Neon, beaches, and danger. While this short description might evoke imagery of coastal cities in 1980s movies, they can also fit Neomuna, the new location in Destiny 2 that’s launching alongside the Lightfall campaign. Hidden away in the planet Neptune, Neomuna brings a blend of marvelous beauty and bountiful mystery to the Destiny 2 story—and it also plays a significant role in the Light vs. Dark saga.
Neomuna isn’t like most Destiny 2 destinations, though. It ditches the apocalyptic and inhospitable for a more attractive cover that seems to drink from the fountain of old action movies. It’s also a more organic and familiar location, teeming with life as if it were a counterpart to the Last City. If you’re strolling through Neomuna, though, don’t just spend too long looking at the views: Neomuna is under siege by the Witness’ army, and you’ll play a key role in stopping that invasion.
Don’t let the beauty blind you to the danger, with the Shadow Legion and even some invading Vex along the way. Here’s what you should know about Neomuna.
Destiny 2 Neomuna’s lore and backstory explained
Neomuna comes seemingly out of nowhere with Lightfall, but for good reason. This deeply hidden city wasn’t exactly easy to find (unless you’re the Vex), and the story hadn’t really brought players to Neptune. This hidden city started appearing in mentions by Bungie after the Lightfall showcase, and the in-game narrative started breaching it more after Osiris woke up at the end of Season of Plunder. Osiris still had some of Savathûn’s memories—a relic from the time the Witch Queen possessed his body—which pointed him to Neptune. Osiris looked for mentions of Neptune throughout Season of the Seraph (for instance, in the Spire of the Watcher dungeon), which should end up leading the guardians to Neomuna.
At the final mission of Season of the Seraph, the Warmind Rasputin confirmed Osiris’ visions of Neomuna were true. Though he didn’t know exactly where the city was, Rasputin said Neomuna was home to “the Veil,” which the Warmind called “an object of immense paracausal power” that is linked to the Traveler.
The Lightfall interactive trailer revealed Savathûn hid something powerful in Neomuna, which might be the key to defeating the Witness. This might be the Veil, and with Strand being linked to the fabric of the universe, it could be a valuable source of power—one with great implications for the Witness, the Vanguard, the Traveler, and the Light vs. Dark saga. The Lightfall campaign could kick off new story threads, similar to how The Witch Queen imported The Witness into the larger-scale narrative throughout Year Five.
How big is Neomuna?
Neomuna is “very comparable in size” to Savathûn’s Throne World and Europa, according to game director Joe Blackburn. Like the two last expansion destinations, Neomuna also boasts three “big public bubbles,” as well as “a lot of cool private areas.” This could be, for instance, equivalent to spots like Alluring Curtain or Queen’s Bailey in The Witch Queen.
What locations can we see in Neomuna?
While there isn’t too much information about Neomuna ahead of Lightfall, players can see a few of the city’s destinations in promotional materials. The Lightfall video documentary (ViDoc) shows a beach-like area with sand made of diamonds, which seems to lead into the city’s neon skyline. Neomuna’s fluorescent beauty gives way to battles, though: as the Shadow Legion invades, Calus’ ship, the Typhon Imperator, has landed in the area, making for a striking (albeit terrifying) view.
Neomuna is a “big, neon-soaked city, but it has quite a spectrum of different environments,” narrative designer Liz Baker says in the ViDoc. This includes, for instance, the Thrilladrome Lost Sector, which takes inspiration from arcades (though with a bit more murderous robots than the average arcade probably has). Guardians can also visit a Pouka Pond, sharing some more information on this mysterious species that has made fans scratch their heads since Elsie Bray showed up with one in Beyond Light.
What helps set Neomuna apart is that it’s more traditionally close to a city than what you’d expect from Destiny 2. The EDZ, for instance, looks familiar but is overgrown and abandoned. The Dreaming City, too, feels almost too extraordinary to feel like a lived-in city. Neomuna brings guardians to a place where “the lights are on while you were there,” and were on even before you arrived, game director Joe Blackburn shared in a pre-Lightfall press conference. Neomuna is bound to feel more metropolitan and lived-on than the other Destiny 2 areas, and players can even spot graffiti panels in honor of the city’s protectors, the Cloud Striders.
What enemies are in Neomuna?
Players will certainly spot Shadow Cabal throughout Neomuna, given Calus’ minions are assaulting the Lightfall destination. Calus’ forces aren’t the only type of enemy attacking the city, however. Guardians may encounter Vex spread out across Neomuna, which has important implications for the city’s lore and backstory.
The city of Neomuna has remained a secret from the guardians until after The Witch Queen, but the Vanguard isn’t the only force in the universe. The Vex discovered Neomuna’s location long ago, and the city has been fighting off the Vex for some time, Blackburn explained. Fending off Vex invasions was also one of the Cloudstriders’ duties before Calus landed in Neomuna, and with the chaos brewing in the city, the Vex are also becoming more aggressive.
Why are enemies in Neomuna so strong?
If you’re constantly finding yourself on your toes as you walk through Neomuna or calling for your Ghost an embarrassing number of times, don’t worry, you may not be alone. And it’s not necessarily because you’re under-leveled, either—at least not in the way you might think.
With Neomuna, Bungie is experimenting with harder enemies that spawn more frequently. It’s a huge departure from Savathûn’s Throne World with The Witch Queen, and it’ll feel closer to how the Derelict Leviathan felt in Season of the Haunted, according to Blackburn. The team will also experiment with Power Level in Neomuna, which may make the Shadow Cabal and the Vex deadlier than what players are used to.
Published: Feb 16, 2023 04:40 pm