Destiny 2's Into the Light release date, returning weapons, Superblack shader & more

Destiny 2 Into the Light is upon us, bringing new and retired content into the game for free. The Final Shape is still a few months away, but there is more than enough in this free update to keep us going.

We have details on everything below, from the new Onslaught game mode to the arsenal of returning fan-favourite weapons and much more. To get up to speed with Into the Light, here is everything you need to know.

Into the Light release date and info

Into the Light will be released on April 9th. It'll be released alongside Update 7.3.6, which aims to tune the sandbox and add some quality-of-life updates to improve the game.

As far as specific details go, we don't know much at the moment. However, it seems to be a pretty major update, as Bungie is hyping it up quite a lot.

Into the Light will add new game content, and we'll learn what that content actually is in a series of livestreams taking place before the official April 9 release date.

Onslaught Mode

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Into the Light will introduce a wave-based, three-player activity set in the Last City. Players will look to hold off the enemies of the light using their weapons, abilities, and defensive emplacements, with 50 waves.

Lord Shaxx will be "opening his arsenal", Bungie revealed during its first Into the Light live stream, with hints at more buildcrafting opportunities.

Players earn scrap, which can be spent between rounds on turrets, tripwires, and more to help keep themselves alive for all 50 waves. Those can be upgraded, too, and you'll defend an Advanced Defence Unit (ADU) that moves around the map and players will tackle bosses, too.

I can't wait to test my current Solar Titan build on this to see how far I can go.

New PvP maps

Destiny 2 PvP players have had a bit of a drought (OK, that might be an understatement). Thankfully, Bungie put together a "PvP Strike Team", and the fruits of that labour are three new Crucible maps.

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As per Bungie, the new maps are:

• Eventide Labs (Europa)
• Cirrus Plaza (Neomuna)
• Dissonance (terraformed Pyramid ship)

They all look great, but Dissonance looks like it was plucked straight from the Root of Nightmares raid which is very cool.

New Loot and the return of the Superblack Shader

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Destiny remains all about the guns and armour players earn, and aside from the aforementioned Parade Armour 2.0 set, there's plenty more to earn in Into The Light.

The Gift of the Thunder Gods is returning, having previously been found in Season of Plunder, and it'll help players level up quickly with some Arc-themed goodies. This will help get players to the Powerful threshold for Power Level (not Pinnacle).

Lord Shaxx will offer his own armoury to players, and there are weapon quests to unlock from Arcite, too, which give specific "Limited Edition" versions of weapons.

• The Mountaintop (Primary Grenade Launcher)
• The Recluse (Sub Machine Gun)
• Edge Transit (Grenade Launcher)
• Falling Guillotine (Sword)
• Hammerhead (Machine Gun)
• Blast Furnace (Pulse Rifle)
• Hung Jury SR4 (Scout Rifle)
• Succession (Sniper Rifle)
• Midnight Coup (Hand Cannon)
• Forbearance (Special Grenade Launcher)
• Luna's Howl (Hand Cannon)
• Elsie's Rifle (Pulse Rifle) - Previously known as The Stranger's Rifle

Some of these weapons were previously tied to raids, but they'll now be available to all players. Weapons will get reworked and new perks, too.

They roll with the Indomitability trait, which means final blows generate grenade energy for Light subclasses or melee energy for Darkness ones, and honestly might get me chasing god rolls for the first time in ten years of playing.

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Players can 'attune' to a weapon to increase the chances of that weapon dropping by interacting with statues in the Hall of Champions.

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Bungie showed off a Superblack Key Alpha which Shaxx is holding, while another key (Superblack Key Omega) is held by Arcite 99-40. These will open Superblack Containment in the Hall of Champions, which is presumably where we'll find the returning Superblack shader.

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Players had expressed concern about Bungie time-gating some of the weapon drops in Into The Light, but it appears the developer is listening. In an update from the Destiny 2 Team account on Twitter/X, Bungie confirmed all of the weapons will now roll out week by week until April 30, as opposed to May 21.

Exotic Missions

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Did you miss the Whisper of the Worm quest the first time around? Good news, Bungie is bringing back a revised version as part of Into The Light, alongside an updated version of Zero Hour.

You'll be able to get the Exotic Sniper Rifle, as well as the Outbreak Perfected Exotic Pulse Rifle, by completing them both. New quests will offer additional crafting options, including upgrades to each's Intrinsic perks.

Pantheon Mode

Bungie is yet to reveal the full details about Pantheon mode, but we know it'll be a sort of "Raid Boss Gauntlet" that will see us tackle the game's biggest baddies.

"In Pantheon, you’ll have the opportunity to face raid bosses in a weekly challenge with escalating difficulties and rewards," Bungie said.

It'll kick off on April 30.

New Social Space

Shaxx has a new social space to welcome players into, with a fun "backstage" section that shows things like the spooky tree from Festival of the Lost just hanging out until October rolls around.

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Once you're in Shaxx's new space, the Hall of Champions, players can open a series of chests by earning Trophies of Bravery. Inside is new armour, like the Hunter one seen below, inspired by Destiny 2 Year 1. Bungie is calling it the "Parade armour 2.0" set.

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Destiny 2 Into the Light live streams

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The first livestream took place on Twitch on March 19 at 10AM PT. This stream showed off the new Onslaught mode mentioned above.

The second stream showcased the new social space and the returning gear we can earn within Into the Light, while the third showed us the reprised exotic missions and fresh Crucible maps on April 2nd.

Bungie will also hold a stream on April 9 to share more information about The Final Shape, including gameplay.

I'm hopeful that this update is substantial since the developers saw fit to do three separate live streams, so fingers crossed that it'll add some meaningful changes to the game before The Final Shape on June 4.

For more Destiny 2 content, check out our Destiny homepage. We've also got a guide on how to get through the Root of Nightmares and Vow of the Disciple raids if you're catching up on the endgame. Or if you want to know where we ranked each of Destiny 2's raids and dungeons, check out our article on that.