Destiny 2: A New Light and Shadow
June 6th was Bungie’s more or less rebirth. A total makeover and rejuvenation. Bungie announced a whole slew of plans, new features and upcoming things for Destiny 2. There is a lot to unpack, so we’re here to break it all down for you.
1. Destiny Is Going Free-to-Play
Destiny’s Free-to-Play version is called Destiny: New Light. New Light will have access to all planets and all of the basic activities: strikes, crucible, gambit, public events and adventures. It will also have access to the original campaign, and all of the first two expansions, basically all year one content. Players will also be power boosted heavily to be able to enjoy all the content that their friends are enjoying. All other expansions and new expansions will be sold as separate entities which mean you can up any or none of them independent of each other and enjoy that content in that or those expansion/s you decide to purchase.
2. Shadowkeep Looks Amazing
We going back to the moon this fall, we weren’t there since Destiny 1 and it looks like a lot has changed. There is a new mysterious spire that seems to bring back the evils we’ve fought and killed before in new ways and with new ways to fight them. The weapons look great. The finishing moves look awesome. The story is captivating with returning and new characters. There will be a major focus on PVP. We won’t be getting Trials, intense competitive PVP, but it will mean probably balance changes, maps, modes, weapons, Crucible Labs and more. This expansion looks to be Bungie finally being able to do what they want, on their time and specifically for the community, not just for the buck.
3. Cross Save: Play Where Your Friends Are
This is not cross play, not yet anyways. But this allows players to move onto PC, Stadia or other consoles and bring all their character’s gear and weapons to any system they play from. It isn’t clear if a person would need to purchase DLC or anything again when moving from PC to PS4 or Xbox One to Stadia for example. We have not been told how that cross save feature will work, but at least a person won’t have to worry about starting over again when his or her friends on Xbox One when he or she only has a PC.
4. Destiny is Now Officially Taking On the Label of MMO
Fine, they publicly and officially call themselves part MMO, why is that important? Customization. Depth. New systems of customization for weapons, armor and perks are coming. This means that the player and become the monster slayer that want to be in just about all ways possible. This will lead to specialization, a great feel and connection from the player to their character and allow for meaningful endgame and grinding to be the stealthy space ninja, the bombastic space juggernaut or the chaotic space wizard that we’ve all wanted to be.
This about sums up everything that Bungie announced June 6th. They are committed to making Destiny 2 the game that they and we, the players, want. They are working constantly with the community and avid gamers to create and refine content to be the best. It is evolving and becoming more accessible, deep and refined. I am very excited to see Destiny 2 become a place where people come together, slay monsters, slay each other and grow into the cosmic superheroes they are meant to be.