Destiny 2 gameplay reveal, Clans, Battle.net and more! Information blowout!
Finally the first Destiny 2 gameplay was revealed to the world and to say it got most of us Guardians into frenzy, it’s an understatement. Kicking-off the event in LA, the developers at Bungie were very keen to emphasise that this is a new start, for veteran and newcomers to the series, which of course confirms furthermore that we will lose our weapons, gear, powers and our light. We’ve known this is coming for a longtime now and while I’m as excited as the next person, it very much feels like all that has happened before now has been a big beta test and Destiny 2 is really the game that Bungie intended. With that said, let’s get on to all the nitty, gritty details.
Not only do we have a new gameplay trailer, but we have details on a new story, worlds to explore, missions, powers, new and improved Patrol areas and a big overhaul with Clan interaction, which is arguably my most exciting piece of information to come out of this big reveal event. We also learned that Destiny 2 on PC will be exclusive to Blizzard’s Battle.net.
In the gameplay trailer, a lot is going on. The Tower is being attacked at the hands of Ghaul and his Cabal legion known as The Red Legion. The mission on show is the opening from Destiny 2’s campaign called ‘Homecoming’ as you fight to save Last City following a surprise invasion. During the reveal, we also learned of Lord Ghaul’s motivations in wiping out all Guardian existence. Ghaul’s motivations are driven by pure jealously, he is envious that the Traveler chose to empower the Guardians with its Light, which Ghaul believes is HIS right and he will stop at nothing in his ruthless pursuit to prove the Traveler wrong. We also learn that at least during the mission shown in the trailer (called Homecoming); we fight alongside Ikora, Zavala and Cayde-6, and keep a look out for a young Amanda Holiday.
Eric Hirshberg, CEO of Activision said at the event that “Destiny 2 has a great story, an iconic new villain, awesome characters you want to go on an epic adventure with, and of course, tons of the amazing gameplay that Destiny is known for. We, along with our partners at Bungie, have listened carefully to our community, and have added thoughtful innovations that make the game and all of its content, more accessible to more types of players than ever before.”
The weapon slots in Destiny 2 will have more flexibility than ever before. Primaries will now take up two slots with one of those two slots having elemental damage (Kinetic, Energy and Power). It seems that you’ll be able to shuffle various weapons around in each of the slots, where you’ll be able to use multiple weapon types in each slot. I’m sure we’ll have further details on these weapon slots in the coming days/weeks, but as seen in the gameplay reveal trailer, we’ll have gatling guns in Destiny 2!
STORY MISSION SCREENSHOTS
We’ll also be introduced to three new sub-classes for our Guardians. Titan’s will have a power called Sentinel, where you’ll be able to go all Captain America with a Void powered shield. Warlock’s will have the Dawnblade which grants you a Solar sword (Titan envy) and Hunter’s will have the Arcstrider which is an Arc powered staff (which is probably my favourite looking so far).
Four new worlds/areas will also come to Destiny 2. Earth will of course make a return, although after being hit heavily by Ghaul (aka Gary) and his Red Legion, the Tower and our homeland is in a crumbling state. So Earth will have a new European Dead Zone. This is said to be the largest destination yet with forests and abandoned towns to explore, and caves below the surface will hide dangers and of course loot. But in order to gain that oh, so precious treasure, you’ll have to conquer a Red Legion military base.
Titan (not the character class) is one of Saturn’s moons and it is here that Commander Zavala is regrouping his troops after the devastating attacks by Ghaul and the Red Legion. Titan features no land, so instead players must traverse across Golden Age platforms surrounded by “a rolling ocean.” Nessus is said to be a “strange an unstable planetoid” that has been overrun by the Vex. It is here that you will find Cayde-6 to plot against the dangers that lie ahead. However, despite the stunning landscapes and canyons, Vex populate the many “creepy” caverns that lurk beneath the surface.
Finally the last of the four planets is Io, which is a moon of Jupiter. Here, Ikora Rey has settled following the attacks in search of answers on how to defeat Gary, sorry, Ghaul and the Red Legion. Io is said to be the last known site visited by the Traveler during the Golden Age, a moon now plagued with our enemies.
INVERTED SPIRE (STRIKE)
When talking of the new locations, Bungie revealed a simple, but yet blissful new feature of Destiny 2, which will make travelling from location to location all that more easy on the fly. Now if we want to travel to a new planet for example, no longer do we need to travel to orbit, as now it is done via accessing the in-game map with total ease.
Also, unlike the Destiny 1, when choosing to land on a planet for let’s say a Patrol, we can now choose our landing zone, so we’re no longer restricted to one Patrol landing. When choosing to Patrol, the map will be populated by various activities such as Public Events (which will now have Heroic objectives), Adventures and Lost Sectors. Adventures are short bite-sized missions that will offer further stories and lore into the Destiny 2 universe.
Lost Sectors are dungeons scattered throughout the worlds in which we must clear out the enemy camp which will lead to a boss encounter. By conquering the Lost Sectors, you will earn unique and valuable treasure. Patrolling can now also be experienced with up to nine other players and the world will be populated with optional, dynamic activities.
One of the main issues that many players have with Destiny is that unless you’re a part of a reliable clan or strike it lucky on LFG websites, many players would miss out on experiencing Raids and Nightfall’s. I could always see Bungie’s logic on the lack on matchmaking for some modes, in particular the Raids, because teamwork and co-ordination is of the utmost importance and if you have a random uncooperative bellend in your Fireteam, it can disrupt the whole experience. But none the less, it still would have been handy for some to at least have that matchmaking option in the hope of finding someone reliable. As they say, desperate times call for desperate measures.
NEW HUNTER, TITAN and WARLOCK GEAR
So now in Destiny 2, with the aid of a new feature called Guided Games, you’ll not only be able to join clans looking for Guardians more easily, but you’ll also potentially be able to fill the last remain slot in an active Raid should someone drop out for example. So in essence, if you’re a clan looking for additional Guardians or a Guardian looking for a clan, then Guided Games should have you covered. Likewise, this matchmaking enhancement will also be functional for activities such as Trials, Nightfall’s and Strikes.
Clans will play a huge role in Destiny 2. Ok, I know Clans have always played a huge role already, but now you’ll have a robust in-game clan system that has already briefly touched upon, will make it even easier to find members or for those looking to join a clan. However now, not only will you have a whole host of clan stats and information to enjoy at quick glance, but you can check and customise in-game rosters, customise banners and emblems to make your clan standout from the rest, as well as having a little information as to what your clan is all about.
What’s most impressive about the new clan system in Destiny 2, is whether you’re a casual player who Raids on the weekends, plays Crucible exclusively during Iron Banner or plays all the activities under the sun whenever humanly possible, each member of the clan will earn rewards for all your clan teammates to enjoy, no matter how active you are. As long as you’re a part of that clan, you’ll enjoy the same unique clan rewards as all your other members, as you’ll all be contributing no matter how active you are.
PVP MAP (MIDTOWN)
Destiny 2’s PvP has also had an overhaul of sorts. Now all Crucible modes have been redesigned to be 4v4. I’m not sure how I feel about this, especially as I’m used to 6v6, but only time will tell, so for now, I’ll give this change the benefit of the doubt. We will of course be getting new multiplayer modes and maps in Destiny 2 and one of those new modes is called Countdown. This attack and defend match-type will require players to place a bomb in their opponents based and then defend it.
If you’re bomb successfully explodes in the enemy base, you will win the round, then when the round ends, you switch sides/roles. Each round is worth one point, the first team to six wins. You can revive downed players in Countdown, however you must have a revive token to do so and only one player can pull the heavy ammo crate, and that ammo is only granted to the player that pulls it. So you must choose wisely and work as a team in order to win.
The one new multiplayer map that we know of right now is called Midtown. This is an abandoned part of the City, which was ignored by the Red Legion when they invaded as it has them “no tactical importance”, so of course this makes for a perfect Crucible opportunity for our Guardians.
ENVIRONMENT
We learned a while back that Destiny 2 will be coming to PC; I assumed that it would be across a variety of PC platforms including Steam. However, it was revealed that the PC version of Destiny 2 will be exclusive to Blizzard (a subsidiary partner to Activision) through Battle.net. We also learned that the PC version will have an uncapped framerate (console at 30fps); it will have full mouse and keyboard support, with custom key mapping. Text and voice chat will be available, as well as an adjustable Field of View, detailed PC settings and 21:9 monitor support.
Bungie CEO, Pete Parsons, said, “This is a defining moment for our studio, and we couldn’t have done it without the continued support of our partners in Activision, Sony and now Blizzard.” CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment; Mike Morhaime added “As Destiny fans, we were excited to learn that the sequel was coming to PC,” said Morhaime. He went on to say “We’re pleased to support Destiny 2 as the first non-Blizzard game on our platform, and we look forward to joining fellow Guardians in their fight against the Red Legion.“
For those interested, below are some specifications for the PC version of Destiny 2 that was running at the reveal event:
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 1080 Ti (Courtesy of Nvidia)
- CPU: Intel Core i7-7700K 4.2Ghz (Courtesy of Intel)
- Other: 16GB Ram/500GB SSD/Windows 10
Activision also confirmed that there will once again be PlayStation 4 exclusive content, though details will be revealed in the summer and the forthcoming beta will also take place during the summer.
Destiny 2 will release for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 8th 2017, the PC version will release sometime after the console versions, though a release date for that platform is yet to be confirmed. Also, if you missed the event or just want to watch it again, you can do so via the video seen below (just skip forward about 15 minutes).