We’ve still got a couple more months to wait for Destiny 2’s next expansion, The Final Shape, which is set to launch June 4. But players finally have something to get excited about, thanks to a new developer stream. Into the Light, the game’s next update launches on April 9 and during the first of three planned livestreams about the update it introduced something guardians have wanted for years. A real, honest to god, permanent horde mode. Let’s talk about Onslaught.
The Into the Light Developer Livestream #1 gave Destiny 2 players roughly 40 minutes of footage in the new Onslaught mode. To put it simply, it’s a horde mode as you would expect it. Which is fantastic. Though Destiny 2 has had horde-based modes before they were all limited-time events, despite fans wanting a permanent version. Narratively explained during the livestream as a defensive twist on the game’s mostly offensive encounters, Onslaught tasks guardians (in teams of three) with defending against waves of the Witness’s forces. This will take the form of a wave-based horde-mode, with a 10-wave normal version and a 50-wave challenge variant. There will also be a higher difficulty version of Onslaught to tackle, but this will require a pre-made fireteam as opposed to the lower difficulty versions which can be tackled in matchmaking or solo. The mode will also be free to all players.
During the livestream, we see a match of Onslaught being played on a modified version of the game’s Midtown map, with some waves taking place on Pyramid Ship locations. The central loop of Onslaught has players trying to outlast waves of enemies while protecting an ADU, a device meant to keep the city safe. By defeating enemies, you collect scrap which can be spent on installing tools like turrets, tripwires, and more during defensive phases. The enemy variety seems to span the entire game’s catalog of baddies. That includes more challenging enemy types like Tormentors or Champions. Players need to protect the ADU from enemies while also collecting scrap, setting up defenses, and completing optional objectives on the map. It seems reminiscent of the horde mechanics seen in Call of Duty Zombies and other such modes. It looks frantic, strategic, and challenging.
The announcement of Onslaught couldn’t have come at a better time. Destiny 2 has been recovering from the poor reception to 2023’s Lightfall expansion, which was also pointed to as the reason for massive layoffs at the company in October 2023 as well as the delay of The Final Shape expansion. Onslaught offers players something new and exciting to dig their teeth into while waiting for The Final Shape’s June 4 release date.
