By Jacob Miller | Jan 20, 2026
Many in the Destiny 2 community have had mixed reviews of recent changes to Destiny 2, however, it appears that the community received a noticeable boost due to the new content included with the Renegades expansion, which has elements inspired by the Star Wars franchise.Unfortunately, the start of the Year of Prophecy began on a bumpy note, with the introduction of new gameplay mechanics with Edge of Fate that divided the player community and frustrated many long-time players. Still, the expansion did make a big impact on the community and brought new perspectives, new activities, and an abundance of science fiction inspirations that appealed to the emotions of many players.
The Renegades expansion has received positive feedback from the gaming community for the manner in which it has combined certain elements inspired by the Star Wars franchise into the science fiction universe of Destiny 2, in such a way that does not feel forced into the game. The Renegades expansion has included added new weapons that reflect these influences, in addition to storylines that have been accepted by the gaming community as being representative of the premise of the Star Wars franchise.There are several obvious visual and thematic connections between The Uncivil Discourse, the A499 heavy sniper rifle and The Heirloom and some of the most recognizable characters' signature weapons such as Han Solo, Din Djarin and Chewbacca.
Many new additions were also publicly shared, including the Praxic Blade (a reimagined take on the legendary Lightsaber), which has quickly become a community favourite. In addition to the gear and visuals, however, the Renegades update introduced several new gameplay systems that also restored some grace to Bungie in the eyes of the community. For example, The Lawless Frontier activity introduced a different type of challenge, whereas Vanguard Alerts revitalized core gameplay elements, such as the Nightfall weekly activity, and added stronger incentives for players.
Despite Destiny 2 not returning to player levels similar to those experienced prior to the content drop in The Edge of Fate, the positive reception of the Renegades update indicates the game still has ongoing interest. It is reported that the Shadow and Order Update has not been released as scheduled on March 2, 2026. There were previous speculations based on the Year of Prophecy Roadmap shown to the community at the beginning of the year.
While Bungie has not formally announced the delay and release window yet, information is already being reported indicating that the March Update will be delayed although a new window has not yet been specified. Finally, the Shadow and Order is expected to be an Update mid-season like the Ash and Iron update that occurred following.
The Edge of Fate update.Disappointment continues to be fueled by Ash and Iron's failure to meet set expectations. This has generated worry as to the game direction and has raised questions on whether or not Shadow and Order can address these issues. Shadow and Order must produce new content that continues to grow and solidify a player base currently experiencing fears of instability.
Bungie continues to balance multiple new titles, so an increased focus on scheduling is becoming critical. A large part of this focus has been reflected in the expected delay of Shadow and Order, due to the fact that Bungie has an upcoming extraction shooter, Marathon, that has now confirmed a date of March 5. Releasing Marathon and Shadow and Order close in date could cut into the players' attention between the two and Bungie is aware and actively working to prevent that from occurring.
With Shadow and Order now tied to Marathon's launch, more than likely Bungie would like to have the release of Marathon receive the attention it so deserves when it launches next month. By allowing the launch window for Marathon to open up, Bungie can focus all marketing and community activities in the effort to give Marathon the chance to shine at launch.
Although the two games are closely tied together, Bungie has already begun offering crossover themed cosmetics to Destiny 2 players. Various "Waiting for Exfil" emotes, "Modern MIDA Multi-tools" exotic weapon ornaments and "Silkworm Weave" shaders are just a few examples of items Bungie has given out to recognize the launch of Marathon, while simultaneously keeping Destiny 2 players active.
For Marathon, the road to release has not been that easy. During testing in 2025, the title encountered a troubled testing phase with many criticisms as a result of accusations of plagiarism as they related to art. After a delay and then a re-reveal, it appears that Bungie has responded to a great degree to player feedback by adding new features such as the aforementioned solo queue, proximity chat, multiple maps, dynamic weather, improved lighting, and enhanced visual fidelity; all of which demonstrate the increased confidence Bungie has in its new extraction shooter as we look forward to its early March debut.
The extraction shooter genre is currently led by ARC Raiders, so we'll have to wait and see how well Marathon performs in that category. As far as Destiny 2 players are concerned, the most important takeaway is that Shadow and Order has had its release delayed. While this may be a disappointment, with Renegades showing how a time delay can improve player experience, it is certain that Bungie has a significant amount of potential in being able to produce truly engaging experiences for Destiny 2 players, if allowed to do so.
