Destiny 2
Destiny has continued to surprise fans and critics alike ever since its September 2014 release. The shared-world shooter blended the tight, first-person shooting gameplay that Bungie became known for with Halo with some light MMO elements to keep the game social and add replayability. Although it had a rough start due to lack of content – which included an utter lack of any meaningful story – expansions and events helped to keep the game and the community alive, turning Destiny into a a gaming phenomenon and helping to establish one of the biggest new IPs in years.
Now, as we are in Destiny’s third year, we look forward to what comes next. Destiny 2 was announced some time ago, though Activision and Bungie were both keeping details hush-hush. Now that we’re in 2017, the year that the game is set to finally reach Guardians who’ve been waiting for new locales to patrol, it’s time to take a look at everything we know thus far.
When Can We Play It?
As of the time of writing, Destiny 2 is due out some time in 2017. There has yet to be a locked in date, but since the release of each major expansion (which also mark the beginning of a new year for the game) tends to fall in mid to late September, we’d place our bets on that same period.
There were some whispers over the internet that the game wouldn’t be making its way to console before the end of the year. However, Activision revealed in their financials that we’ll definitely be firing our guns among the stars in a new adventure in 2017.
What’s It About?
Bungie hasn’t been very forthcoming with the story behind the upcoming Destiny 2. We know that it continues the adventure from the first game, as the Darkness is still building power and the Traveler is still protecting us with its light. However, Oryx did a real number on our solar system, the queen of the Reef is for all intents and purposes dead, Eris managed to become even creepier, and SIVA has ravaged Earth. What happens beyond that isn’t clear.
What we do know is that Destiny 2 will be taking the story aspect a lot more seriously. During a financial conference call, Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg revealed that the sequel would have a “great cinematic story” and a “great cast of memorable, relatable characters.” That’s good to hear since the first game struggled out the gate on those fronts.
Our only guess is that we’ll finally branch out from the few worlds and celestial bodies we’ve seen so far, but we’ll have to wait until later this year to get any concrete information. If the past is anything to go by, the developers usually start sharing Destiny news during the early Spring then start ramping it up around E3. Hopefully we’ll start getting some confirmed details in March, and we’ll be sure to update to keep you up to speed.
What Will Gameplay Be Like?
From that same conference call, it was revealed that Destiny 2 will feature “a lot more of the same elements.” From the sounds of it, the game will be largely the same, using the same world hopping and gear collecting that made the first release so engaging. One thing they stressed, though, is that they are working on way to make it even more accessible.
As the game is now, coming in late presents perks that lets you get your level up to that of others, but there’s still a bit of a hurdle to get over to contend with established players. It will be interesting to see how the system changes to keep everyone enjoying the game without sacrificing the core of what makes Destiny so engaging in the first place.
Can You Port Over Existing Guardians?
Back in 2014, David “DeeJ” Dague (Bungie’s community manager) stated to IGN that players would be able to bring along everything they do to a sequel, that their progress will “100 percent carry over to the sequel.” Their original story was further updated to state that Bungie clarified the situation and it was correct, you will be able to bring your progress over.
However, some reports from late 2016 stated that original characters, meaning your Guardians, probably won’t carry over. This could either mean that the developers completely scrapped these plans for Destiny 2, or that progress meant something other than your actual Guardian. It could mean gear, achievements, certain perks for embarking on a new adventure, who knows? The reports have yet to be corroborated, so until Bungie speaks up, the nature of Destiny 2’s progression is still up in the air.
What Platforms?
PS3 and the Xbox 360 were phased out of Destiny with the release of Rise of Iron. They no longer are moving forward with the franchise there, leaving the console options to PS4 and Xbox One (though we’re sure that some fans are hopeful for a Switch port). However, a new platform may be joining in on the action as there have been reports and other rumblings that Bungie would be bringing Destiny 2 over to the PC.
That would be an interesting turn of events, because as it stands, there is a lot of competition on PC when it comes to shooters and MMO-like games. In addition to that, the fan base has been established quite firmly on consoles with the game being extremely popular on both PlayStation and Xbox. The first Destiny didn’t hit PC because it was just too much work, but with Bungie dropping PS3 and Xbox 360 as well as bringing on Vicarious Visions for assistance, they maybe be able to pull it off this time around.
About the author
