Recently, the UK print edition of Edge magazine a cover story on Destiny 2 that outlines the experience of a few writers who got the change to play the game through for nearly two days. And with all that experience under their belts, those writers released a lot of information that should put Destiny fans at ease.
In the article, they have addressed many of the concerns Destiny 2 players felt while the console beta was live — confirming, for instance, that base cooldowns are lower in the final game than they were in the beta, the overall power of grenades has been largely increased, and Hunters will have alternate subclass paths that will make them more support friendly. According to Bungie, some of these changes will be live in the upcoming PC Beta that will launch on August 28.
Fresh New Mechanics
Destiny 2 will feature plenty of new mechanics to make the game feel fresh and new. The introduction of locked loadouts will add an entirely new approach to certain game modes, although we will have to wait and see which game modes will have this challenging new element. Edge writes:
“Some of the end game activities will lock your loadout… preventing you from changing you weapons or subclass after you load into a mission. Requiring that you and your fireteam devise a plan before setting out.”
This sequel will also rely more on skill and coordination than the original game. Edge reports that “bosses are no longer attritional checks on you damage and endurance, but instead tests of skill.” Bosses will no longer be bullet sponges protected by wave after wave of minions, but rather just enough well placed ads to keep you moving. The difficulty won’t fall on doing damage, but rather creating the opportunity to engage between the leader’s attacks and those of his supporting troops.
Bungie has also taken strides to force players to make difficult choices when it comes to approaching combat. Destiny 2 director, Luke Smith, is quoted as saying:
“We want to provide the opportunity and choice, that means players can customize themselves more. By doing so we’ll also involve trade offs, and making difficult decisions. Out of the different elements conspires different combinations that leads to strengths and weaknesses for each character.”
For example, the Voidwalker’s devour state will allow you to consume a grenade by holding down the grenade button or killing an enemy with a charged melee. While in this state, kills will regenerate health and recharge grenades. So getting enough kills will allow you to consume another grenade and stay in a state of accelerated health regeneration.
These types of trades off will result in many different ways to approach the gameplay to fit your playstyle.
Spoiler Alert: Story Details
Edge Magazine writes:
“…[T]his is a sequel, one designed not only to appeal to hardened existing players, but also to new ones, and those who walked away from the muddled, beautiful mess of a game that launched back in 2014… So it give us great pleasure to report that – heavens above – Destiny 2‘s story is not only entertaining, but makes actual sense, from beginning to end.”
Many Destiny fans will rejoice in this fact alone. While the Destiny 2 console beta provided us with the opening mission of the game, Edge gives more detail on what happens after your guardian loses their light. To start from the beginning, the war hungry cabal forces invade the guardian stronghold (The Tower) and kidnap the Traveller (the source of the guardians abilities and regeneration). Ghaul leads the assault, as he wishes to take the Traveller’s light for himself in order to build an empire and reshape society.
According to Edge:
“Within an hour… you understand what the bad guys are doing and why.”
The guardians immediately respond and try to take on Ghaul head-on, only to find that they are losing their power — and in defeat, fall into the forest of the European Dead Zone.
You will awaken powerless, and must stumble your way through the forest now struggling to traverse the terrain. You will then find yourself at the Farm, a new social space that will be sprinkled with NPCs and vendors who will provide quests and wares. This social space will change as you advance through the story, bringing in more people that you find along your adventures.
Among them is Hawthorne, who will direct towards a nearby shard of the traveller that fell during the cabal assault. You head off for the shard, and will begin to regain your abilities, restoring the remainder of your light and regrouping the rest of the Guardians that fled earth after the invasion.
All of this story will be delivered in more that 80+ hours of new story content and activities. Even the side-quests will be fully voiced, and contribute to the overall story of the game.
Edge writes:
“There is a far bigger sense of scale. Vast open areas with warring factions, battling beneath majestic Bungie skyboxes, are a reoccurring theme, and its impossible to not think of the series from which the studio made its name. Especially when put in the controls of a vehicle or three.”
So it looks as thought the sparrow will no longer be our sole mode of summonable transportation — which may affect how we get around on some of the other planets (possibly the hydrogen seas on Titan?). That said, though, still haven’t heard anything about the raid and how it will tie in to the story.
So it appears Bungie is going to provide tons of content for Destiny 2′s base game — and with two DLC updates coming out later this year, it’s looking like there will be plenty of things to keep its players happy and active following the game’s release.
Destiny 2 is currently available for pre-order, and will release for consoles on September 6 of this year, with a PC release coming later in October 24.
