Destiny 2 Season 16 Release Date: Season of the Risen Leaks, Story News & Everything We Know So Far

Destiny 2 Beyond Light arrived on 10 November 2020 and it's safe to say that in the months that followed, and every new season, the story has started to ramp up significantly. This isn't to say Beyond Light was inconsequential, but at no point did the stakes ever feel very high for our guardians.

Already though, The Witch Queen expansion feels big, important, and like it's going to have huge implications on the game's storyline in the same way that the Forsaken expansion did with the death of Cayde-6.

Season 15 will likely have a big say in how this action unfolds, but Season 16 could be where everything properly kicks into gear.

With that in mind, here's everything we know so far about Season 16 of Destiny 2.

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Latest News

22 February 2022 -

There's only a few hours to go until the launch of witch queen, and we've got one final launch trailer for Season 16 to get you even more excited. Take a look:

21 February 2022 -

It's now just under 24 hours to go until the release of Destiny 2 The Witch Queen and Season 16, known also as Season of the Risen.

8 February 2022 -

Join the Bungie developers as they discuss Savathun, The Witch Queen, Season of the Risen [Season 16], Void Subclass updates, weapon crafting, and more.

2 February 2022 -

Bungie has released a new trailer for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen which shows off some of the new Weapons and Gear coming to the game. Whilst a lot of new exotics were shown, but there's one, in particular, that is especially noteworthy for Season 16.

Grand Overture is the new Season 16 weapon, available only to those with the season pass. For those wondering what it is, the only description we have is a "new Slug launcher charges full auto missiles".

We'll no doubt learn more in the next three weeks before launch.

28 January 2022 -

In the latest “This Week at Bungie” blog post, Bungie cast their net a bit wider touching on some upcoming changes to various activities. Normally we'd point you to our dedicated page on All Destiny 2 The Witch Queen Update Changes. However, in the case of a few of the updates shared on the TWAB blog, some are specific to Season 16.

We've noted a few of the key details, just below:

• The Summoner is a brand new Trials weapon that shall be added to the loot pool with Season 16
• Four new Battlegrounds are coming with the new Season
• Seasonal Strike modifiers will move to Nightfalls in Season 16
• The Daily Lost Sector will be one location for Master and Legend

The games community manager has also shared a few more details on Twitter, detailing a list of weapons rotating out next season. This includes weapons from Nightfalls, Trials, and Iron Banner:

14 January 2022 -

As suspected, the first major This Week at Bungie blog post of 2022 has yielded some pretty substantial changes coming to the game with the release of Witch Queen and Season 16.

It's quite a lot of new info, that needs to be properly explained and not crammed into a small update here. Follow the link below for the full breakdown of changes coming in Season 16, as detailed by Bungie.

Bungie Outlines Destiny 2 Season 16 Changes

The TLDR:

• You'll be able to unlock all 25 seasonal artifact mods 25 in the future.
• Fully Masterworked Legendary armor can be changed to another energy type (at a cost)
• Orbs of Power are getting reworked (although it's still not specific how)
• 30th Anniversary Content & Dares of Eternity will not be vaulted with Witch Queen.

10 January 2022 -

Last week Bungie decided not to release a new 'This Week at Bungie' blog post, but the good news is it should return this week. This has been confirmed by the team's Senior Community Manager, @dmg04. With any luck, we'll get plenty of new info about Bungie's plans as we race towards the launch of Witch Queen and Season 16 in February.

5 January 2022 -

With the new expansion - and by extension Season 16 - now being less than 50 days away, it's probably about time we start a countdown timer!

6 December 2021 -

So this is interesting. It would seem as though there is one big event left to come in Season of the Lost’s storyline and it might have been revealed. Following server maintenance last week, The Game Post reported that Destiny 2's API had been updated, and new items were uncovered on Light.gg. Reportedly, those items/quest steps detail three objectives tied to this latest mission.

'Savathun’s Exorcism' will reportedly serve as Season 15's finale and was previously teased in-game. Follow the link for the full low down, but it's possible that this finale could feed into what is to come with Witch Queen and Season 16.

29 November 2021 -

We're likely going to get a lot of new info later this week with the next TWAB blog post, however, how much it will deal with Season 16 is up for debate. We could get some more info on the 2022 roadmap, however, we might get very little. We'll be sure to keep an eye out later this week, but for now, we would advise watching the latest video from My Name Is Byf.

The latest lore video looks at Savathun's children, and namely who they are and whether they are still loyal to her. As with all Lore videos from Byf it's another great watch so make the time for it.

19 November 2021 -

The latest 'This Week At Bungie' blog post has announced a raft of changes coming to the game as part of the 'Destiny 2 Anniversary Update' due to arrive on 7 December. Whilst this isn't directly Witch Queen or Season 16 news, it will have a big knock-on impact when the expansion launches next year. The changes are extensive and it's a very long blog post. If you want some topline understanding of what's going to change we suggest reading the below thread from @legionlesstv on Twitter. Give it a read when you have 3-4 minutes free.

20 October 2021 -

Bungie has announced that the Standard Edition for The Witch Queen will not include Year 5's Dungeon quests. Rather, two Dungeons will be included in the Deluxe Edition, while an extra one will be featured in Bungie's 30th Anniversary pack.

The Witch Queen package containing the Deluxe Edition and celebratory DLC costs $99.99/ £87.99, granting access to all three Dungeons for Year 5.

13 October 2021 -

There's some speculation that the Witch Queen Power Level could rise as high as 1710, this seems to be based on the max power level on some new Festival of the Lost Halloween Masks.

For context, the Destiny 2 Season 15 Max Power Cap Level is currently set to 1330 in Season of the Lost.

However, Bungie has already confirmed that the power increase will be +10 each season, and +50 for major expansions, so we doubt we'll be jumping up to 1710 anytime soon!

25 August 2021 -

Destiny 2 Season 16 will arrive alongside the games next big expansion, The Witch Queen.

As noted by Bungie and multiple retailers, Destiny 2 Witch Queen Expansion will include "Seasons 16-19".

Quite how Bungie plans to bridge the gap between Season 15 until the release date - February 22, 2022 - we don't know, but that's neither here nor there.

We also imagine that the story and lore throughout Season 15 will hold many clues as to how the next season will play out. So keep your eyes peeled for the Destiny 2 Weekly Reset for updates.

Destiny 2 Season 16 Release Date

As noted previously, Destiny 2 seasons have traditionally run for three months apiece, but Bungie has confirmed that Season 16 will launch alongside The Witch Queen.

Previously The Witch Queen was meant to release in 2021, but was delayed until February 22, 2022.

As such, Destiny 2 Season 16 has a confirmed release date of February 22, 2022

Destiny 2 Season 16 Story

By now we know full well that Savathun is Destiny's next big bad villain and in Season 15 it seems likely that Bungie will be setting up all the necessary parts ahead of the Witch Queen expansion.

But a lot rests on when Season 16 is released. If the plan is for Season 16 to arrive with Witch Queen, then it's going to be a huge season for the games wider story and lore.

Either way, we should expect to see plenty of leaks and rumours throughout Season 15 which give us some clues as to what is coming next.

[Update - The same PlayStation store leak has given us our first tidbit of information: "Delve into Savathûn’s Throne World to uncover the mystery of how she and her Lucent Hive stole the Light. Learn the secrets to crafting new weapons, the new Glaive, and survive the truth within her web of lies. A twisted wonderland of corruption and splendor, Savathûn’s Throne World plays host to a fragile balance of power. From her palace to the swamp, all that she hides can be found here."]

New Destiny 2 PVP Maps In Season 16

Destiny 2's Assistant Game Director Joe Blackburn revealed some time ago that there were no plans for new Crucible maps in Season 15. Sorry PVP fans.

However, Blackburn did explain in his lengthy Twitter thread that there were plans for new maps coming in Season 16. This looks to come in the form of two reprised Destiny 1 maps.

The full quote can be seen below:

New maps take time to get right, so to open the faucet for S16, the team is working on porting two vaulted Destiny 2 maps to be compatible with our engine updates. - Joe Blackburn

It's worth also noting that though Season 16 is only adding 'older' Destiny 1 maps, Season 17 will add a completely new map.

Destiny 2 Season 16 Price

If you've got the deluxe version of Beyond Light, then you'll have access to all seasons heading into Witch Queen – that's seasons 13, 14 and 15.

However, Witch Queen was delayed and pushed back into 2022, so it's still unknown if Season 16 will arrive before Witch Queen launches, or if Bungie is planning for a longer Season 15 instead.

If It arrives before Witch Queen, Bungie could give it away for free for those who bought the deluxe version of Beyond Light. For anyone who didn't buy the expansion, expect to pay up with yet more silver, for roughly £10.