Bungie Will Include Free 'Destiny' Updates With 'The Dark Below' Release

“Destiny” update “The Dark Below” will reach players on Dec. 9 for $20, but developer Bungie is promising users that there will be some free content available to everyone, not just those who paid for the expansion pack. Community manager David Dague discussed the update and the free content in a recent blog post on the “Destiny” forum, assuring players that all will have access to new weapons, new armor, new daily bounties and five additional bounty slots.

Dague also discussed the concept of quests: “Quests are a new storytelling mechanism that we’re using in 'The Dark Below.' They are multistage tasks that culminate in a reward, similar to the exotic bounties you may have experienced. Unlike exotic bounties, the quests in 'The Dark Below' can be completed by players who are solely focused on the cooperative story content of 'The Dark Below.'”

“The Dark Below” will have the following features:

• Three story missions featuring new enemies and encounters in the Cosmodrome and Moon;
• Tower character and vendor Eris, featuring new quests, bounties and rewards;
• Exclusive legendary weapons and armor;
• New exotic weapons;
• “Will of Crota” strike;
• “Crota’s End” raid;
• Three crucible maps -- Pantheon, Skyshock and the Cauldron; and
• Maximum light level increase to 32.

“The Dark Below” will also introduce a new character. “The storyline of the Dark Below kicks off with the return of Eris to the Tower, bearing a grim warning about the rise of Crota,” Dague said. “Eris is a new character that appears in the Tower to serve as your guide. She has her own story to tell, and serves as the primary narrator for the story missions.”

“The Dark Below” is available for $20, but a season pass, which will include expansion pack “House of Wolves,” can be purchased for $35.