With the Season of the Undying end date approaching, Destiny 2: Season of Dawn is almost here. Bungie has said that Destiny 2’s Year 3 seasons will change the game world, so fans can expect new activities and rewards in Destiny 2 season 9, along with a new season pass and seasonal artifact. In the meantime, you can find a breakdown of everything known that’s coming to Destiny 2 next season, including the Season of Dawn start date and time, sandbox changes, Iron Banner information, and more.
When does Destiny 2: Season of Dawn start?
Season of Dawn begins as Season of the Undying ends on December 10, 2019. The exact Season of Dawn start time will occur at the regular Destiny 2 weekly reset times below:
ALSO: Destiny 2 Glimmer Farm | Fastest methods for getting more
- 9 AM PST
- 12 PM (noon) EST
- 5 PM GMT
- 3 AM (December 11) AEST
What’s going away when Destiny 2: Season of the Undying ends?
When Season of Dawn begins, several activities, pursuits, and collectibles will no longer be obtainable in-game. The following things won’t be accessible when Season of the Undying ends:
- Undying season pass (seasonal ranks), including:
- Overgrown, Vex-themed armor, Pluperfect auto rifle, and Temporal Clause machine gun (also available in Vex Offensive)
- “Phenotype Plasticity” universal armor ornaments and Pluperfect/Temporal Clause weapon ornaments
- “For Wei” Eriana’s Vow ornament
- Clash of Swords emote
- Vex Offensive activity
- Imperative, Optative, Subjunctive, and Adhorative weapons
- The Gate Lord’s Eye seasonal artifact and all artifact mods
- “Undying” title and seal
- Season of Undying seasonal Triumphs
- Vanguard, Gambit, and Crucible seasonal quests
- Season 8: First Watch (Vanguard)
- Season 8: Keepin’ On (Gambit)
- Season 8: Battle Drills (Crucible)
- Season 8 Iron Banner “Iron Will” armor sets
- Season of the Undying Eververse gear (armor ornaments, emotes, etc.)
What content will still be available?
Although all of this content is leaving, the following content pieces are a part of the Destiny 2: Shadowkeep expansion, not Season of the Undying, so they will likely stick around once Season of Dawn launches:
- Garden of Salvation raid and loot
- Altars of Sorrow activity and loot
- Pit of Heresy dungeon and loot
- Eris Morn memory quests (if not already completed)
- Ritual weapon quests
- Randy’s Throwing Knife scout rifle (Crucible)
- Edgewise machine gun (Vanguard)
- Exit Strategy submachine gun (Gambit)
- Dreambane (Moon) armor and Lectern of Enchantment weapons
- Leviathan’s Breath, Deathbringer, and Xenophage exotic weapon quests
What is the Destiny 2: Season of Dawn story and theme?
Little is known about Season of Dawn’s setting. Bungie specifically noted in the November 21 This Week at Bungie blog that the full effects of Season of the Undying’s Vex Offensive final assault activity will become clear as Destiny 2 transitions into its next season, so season nine will most likely continue season eight’s Vex-related story.
As far as what this could involve, there are a few theories floating around the Destiny 2 community. In a video before Shadowkeep’s launch, Bungie said season nine “is really where things start to build.” When discussing season nine and the seasons after it, the video showed a fireteam of Guardians in Escalation Protocol gear entering what looks like a Warmind bunker, so it’s possible that the coming seasons could involve Rasputin in some way. Additionally, Reddit users discovered icons in Destiny 2’s files that resemble both current Destiny 2 dungeon icons and the logos for Destiny 1’s The Taken King expansion and House of Judgement Fallen faction. The latter seems more likely, since — as Reddit user Zenthon127 suggested in that post — Dawn is the opposite of Dusk, which is the name of the purple-clad Fallen house currently dominating the Solar System.
What new sandbox changes are coming in Destiny 2: Season of Dawn?
While details on the other elements of Season of Dawn are light so far, Bungie has revealed a few gameplay changes coming in season nine, all centered around Destiny 2’s Solar subclasses. In the November 21 This Week at Bungie blog, the developer outlined the following changes for Solar subclasses:
- Hunter Gunslinger: Way of the Sharpshooter
- Increased Golden Gun auto-aim distance and reliability when aiming down sites
- Added new Weighted Knife melee ability
- Can one-hit-K.O. with precision damage in PvP
- Increased duration of Practice Makes Perfect, but decreased energy granted per second
- Precision hits now grant two stacks
- Added Knock ‘em Down ability
- Precision final blows increase weapon stability and ADS speed
- Buff lasts for 10 seconds, but additional precision final blows and assists can increase buff duration to 25 seconds
- Using Golden Gun while the buff is above 20 seconds consumes the buff and grants extra super damage
- Added Crowd Pleaser perks to Line ‘em Up
- Golden Gun does precision damage and precision shots grant Orbs of Light
- Hunter Gunslinger: Way of the Outlaw
- Shortened Golden Gun damage falloff range
- Added new Explosive Proximity Knife melee ability
- Titan Sunbreaker: Code of the Devastator
- Increased Throwing Hammer damage from 100 to 120
- Increased Throwing Hammer pick-up range from 2 meters to 3.5 meters
- Increased Roaring Flames PvP damage bonus from 10% per stack to 25%
- Increased Roaring Flames buff duration from 15 to 20 seconds
- Increased Burning Maul super duration from 21.2 to 28.5 seconds
- Light attacks now cost less super energy, decreasing from 5% to 3%
- Heavy attacks’ flaming slam waves now detonate when they detect enemies floating above them, and the detonation radius has been increased
- Heavy attacks now cost more super energy, increasing from 6% to 8%
- Warlock Dawnblade: Attunement of Sky
- Added Celestial Fire ranged melee ability
- Launches three explosive Solar projectiles
- Reworked Heat Rises perk
- Old perks no longer in place. Instead, consuming your grenade extends your Glide time and reduces weapons’ in-air accuracy penalties
- Reworked Winged Sun perk
- In addition to using weapons and throwing grenades mid-flight, you can also use the new Celestial Fire melee. Getting kills while airborne grants melee energy and extends the duration of Heat Rises
- Reworked Icarus Dash
- Icarus Dashes while in Daybreak have increased speed and thrust and cost less super energy while Heat Rises is active
- Added Celestial Fire ranged melee ability
- Warlock Dawnblade: All subclass trees
- Reduced acceleration speed of Burst Glide while in Daybreak
In addition to all these changes, Bungie said more Solar subclasses and some non-Solar subclasses will also receive tuning and quality-of-life adjustments. We also know that the One-Eyed Mask exotic Titan helm and legendary submachine gun The Recluse are getting nerfs in season nine.
Do we know of any Destiny 2: Season of Dawn new loot?
Season of Dawn is likely to introduce new gear in the season pass, the Eververse store, and in activities, but the only gear Bungie has specifically mentioned is for season nine’s Iron Banner event. In the November 21 This Week at Bungie blog, the developer said season 9 would feature a “reprised armor set.” Bungie Community Manager dmg04 confirmed on Twitter that this armor will not be a Destiny 1 Iron Banner set, so players should expect something from earlier in Destiny 2’s lifespan.
