Overview
- Season 2, titled Nightfall, launched on Tuesday, June 2 with a weeklong Open Play free period that runs through June 9 and includes the game’s first seasonal inventory wipe.
- The new Night Marsh map, Sentinel defensive Runner shell, and The Cradle progression system arrive in the update to reshape loadouts and onboarding for new players.
- Sponsored Survival is an experimental 18‑minute 'PvP‑lite' mode that starts with one crew facing AI threats and later backfills solo Rooks, and Bungie has routed all Rook queues into this mode while it runs.
- Progress and items earned during the Open Play week will carry over if free players buy the full game, a move meant to boost conversion from the trial.
- Bungie’s bet on Season 2 is high stakes because the studio is winding down active Destiny 2 development after a June 9 update, so concurrent player counts during the free week will influence future Marathon investment and staffing decisions.