Destiny 2’s Episode: Revenant brings big updates to Onslaught

Rejoice, Destiny 2 players, for Onslaught will not go the way of Gambit. Bungie recently hosted a Twitch livestream where the studio shared some details about the upcoming Episode: Revenant. Alongside a look toward the future and a few surprises, Bungie dove into some of the content coming with the Episode, including a huge update to the Onslaught horde mode.

Onslaught is a horde-based activity in Destiny 2, first introduced alongside the Into the Light update preceding The Final Shape expansion. Initially, Onslaught sported three maps and a couple of difficulty options, but enemies, rewards, and the content itself were static. That won’t be the case for long, though, as Bungie shared that Episode: Revenant will add some fuel to Onslaught’s fire, introducing new maps, foes, and rewards.

Please put your hands together for Onslaught Salvation

Bungie revealed that existing Onslaught content isn’t just getting a gloss-up; it’s getting a new mode called Onslaught Salvation. The Onslaught variant will change almost everything about the horde mode, including where players are fighting, who they’re fighting, and how they fight altogether.

Introducing Onslaught Salvation, Staff Designer Clayton Kisko noted, “We heard players’ feedback, they want to see us invest in Onslaught. We are coming out with a brand new Onslaught called Onslaught Salvation.” Diving in a bit deeper, Kisko said, “We are going to have three maps that are in there, you will have some new defenses, we’ll have enemy factions that will be fighting into the theme of this Episode.”

The studio first showed off the Widow’s Court map, a retrofitted Crucible map. It bears a newly added spooky demeanor, with twisted growths and heavier fog accenting the Scorns focus in Episode: Revenant. And speaking of the Scorn, the narrative team has a reason why they’re getting involved in the first place.

The Scorn’s story is a part of Onslaught Salvation

“One of [the Echoes] fell, of course, to Maya Sundaresh, which we know from Episode 1. And it fundamentally changed how the Vex saw themselves,” Senior Narrative Designer Jerome Virnich explained. “And now, we’re going to get the same treatment with the Scorn because one of the Echoes will be falling to Fikrul, leader of the undead Eliksni army. Similarly, that Echo is going to prompt the Scorn to evolve, to see themselves in a new way, and to fundamentally change what they are.”

Virnich noted that Fikrul is attempting to grow and evolve his Scorn army, and for that, he’s going to need Eliksni corpses. To that end, Guardians will find themselves teaming up with Mithrax and his daughter Eido to prevent the Scorn from spiriting away captured Eliksni. 

“I just wanted to point out here, you’ll notice two things. First off, the Fireteam is tracking that Revenant Baron, just like you said, and also freeing captured Eliksni,” Virnich said. “And as to why people would want to keep Eliksni captives alive, I’ll save that for the players to discover.”

New defenses for evolved foes

While the aesthetic and enemy change would be enough to get some excited for Onslaught Salvation, the gameplay will change, too. Bungie is adding new defenses to players’ arsenals and tweaking some old ones to make investments more worthwhile. 

The team showed off one of the new defenses during the stream, a new non-automated turret emplacement that Guardians can control. Kisko noted that as players level them up, they’ll develop new effects like Scorch, which can be empowered through the wielder’s Artifact Mods or build. The Staff Designer also highlighted another upcoming defense, an airstrike that calls for a powerful assault from the sky.

Bungie is also looking at some of the defenses that weren’t as universally beloved in the first iteration of Onslaught, like the trip wire. In its original form, it simply exploded when enemies crossed its path. Now, however, it is empowered by Stasis, slowing enemies and creating Stasis Crystals at higher levels.

The interim rounds for Onslaught Salvation are also changing. Originally, players ventured through some Pyramid architecture, defeating enemies along the way. In the new Onslaught, Bungie describes that players will find themselves infiltrating a Revenant nest, chasing down a Scorn Revenant Baron to save Eliksni from a gruesome fate.

With the changes coming to Onslaught and its focus in Episode: Revenant, Bungie is showing that the mode wasn’t simply a one-and-done for Into the Light. Hopefully, this is just the first of many future Onslaught updates to come.