Destiny 2 – the popular free-to-play online-only multiplayer first-person shooter – is now in its fifth year and will soon be receiving its sixth expansion with Destiny 2: The Witch Queen this week. The Witch Queen expansion pack brings a new location to the Throne of Savathûn world as well as new maps, weapons, missions and more. Along with a single-player campaign, the standard Destiny 2 game features co-op modes – Strikes and Raids – as well as Crucible which allows for player versus player (PvP) combat. Developed by Destiny 2 maker Bungie itself, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen will be available to play on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.

With that, here’s everything you need to know about the Destiny 2: The Witch Queen expansion pack.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen release date

The Destiny 2: The Witch Queen expansion pack will be released on Tuesday, February 22. The game is expected to unlock at 11:30 p.m. IST (10 a.m. PT). As this is a simultaneous global release, Indian players will be able to play the expansion pack for Destiny 2 at the same time as their global counterparts.

The expansion pack was supposed to release in 2021, but was delayed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Is Destiny 2: The Witch Queen on Steam?
The latest expansion pack for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is available for pre-order on Steam.

Is Destiny 2: The Witch Queen on Xbox Game Pass?
Yes and no. Destiny 2 and its current expansion packs – Forsaken, Shadowkeep, and Beyond Light – left Xbox Game Pass in December. However, the game and its expansion packs are available to PC Game Pass subscribers – that’s Xbox Game Pass for PC.

Destiny 2 Editions: The Witch Queen

Bungie is offering its next major Destiny 2 expansion in three editions – a base version, The Witch Queen Deluxe Edition and The Witch Queen Deluxe Edition + 30th Anniversary Pack. The game celebrates the 30th anniversary of Bungie’s incorporation in 1991.

In the standard expansion pack, players will get a new location – the throne world of Savathûn – as well as crafting weapons, a new Glaive weapon archetype, a new Raid mode, a new Exotic gear, and a new six-player activity.

Deluxe Edition customers will get all of that, plus an Exotic SMG weapon, Catalyst, and Ornament. A Catalyst is a special weapon modifier for Exotic weapons that buffs and enhances a weapon. On the other hand, an ornament is used to change the appearance of a weapon. Along with that, Deluxe Edition players get access to Destiny 2 Seasons 16, 17, 18, and 19, two dungeons released in the current Year 5, and Throne World Exotic Sparrow – a ground vehicle in Destiny 2.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen celebrates the 30th anniversary of Bungie’s incorporation
photo credit: Bungie

Buyers of the 30th Anniversary Edition will get access to a new dungeon, an exotic Gjallarhorn rocket launcher, a catalyst and ornament, new weapons inspired by previous Bungie worlds, a Descending Echo armor set, a set of Bungie streetwear ornaments, a set of marathon-themed ornaments, a unique helmet ornament, exotic sparrows, exotic ship, plus emblems, shaders, emotes, and more.

Finally, all players who pre-order Destiny 2: The Witch Queen will gain access to the Throne World Exotic Ghost Shell, Enigma Exotic Emote, and a Legendary Emblem. Ghost Shells are cosmetic upgrades for Ghosts – small floating machines used to locate and resurrect deceased players.

Destiny 2 Prize: The Witch Queen

On Xbox Store, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is priced at Rs. 2,199 for the Standard Edition, Rs. 4,399 for the Deluxe Edition and Rs. 5,499 for the 30th Anniversary Edition. This price is for PC, Xbox One and Xbox Series S/X.

PC gamers can get a much better price on Steam, thanks to Valve’s regional pricing support.
Steam lists Destiny 2: The Witch Queen at Rs. 899, RS. 1,799 and rupees. 2,499 for the Standard, Deluxe, and 30th Anniversary Editions, respectively.

On PlayStation Store, the new Destiny 2 expansion pack starts at Rs. 2,599 for the standard edition. The Deluxe and 30th Anniversary Editions are priced at Rs. 5,199 and Rupees. 6,499, respectively. This price applies to PS4 and PS5 owners.

System Requirements for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

Here are the minimum and recommended specs for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen for PC players, via Steam.

Minimum PC requirements for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

• Processor: AMD FX-4350 or Intel Core i3-3250
• Graphics card: AMD Radeon HD 7850 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 660
• RAM: 6 GB
• VRAM: 2 GB

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Recommended PC System Requirements

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5-1600X or Intel Core i5-2400 or Core i5-7400
• GPU: AMD Radeon R9 390 or Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 or GeForce GTX 1060
• RAM: 8 GB
• VRAM: 8 GB (AMD) or 4 GB (Geforce GTX 970) or 6 GB (GeForce GTX 1060)

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen supports Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. There’s no official word on Windows 11 support, although I imagine it will work given the infrastructure common. Players would need a minimum of 105 GB of free space to install Destiny 2: The Witch Queen.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen gets new maps, weapons and more
photo credit: Bungie

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen preload, download size

The download size for Destiny 2: The Witch Queen has yet to be revealed by Bungie. We’ll update this article once we know more.

To prepare for the new expansion, Destiny 2 will go offline on February 21 at 6:45 p.m. PT – that is, February 22 at 8:15 a.m. IST.

Preloading will be available 15 minutes later, starting February 22 at 8:30 a.m. IST / February 21 at 7 p.m. PT. Destiny 2 will be brought back to life on February 22 at 10:30 p.m. IST / 9 a.m. PT.

Game of Destiny 2: The Witch Queen

According to the gameplay trailer released last August, The Witch Queen expansion pack seems to really build on existing Destiny 2 gameplay, which isn’t surprising. It has new maps, new weapons, the ability to craft new weapons, and a whole new location. Expect the expansion pack to look like the game, but with a few new elements.

Destiny 2 review: The Witch Queen

When we reviewed Destiny 2 back in 2017, we gave it a 7 out of 10. In our review, we said the game has amazing music, fantastic gunplay, and slick visuals. However, the paid microtransactions were irritating.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen reviews should be available within a week of release. At the time of writing, no prints were available – so it remains to be seen how the new expansion pack will fare with reviewers and players when it releases on February 22.