Destiny 2’s Year of Prophecy: Here’s Everything Guardians Need to Know

Get ready, Guardian — Bungie just unveiled what’s coming up in its sci-fi shooter, Destiny 2, including two new expansions and major seasonal and core game updates coming to both paying and free players, all badged under the “Year of Prophecy.”

Year of Prophecy is the first year to boast four “major content beats,” with two paid expansions and two major updates. The former is paid content while the latter will be available to all players.

First up is Rite of the Nine, a “fresh take on dungeon diving for both seasoned dungeon crawlers and those stepping into the depths for the first time” that is already available to all players for no additional cost. While the dungeons themselves — Prophecy, Spire of the Watcher, and Ghosts of the Deep — will be familiar to some, even the most hardened Guardian can expect “unique twists” in which you’ll reconnect with Orin and refreshed dungeon weapons.

Then, on July 15, we’ll get the brand-new expansion, Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate, a “multiyear saga that will unfold across multiple expansions.” A paid-for expansion, The Edge of Fate will reintroduce us to the Nine, powerful and mysterious beings who existed long before the Traveler, as two characters “step into the spotlight” — new ally Lodi and Warlock Vanguard, Ikora.

The expansion will take place on new destination Kepler, described as “inspired by the puzzle-solving and pathfinding challenges of Destiny 2’s dungeons and destination design which encourages deep exploration, mystery, and player-driven discovery.” Expect new enemies, weapons, gear, and “destination-specific abilities.”

At the same time, on July 15, “major core game innovations” will roll out, including revised armor and gear systems “to create richer opportunities for buildcrafting” and a new activity selection screen called the Portal.

“Players will be able to easily choose between Fireteam Ops, Pinnacle Ops, Crucible Ops, and the newly introduced Solo Ops,” Bungie explained. “Fireteam Ops and Pinnacle Ops reinforce quick fireteam action and longer-form cooperative content, while the new Solo Ops activities are specifically designed for solo players who want short, self-contained gameplay sessions without the need for a fireteam.

“Additionally, players can tailor activities to match their desired gameplay and the specific rewards they are chasing. 50 all-new modifiers will allow deeper gameplay customization and offer greater challenges for players, while curated activity rotations will ensure there is always something new to chase.”

As typically happens with a new expansion, pre-order sweeteners are available, including an instantly unlockable Exotic Ghost and Legendary Emblem. We’ve listed the full spoils below:

Destiny 2 Pre-Order Details

The Edge of Fate Pre-Order includes:

• The Edge of Fate Campaign
• New Raid
• 1x Active Rewards Pass
• Pre-Order Exclusive Exotic Ghost (instant unlock)
• Pre-Order Exclusive Legendary Emblem (instant unlock)

Year of Prophecy Edition Pre-Order includes:

• The Edge of Fate and Renegades Campaigns
• New Raid and Dungeon
• 1x Active Rewards Pass
• 3x Rewards Passes
• The Edge of Fate Pre-Order Exclusive Exotic Ghost (instant unlock)
• The Edge of Fate Pre-Order Exclusive Legendary Emblem (instant unlock)
• Renegades Pre-Order Exclusive Exotic Ship (available September 9, 2025)
• Renegades Pre-Order Exclusive Legendary Emblem (available September 9, 2025)

Year of Prophecy Ultimate Edition Pre-Order includes:

• The Edge of Fate and Renegades Campaigns
• New Raid and Dungeon
• 1x Active Rewards Pass
• 3x Rewards Passes
• Instant Unlock Exotic Sniper Rifle: New Land Beyond
  • New Land Beyond Ornament and Catalyst (available at launch of Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate)
• The Edge of Fate Pre-Order Exclusive Exotic Ghost (instant unlock)
• The Edge of Fate Pre-Order Exclusive Legendary Emblem (instant unlock)
• Renegades Pre-Order Exclusive Exotic Ship (available September 9, 2025)
• Renegades Pre-Order Exclusive Legendary Emblem (available September 9, 2025)
• Year of Prophecy Exotic Emote (instant unlock)
• Year of Prophecy Exotic Sparrow (available July 15, 2025)
• Dark Side Legends Bundle (3 full armor ornament sets, 1 for each class, instant unlock)
• Secret Stash (1x Exotic Cosmetic, 1x Exotic Cipher, 2x Ascendant Alloys, 3x Ascendant Shards, delivered with each seasonal update)

A Year of Prophecy Collector’s Edition is also available, although pre-orders for the physical edition have already entirely sold out at the time of writing.

From September 9, a second major update will go live — Ash & Iron — with the second expansion of the year, Renegades, going live on December 2. Finally, March 3 sees the Shadow & Order major update roll out.

Destiny 2: Renegades, the second expansion in the Year of Prophecy, is inspired by the “legendary Star Wars universe” and “merges Destiny’s distinctive storytelling and gameplay with themes and elements drawn from the iconic sci-fi franchise.”

All this will be welcome news to many Destiny 2 players after Bungie laid off 220 staff — that’s 17% of its entire workforce — in July 2024, less than a year after 100 other layoffs at Bungie.

Of course, Destiny 2 isn’t the only game keeping Bungie busy right now. Marathon was revealed in May 2023 as a reboot of the classic Bungie franchise, but it was only in the last month that we got our first real look at it. In IGN’s Marathon hands-on preview, we wrote: “After playing enough Marathon to get a pretty good feel for it in its alpha state, I’m already fairly confident it’ll scratch the Bungie PvP itch that’s been left unscratched for a number of years now. Here’s hoping they’ll knock it out of the park when it comes to PC and consoles in September.”

Vikki Blake is a reporter, critic, columnist, and consultant. She’s also a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually High Chaos. Find her at BlueSky.