Everything New in Season of the Lost

The Season of the Lost is the final chapter of Destiny 2’s fourth year. It wraps up the story that began in the Beyond Light campaign and sets up the next expansion: The Witch Queen. As usual, a new season means the addition of extra activities and equipment. This one has also reworked the Trials of Osiris, Destiny 2’s elite PvP mode. Full crossplay, a long-awaited feature, has finally been introduced on its release. The Season of the Lost is set to run from August 24 to February 22, making it twice as long as any of the previous seasons. Keep reading to find out all the details about the changes you will encounter if you sit down to play Destiny 2 during that time.

Story and Modes

This season’s story is driven by Mara Sov, the Queen of the Reef. After a long absence, the Awoken leader has returned to the Solar System. Her subjects have established the Awoken Wing in the H.E.L.M. section of the Tower. It houses the Wayfinder’s Compass – the latest seasonal artifact, acquired at the start of the season and used to embark on storyline quests. Just like its predecessors, the artifact can also be upgraded by completing certain seasonal challenges to increase Compass Calibration and spending Parallax Trajectory acquired by playing the game. The upgrades help progress through seasonal content, whether by lowering resource costs or by granting advantages in activities.

The main questline available to Season Pass owners and accessed through the Compass is called Wayfinder’s Voyage. It unlocked gradually over the course of seven weeks. By now, all 53 steps are available. Many of those steps involve either one of two new activities. The first, Shattered Realm, has a weekly rotation of missions for one to three Guardians. Each mission has many secrets that require both exploration and Compass upgrades. The other addition is Astral Alignment, a six-player matchmaking-enabled pursuit. Progressing through its four phases calls for teamwork and puzzle-solving skills as well as combat.

Parallax Trajectory can be earned by completing all kinds of playlist activities. Nonetheless, the questline and the seasonal pursuits are the main sources for this currency. They also offer a variety of seasonal rewards. Although only one difficulty was available for either activity on release, that has changed as of October. The Legendary versions of Astral Alignment and Shattered Realm introduce more powerful enemies and other modifiers. Those who complete them can count on an extra chest, though completing the Realmwalker Triumph Seal may be a more compelling motivation.

Seasonal Gear

Games like Destiny 2 have a strong inherent emphasis on colorful and varied loot. Players have been well-served in that regard this time around:

• Seasonal activities offer a chance to claim six unique Legendary weapons, including a versatile combat bow named Wolftone Draw and several Stasis weapons. As Destiny had no Legendary weapons that could do Stasis damage until this season, those entries and other examples from further down the list are an important first;
• Progressing through any Rituals (Vanguard, Crucible, or Gambit) allows players to claim Ascendancy, a Legendary rocket launcher with tracking capabilities and possibly the best weapon of its type right now. The Ritual used to acquire it determines its starting Ornament;
• Each Ritual has acquired one exclusive weapon, as did the Trials of Osiris;
• Nightfall the Ordeal strikes can yield two returning weapons from Destiny 1, including the Comedian shotgun;
• Six rewards from the discontinued Year 1 Trials of the Nine PvP mode have been reissued and upgraded. Those Legendary firearms may now be obtained from the Prophecy dungeon;
• Iron Banner offers two Legendary weapons and the Iron Forerunner armor set (the first new Iron Banner armor set in a while);
• The general loot pool has been expanded with five more Legendary guns;
• Playing through the Tracing the Stars questline and A Hollow Coronation quest allows Guardians to claim Ager’s Scepter, a Stasis Exotic trace rifle that inflicts Stasis damage and can freeze nearby enemies after kills. It is also possible to obtain a Catalyst for it during Astral Alignment. Activating the Catalyst by scoring kills with the rifle unlocks overflow damage that drains Super;
• The Lorentz Driver Exotic linear fusion rifle can be unlocked by buying the Season Pass or simply reaching rank 35 on the free reward track. It also has a Catalyst quest that would upgrade its radar ability;
• Some of the new weapons can benefit from six never before seen perks, such as Adagio (which makes the weapon operate slower and hit harder after a kill) and Headstone (which rewards precision final blows with Stasis crystals).

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There have also been tweaks to existing gear. Many items can benefit from extra mods, such as Elemetna Well, Stasis armor, or Ghost mods. The latter offer a way to make sure that Armor pieces drop with desired stats. Holster mods allow weapons to reload over time while put away. Most importantly, all primary weapons now have infinite ammo. That includes scout, pulse, and auto rifles, hand cannons, sidearms, submachine guns, and bows. The change obviously benefits weapons with high ammo consumption like the Riskrunner. On top of the mechanical changes, players have received a new way to prove their mastery of different weapons by earning the Deadeye triumph seal.

Trials of Osiris Rework

The Trials of Osiris have undergone a radical revamp that affects every aspect of this advanced weekend PvP mode. The aim was to make the mode more accessible and rewards more attainable while cracking down on the widely-reported problems of cheats and exploits. The main adjustments are as follows:

• To access Trials, the player must first have purchased the latest expansion (Beyond Light now, The Witch Queen later);
• Various other cheat prevention measures have been introduced;
• Trials unlocking requirements have been relaxed (so one can access it without collecting so many kills and Valor ranks);
• Matchmaking is based primarily on the number of victories in the current run and secondarily on Trials performance during the week. Players with an equal amount of wins will be prioritized above all else;
• Players could optionally queue up individually or in duos, with the matchmaking algorithm completing the required three-person fireteam;
• Rounds now take 90 rather than 120 seconds;
• To reduce snowballing, Special and Heavy ammo is now reset at the start of a round;
• Instead of collecting Trials tokens or trying to win a specific number of matches, players now acquire reputation with Saint-14 by winning rounds. Gaining Trials Reputation ranks results in Trials engrams, which can be decrypted into any non-Adept Trials gear, including items that have yet to be unlocked. Ranks also have specific weekly rewards connected to them;
• Flawless run completion enables focusing engrams to obtain the currently offered Adept weapon. Otherwise, Adept loot is acquired at the Lighthouse after a Flawless run, just like before;
• Players no longer have to reset their Passages after three losses (though they would still need to do so for a Flawless run). Passages can now track up to 20 won rounds. They are also cheaper and available to all characters on an account;
• Trials Labs have been reintroduced to test potential future improvements to the mode with players’ help. Some of the experiments there could drastically change the gameplay if adapted, effectively switching the Crucible mode the Trials are based on.

Full Crossplay Achieved

Full crossplay between all platforms has been among the most hotly-anticipated features. Earlier promises and a test run have only reinforced the players’ interest. It is now possible for PC, Playstation, Xbox, and Stadia players to play together if they wish. Notably, competitive PvP modes have three matchmaking pools: pure PC, pure console (including Stadia), and mixed. That is because many people believe that PC players have an unfair mechanical advantage in PvP. At present, the system still has some limitations, like the absence of voice chat and people being lcoked into one name. The developers plan to refine the system over winter, though, potentially mitigating those and other issues.

Bungie Anniversary Event

Bungie, the company that created the Destiny series, was officially formed in 1991. To celebrate its 30th anniversary, the company has added a special purchasable content pack that will go live on December 7, 2021, at the halfway point of this extended season. Although not every detail has been revealed as yet, we know the pack includes:

• A Cosmodrome-based three-player Dungeon with a treasure-hunting theme;
• Cosmetic armor sets themed after some of Bungie’s earlier titles;
• Certain undisclosed Destiny 1 Legendary weapons;
• Gjallarhorn, the Exotic rocket launcher that was famed as the best rocket launcher in Destiny 1, plus its Catalyst;
• Claymore, a sword taken from Bungie’s fantasy tactics game Myth;
• A currently unnamed shotgun inspired by Bungie’s sci-fi shooter Marathon.

There will also be a six-player matchmaking-enabled activity available even to those who do not buy the pack. Many speculate that the halfway point will bring with it more free content and story events, but if so, none of it has been revealed at the time of this writing. Either way, it seems there is more content on the way.

Conclusion

With months to go until its end, there should be plenty of time for players to experience this season’s content. As usual, community opinions regarding the changes and additions introduced in the season are divided. For instance, the Trials of Osiris are more popular than ever before, but their new matchmaking system has drawn criticism that may lead to further adjustments. The crossplay system, on the other hand, has been widely welcomed despite occasional bugs. Overall, though, the game is at its most accessible in a long while, making it a great opportunity to jump in. If you need help doing so, don’t hesitate to ask for our PvE or PvP coaching!