Hardcore Gamer was invited out to Bellevue, Washington to check out Earth’s new open area, the European Dead Zone (EDZ). Replacing the Cosmodrome, the EDZ may look fantastic, but does it provide enough meaningful content to keep players invested?
Kinetic guns fire physical ammo and are replenished with white ammo, and can generally be any type of gun. Auto Rifles, Scout Rifles, Pulse Rifles, Handguns, Revolvers and Submachine guns are all eligible for this category.
Bungie unloaded a full clip of Destiny to the face and the feels are real . Remember when I said to pay attention to Zavala? Destiny 2 immediately proves it has more heart than the first game, even with all the expansions. Using the opening of the showcasing of Destiny 2 as a platform — having Zavala introduce the player base to a more serious tone which immediately sets the stakes higher — is a strong move. Zavala’s more serious demeanor isn’t all brooding, but a calculus of everything going around him. Which is why the story to Destiny 2 is already immensely important. While there are a number of things in Destiny 2, the PvE aspect of things makes for the skeletal structure that holds up the Destiny universe. In other words, lore matters.
Of course, that’s not all. All the original subclasses return, kind of. You can play as a Nightstalker or Gunslinger Hunter, a Voidwalker or Stormcaller Warlock, or a Striker or Hammer of Sol Titan. A few of the subclasses have been tweaked to be more effective in Destiny 2. For example, a Striker Titan’s Super now allows players to run about and perform multiple ground-pounds, making it a far more useful class. Abilities from the Defender, Sunginsger and Bladedancer subclasses have been absorbed into he new subclasses.
Without a doubt, the best new addition Curse of Osiris brings to Destiny 2 is the Raid Lair. Filled with challenging puzzles and boss fights, Raid Lairs provide the thrill that the rest of the expansion is sorely missing. While it would have been nice to get a new Raid or endgame activity like in previous expansions, the Raid Lairs are interesting enough to keep players hooked momentarily.
The European Dead Zone is a dramatic change from the Cosmodrome. While the Cosmodrome was mostly fields dotted with wrecked planes and boats, the EDZ is a quaint European village overtaken by a lush forest. With more verticality and unique architecture, the EDZ gives off a strong first impression.
It’s great that open areas finally have a good reason to explore, but finding Lost Sectors can be a bit too easy to find. They’re clearly marked in the world and are even marked on the in-game map. Once the marker is found, the entrance is, typically, right around the corner. Light exploration is a step-up from Destiny’s lack of exploration, but there should be more challenging Lost Sectors that require some sleuthing to find.
What makes Public Events so exciting is that, if the right triggers are activated, players will kick-off a Heroic Public Event. This changes the objective from something simple like capturing a location or killing off all enemies, into something more challenging.
Destiny 2 is almost here. After three years and two expansions, the sequel to Bungie’s first new IP in over a decade is upon us. Destiny 2 is promising to be the game that the original wasn’t. Due to the online nature of Destiny 2, we won’t have a review up the moment the game launches. Instead, we’ll be taking our time to make sure the servers work properly before putting anything up.
In Destiny 2, the story kicks off with tragedy. Dominus Ghaul, the leader of the Cabal Empire’s Red Legion, has unleashed his might on the Last City. Destroying the Tower and crippling all Guardians, Ghaul seeks to capture the power Edge of Fate expansion the Traveler. In his mind, the Traveler has made a mistake by granting the power of Light to humanity, and he seeks to take it for himself.
It’s surprisingly fun figuring out how to trigger the Heroic Public Events, and the rewards are well worth the effort. Whether you lose, win a basic Public Event, or triumph in a Heroic Public Event, Destiny 2 always makes sure to reward you.
The Strike is a good place to start. It reveals a little more of the world players can expect, showcasing great improvements to Destiny. The most notable thing about the Strike is just how open it felt. Instead of running casually down one big hallway that twist and turns, the Strike makes use of all the space available. The number of paths available was astounding and never has it been so easy to get separated from the group, meaning communication (or keeping an eye out) is key. Party members can’t just run ahead to go off and do their own thing; the Strike actually requires some teamwork and that’s a good thing. More than a few times, imminent danger is awaiting any careless Guardian who might think “I’ve got this.” The mechanics of it all also helped with this feeling, giving the Strike enough complexity, but not so much that it felt bogged down. It’s hard to get an exact read, though, because this is only one Strike and without leveling of any sort, it might just seem tough. This is how every Destiny expansion has played out. Things feel like they were getting more challenging, but level up enough gear and light, and those Strikes become cake-walks. I even encountered some of this already, by just breezing past the giant drill without stopping. What looked like a challenging set piece became just a set piece. No interaction required.
