Review: Destiny 2 (PC)
Humanity isn’t the only thing occupying the wide-open galaxy; there are the other two races as well. The Exos are powered by the light and that seems to be a living source. Besides humanity fighting its war there are the Awoken and Exo, both related to humanity while not being human. Equally as important to the scope of it all. Without getting into the nitty-gritty of these two races, just know that Bungie does plan on telling their stories eventually. The other major tie in for these two races is all the other high sci-fantasy space stuff going on. Without getting into space dragons (because they exist), there are also things in this universe the Destiny community has yet to encounter, unless counting Xur. Which brings this to the Nine. The Nine have been a known part of Destiny since the game’s release, but the only contact anyone has had with them is strictly through Xur, an agent of the Nine. With Destiny 2 taking us to Titan, players just might get closer than ever before to this elusive group of who knows what (hint space dragons). Doing some digging, it’s known the Nine occupy either Europa, a moon of Jupiter, or Titan, one of the new locals in Destiny 2, a moon of Saturn.
Arguably the most dangerous force alive, The Hive are a deadly ancient race hell bent on war. While their appearance seems more of a feral and radical race, they’re actually quite organized, with hierarchy of ranks and stature. With their current residence in the Solar System being on the Moon, with constant plans to advance on Earth, these beings originally came from the gas giant of Fundament in a galaxy far, far away. They are the most advanced race known to anyone, tapping into the Ascendant Realm which houses their gods, and constantly researching alternate dimensions. They also have the most connections with other races, most in particular with the Vex and the Darkness. They have been known to use The Darkness in their favor, creating The Taken in the process, which are just enemies who are possessed by the mysterious Dark force.
Destiny 2 is laying the groundwork for outstanding storytelling and unforgettable moments. It’s setting a solid foundation for the game it always wanted to be, while delivering the things Destiny never could. It’s an exciting time to be a Guardian even if it means the Last City falling only to pick ourselves up one more time. At least this time, there are those worth fighting for.
We have all-new worlds to explore. Immediately after the opening act, your character is exiled into the European Dead Zone. It’s an Earth destination and the biggest map we’ve ever created by far. You will explore this destination and its lush forests. That’s really where you’ll start your new journey. You’ll journey to Titan, an oceanic moon. The entire moon is one big sea, but there are these human installations that were erected during the Golden Age. You’ll go to Io, which is one of Jupiter’s moons and is the last place the Traveler touched before the Collapse. It’s a place of magic and mysticism. Finally, you’ll go to Nessus, which is an unstable planetoid that has been completely transformed into a machine world by the Vex.
Destiny 2 Weekly Inventory nailed its gameplay mechanics perfectly out of the gate and those carry beautifully into Destiny 2. Aiming and shooting feel fantastic, while platforming has been tightened up with Guardians now able to clamber over ledges. Jumping is still a little floaty, but the clambering should help players avoid some unnecessary deaths.
Just about everything you love about Destiny is returning. We’ve got a campaign with a series of story missions that tell a grand tale of courage and heroism. We have strikes. Of course, we’ve got a brand-new Raid, which I can say nothing about because it’s the pinnacle activity. We have different ways to explore the world. We’ve all been on Patrols, but now there are Lost Sectors to discover, public events with heroic activities, adventures given to us by MPCS. Finally, of course, there’s the Crucible for when we want to step away from the fight against the enemies.
When Destiny first launched in 2014, it received a mixed reception. There was a consensus among fans and critics that there just wasn’t enough content. With Destiny 2 being a full-blown sequel, how are you approaching content so that it doesn’t end up like its predecessor?
While thinking about all of this, one other raid consistently keeps popping into my head, Vault of Glass. Ask any veteran Destiny player and they will probably say Vault of Glass is one of the best, if not best raid Destiny has ever had. It was a perfect blend of platforming, puzzles and bosses that created a ridiculously fun raid that could be played with ease over and over again. Even when taking new people in, it was understood that the longest it would take was minimum six hours. Leviathan was a false sale. Guardians struggle with it even when knowing the strategies for each room, the rewards are the most lackluster yet with no armor or weapons dropping to even give the slightest sense of accomplishment, and new players will probably not want to touch it because it requires a level of communication and coordination that only close friends, professional streamers or elite gamers really have.
