Destiny 2’s annual Halloween event, Festival of the Lost, returns in October, but the popular festivities are in desperate need of a refresh.
Beginning in 2021, Bungie replaced the Haunted Forest, a timed, gauntlet-based challenge containing various modifiers, with Haunted Lost Sectors.
The latter, featuring the same limited-time weapon and currency rewards, essentially layers a Halloween-themed coat of paint on existing Lost Sectors, replacing the standard boss with a pumpkin-headed Hive Knight (Headless One).
A fun side distraction for one fortnight a year? Absolutely, but the format returned in 2022 and 2023, more or less unchanged, besides boasting different loot to chase. Guardians have inevitably grown tired of the whole affair, craving something new or even reworked to supplant the Headless One going into 2024’s iteration.
Fortunately, Bungie doesn’t need to look far or even develop any bespoke content for a worthy replacement – the answer already exists in-game: Onslaught.
Into The Light, a free update released on April 9 to curb Destiny 2’s content drought between Lightfall and The Final Shape, introduced the horde-inspired base defense mode and swiftly became a hugely popular addition.
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Rejigging the playlist with some Halloween-themed set dressing – think cobwebs, Jack O’ Lanterns, broomsticks, the works – along with remixed enemy spawns and loot to chase, would be infinitely preferable to another jaunt around Earth or the Moon’s overfamiliar Lost Sectors.
Or, better yet, why not combine the best of both worlds?
“I hate Haunted Lost Sectors. To me, they’re so boring and a horde, wave-based game mode in the Haunted Infinite Forest would be nice,” came one suggestion on Reddit.
“New Onslaught maps with new enemy types could sustain the seasonal events for like the next two years at least,” came another, with others jumping on the bandwagon, suggesting, “Haunted Onslaught with mini Tormentors made from pumpkins.”
Is there even a glimmer of hope that Bungie has something similar planned for 2024’s Festival of the Lost? Too soon to say, but with October fast approaching, players won’t have to wait long to hear news straight from the (Star)horse’s mouth.