Five months ago, on 28 March, the Gods over at Bungie teased us with a trailer of a Cayde-6 monologue – voiced by the amazing Nathan Fillion – as he talks about shooting down enemies who destroyed his second favourite spicy ramen shop. Two days later, the official worldwide reveal trailer was released. Titled ‘Rally the Troops’, it showed Zavala and Cayde-6 in a rally call to gather all former Destiny players back into the game; not going to lie, I was sold there and then. Partially, it was due to Zavala’s inspiring words but mostly, it was all because of Cayde-6 when he said, “There will be a ton of loot!”
Allow Me to Reacquaint You
Anyone who played the beta early access would remember this line very well. Although Ghaul’s definition was focused towards reacquainting Guardians with the fear of death, I took it as a way of reconnecting back with Destiny.
As the ruler of the Cabal Empire, Ghaul has gained access of the Last City, taken The Speaker hostage, destroyed the Tower – which plenty of Destiny players originally called home – and severed the ties between Guardians and the Light by locking the Traveller in a containment device for his own evil scheme. This sets up Destiny 2 players into survival mode as it strays away from the first game where your Guardian already has the protection of the Light.
The game starts you off weakened, without any ammo and your Ghost not being able to revive you if you were to die. This gave the game a very bleak and ominous intro, which perfectly illustrated the grave dangers the Guardians were facing without the Light. As you journey through the game trying to find surviving Guardians, you will eventually meet up with the OG Fireteam of Zavala, Cayde-6 and Ikora.
Another great introduction to Destiny 2 are the additions of new subclasses in each of the three primary classes: Titan, Hunter and Warlock. Each class will then come with three different subclasses in three primary damage sources: Solar, Arc and Void. I stuck by my Warlock from Destiny 1, mainly because of its Arc-based “Stormcaller” subclass with the “Stormtrance” super (I was basically Emperor Palpatine.)
My personal favourite was giving you different dance moves as well as interactive motions with other players. My Warlock can actually breakdance properly now instead of waddling around like a duck high on bath salts.
Where the Loot at?
As already mentioned in previous statements, the guys over at Bungie decided that existing Destiny players will be able to port their characters over. Sadly, all weapons and armour were destroyed when the Cabal attacked (which is great motivation for wanting to kick their behinds even more.) However, Bungie does give existing players a nice token of appreciation by listing down their accomplishments from the first game when you first start Destiny 2. I’d showcase mine but sadly, I never really accomplished much in Destiny so there’s literally nothing for me to show (that didn’t sound as sad as it did in my head.)
Loot drops in Destiny 2 have been a bit easier as compared to its predecessor in terms of getting Rares and Uncommons but a bit harder when it comes to grinding out the Legendary and Exotic items. One way to get through this is with Public Events, which are found in various planets. To make the most out of a Public Event, you will have to meet certain requirements to turn it into a Heroic Event, which will grant you better loot once the event is over. Of course, it’s not wise to do a Public Event alone unless you’re completely sure of your ability, weapons and armour (I sure as hell wasn’t.)
The Core Essence of Destiny 2
While the storyline of Destiny 2 is compelling, it’s never enough to keep the game interesting. That is why the story only plays a small yet, still significant role into the game. Once you’ve finished with the main storyline (which will probably take between 10 to 15 hours, depending on your level of dedication), you’ll have enough weapons and armour to start on Strikes (co-op three-man Fireteam mission) and Raids (co-op six-man Fireteam mission.)
I have yet to go through Strikes or Raids because most of my friends have yet to get Destiny 2. Those that do have the game want nothing to do with me because I am too low levelled and they don’t see the point in having me on their team. It’s times like these you value who your real friends are (I basically unfriended a few of them.)
What’s great about Destiny 2’s gameplay mechanics is that it doesn’t focus around its levelling system, which tops out at level 20 for all players (you can still fill out your EXP bar as every time you do, you gain a Bright Engram.) This will probably last until the next expansion rolls out. To truly determine your worth as a Guardian, it’s all up to your Power level, also known Light level to older players. Your Power level increases when you keep upgrading your weapon and armour so the higher the damage and defence of a specific item, the higher your Power level increases.
Come for the Badassery, Stay for the Loot
In all seriousness, Destiny 2 is one of the better games to come out in 2017. Even after completing the main storyline, you still have plenty of other side quests to accomplish, ensuring the game is almost never-ending. What’s great is that there will surely be expansions coming out soon so there will be more content to look forward to from Bungie.
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