Looking Back at the King's Fall Leak That Shaped Destiny 2 Season 18

I still remember the summer of 2022 like it was yesterday. The Destiny 2 community was buzzing, the big showcase was just days away, and a reputable data miner named Josh Hunt dropped a leak that made every raid veteran sit up straight. According to that leak, Season 18 would be called Season of the Plunder, and it would bring back King's Fall as a reprised raid. I was skeptical at first. We had all been burned by fake leaks before. But this one had enough detail to feel real: Ketchcrash, No Quarter, Expedition, Hideouts. It sounded like a Fallen-focused season with pirate energy, and honestly, that was exactly what I wanted.

Now, sitting here in 2026, I can look back and say the leak was mostly on the money. Season of the Plunder did start on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, right after the showcase. It revolved around the Fallen, those nomadic scavengers who have been both enemies and uneasy allies throughout the Destiny series. We got Expedition and Hideouts as new activities. We got Ketchcrash. And yes, we got King's Fall back. For me, that was the headline. King's Fall was not just any raid. It was the raid from The Taken King, the Destiny expansion that many of us still consider a high point for the franchise. It took place in the massive Dreadnaught fortress. The final boss was Oryx, the Taken King himself. It was one of the largest and longest raids in Destiny history, and it demanded that every fireteam member understand the mechanics and sequences. You could not just brute-force it. You had to communicate, execute, and respect the encounter design.

Lore-wise, Oryx is the father of Crota and Nokris. Nokris later pledged service to Savathûn, the Witch-Queen of the Hive. That family tree is a mess of betrayal, sword logic, and cosmic ambition, and King's Fall puts you right in the middle of it. When Bungie reprises a raid, it is not just nostalgia bait. It is a chance for newer players to experience a piece of Destiny history with modern sandbox tools, and for veterans to relive the chaos with fresh eyes. I remember earlier in 2022, Bungie spoke with PC Gamer about the possibility of bringing one of Destiny 1's raids into Destiny 2. They talked about giving fans multiple good reasons to come back, and they said they intended to bring back a banger raid that would fit alongside new dungeons and raids. That comment narrowed expectations to either King's Fall or Wrath of the Machine. When the leak pointed to King's Fall, the debate pretty much ended for me.

Of course, Season 18 was more than one raid. The leak also mentioned two Iron Banners, the return of Trials of Osiris, Grandmaster Nightfalls, and the Festival of the Lost. That is a lot of content for one season, and it reflected the kind of cadence Destiny 2 was trying to maintain at the time. There were also numerous balance changes and reworks for many guns, affecting both PvE and PvP. More changes were planned for the middle of Season 18 and later in Season 19. As a player who splits time between casual strikes and sweatier Crucible lobbies, I always paid attention to those mid-season tuning passes. They could make a favorite weapon feel amazing or send it straight to the vault.

Here is how the leak stacked up against the season:

The season also packed in:

• 🛡️ Two Iron Banners

• ⚔️ Return of Trials of Osiris

• 🧠 Grandmaster Nightfalls

• 🎃 Festival of the Lost

• 🔧 Weapon balance changes across PvE and PvP

• 📅 More tuning in mid-Season 18 and Season 19

Another data miner, JpDeathBlade, also found something in the game assets called Destiny free week. That sounded like either a free expansion giveaway or limited access to new content without paying. I never got confirmation on exactly how that would work, but the idea was exciting. Free access events are a smart way to bring lapsed players back and let them taste the new season before committing.

So what does all of this mean in 2026? It means leaks are still part of the Destiny experience, but they are only the opening act. The real story is what Bungie ships, how the community responds, and whether the content holds up years later. King's Fall did return. Season of the Plunder happened. The Fallen pirate fantasy was real. And for a few months, Destiny 2 felt like a treasure hunt in space with a god-sized Hive problem waiting at the end. I look back on that season with a mix of fondness and exhaustion. Fondness because the raid was great. Exhaustion because Destiny always asks for more of your time. But if you ask me whether I would run King's Fall again with a group of friends on a random Tuesday night in 2026, my answer is simple: absolutely. Just give me a few minutes to remember the totems.