Class Roles
What’s Different in Destiny 2
While you had three different classes (which each ended up having three subclasses a piece) in Destiny, outside of their supers they all filled pretty much the same role. You saw things, you shot things, and you tried not to die. With the simple addition of class abilities in Destiny 2, Bungie has helped to give the Warlocks, Hunters, and Titans roaming the galaxy a bit more of a defined role which certainly feeds into the heavier focus on team-based play.
The Warlock, for instance, is capable of dropping rifts of light that can be set to either heal or boost damage. It also has abilities that are cleared more towards crowd control rather than focusing on a sole, powerful enemy, making for a potent support Guardian that can keep adds to a minimum while healing fireteam members. In a completely different role is the Titan, which feels more like the tank that it always should have been. Shields, overshields, powerful melee abilities, and barricades make it a frontline powerhouse that keeps those behind it safe. It’s nice to see more of the RPG side of things creep into Bungie’s shared-world shooter.
Supers
What’s Different in Destiny 2
The classes each got new roles that they can fill, and that makes for great team composition. But supers also got re-thought for Destiny 2 and work much differently from how they did in the first game, at least in the vanilla version. When The Taken King rolled around, new subclasses were introduced that acted more like phases rather than single attacks, and Bungie has embraced that idea while also tweaking things to make them more balanced.
All of the new subclasses – Arcstrider, Dawnblade, and Sentinel – have one of these phases that involves a summoned weapon that can be used in multiple ways. Players are given multiple attacks that they can use in that mode along with new perks. Their defense is upped as well, but not to the point of being nearly indestructible, making for interesting Crucible encounters that give defending players a chance. What’s most interesting are the paths that are a part of your Guardian’s progression in Destiny 2. They transform how your super works as well as your other abilities. It will be cool to check out how fireteams outfit and utilize their supers when the game releases.
Weapon System
What’s Different in Destiny 2
Weapons are a focal point for Destiny 2. After all, this is a first-person shooter just like the game that came before it. Bungie is opting to go a little less rigid with the loadouts players can create, though, by getting rid of the Primary, Secondary, and Heavy categories. In their place exists Kinetic, Energy, and Power, a system that organizes weapons based on the damage they do rather than just the way they fire. This allows for a system where you can use multiple weapons of the same type, they just do different types of damage. Want to run two pulse rifles? Go ahead. Like sidearms as your go-to? Nothing is stopping you. Many weapon types will fall under more than one category allowing you to create the loadout that’s best for your Guardian in Destiny 2.
On top of that is the introduction of weapon mods. Bungie has yet to go in depth on what these can do, but the fact that they exist opens up a world of possibilities. So far we’ve seen that they govern a weapon’s burn (Void, Arc, and Solar), as well as their appearance. It’s a new aspect of personalization that embraces the RPG side of Destiny.
Stats and Armor Types
What’s Different in Destiny 2
If you’ve had a chance to check out the ongoing Destiny 2 beta, you may have noticed that your stats within the Guardian menu are different and that armor has received a change as well. The Intellect, Discipline, and Strength stats are gone for something much more clear. You now have Resilience, Mobility, and Recovery which govern your ability to take damage, speed and jump height, and healing respectively. Grenades and other abilities will be on universal cooldowns for now (though you will have perks than can alter them).
Armor has types now as well, with Mobile and Heavy showing up during the beta. They will directly affect your stats with Heavy offering higher Resilience at the expense of Mobility, and Mobile doing the inverse. Honestly, we’re curious to see if this means multiple raid sets, and how else this will factor into Destiny 2’s progression system.
Countdown and Changes to Returning Crucible Modes
What’s Different in Destiny 2
The Crucible was, and still is, a big deal in Destiny, and it’s set to be an even bigger deal in the upcoming sequel. Of course, Bungie couldn’t just leave things as is, just like the PvE side of things, the Crucible has gotten a facelift that changes how players will approach battles. For starters, all modes will now be 4v4 to make for smaller, more personal matches. Also, super types and charges for all players will be displayed at the top of the screen which adds to the strategy side of things. There are also new and altered modes to play.
First up is the introduction of a new search and destroy mode called Countdown. This fast-paced PvP mode follows elimination rules and tasks teams with alternating rounds of attack and defend. It’s a very competitive mode that scores the entire team with rounds.
Control has received a number of changes, though it’s still about controlling the map. Capturing areas is much faster, heavy ammo comes at an increased rate (though only one person can use one supply box), and the maps shown so far are more condensed. It promotes tighter team play while keeping action at the forefront.
We’re sure there are many more changes coming to the PvP side of Destiny 2, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
The World and Story
What’s Different in Destiny 2
The two most major things that are seeing changes in Destiny 2 are its world and story. The worlds are being changed to offer more life and opportunities for exploration. There will be side quests and areas called Dark Sectors that offer powerful rewards for those that venture into their depths. Social spaces will be larger and accommodate more players (maybe you’ll finally be able to join that one friend without being told it’s full). And you can expect to see more varied events taking place in the real world.
Most importantly is that Bungie will be using the world and missions to tell Destiny 2’s story. Gone is the Grimoire that you kept pulling up on your phone. You’ll experience events, witness them with your own eyes, and have NPCs tell you their story. Bungie is working to put the entire experience onto the disk so you never have to leave your Guardian behind.
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