Destiny 2: The Final Shape

Lore & Background

The Final Shape revolves around the player's Guardian seeking out the franchise's major villain, the Witness, who had disappeared through a portal on the Traveler at the conclusion of Lightfall (2023). The Guardian and the Vanguard must stop the Witness from creating the Final Shape—the calcification and destruction of all life—and end the war between Light and Darkness. The expansion also sees the return of Cayde-6, who had been killed during Forsaken (2018).

The expansion introduces a new free roam destination, the Pale Heart, located within the Traveler, with areas influenced by previous destinations. It is the first patrol zone that can be explored solo unless a player has a pre-made fireteam. New and existing story content includes a 'Legendary' difficulty similar to prior expansions. The expansion also introduces the first new enemy race since Forsaken (2018), called the Dread, who are the personal soldiers of the Witness, including Grims, Husks, Attendants, Weavers, Subjugators, and Tormentors.

Year 7 did not follow the seasonal model but instead had three larger episodes: Episode: Echoes (June 11, 2024), Episode: Revenant (October 8, 2024), and Episode: Heresy (February 4, 2025). Each episode focused on an 'echo' of the Witness, with stories involving the Vex, Fikrul and the Scorn, and the Hive pantheon. A free event, the Rite of the Nine, began in May 2025 as a prologue to the next expansion, The Edge of Fate, released July 15, 2025.

Reader's Guide

The Final Shape is significant as the conclusion of Destiny's first major saga, the 'Light and Darkness' saga, which had been ongoing since the original Destiny. It introduced the Prismatic subclass, allowing players to combine Light and Darkness abilities, and the first new enemy race since Forsaken (2018), the Dread. The expansion also featured the first-ever 12-player PvE activity, Excision, unlocked after the world's first completion of the new raid, Salvation's Edge. Year 7 abandoned the seasonal model for three larger episodes, each divided into three acts, telling the aftermath of the expansion. This was the only year to utilize episodes, which were removed upon release of The Edge of Fate, though the Contest of Elders activity from Episode: Revenant returned as a fireteam ops activity in September 2025. The expansion also introduced exotic class items for the first time since Rise of Iron (2016), working specifically with the Prismatic subclass. The Power level system received major changes, including Fireteam Power and Account-wide Power adjustments.

Did You Know?

• The Final Shape was delayed from its original February 2024 date to June 4, 2024.
• The expansion's Prismatic subclass allows players to combine Light and Darkness abilities.
• The world's first completion of the raid Salvation's Edge unlocked the game's first-ever 12-player activity, Excision.