Destiny 2 (also known as Destiny 2: New Light) is a free-to-play online-only multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie. It was released for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on September 6, 2017, followed by a Microsoft Windows version released on October 24, 2017. It became a free-to-play title on October 1, 2019, followed by the game’s release on Google Stadia the following month. It will be available on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X platforms upon their respective releases in late 2020.
The game was published by Activision until December 31, 2018, when Bungie acquired the publishing rights to the franchise. It is the sequel to 2014’s Destiny and its subsequent expansions. Set in a “mythic science fiction” world, the game features a multiplayer “shared-world” environment with elements of role-playing games. Like the original, activities in Destiny 2 are divided among player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) game types. In addition to normal story missions, PvE features three-player “strikes” and six-player raids.
A free roam patrol mode is also available for each planet and features public events as well as new activities not featured in the original. These new activities have an emphasis on exploration of the planets and interactions with non-player characters (NPCs); the original Destiny only featured NPCs in social spaces. PvP features objective-based modes, as well as traditional deathmatch game modes.
Players assume the role of a Guardian, protectors of Earth’s last safe city as they wield a power called Light to protect the Last City from different alien races. One of these races, the Cabal, led by the warlord Dominus Ghaul, assault the Last City and strip all Guardians of their Light. The player sets out on a journey to regain their Light and find a way to defeat Ghaul and his Red Legion army and take back the Last City.
Like the original Destiny, the game features expansion packs which further the story and adds new content and missions. Year One of Destiny 2 featured two small expansions, Curse of Osiris in December 2017 and Warmind in May 2018. A third, large expansion, Forsaken, was released in September 2018, beginning Year Two with an overhaul on gameplay.
The base game and the first three expansions were packaged into Destiny 2: Forsaken Legendary Collection. An annual pass was also available alongside this release, containing three premium content drops for Year Two. Year Three began with the large expansion, Shadowkeep in October 2019.
Gameplay –
Similar to its predecessor, Destiny 2 is a first-person shooter game that incorporates role-playing and massively multiplayer online game (MMO) elements. The original Destiny includes on-the-fly matchmaking that allowed players to communicate only with other players with whom they were “matched” by the game.
To communicate with other players in the game world, players had to use their respective console’s messaging system. Destiny 2 features a more optimal way of matchmaking called “Guided Games”, which allows players to search for clans who may need additional players for activities, such as strikes or raids. Like the original, activities in Destiny 2 are divided among player versus environment (PvE) and player versus player (PvP) game types.
Character Progression –
As in the original game, players are able to improve their characters, referred to as Guardians, by gaining experience points (EXP) — when a set number of experience points are accumulated, the player’s character will level up and gain improved statistics which further enhance performance in battle.
As of the Shadowkeep expansion, this leveling system has since been replaced with the “season pass” system where players use EXP to “rank up”, which rewards different items each rank (while there is no max rank on a season pass, seasonal rewards end at level 100). Quests, including the “main scenario” quests, are specific tasks given to the player by non-player characters (NPCs) which reward items and EXP. Completing main scenario quest lines progresses the overarching plot of the game.
Destiny 2 features the same three-character classes as the original Destiny. Each class has its own specific upgrades, perks, special abilities, and three subclasses that allow players to finely tune their individual characters to provide a different play style. The three classes are Warlock, Hunter, and Titan. After choosing a class, players select one of three species for their character: Human, Awoken (bluish-gray-skinned descendants of Humans), or Exo (humanoid machines). They can then customize their characters, such as changing their gender or skin color. A character’s species is cosmetic and does not affect gameplay. Players can create two more characters to have a character of each class.
Warlocks continue to have access to the Void-based “Voidwalker” sub-class from the original game and the Arc-based “Stormcaller” sub-class from the original’s The Taken King expansion, both with several changes. The Warlock’s new sub-class for Destiny 2 is the Solar-based “Dawnblade” with a super called “Daybreak”, replacing the “Sunsinger” sub-class of the original.
Hunters continue to have access to the Solar-based “Gunslinger” sub-class from the original game and the Void-based “Nightstalker” sub-class from the original’s The Taken King expansion, both with gameplay changes.
Titans continue to have access to the Arc-based “Striker” sub-class from the original game and the Solar-based “Sunbreaker” from the original’s The Taken King expansion, both with significant gameplay changes. The Titan’s new sub-class for Destiny 2 is the Void-based “Sentinel”, replacing the “Defender” sub-class of the original, although the Sentinel sub-class can create the Defender’s Ward of Dawn shielding bubble if this option is selected.
Player versus environment (PvE) –
Like the original game, player versus environment game types make up the majority of the game. Areas to explore include Earth’s European Dead Zone (which was only represented by PvP maps in the original), Saturn’s moon Titan, Jupiter’s moon Io, and the centaur planet Nessus. The Curse of Osiris expansion adds Mercury as an explorable area, while the Warmind expansion adds Mars. Forsaken adds two new explorable areas in the Reef: the Tangled Shore and the Dreaming City, the latter being the mysterious sanctuary of the Awoken race and an end-game area that is accessible after completing the campaign of Forsaken.
Shadowkeep reintroduced the Moon location from the original game, though revamped and reprised from its original iteration. There is also a new social space in the European Dead Zone called “The Farm”, as the main portion of the Tower of the original was destroyed at the start of Destiny 2’s campaign.
However, a lower, undamaged portion of the Tower becomes the main social space post-campaign. Like the original, there are Patrol missions and public events, but the emphasis has been placed more on the exploration of the worlds, including towns that players can visit and friendly NPCs who can be found in-game and will give side-quests. New missions were added called “Adventures”, which allow players to explore the area and go on a treasure hunt-like journey to dungeon-like areas.
Some Adventures culminate in what is called a Lost Sector, which are somewhat hidden areas in worlds that lead players to a boss that yields rewards upon its defeat. Lost Sectors can be found and accessed without doing an Adventure. Starting with the Curse of Osiris expansion, Heroic Adventures were added, which are harder versions of Adventures and they rotate each week.
Player versus player (PvP) –
Like the original, player versus player combat exists in what is called the Crucible with Lord Shaxx returning as its NPC. The original Destiny’s Crucible featured six-versus-six and three-versus-three game modes, as well as a limited time two-versus-two mode. At launch, all game modes were four-versus-four as Bungie shifted their focus to smaller teams for competitive multiplayer and better map design, but Quick play modes eventually became six-versus-six.
Like the original, player statistics such as weapon power and defense are balanced between players in Crucible game modes. The in-game HUD was updated so that players can see if an enemy has their supercharged or has power ammo. Currently, players have the option to choose between four rotating playlists, rumble (a six-player 1v1v1v1v1v1 game mode) survival and freelance survival (A version of survival where players cannot choose the teammates on their team), classic mix, and private matches.
Game Development –
A sequel to Destiny was first mentioned in November 2014, two months after the original release, by Activision chief executive officer Eric Hirshberg, where he said “Work has also begun on future expansion packs as well as on our next full game release”. Based on documents of the original release schedule for Destiny, Bungie and Activision intended to release new, disc-based sequels every other year until 2019, with large downloadable expansions in between.
Originally planned for a September 2016 release (based on the original documents), Bungie confirmed on February 11, 2016 that a full sequel would be released in 2017. That same month, video game writer Christopher Schlerf, who was the lead writer for Halo 4 and worked on Mass Effect: Andromeda, joined Bungie. In December 2016, Bungie announced that Vicarious Visions would be joining the development team along with Activision. Unlike the original, it was rumored that Destiny 2 would also release on Microsoft Windows, which was confirmed on March 30, 2017.
Release –
Destiny 2 was released worldwide for the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One on September 6, 2017, and the Microsoft Windows version released worldwide on October 24. There were several editions of the game, including a Collector’s Edition, a Limited Edition, a Digital Deluxe Edition, and the standard base game. Like the original, there was an Expansion Pass, which granted access to the first two expansions of Destiny 2. Also like the original Destiny, pre-orders for the game received early access to the game’s beta, as well as other in-game pre-order bonuses, such as early access to the exotic rifle “Coldheart”.
Pre-orders from GameStop received a Cayde-6 collectible figure. Other figures and toys, such as Lord Saladin, were released after Destiny 2’s console launch. Per an exclusivity agreement with Sony Interactive Entertainment that began with the original Destiny, the PlayStation 4 version of Destiny 2 featured timed-exclusive content until late 2018; PS4 exclusive content ended with the release of the Shadowkeep expansion in October 2019.
Sales –
Destiny 2 sold 50,263 copies on PlayStation 4 within its first week on sale in Japan, which placed it at number one on the weekly sales charts. The weekend consisting of September 23, Destiny 2 took the number 1 spot on the UK sales chart. Destiny 2 was also the second highest-grossing console game of 2017 in North America (behind Call of Duty: WWII), and was also Activision’s biggest PC release based on units sold. Digital downloads for Destiny 2 account for more than half of the total sales of the game.
Awards –
For the 2017 Game Critics Awards, it was awarded Best PC Game for E3 2017. At The Game Awards 2017, Destiny 2 was one of four games to receive six nominations, the most for the year’s event, which were for Best Art Direction, Best Score/Music, Best Audio Design, Best Ongoing Game, Best Action Game, and Best Multiplayer. Entertainment Weekly ranked Destiny 2 sixth on their list of the “Best Games of 2017”, GamesRadar+ ranked it seventh on their list of the 25 Best Games of 2017, and Eurogamer also ranked it seventh on their list of the “Top 50 Games of 2017”.
while Polygon ranked it 12th on their list of the 50 best games of 2017, and The Verge named it as one of their 15 Best Games of 2017. In Game Informer’s Reader’s Choice Best of 2017 Awards, the game came in second place for “Best Co-op Multiplayer” and for “Best Shooter”.
To read more about your favourite games go to our website, MyEsportsGlobe.
If you haven’t yet then do follow MyEsportsGlobe on social handles to get regular updates –
