Something strange is going on with the Cabal base on Phobos. Suddenly, they’ve gone from maintaining a covert base of operations to openly broadcasting on all frequencies, and the Vanguard aren’t sure what to make of it. Is this the prelude to an all-out attack on the last remaining bastions of humanity?
Well, yes it is, but it’s not from the Cabal. Heading into their base, it’s clear that everything we’ve been told from The Taken King’s trailers is true: Oryx is coming to get you and he’s creating a brand new army to do so. The Cabal installation is a total mess, with the most obviously militaristic alien force in full retreat. There’s tears in the fabric of space visible everywhere, with patches of stars trying to swallow up the Cabal and turn them into the dark, tortured and augmented Taken.
My time with the game was just a brief glimpse at the first mission in The Taken King’s story, but it demonstrated the newfound confidence that Bungie have in their form of storytelling. We know that Ghost’s input will now be delivered by Nolan North and that this extends back to the original game, but this snippet saw Commander Zavala calling upon Eris Morn for her input on the strange energy readings that were being picked up. Initially dismissive of her etherial input, the appearance of Oryx’s visage made everything quite clear.
This is how the second year of Destiny content will begin for almost everyone, before seeing Guardians lead the counterattack against Oryx’s forces, eventually assaulting his Dreadnaught, mining its many secrets in the new patrol area and taking him down in a new raid.
But Bungie are facing a problem that I’m not entirely sure they know how to deal with. Ever since The Taken King was unveiled and a particularly disastrous interview, players from the first year have worried about what will happen with their existing gear. Many had hoped that the legendary guns they had earnt and loved – particularly those from the Vault of Glass – might be upgradeable to the second year maximum, but alas that is not to be the case, as Bungie announced this and a more conventional levelling system last week.
Held in isolation as a traditional shooter, tweaking and balancing the initial set of guns and armour would have been relatively simple, but each expansion has brought with it new guns and new armour that build upon what went before. The difficulty is that a cocktail of unique weapons and powerful perks meant that new additions to House of Wolves simply don’t feel as desirable as a Fatebringer or a good roll of Fellwinter’s Lie.
The Taken King will bring with it a 2.0 patch that redresses the weapon balance, but just by not letting you upgrade or ascend those weapons, it encourages you to move on to the new guns, even if many would prefer to preserve notable weapons in their minuscule vaults.
Certainly, some of the new guns look great. The SUROS Regime might not be the dominant force in the Crucible it once was, but SUROS are more than a one hit wonder, with their distinctive look now applied to rocket launchers, pulse rifles and more. There’s also the rather cool looking Tuonela SR4 Scout Rifle and Uffern HC4 Hand Cannon, which don’t feature an ammo counter but rather a small window into a pool of liquid that drains as you fire.
Trying out the Warlock’s new Stormbringer class as well was excellent, as I drew upon its super to hover above the ground, with outstretched arms sending pure arc lightning into the Taken enemies that stood before me. There was little they could do to stop me, not least because of the level disparity for this demonstrative mission.
The big question is whether or not this is enough to draw people back into world of Destiny or not. The sweeping changes being made to the game might actually come to push people away, but this is still a game that has commanded a particularly loyal following for nearly a year. The Taken King will almost certainly be the game at its best yet, with more content, more goals to strive for and a story I hope is worth telling.
Tony Cawley
I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting it, only play destiny now for the pvp side really except for the odd nightfall etc.
My worry is how will they keep the year 1 content relevant?
Trials of osiris is one of the best things to happen to destiny and it’s rewards are excellent, but if legendary weapons from year 1 are being left behind, what’s the point in running trials any more?
Forrest_01
My guess on that front would be that they keep Trials the same, but new gear becomes available for it once they get into year 2 content perhaps?
Purely speculation of course, but I would think that they would still want to keep that relevant for the hardcore PVP’er.
Although, what happens to Etheric light (which I hear you get a fair bit of from doing Trials) remains to be seen.
fillip2k
echoing Forrest’s sentiments, they’ll want to keep the trails relevant I think so will most likely update the loot table for year 2 relevant items.
At least this is what I would hope. Unlike strikes which got stale because they changed very little each time you play (in fact don’t change at all) PvP based games can be very different from one match to the the next if the people your playing against change…. In my experience anyway, I’m not a huge PvP Destiny player.
RudeAwakening
“Many had hoped that the legendary guns they had earnt and loved”
Sorry to point out the Typo Tef.
Nice preview, but I don’t think Bungie could sway me to invest my valuable time in Destiny anymore, no matter what they change. My experience with the game has become to sour.
Forrest_01
Yeah, you can never truly ‘earn’ anything via RNG. ;)
RudeAwakening
Ha! So true Forrest!
Forrest_01
See, I do like the sound of all of this & still enjoy playing Destiny, but I’m just not sure that the price tag is going to be worth it. I mean, I am still playing the same game a year later down the line & still enjoying it on one hand, but on the other, that money could buy a whole new game & experience rather than just a DLC pack (albeit a substantial one by the sounds of it).
Plus, there is a little voice in the back of my head telling me that I have been playing the same game for a year. A year! Perhaps it’s time to not worry about it & move on when this hits.
Nate
As expensive as the DLC packs have seemed, in relation to the content they provide, I just can’t argue against the fact I have put hundreds of hours into Destiny. It is probably the most cost-effective game I have ever owned!
That said, this latest expansion is eye-wateringly expensive. I am going to wait until some more previews and reviews come out before I take the plunge. As you said, it would be nice to have the time to play something else!
Forrest_01
Yeah, it’s true – I have spent £75-£85 (can’t remember what I bought the core game for now), but I have definitely gotten my money’s worth out of that. But even with that considered, they are now looking for another £40 just for this (I believe?), so that would take me up near the £120 mark.
That’s quite the ask for one game when you look at it like that.
simplebob
I have this pre-ordered, after a break of a few months for Witcher and Arkham I’m back playing Destiny and loving it. I’ve mostly just played solo stuff apart from the occaisional strike and the odd dip into crucible or Iron Banner. Still haven’t even done a raid yet. Looking forward to more content and a change to levelling as may finally be able to get past level 32. More story and new subclasses all look good. I can see how the handling of this update wont appeal to everyone, and disagree with the boost of new players to lvl 30, but for me theres a lot there to like.
jayboy31
I’m new to Destiny but love it! It’s nice to play something with mates again.
I only have the base disc but i’m sure i’ll be getting at least one of these add-on packs.
Nate
If you don’t own any of the expansions you want to get the disc based Taken King release, as it contains all 3 DLC expansions for the same price as the digital stand alone expansion pack.