Ryan Gilliam
(he/him) has worked at Polygon for nearly seven years. He primarily spends his time writing guides for massively popular games like Diablo 4 & Destiny 2.
Destiny 2’s upcoming free update, Into the Light, is truly looking to be a greatest hits collection for the MMO ahead of The Final Shape expansion this June. The variety of beloved and returning weapons revealed on March 26 made that obvious, but it seems Bungie is really pulling out all the stops with some upcoming mission reprisals. During a livestream on Tuesday, Bungie revealed the return of The Whisper and Zero Hour missions to Destiny 2.
These two Exotic missions are widely considered to be some of the best in the series history, and both were removed from Destiny 2 back in 2020, with the Beyond Light expansion. With Into the Light, both missions will be accessible in the game once again, with Bungie devs promising they’ve twisted some nobs and added new secrets to keep each fresh for players.
Both of these missions were secrets back in their day, requiring a secretive questline or random public event to gain access. They also each heralded the return of a beloved Exotic weapon from the original Destiny — Black Hammer (which became Whisper of the Worm) from The Whisper, and Outbreak Prime (which became Outbreak Perfected) in Zero Hour.
Based on some gameplay during the livestream, both missions feature the same mix of platforming, combat, and a timer. However, Bungie devs have made some adjustments. The missions themselves will have more enemies to keep up with the increase in power Guardians have seen in recent years, and the timers will be much less restrictive for the mission’s normal difficulty modes. However, for players still looking to challenge themselves, they can dive into higher difficulty versions for stronger enemies and a much tighter timer.
As for the rewards, both Whisper of the Worm and Outbreak Perfected will become craftable weapons in the update. By completing the mission, Guardians can earn the blueprint, which will allow them to start customizing their Exotics. They can then return to the mission week after week to unlock new perk options and improve the power of their creations.
As for the special ships that came with these missions, neither will be returning via the reprisal — both in an effort to maintain the achievement of old school players and make way for new cosmetics. The revamped Whisper and Zero Hour will have completely new cosmetic ships to earn, with the Zero Hour ship getting a significant overhaul.
As for the rollout of these missions, Bungie will stagger them a bit. The Whisper will appear in-game alongside Into the Light on April 9. Zero Hour and the crafted version of Outbreak Perfected, however, won’t make it into the game until May — just a month ahead of Destiny 2: The Final Shape.
In the stream, Bungie also previewed three new PvP maps coming to the game alongside Into the Light. The maps, the reprised missions, the horde-like Onslaught mode, and the bevy of fan-favorite weapons will all be free for players — regardless of if they own any expansions or seasons. Finally, Bungie left players with a tease, promising new details on The Final Shape expansion via a livestream the morning of April 9, just before Into the Light’s launch.
Source: Polygon
