What’s new in Destiny 2: Beyond Light — The many changes in this expansion

The a new expansion for Destiny 2, Beyond Light, brings a lot of changes and new content. Heck, there’s even a brand-new destination to explore (Europa) and a returning one from the first game (the Cosmodrome). However, we won’t discuss those here. Instead, we’ll look at some of the mechanics and concepts that have changed since Shadowkeep.

Note: For more information, check out our Destiny 2: Beyond Light guides and features hub.

Destiny 2: Beyond Light — What changed in this expansion?

The first thing you’ll want to look at is the planetary director. As part of the Destiny Content Vault, several destinations and activities (including the Leviathan and older strikes) have gotten the shaft. The only ones that remain are the EDZ, Nessus, Tangled Shore, Dreaming City, and the Moon.

It ties in with the narrative for Destiny 2: Beyond Light. With Savathun and the Darkness encroaching in the solar system, communication had been lost in various locations. We don’t know what happened to the people in those places. Asher Mir is probably swimming in that great radiolarian lake in the sky.

Anyway, here are a few things you’ll notice in this new expansion:

The power level cap – The new pinnacle cap in Destiny 2: Beyond Light is 1260 PL. If you’re curious about how the grind is like nowadays, you can read our leveling guide.

Weapon/item sunsetting – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: the concept of sunsetting can really be worrisome. Now, you’ll see that every weapon and armor pre-Season of Dawn has been sunsetted. These gear pieces are capped at 1050/1060 PL, and that’s that. You can’t infuse to level them up anymore. Given the 1260 PL max/cap in Destiny 2: Beyond Light, it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll use these items in high-end content, let alone while leveling.

Note: Sunsetted weapons have a grey icon/symbol at the upper-left corner of their portrait.

The Fang of Xivu Arath – The seasonal artifact has loads of new mods. You can learn more in our artifact guide.

Triumphs page — Be sure to check out the Triumphs panel since it’s got a new, cool layout. Plus, there might be more stuff for you to unlock so you can increase your score.

Quest kiosk – The quest kiosk can be found next to the Postmaster and you’ll find some of the old missions from previous seasons.

Adored, the Ritual Weapon for Destiny 2: Beyond Light — From Beloved many moons ago, Destiny 2: Beyond Light brings you a new sniper rifle called Adored. You can claim the quest from Banshee and you’ll see that you’ve got various options. You can either complete objectives in Vanguard strikes/Nightfall, Crucible, or Gambit. Learn more about this in our Adored ritual weapon guide.

The Monument to Lost Lights — If you check the vaults at the Tower, you’ll notice an odd-looking contraption. This is the Monument to Lost Lights. It shows all the exotics and pinnacle/ritual weapons from previous seasons, including the ones you weren’t able to obtain.

You’ll see that I never got the Hush bow (because I hate bows). So, if I wanted to grab that, I’ll have to take note of the costs:

• Exotic Archives (exotics) — 1x exotic cipher; 125,000 glimmer; 200x of a specific planetary material; 1x ascendant shard.
• Legacy Gear (legendary pinnacle/ritual weapons) — 75,000 glimmer; 100x legendary shards, 2x enhancement prisms; 1x ascendant shard.

Note: For pinnacle/ritual weapons, sunsetting still applies if they became available before Season of Dawn. Sure, you can obtain an “oldie but a goodie,” you just gotta remove the “goodie” part.

Ghost shell mods/perks

Speaking of gear, don’t forget to check out your ghost shell. Destiny 2: Beyond Light tweaks the system a bit with ghost shell mods.

Ghost shells can be upgraded to reach level 10. This requires glimmer, legendary shards, and enhancement cores. By upgrading, you’ll unlock more energy pips for the perks themselves.

The perks cost some energy, too, so make sure you’ve got the ones you need:

• Mod slot 1: Experience boosters – You’ll see perks like Guiding Light here so always go for the highest value.
• Mod slot 2: Tracking – These let you spot caches and planetary materials.
• Mod slot 3: Reputation Rewards – These provide extra rewards like telemetries for the Gunsmith.
• Mod slot 4: Activity – These give you a chance to get an extra legendary gear to drop from specific activities. For instance, choosing Prosperity (Vanguard) might net you an extra legendary drop when completing a Vanguard or Nightfall strike.

Note: Additional mods and perks can drop randomly. For instance, I got a new mod called Blinding Light (+12% XP) while killing mobs during Destiny 2: Beyond Light‘s campaign. Unlike other permanent mods, this one is considered “fragile”  and will expire at the end of the Season of the Hunt.

Destiny 2: Beyond Light is available via Steam. For more information, check out our guides and features hub.