Destiny 2
Save the solar system by becoming Earth’s lightiest hero
One year after Destiny’s last expansion, RiseOf Iron, emperor Dominus ‘Gary’ Ghaul leads his Cabal forces to Earth and steals everyone’s power for himself, severing the link between you and magic-bestowing orb The Traveler before vowing to blow up the sun. Your newly vulnerable Guardian must venture across the Solar System acquiring Light (think supernatural prowess) to stop Ghaul and his Red Legion. And maybe learn a cool new emote while they’re at it.
All your efforts in Bungie’s original massively multiplayer shooter reset, and that’s great for everyone. This is a sequel beckoning newcomers and incentivising pros to experiment with awesome new weapons and classes. You start by choosing your Guardian, whether nononsense human, rainbow- coloured awoken, or hairless exo, then use a creation suite to make, say, a plumcoloured avatar with blue lips and a feathery mullet.
Once that’s done you soon settle into a pattern: venture out alone or with other Guardians across several hub worlds in efforts to kill aliens and loot increasingly rare gear; join impromptu public events and team up to destroy durable mechs or repel a brief enemy blitz; embark on more structured Strike missions for up to three people; or perform tasks for the area’s stationed NPC, like gentleman sniper Devrim, who has us clearing mines and planting beacons. There’s just as much to do alone as there is with others, and the story rolls on nicely.
It’s a testament to the sensational gun-feel that
Destiny2 resists stagnation. Shooting is tighter, snappier, and buoyed by a surge of punchy new feedback effects, even more entertainingly evergreen. The three new breeds of weapon initially seem like a lateral move, fixing what didn’t need to be fixed, this frees up loadout building and removes unnecessary restrictions. Every element in Destiny 2 has been considered, reconsidered, and iterated upon, from wholesale campaign improvements, luscious levels, better Strikes, and powerful new classes, to weapon reorganisation and a UI spruce. Rather than introducing major new features, Destiny2 expands out like the Big Bang, at once immediately exciting and immensely promising.
Ben Griffin