We still have very few concrete details about Destiny 2's next expansion, Codename: Apollo, but Bungie has provided some new, albeit vague, insights into what we can expect with concept art and a list of inspirations that include The Doors, Slaughterhouse Five, and Scavenger's Reign.
Bungie discussed Codename: Frontiers, the next phase of Destiny 2's content that will commence in Summer 2025, during a recent developer livestream. This stream also covered Episode: Revenant, which begins on October 8. Narrative director Alison Luhrs showcased new concept art for the expansion's destination and offered some cryptic details about what players can anticipate as Destiny 2 transitions into a new narrative arc.
The upcoming year of Bungie content, which will start after the conclusion of its current episode, Heresy, in early 2025, will feature two major expansions instead of one large release, as has been customary throughout Destiny 2's lifespan. These expansions will be smaller and released at a more frequent pace, according to Bungie, and will be comparable in size to the original Destiny's Rise of Iron expansion. The first, Codename: Apollo, will introduce a nonlinear campaign structure, Bungie says, with a metroidvania gameplay approach, allowing players to navigate through the content as they unlock new abilities.
Apollo will include a new destination, but Bungie has been tight-lipped about its location. However, Luhrs did provide a few hints, suggesting that players should envision entering a parlor in a mansion where the owner mentions a secret door. This door would be activated by moving an object—something that was always in plain sight but only becomes significant once the player knows what to look for.
Luhrs also shared concept art that, while not offering much clarity, might hint at what to expect from Apollo. The first piece shows a group of individuals apparently conducting a ritual involving blue energy (or possibly goo). The symbols and elements in the image are unfamiliar, but the background—an image of the Cosmodrome location on Earth—might suggest that the new destination is a hidden location on Earth.
The second piece of concept art depicts an underground setting, possibly within a vast cave with rock spires hanging from above. The details are sparse, but structures like staircases and possibly more of that blue energy can be seen. This could imply that the new location is hidden beneath Earth's surface and involves a group of people not previously encountered in Destiny 2.
Developers also shared some cryptic inspirations for Apollo, including the music of the 1960s, such as The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, and early progressive rock bands like King Crimson. They also mentioned Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse Five, which deals with a man's experiences during the firebombing of Dresden in World War II and his time as a prisoner of war. The protagonist, Billy Pilgrim, claims to become unstuck in time, with the narrative jumping to different points in his life, and that he was a prisoner in an alien zoo on the planet Tralfamadore, leaving the reality of these elements ambiguous.
Finally, Bungie referenced Scavenger's Reign, an animated series originally on HBO and now available on Netflix, which follows a group of humans stranded on an alien planet after their ship crashes. Assistant game director Robbie Stevens highlighted how Scavenger's Reign captures the strangeness and mystery of its alien world.
All this leaves us with rampant speculation about Apollo, but elements like time travel are significant in the Destiny 2 universe, especially after events like those in The Witch Queen expansion, where Mars had sections where earlier times intersected with the present. As Bungie concludes the Light and Darkness Saga in The Final Shape expansion and embarks on a new story, practically anything could be in store for the future of Destiny 2—and it seems likely to get quite strange.
