Destiny The Dark Below
Artwork for The Dark Below. Bungie

Third-person sword-wielding will return to developer Bungie's hit online shooter Destiny in December's DLC The Dark Below.

Players were only able to use a sword during one particular mission in the original game, and it's a feature everyone loved.

A developer diary video posted on Game Informer showed off some footage of the swords in use and also revealed some other details about the add-on content.

There are looks at new competitive multiplayer maps, bits of the DLC's new Raid Crota's End and a discussion about how Bungie have taken on board feedback from fans. It is also revealed that the Strike missions will tie into the main story.

Previously Strikes and Raids weren't closely linked to the game's overarching story.

Last week a Reddit user data-mined The Dark Below, revealing some of the mechanics of the Crota's End Raid. Included among the mechanics was reference to the returning sword weapon, as well as new perks and a reference to The Oversoul – supposedly the end boss of the Raid.

When we see the sword in the dev diary it's being used in the familiar Earth environment of Old Russia, hinting that it may become a readily-available weapon in all aspects of Destiny.

Destiny was a huge success for Bungie and publishers Activision earlier this year, selling millions of units and quickly becoming the biggest launch of a new gaming series ever.

The Dark Below will be released on 9 December. Last week the DLC's opening cinematic leaked online, with Bungie uploading it themselves soon after.

Destiny Bungie Activision