Dev Insights - Episode: Echoes

While The Final Shape is the capstone of the ten-year Light and Darkness Saga that we turned the first page on way back in 2014, we’ve got many stories left to tell—and that’s where Episodes come in! 

Echoes launches on June 11 and represents the first of three self-contained narratives that are a direct result of the events at the end of the Final Shape. We’re so excited to share new perspectives and characters in a galaxy forever changed following the climactic battle with the Witness, and the Echoes this produced, while also be tying up some loose ends.  

Each Episode will feature a three Act arc that focuses on friends and foes, old and new. Each Act will deliver activities that continue to expand over time alongside their expanding reward pools. We’ve built Episodes to deliver more meaningful reward paths tied to your journey, while ensuring there are lots of secrets to discover, solid reasons to return each time a new Act launches, and exciting buildcrafting opportunities to take on new challenges. 

Things are only just getting started with Echoes, as Year 7 will also feature additional Episodes like Revenant, which focuses on an old enemy that’s back with many handfuls of new tricks, and Heresy, where we’ll dive back into the Dreadnaught... and shake up the Hive pantheon. 

Echoes Starts on June 11 

In addition to the name of the Episode, Echoes are mysterious objects of immense power born out of the epic clash between Light and Darkness within the Traveler. In Echoes, the Vanguard knows little about these artifacts, but mobilize after detecting the Vex stirring on Nessus. With resident Vexperts Saint-14 and Osiris at your side, and backed by the incomparable Failsafe, you’ll find yourself exploring the planet to dig up all the data you can on a new threat that wields an unnerving power unlike any we've encountered before. 

New Activities and Missions Launching in Each Act 

Like every Episode released in Year 7, Echoes will feature three Acts (each about six weeks in length) with Act 2 launching on July 16, and Act 3 going live on August 27. These are key points in which new quest chains will unfold alongside the addition of new Activities that feature new rewards. 

In Act 1, you’ll be introduced to the new 3-player Breach Executable activity. You’ll test your mettle engaging in an active combat zone on the transforming surface of Nessus while attempting to track down ancient Vex technology. Failsafe will run intel, pointing you towards hotspots of strange planetary activity while you fend off enemies bent on taking these technologies for themselves. 

Proving your mastery over Breach Executable means you and your fireteam will secure more Vex technology and provide the opportunity to unlock even better rewards. Much like our foes, Breach Executable will continue to evolve over the course of Act 1, adding more encounters, paths to explore, bosses, and higher tiers of difficulty. 

More Seasonal Rewards 

Speaking of rewards, Echoes will introduce a new set of weapons from the outset, alongside a pool of weapons that grows with the launch of each Act. We’d like to give you a sneak peek at some of these, as well as the new Armor.  

Some of you have already spotted some of the weapons that are available in Echoes, but there’s also going to be a selection of Season of Dawn weapons reprised with a new Origin Trait, new perks, and even a new damage type in the case of Breachlight now being Strand.  

To succeed in this collection of new activities, adopt a flexible approach and bolster your loadouts with new armaments designed to face the unrelenting mechanical threat. As a Vex Bruce Lee might have said, “Be radiolarian fluid, my friend.”  

Expanding Artifact and Season Pass 

The Seasonal Artifact will also grow and offer new possibilities as each Episode develops. While you get the new Artifact early in The Final Shape campaign, there’s plenty to unlock as you earn experience and complete challenges. With the launch of Act 2, the Artifact will have an additional row of perks added, with another one on the way with Act 3. As each brings five more powerful perks to the table, we believe the meta will shift in interesting ways over time. 

The Season Pass will also see an expanded path of pursuits as it powers up 50 ranks with each Act release. This means you’ll see the traditional 100 ranks as Act 1 launches, with 50 added per Act, for a total of 200 unlocks and rewards to chase before the conclusion of this story.  

Tomorrow 

The Witness is no more. Journey to an awakening Nessus and pursue a new Vex threat when Echoes launches tomorrow at 10 AM Pacific.