 – Alloy Completionist: Completing all clan challenges in a week grants an Ascendant Alloy.
New Subclass – Prismatic
One of the major additions in The Final Shape is the new Prismatic subclass. This subclass is designed to offer players the ability to combine select abilities from Light and Darkness subclasses. Additionally, the Prismatic subclass introduces a new ability known as Transcendence
While Transcendent, players will gain a new Grenade, unique to each class. These Grenades are capable of dealing both Light and Darkness damage.
If you want to learn more about the new Prismatic subclass, including the Light and Darkness subclass abilities, Supers, Aspects, Fragments for Hunters, Warlocks, and Titans, as well as the new Prismatic fragments and Transcendence, make sure to check out our complete breakdown article here.
Exotic Class Items
In The Final Shape update, players can elevate their Prismatic subclass builds with the introduction of Exotic class items. Each Exotic class item will roll with two random Exotic perks from a “selection of other Exotic armor pieces, even from different classes.”
Here’s what these new Exotic class items will look like in the game.
New Supers For Light Subclasses
In addition to the new Prismatic subclass, The Final Shape will also add three brand-new Supers for Light subclasses, one for each class – Titan, Warlock, and Hunter. Hunters will get an Arc Super called Storm’s Edge, while Warlocks will get a new Solar Super called Song of Flame. Titans, on the other hand, will get a new Void Super named Twilight Arsenal.
You can check out our complete breakdown of new Supers for Light subclasses, as well as three new Aspects here.
New Enemy Race – The Dread
After countless requests from fans, Bungie is finally adding a true new enemy race in Destiny 2 The Final Shape, called the Dread. This new enemy faction will feature a total of seven enemy units, including Tormentors that were first seen in Lightfall. Each enemy type boasts its own unique set of abilities.
Here’s a quick overview of the Dread race in Destiny 2 The Final Shape. (from left to right)
- The Husk
- Tormentors
- Omen (Stasis)
- Harbinger (Strand)
- The Attendant (Stasis)
- The Grim
- Weavers (Strand)
New Destination – The Pale Heart
Similar to the annual expansions in the past, The Final Shape will add a brand-new destination to the game called The Pale Heart, which takes place inside the Traveler. According to Bungie, this is the “very first linear destination” the developer has released in Destiny.
“On one end, we’ve got the portal, and on the other end, we’ve got the Witness that’s built this giant monolith,” former game director Joe Blackburn explained during the postshow of 2023’s annual showcase. “So, every single area that we’ve built is built in a consecutive line from one to the other.”
Check out the new trailer Bungie has released recently for the new destination in The Final Shape.
New Raid
As part of The Final Shape expansion, players can look forward to a new raid, as has been the case with previous expansions in the series. Bungie has already announced that this new raid will be released on Friday, June 7, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific Time.
During the first 48 hours of the raid’s release, the Contest Mode will be in effect, and players will have the power cap of 1965. If you want to check the release date and time for this raid in different timezones, make sure to check out our article here.
And that’s it for this article. It’s worth noting that there might be additional updates in The Final Shape that Bungie has yet to reveal. If you want to keep update to date with the latest Destiny news, feel free to follow our Destiny Bulletin outlet on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and YouTube.
What are you most excited about in The Final Shape? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Destiny 2 The FInal Shape is set to launch on Tuesday, June 4, 2024, on PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.
