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Beta characters won't transfer to full version of Destiny
Try to contain your surprise and/or disappointment; the Destiny character you spent time building up into a beacon of hope for humanity has been claimed by The Darkness. And by "The Darkness," we mean the data wipe Bungie is enacting between the beta and Destiny's September 9 release date. So prepare to give your best eulogy, because the Guardian you played in the beta won't be transferred to the retail version of Destiny. How could this happen? Why? Poor Lieutenant Hot_DAWG_69, you were so brave, so valiant! Why has Bungie taken you from us? Well, according to Bungie designer Tyson Green, things have changed just too much. "The way you earn experience has been adjusted up and down a bunch of times. Items have been added and removed. New features toggled," Green wrote in a Bungie news post. "Although there's no single monumental change, the sum of the tweaks leaves characters from the Beta Build in strange shape that would be confusing at best, broken at worst." Fair enough, we suppose. If nothing else, think of this as an opportunity to create your own Destiny lore. Your previous Guardian has fallen. Avenge them on September 9. [Image: Activision]
Destiny beta: 88.3 million games played
Last week, Bungie revealed that 4.6 million players participated in Destiny's beta phase, a program that pushed the game's servers ahead of its September 9 launch. The developer has since offered more numbers behind the beta in large infographic form, found after the break. Destiny's beta program saw 88,384,720 games played as well as the creation of 6.5 million guardians. The community's kill-to-death ratio in the cooperative story, strike and exploration missions was 22.53, thanks to a grand total of 3.7 billion kills during those quests. What's more, Bungie's Saturday field trip to the moon resulted in 853,235 concurrent players. Relive the Destiny beta through our archived discussions and livestreams, in which we determined we would appreciate an apartment in the game's tower, but still enjoyed kicking back in the social sections. [Image: Activision]
A whole lot of you played Destiny's beta
Destiny's beta phase was what you might call successful, according to a Bungie press release. The company says that 4,638,937 players participated in the testing period that began on July 17th. "Hosting a beta at this scale is an incredible feat, so we're thrilled to see the phenomenal response. But the beta is just a taste of what's to come," said Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg. "This is the biggest beta of this console generation by a wide margin and the largest console beta ever for a new video game IP to date." [Source: Bungie press release]
The Daily Grind: Did you try Destiny over the weekend?
I kinda wanted to check out the Destiny beta over the weekend. I don't typically beta anymore, but for some reason I downloaded the rough cut of Bungie's sci-fantasy opus to my PlayStation 3 and was all set to give it a whirl. Alas, Comcast had other plans, so I spent the better part of my weekend disconnected. What about you, Massively readers? Did you check out the Destiny beta now that it's open to everyone? If so, what did you think? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Destiny beta now open to all (sorta)
Bungie has expanded Destiny's beta to include everyone regardless of console (PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360) and regardless of whether or not you've landed a beta code. There is a catch, though, and that catch is that you must have either an Xbox Live Gold or PlayStation Plus subscription. The firm plans to stress test its servers this weekend, and it will also be giving away an in-game emblem for players who help out on Saturday, July 26th. [Update]: The beta does not require a Plus subscription on the PlayStation 3.
Play Destiny this weekend, get an exclusive beta emblem
In case you needed a reason to log into Destiny's beta this weekend, Bungie is offering an incentive in the form of an exclusive in-game emblem. You'll need to be online at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 26th, to qualify.
Take a break in Destiny's beta
There are some who may want a break from all the gunfire in Destiny, Bungie's latest FPS that entered its beta phase on PS4 last week and will arrive on Xbox One tomorrow. We compiled a list of things to do in Destiny's beta in this gallery to keep you busy when it returns.
Destiny Xbox One beta won't be 1080p, Bungie aiming for it in full game
The PS4 beta of Destiny, which begins today, is expected to run in 1080p resolution - after all, last month's alpha did. However, the Xbox One beta, which begins on July 23, will not, according to comments made during an IGN livestream yesterday. Before anyone sounds the alarms, Bungie Community Manager David Dague maintained the developer's aiming to hit 1080p "across all platforms." Talking to Dague on the stream, IGN's Ryan McCaffrey said, "The way game development works, correct me if I'm wrong, the beta has to be branched off well in advance, aside from the main game. So the final game will run at 1080p on both [PS4 and Xbox One], but we won't see that on the beta of Xbox."
Destiny's Xbox beta starts in 'late July'
PlayStation Destiny fans have been counting the days until the sci-fantasy shooter's July 17th beta kickoff, while Xbox One and 360 users have heretefore been left wondering when they'll get to play. Now, Bungie says that Microsoft's platform will see the game in 'late July,' and that interested testers will need a beta code obtainable via pre-order as well as an Xbox Live Gold subscription.
Destiny beta coming to PlayStations first
If you're an MMO player looking for a reason to pick up the PlayStation 4, well, there's DC Universe Online. There's also Destiny, which is sporting a new in-engine trailer and which will be coming to Sony's gaming machines before it appears on rival MicroSoft's. Destiny's beta is scheduled for early 2014, and you'll need a PS3 or PS4 to test it on day one. Pre-ordering the sci-fantasy title guarantees beta access, according to the new trailer which we've embedded after the break.
Bungie to offer Destiny beta access as early pre-order perk
We've all seen the demo, but none of us have actually played Destiny, Bungie and publisher Activision's forthcoming first-person-shooter / MMO-like effort. But starting today, Destiny's persistent open world will begin opening up... to gamers that buy in early, that is. A limited amount of pre-orders placed now at select retailers will garner gamers beta access to Destiny, which is scheduled to launch early next year on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. If you happened to jump the gun and plunk down for a copy before today, don't worry, as your order automatically reserves you a spot for the beta. Depending on your method of purchase, redemption codes will either be emailed directly or printed out at the time of purchase, so hold off on trashing those receipts. You can find the full details of the program and a new trailer just after the break.
