Warlord’s Ruin, the Destiny 2 dungeon released with Season of the Wish, took players in some unexpected directions when it released on December 1. Where the last two dungeons had a more sci-fi feel, Warlord’s Ruin carries a much more Dark Souls vibe. It takes place in a ruined castle; it’s a dungeon in which you get trapped in a literal dungeon.
But while Warlord’s Ruin and its dark fantasy elements were a surprising and fresh direction for Destiny 2 players, some of those ideas had been floating around with the teams responsible for creating the dungeon for a while.
During a Season of the Wish roundtable discussion, design lead Brian Frank explained that Bungie starts with a brainstorming session to figure out some possibilities for what the dungeon will be, coming up with concepts that take into account several different factors. Playing off the themes of the season is something the team keeps in mind, but so is building novel experiences for players. And of course, not all of those concepts end up getting used.