Bungie’s official announcement regarding the next wave of content for Destiny is scheduled to happen later today during a live-stream event, but many of the details surrounding the expansion have already found their way online — including the Rise of Iron launch trailer.
Among the many elements the new trailer and release details confirm is the long-awaited, much-anticipated return of one of the most popular weapons from the game’s first year: the rocket launcher known as Gjallarhorn.
The elements included in Rise of Iron were first revealed in the Xbox Store, where a Reddit user captured some images of the synopsis for the expansion. The description of the DLC reads as follows:
Destiny: Rise of Iron is the next highly anticipated expansion to the Destiny universe. The wall which stood for centuries along the southern border of Old Russia has collapsed. Fallen mutants now scavenge the tombs of the Golden Age, and the plague they have unearthed in the wastes is more dangerous than even they understand. Join Lord Saladin. Journey into the Plaguelands. Learn the fate of the Iron Lords and stop the growing threat before it is too late.
Includes: • New Story Campaign & Quests • New Armor and Gear • New Weapons • New Raid • Maximum Light Increase • New Strike • New Plaguelands Zone & Social Space • New Crucible Mode & Maps • New Enemy Faction and Bosses
The trailer for Rise of Iron arrived online less than 24 hours later, reportedly captured via a SnapChat ad for the expansion.
Along with offering a glimpse at some of the new armor and weapons that will be available in Rise of Iron, the trailer also appears to show one of the new raid or strike bosses that players will have to contend with: a massive war machine that appears to be cobbled together from debris found on the surface of Earth. Fallen mutants, the new enemy faction debuting in the expansion, also appear in the trailer.
The biggest surprise for veteran players, however, is the trailer’s announcement regarding Gjallarhorn. The powerful rocket launcher was one of the most prized weapons in Destiny during the first year of the game’s existence, but was rendered obsolete after the last major expansion, The Taken King. The trailer indicates that an “Iron Black” version of Gjallarhorn will be available to players who pre-order Rise of Iron, but it’s reasonable to expect that the weapon will also be available in its traditional form through the usual in-game channels, too.
The official release date for Rise of Iron is September 20, and we’re likely to learn even more about the expansion during Bungie’s live-stream event today at 10am PT (1pm ET) on Twitch.
