Having gotten fed up with trying to find an appropriate group to run with from Destinylfg.net, it was time to turn to the new feature that seemed like it would deliver better results: the new Guided Games. Guided Games makes players jump through some hoops with good reason trying to create the most toxic free environment for play that it can, it sort-of works. First, Guardians will spend a token to get into GG, then players agree to the Guardian Oath stating they will be friendly, helpful and dedicate the time. Then if you’re a seeker, which I was, it gives an extra-long waiting time to make sure that the player is in it to win it. My first group I ended up waiting over an hour for. After some general party chat confusion and actually doing the banner part without talking in the fireteam I had grouped with, we finally figured it out and we could talk. This did not help either.
In terms of maps, only six have been announced so far: Midtown, Javelin-4, Altar of Flame, Vostok, Endless Vale and Retribution, which is PS4-timed exclusive. The final count has yet to be revealed, but no maps from the original game and expansions are returning.
Adventures are quite lengthy and consume a lot of time, but player’s enjoyment will hinge on how much they enjoy these activities. If you thought some of the missions in Destiny could get repetitive, then Adventures may not be for you.
Starting with Record Books seems like the appropriate place. Destiny took the idea of achievements or milestones, whatever they might be called, and put them in the form of Record Books. A way for Guardians to keep track of all their glorious achievement plus receive gifts for leveling up through the Record Book that can be shown off when around other Guardians. Nothing like a sweet skin, right? Much like its Age of Triumph title comes the ultimate Record Book. Not only is this Record Book the largest seen so far, but it also is tough as nails to get through. It is sure to keep any Guardian busy, especially those that might be returning. What’s nice about the Age of Triumph Book is even if it seems like a slog (nothing new Exotic Weapons for Destiny), the records are easy to achieve, especially before September. Nothing bombastic or hardcore. Just a challenging but fair checklist. Things players will find worth doing, hell maybe even starting up that class you’ve always wanted to play but never got around too. September is a long way away after all and that Age of Triumph book wont fill itself out.
The third night rolled around and with four of us ready to go we waited hoping the other two would join. They did not. Understandably so, Leviathan was proving to be slow going. Instead the four of us ended up exploring the Underbelly a fantastic piece of the raid that made it feel like not a total wash. The four of us could fight the enemies with ease and enjoy getting lost in a labyrinth of ship innards. As we explored we talked about what was difficult about the raid, the best ways to approach where we were and why Leviathan wasn’t proving fruitful. That’s the beauty of Destiny: it’s a fun game so long as friends are at your side, even if it’s a bit soul crushing.
Speaking of space-magic, more lore has been filled in with the arrival of new ghost. Yes, not everyone wants to crawl to the internet to discovery the intricate workings of just what makes Destiny tick, but for lore-nerds like me, this is a dream come true. I will gladly take more lore, because for those who don’t know, Destiny has some crazy cool sci-fi/fantasy lore. When is space-magic a bad thing? It’s not. Any tad bit more of lore to leak out will be greedily consumed until the next one arrives. It might seem like a small thing, but all those NPCs aren’t just spotting nonsense, they are referencing things. It’s the same reason every item has a cryptic description. In fact, this might be the best time to get to know Destiny. Might as well see how it all came to be while waiting for Destiny 2, right? So, go read that lore. It’s crazy and out-there in the best of ways. Just know it’s heavy on the space-magic — a wizard did come from the moon, after all. If that doesn’t sum it up, I don’t know what does.
While thinking about all of this, one other raid consistently keeps popping into my head, Vault of Glass. Ask any veteran Destiny player and they will probably say Vault of Glass is one of the best, if not best raid Destiny has ever had. It was a perfect blend of platforming, puzzles and bosses that created a ridiculously fun raid that could be played with ease over and over again. Even when taking new people in, it was understood that the longest it would take was minimum six hours. Leviathan was a false sale. Guardians struggle with it even when knowing the strategies for each room, the rewards are the most lackluster yet with no armor or weapons dropping to even give the slightest sense of accomplishment, and new players will probably not want to touch it because it requires a level of communication and coordination that only close friends, professional streamers or elite gamers really have.
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