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'Destiny 2' update will boost rewards for its most loyal players
Bungie is still learning lessons about rewarding Destiny 2 players for their commitment, and that's reflected in its January 30th update. To begin with, it's promising much better loot for raids. You're now guaranteed raid-only equipment when you complete an encounter, and you'll always have a chance of scoring exotic gear you can start using right away. Those who go on Prestige raids get normal drops at the same time. Also, you can buy gear if you'd rather not grind the raid hoping to get that last armor piece you need -- so long as you've completed the raid that week, you can buy hardware from a rotating selection at Benedict. When you throw raid-specific mod perks and a drop-enhancing Ghost into the mix, you might be more inclined to come back to the raid without feeling like you have to repeat it ad nauseam.
Buried ‘Destiny’ soundtrack ‘Music of the Spheres’ leaks
An epic game deserves an epic soundtrack, and Music of the Spheres, an eight-part musical work by Bungie composer Marty O'Donnell, Michael Salvatori and Paul McCartney (yes, of Beatles fame), was exactly that, designed to complement Bungie's ambitious Destiny. But, thanks to quarrels with publisher Activision and various other legal battles, it was never released. Now, nearly five years later, it's been leaked and can be enjoyed by fans of Destiny and sweeping soundscapes alike. Until Activision bursts in with copyright law, that is.
Bungie's next 'Destiny 2' update backtracks on DLC 'mistakes'
Bungie's Destiny 2 fixes continue to roll in. Having addressed its communities' gripes with the game's XP system, it's now tackling another hot-button topic: the high-level content locked behind the debut Curse of Osiris DLC. In its latest blog post, the Destiny dev team acknowledges its "mistakes" and details the impending hotfix that (partly) backtracks from the existing system. But, the solution may not be to everyone's liking.
Bungie feeds ‘Destiny 2’ trolls a ridiculously overpowered gun
Bungie responded to Destiny 2 player's complaints by cancelling a planned "Curse of Osiris" DLC livestream to detail new changes. The developers added more endgame rewards, a new weapon class and an improved economy to address those concerns. Recently, a massively overpowered, game breaking laser gun called the Prometheus Lens was available to high-level players as a random drop, making it too easy for those who found it to dominate the PVP maps. Bungie had plans to fix the issue, but maybe it's grown tired of all the whining, since Destiny 2's exotic weapons sales-alien, Xur, has the gun on sale for anyone who wants it.
'Destiny 2' gets a Ghost Alexa skill and replica speaker
Whether you're a Destiny 2 newbie sampling its free trial or a hardened vet griping about player progress, one thing we can all agree on is the general awesomeness of the game's Ghost AI. The floating intelligence is a tipster, guide, and mechanic all rolled in to one. Activision is so enamoured with the virtual assistant that it's pairing it up with Amazon's Echo speakers. Yes, a Ghost Alexa skill is now available for players that want to bark voice orders at a real-life version of the virtual assistant. With it, you'll be able to ask Alexa to ask Ghost to equip load-outs, scout levels, and join a clan.
'Destiny 2' updates will give veterans a reason to keep playing
While it's safe to say that Destiny 2 has sold well and is a solid improvement over its predecessor, there are still plenty of concerns. Seasoned players quickly ran out of new things to do, and there are gripes that its experience point system punishes some players. However, it looks like Bungie is tackling the issues head-on. In addition to tweaking experience points and cancelling a planned Curse of Osiris livestream (which would have seemed tone deaf), the studio has detailed exactly how it plans to extend the game in December and beyond. From a cursory look, it's good news if you find yourself twiddling your thumbs.
Dive into 'Destiny 2' for free starting tomorrow
So you missed out on Destiny 2's beta tests and didn't want to buy the game without giving it a try. Are you stuck? Thankfully, no. Bungie will offer a free Destiny 2 trial on PS4, Xbox One and PC starting on November 28th, and it's giving you a sizeable chunk of the game to try before you fork over your money. You can explore Earth's European Dead Zone and Titan (though you won't get all the campaign missions), fight fellow players in the Crucible's Quickplay rotation and progress up to level 7. This leaves out Nessus, Io, the Competitive playlist and most of the story, but there's at least a few hours of gameplay to be had before you run into the trial's limits.
The first 'Destiny 2' expansion arrives December 5th
You won't have to twiddle your thumbs too long before Destiny 2's first expansion arrives. Bungie has announced that Curse of Osiris will be available on December 5th, and has unveiled a trailer to show what it's all about. (Heads-up: the video includes a big spoiler for the game's original campaign.) As hinted earlier, you're traveling to Mercury to reunite with Osiris, a banished member of the Vanguard, to prevent the Vex from opening a time gate that will let them amass an army that could reshape the universe.
'Destiny 2' is 2017’s best-selling game after just one month
If you have friends who own video game consoles, chances are you heard a lot about Destiny 2 in the last month. But anecdotal evidence that the game was everywhere just got backed up by some astonishing sales figures. Just one month after launching on PS4 and Xbox One, Destiny 2 is already the best-selling game of 2017, according to an NPD Group report -- which was released a day before the game comes out on PC.
'Destiny 2' factions will reward you with powerful discount weapons
If you've been playing Destiny 2 for a while, you probably know the fate of "the city". What's set to follow -- as I try not to spoil anything-- is the return of factions. We all love some good in-game tribal battles, and the shooter's Faction rallies will kick things off on September 26, at the decidedly precise hour of 2AM PT / 5AM ET / 9AM BST -- with some nice rewards for the faction that comes out on top.
The first 'Destiny 2' expansion will reintroduce players to Osiris
If you've already finished Destiny 2's campaign and are grinding through the endgame, here's some news you might be interested in. The first expansion for developer Bungie's shared-world shooter is dubbed "Curse of Osiris," named for the infamous multiplayer mode from its prequel. This time 'round, it's a campaign expansion according to Polygon, and it takes place on Mercury where you'll "journey through time and space" to learn Osiris' (a legendary warlock) secrets and reunite him with Ikora Rey -- the warlock vanguard who gives you class-specific gear.
'Destiny 2' gives Bungie's online shooter the narrative it deserves
Bungie's shared-world shooter is known for a lot of things. It has a dedicated community and excellent gunplay mechanics -- but Destiny has never been known as a game with a great story. In fact, the original title's story is notoriously vague, to the point that a single quote from the core game is both emblematic of the entire narrative and an in-joke: Destiny doesn't "have time to explain" what it doesn't have time to explain. The original game's storytelling was bad enough that I almost dismissed its sequel without playing it -- but Luke Smith promised me that Destiny 2 was being written for players just like me. I gave the game a shot at a recent review event and you know what? He's right. Bungie has finally figured out how to tell a story.
We wish 'Destiny 2' looked as good as this live action trailer
Are you getting excited about the upcoming launch of space-shooter Destiny 2? If the impactful shared-world experience doesn't grab you and the themed PS4 Pro bundle is out of your reach, this new trailer might help ratchet up your anticipation. Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts of Kong: Skull Island fame, the Destiny 2 live-action trailer has robot Nathan Fillion exhorting three new recruits to find the big guns and take back the Earth from "a psycho rhino named Ghaul."
'Destiny 2’: A more open and impactful shared-world experience
My first experience with Bungie's shared-world online shooter was the result of a challenge. It was 2014, and I still hadn't upgraded to the new console generation. It was early in the cycle, and I had yet to stumble across a game that justified the upgrade. Then, Engadget's gaming staff insisted I try Destiny. I did. And I hated it. My friends had primed me for an epic space opera with tight gunplay and exciting challenges -- but to me, the game felt like an intentionally tedious shooting gallery filled with generic enemies that soaked up bullets like a dry sponge. I found Destiny and its expansions so boring that I was hesitant when Bungie invited me to try the game's sequel ahead of launch. Today, I'm eating my words. Destiny 2 is shaping up to be everything its predecessor wasn't.
'Destiny 2' PC beta starts August 28th
We already got a taste of Destiny 2 during the beta test last weekend on consoles, but Bungie is finally revealing when PC gamers (who didn't make the trip to E3) will have their chance . The beta test will run from August 28th to the 31st, with gamers who've pre-ordered going in first, again, before doors open to everyone on the 29th. Bungie has also published minimum and recommended specs, as well as a suggestion about hardware available to buy today that would be a worthwhile upgrade. Minimum: CPU Intel - Core i3-3250 AMD - FX-4350 GPU Nvidia - GeForce GTX 660 2GB AMD - Radeon HD 7850 2GB RAM 6GB
Sony's white-hot PS4 Pro debuts with 'Destiny 2' in September
PlayStation is repeating history. Once again it's dropping a white Destiny bundle, except this time it's for this September's Destiny 2 and the hardware is a PlayStation 4 Pro. The limited edition 1TB console will set you back $449.99 in the US and it will be released on September 6th. In addition to the game and PS4 Pro, the bundle includes early access (like all PS4 editions) to bonus bits, as well as an expansion pass. If your white 2TB Xbox One S needs some company in your A/V rack -- and gold isn't your color -- maybe this will do the trick for you.
'Destiny 2' beta begins July 18th on consoles, hits PC in August
If you want to get your hands on Destiny 2 before it comes out this September 6th, Activision and developer Bungie have you covered. Folks who pre-ordered the game for PlayStation 4 can start playing July 18th, while everyone else on consoles will have to wait until July 21st. The test period runs until July 23rd and Bungie says that in addition a cooperative strike and adversarial multiplayer modes, the first story mission will be available to play as well. Folks who want to play with a mouse and keyboard have to wait until August for a PC beta. For a tease of what you can expect, check out the trailer embedded below.
'Destiny 2' release dates confirmed for PC and consoles
Tonight during Sony's E3 2017 press conference we got a good look at the new trailer for Destiny 2, and now Bungie has revealed when the game will launch. The sequel will be released on PS4 and Xbox One September 6th, ahead of its PC debut on October 24th. But that's not all. Pre-order betas start even earlier on consoles: July 18th/19th for the PS4/Xbox One, respectively, before an open beta period starting July 21st on both systems, with everything ending July 23rd. PC gamers will get to test out an early version of the game at some point in "late August." Also, if PS4 is your platform of choice, there will again be timed exclusive content (until fall 2018, at least), including a multiplayer map, co-op strike, armor sets and one sniper rifle.
‘Destiny 2’ tackles the original’s biggest problem: storytelling
The first time I played the original Destiny, I felt frustrated and annoyed. It was a fun online co-op team shooter but the game's narrative was insultingly shallow -- a poorly written space opera where a vague "darkness" was out to destroy a mysterious entity called the Traveler that somehow thrust humanity into a golden age, but also might be dead. It took a year for Bungie to patch in interesting characters and emotional hooks with The Taken King expansion, but by then, I had moved on. Destiny 2, however, has my attention. Not only does it look like a good starting point for new players, but it has the one thing every epic story needs: a great villain.
‘Destiny 2’ has the fundamentals to be a solid sequel
When it comes to serialized media, be it film, comics or video games, rarely does someone say with conviction that "the sequel was better." The expectations are always too high. A good sequel not only has to embody the best of its predecessor, but also be new and original enough to stand on its own. Destiny 2's gameplay premiere event didn't completely assure me that it would surpass the original game, but it's off to a great start.