Destiny 2 Shadow and Order Rumored to Release in May
Destiny 2 Shadow and Order is the major update for the Renegades expansion. The original release date for the update is March 3rd. However, after the announcement of Marathon’s release date being March 5th, speculation arose. Recently, Paul Tassi mentioned that there is a chance the Major Update will only return in late April or early May. Bungie has not had an official communication regarding the release date of Shadow and Order.
What is Shadow and Order?
After the Final Shape, Bungie moved to a different expansion model. They are now releasing two expansions each year. Each expansion would have a Major Update. These are free updates that would add additional content to the game. Bungie touted it as similar to Into the Light, a free update that we got after the Final Shape delay. However, Edge of Fate’s Major Update, Ash and Iron, never came close to Into the Light’s content. We received a handful of new activities, weapons, and an Exotic Mission. Shadow and Order is supposedly an improvement on Ash and Iron.
Destiny 2 Shadow and Order Delays
It is unlikely that Shadow and Order will release in the same week as Marathon. Bungie would not want to split its players between two games. Marathon’s successful release is pivotal; they need to do everything possible to make it happen. As a result, a short delay to Shadow and Order is likely. However, the rumors are that Bungie will release the Major Update in late April or early May. Players are speculating this release date due to the recent findings on the Eververse calendar. The Eververse calendar usually only shows the schedule for the current expansion or update. If the pattern continues, the Destiny 2 community will have to wait around two additional months for new content.
A two-month delay is more than we want to avoid Marathon’s release. A couple of weeks to a month would have been the likely delay in that case. If Shadow and Order releases in May, there are other reasons behind the delay.
The Impact of the Delays
A delay, in theory, is not the worst outcome. Two previously delayed expansions are Witch Queen and the Final Shape. Both had rave reviews, so a delay could help improve the content release. However, if Shadow and Order is anything like Ash and Iron, what delays do you need? The delays will likely impact future releases. If Bungie wants to keep pace with releases, then the Alchemist and Shattered Cycle will get delayed as well.
In the immediate future, delays will not heavily impact the player base. The Destiny 2 player count is low since there is not much to do in Destiny 2 at the moment. Will some players not want to wait longer? Without a doubt, but everyone is taking a break in any case.
The Destiny 2 Pantheon May Return in Shadow and Order
One of the reasons for the success of the Into the Light update was the inclusion of Pantheon. For those who were not around at the time, Pantheon was a raid boss gauntlet. Each week, Bungie added a new difficulty that increased the number of bosses. The first one was Atraks Sovereign. It set players at -5 and included Golgoroth, the Caretaker, Explicator, and Atraks. The following week was Oryx Exalted, which increased the power to -10 and added Oryx.
Rhulk Idominatable was next at -15 and added Rhulk. The final week was Nezarec Sublime. Players were at -20 power and had to deal with Riven and Nezerac. There are rumours that Shadow and Order will have a Pantheon adjacent activity. If it is successful, it could restore some faith in the player base. However, much like the delays, a Pantehon in Shadow and Order is only a rumour at this point.
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