Destiny 2 showcase coming August 23 should unveil the Lightfall expansion

Destiny 2 developer Bungie will host a dedicated showcase for the sci-fi MMO on August 23, 2022, and the Destiny 2 Lightfall expansion looks like the headliner. 

This closely mirrors the August 2021 showcase that gave us our first look at the Witch Queen expansion. Given Bungie's updated release schedule after Destiny 2 The Witch Queen's delay, this event should give us our first real look at Lightfall, Destiny 2's 2023 expansion and the next chapter in the game's Light and Darkness Saga. 

A short teaser released ahead of the event features the Witness, the big bad revealed toward the end of the Witch Queen campaign, and also harkens back to the mysterious doppelganger we encountered in the Black Garden during the Beyond Light campaign. There are flashes of Calus, who's been the focus of the Season of the Haunted, as well as raid boss Rhulk – all prominent characters with connections to the Darkness. A press release confirms the teaser is titled "No Escape," and Bungie's not playing coy with promises of witnessing "what's next."

"We have seen enough. The children of Sol cry out for salvation," a distinctly Darkness-sounding narrator says in the teaser, echoing promises of salvation previously made by the aforementioned doppelganger. "Enough death. Enough life. You have no pieces left to place."  

Bungie's preparing something big, and all signs point to Lightfall. August 23 is also the start of the next season of Year 5, so we can expect some additional details on the new seasonal activities and rewards – including a reprised Destiny 1 raid, which is rumored to be Taken King's beloved King's Fall. Whatever it brings, Season 18 will likely accelerate the build-up toward Lightfall, though Bungie's been planting the seeds for the next expansion for months – or really, years – already. 

Lightfall will be the third chapter in the four-part finale to Destiny 2's Light and Darkness saga. It was once positioned as the finale itself, but Bungie's since added another expansion, The Final Shape, to its roadmap. Lightfall is expected in early 2023, with The Final Shape to follow in early 2024. Though this will end Destiny 2's current saga, Bungie's committed to supporting the game for many years to come. 

Last month, we spoke to Bungie about the making of the Season of the Haunted, and how they're making Destiny 2 harder and scarier while delivering more end game content.