In our first look at the game’s campaign, “Homecoming,” a huge surprise attack by the Cabal and the game’s main antagonist, Ghaul, sends humanity and its Guardians into a state of panic. The first mission is full of the “wow” moments we have come to expect from Bungie and we got to see a few new Guardian “super” abilities, including the Dawnblade, which launches flames at enemies on the ground, and the quick-moving Arcstrider staff.
Designed to be a great experience for solo players, Destiny 2 includes far more cutscenes than the original game, and a “Guided Game” system will allow lone wolves and clans — now officially supported in the game — to team up for strikes and raids. When exploring planets on your own, non-player characters will give new missions that will have Guardians searching for hidden treasure and defeating bosses in side missions. All of this must be done while fighting an uphill battle — Guardians’ powers have been taken away by Ghaul, and Bungie said that Destiny 2 is a story of “loss” and “recovery.” The story will take Guardians across the solar system to the Jupiter moon Titan, the planetoid Nessus, and the “European Dead Zone,” where humanity has begun to rebuild itself.
Those more interested in competitive multiplayer will also have plenty of new content. The Crucible has been redesigned, with all modes using a four-versus-four structure, and it will introduce the series’ first attack/defend mode, called “Countdown.” With the introduction of clans, even those who aren’t particularly active will have a chance to get rewards, as certain activities will earn rewards for every member of a clan.
Destiny 2 launches on September 8 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, with the PC version available exclusively through Blizzard’s Battle.net service. A beta will take place this summer.
