Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted: Start time, trailer, new map & all we know about Season 17

Lloyd Coombes
Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted key art

Destiny 2’s Season of the Haunted will bring new PvP content and big changes to the game’s new weapon crafting system. Here’s when it starts, and what else it’ll include.

Destiny 2’s Season of the Risen (Season 16) has been excellent, offering the fun new PsiOps Battlegrounds activity to keep players logging in after they’ve finished the Witch Queen expansion.

That gives Season of the Haunted the tough task of following it up and beginning to lay the groundwork until the next major expansion, Lightfall.

Here’s everything we know so far, including changes to weapon crafting, new PvP maps, changes to Trials of Osiris, and all we know about the next subclass to be overhauled like Void was last season.


Contents


Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted start time and trailer

Season of the Risen will run until May 24, meaning we’re just over a week away from whatever comes next.

Season 17 will drop on that day at weekly reset (6 PM BST/10 AM PT/1 PM ET), meaning you’ve got plenty of time to level up your Season Pass and Seasonal Artifact.

Bungie released the trailer early, too — you can see it below.

Destiny 2 Season 17 content

Destiny 2 new dungeon
Season 17 brings sizeable overhauls to Trials, Iron Banner, and a subclass.

New Dungeon

Dungeons are activities for three players that offer Raid-like mechanics and encounters, and another one is coming in Season 17.

While the player base vented its frustration at Bungie in recent months due to Dungeons being locked behind the Digital Deluxe Edition of Witch Queen, the developer did say that players could upgrade their purchase later.

According to Bungie’s blog post from May 19, the new dungeon will arrive at daily reset (10 AM PST/6 PM BST) on Friday, May 27 — just a few days after the new season launches.

While we don’t know the Dungeon’s name, theme, or rewards, Bungie has revealed that normal difficulty will be set at a Power Level of 1550, while Master difficulty will go live at the same time (although no Power Level has been revealed for that yet).

Players can expect the following as rewards:

  • 1 Legendary Armor Set Per Class
      • Artifice Versions can also be acquired via Master Difficulty
  • 4 Legendary New Weapons
  • 2 Legendary Reprised Weapons
  • 1 Exotic Weapon
  • 1 Exotic Catalyst
  • 1 Exotic Accessory (Ship or Sparrow)
  • 2 Legendary Emblems

Raid rotation

Destiny Vault of Glass gameplay
Vault of Glass could be part of a Raid rotation very soon.

Bungie’s latest blog post revealed more information on the upcoming rotation for Raid content in Destiny 2.

Kicking off in Season 17, Raid activities will be split into Seasonal and Weekly categories “so players can have a little additional freshness,” devs explained.

On the Seasonal side, the latest Raid and Dungeon will grant Pinnacle rewards for all encounters, this includes the upcoming Season 17 Dungeon. On the Weekly side, the game will rotate Raids and Dungeons every seven days, offering a single Pinnacle reward for completing a specific Weekly Challenge.

Rest assured, these categories will never overlap, meaning Vow of the Disciple won’t be both the Seasonal and Weekly Raid all at once.

The current Destiny 2 Raids, in case you’d forgotten, are:

  • Vow of the Disciple
  • Vault of Glass
  • Deep Stone Crypt
  • Last Wish
  • Garden of Salvation

Crucible maps

We’re finally getting a new PvP map, Disjunction, which is set on Savathun’s Throne World.

Destiny 2's new Rift map for PvP
Disjunction is the first new PvP map in some time.

It’ll be ideal for the return of Rift, which is being reintroduced as part of a sizeable Iron Banner rework in Season 17, before being added to the Crucible in Season 18.

Trials of Osiris rework

Destiny 2 Trials of Osiris
Trials of Osiris is getting another shakeup in Destiny 2 Season 17.

Gambit saw sizeable changes in Season of the Risen, but it’s Trials of Osiris’ turn in Season 17.

Destiny 2’s top-tier PvP mode has seen plenty of tweaks in recent months, but Bungie mentioned that it’ll get some changes in Season 17 in a pre-Witch Queen blog post.

“Fear not, Trials fans, while our main focus for Season 16 is Gambit, we still have some fun changes planned,” the post reads. Here are the changes mentioned so far:

  • Capture Zone and Freelance weekends will continue.
  • Seven maps per season in the rotation, one of which will be decided by player vote.
  • Adept reward changes.

Iron Banner rework

Bungie is making big changes to Iron Banner, including bringing back the long-dormant Rift mode.

Rewards will now be tied to a Trials-like Reputation system, too. Find out more in our Iron Banner rework guide.

Weapon crafting changes

The Witch Queen added a new weapon crafting system, but players have found their creativity curtailed by material caps and a large number of required elements.

Bungie is patching the first issue as part of Season of the Risen, but Season 17 will see all elements except for Neutral ones be removed. Bungie has said the idea is to make weapon crafting simpler, and is also looking to change how Patterns are earned — but wouldn’t give any further details.

Sandbox changes

Looking for what’s changed in regards to weapons, abilities, and more? We’ve got you covered.

For even more depth, be sure to read Bungie’s small novel on the subject, too.

Destiny 2 Season 17 weapons

The new ritual weapon is a Machine Gun called Chain of Command — complete with skins for Gambit, Vanguard, and Crucible.

Then there are exotics — the last few seasonal exotics have been pretty wild, ranging from the Cryosthesia being our first Stasis sidearm to the Grand Overture that’s a machine gun/rocket launcher hybrid.

This time around, the seasonal exotic is Trespasser. You can get it on the Season of the Haunted Season Pass.

Destiny 2 Trespasser weapon with ornament
Trespasser is back, and you’re going to need it.

For those that don’t remember, the gun was found in the Rise of Iron expansion from Destiny 1, and it fires bursts of arc ammo. Reloading after a kill causes a longer, more powerful burst, too.

According to Bungie, players will also be able to earn the new Riptide Fusion Rifle, Dead Weight Shotgun, and Strident Whistle Bow from Crucible, Gambit, and Vanguard activities respectively.

Check out the new Nightfall, Iron Banner, and Trials of Osiris rotations below.

Activity Being removed in Season 17 Being added in Season 17
Iron Banner

Occluded Finality (Sniper Rifle)
Finite Impactor (Hand Cannon)

TBC
Nightfall The Comedian (Shotgun)
Palindrome (Hand Cannon)
Horror’s Least (Pulse Rifle)
D.F.A. (Hand Cannon)
Trials of Osiris Shayura’s Wrath (Submachine Gun)
The Messenger (Pulse Rifle)
Forgiveness (Sidearm)
Burden of Guilt (Fusion Rifle)

We do know some weapons that are leaving the game (at least for now) in Season 18, as per Bungie:

  • Iron Banner 
      • Peacebond Sidearm
      • Archon’s Thunder Machine Gun
  • Nightfalls 
      • PLUG ONE.1 Fusion Rifle
      • The Hothead Rocket Launcher
  • Trials of Osiris 
      • Eye of Sol Sniper Rifle
      • The Summoner Auto Rifle

Destiny 2 Arc or Solar 3.0

Sandbox Lead Kevin Yanes has suggested that many of the Synaptic Spear attacks found in Season of the Risen are actually a testing ground for Arc 3.0, but it’s Solar 3.0 but that appears to be front and center in Season of the Haunted.

Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted Solar 3.0
Ready for Solar 3.0?

Here’s what Bungie says about the new subclasses:

Warlock:

Befriend these incandescent priests and find restoration. Oppose them and glimpse annihilation within the rain of a shattered dawn.

Hunter:

Radiant duelists who live within blinding displays of dexterity and skill. Beware the truth of their aim and the molten edge of their blade.

Titan: 

Siege engines powered by the fury of undying suns. To confront them is to cede ground and ignite the maelstrom that ends all things.

Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted story and characters

Destiny 2 Leviathan Haunted key art
Calus is back, but a lot of changed.

While we’d expected a reunion with Rasputin, it appears Season of the Haunted is themed after Emperor Calus and his huge Leviathan ship.

Here’s what Bungie says:

“Power, depravity, vengeance. The object of Calus’s desire has taken many shapes over the years. His once-opulent ship, now derelict and corrupted, has returned to our galaxy—its sights set on the Pyramid ship lying dormant on the Moon.”

“As the Leviathan forms a connection with the Pyramid, Nightmares of the past awaken and threaten to torment any who dare intervene. Stare into the abyss and find bravery within the mantle of the reaper and the steel of the scythe.”

Destiny 2 Season 17 price

Season 17 will continue with the Season Pass model, meaning you can buy in for around £10 per season.

If you have Witch Queen’s Deluxe Edition, you’re already covered for seasons 17, 18, and 19.

Could it be time for Destiny 2 to move to a subscription model?


For more on Destiny 2 Season of the Haunted, be sure to check out our other content for the loot shooter.

Best PvP weapons | Destiny 2 Promo Codes | Destiny 2 Prime Gaming Rewards | Infamy Ranks Guide | Glory Ranks Guide | Current Xur location | Current Trials of Osiris map | Iron Banner countdown

About The Author

Lloyd was formerly Dexerto's Games Editor. He can regularly be found playing Destiny 2 or any game that involves shiny loot.