If you can believe it, Destiny 2: The Final Shape won't introduce a new enemy faction

Bungie has delivered a big reveal livestream for Destiny 2: The Final Shape, the next expansion in the long-running loot shooter series. The Final Shape is the final chapter of what Bungie has retroactively been referring to as The Light and Darkness Saga.

The story that began with the first Destiny will end with the new campaign, as Guardians face The Witness, the new baddie who's been after The Traveler. Bungie spent much of the stream driving home how much of a big deal The Final Shape is.

But for all that talk, this won't actually be the expansion to finally add a new enemy faction (that's not a re-skin) to the game. While the pyramid-shaped Darkness enemies have been teased as the fifth major faction even before the original Destiny came out, the general thought was that it was being saved for a big expansion. We're now at the end of that saga, and we'll still going to be fighting the classic four.

That's not to say there aren't any new enemies in the Final Shape. Subjugators are the new unit leader type. These towering elite enemies can wield the powers of Stasis, and Strand and use them against the player. If you're wondering, there is no third Darkness power in The Final Shape, either. But, we are getting three new Supers: Void for Titans, Solar for Warlocks, and Arc for Hunters.

The new destination in the expansion is The Pale Heart, which sits within The Traveller itself. Bungie is calling it Destiny's "first linear destination", and it's going to trade on nostalgia, with callbacks to several moments from the game's history, including the original Tower from the first game.

Post-launch, the year following the release of The Final Shape will also see major changes. Seasons are now called Episodes, and you're getting three of them (as opposed to four seasons) in 2024. They kick off after the end of the campaign, with the first - Echoes - launching in March. Revenant, and Heresy are the two other Episodes.

Beyond the new content, you can also expect Destiny 2 to get more quality of life additions, and requested features. Bungie is finally adding LFG! The Fireteam Finder, coming this November, will help solo players find others to play with. Next year, you can expect a revamped Power system that will make it easier for low-Power players to be able to enjoy high-Power content - so long as the party leader meets or exceeds the requirement.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape arrives February 27 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.