How the biggest update feels like, with the advent of which half of the game is gone
Every major Destiny 2 expansion release is always an event. Discussions are raging on the forums in the spirit of “Has the game rolled down or reborn from the ashes?” “Beyond the Light”, which can be recorded in one of the largest updates, was no exception.
In the new addition, players are sent to a new location – snowy Europe, the moon of Jupiter. On this planet, in the Golden Age of mankind, the Clovis Bray Corporation created exo, humanoid machines with self-awareness, and in Beyond the Light you can visit the abandoned complexes for their production. And now Europe for their large-scale attack on humanity was chosen by the Fallen, led by Eramis, who also makes a deal with the Darkness and gains powerful abilities.
First, about the contradictory. With the release of the update, Bungie decided to remove several planets in a special “Storage” at once (officially: they were swallowed by Darkness), and along with them – a lot of old campaigns, activities and raids. This does not mean that the Guardians will never shoot Vex on Mercury again or forget about open events against the Cabal on Mars: the developers can return the “archived” locations at any time under the sauce of another plot twist. Because of this, it will be difficult for beginners to understand without referring to special fansites what is generally going on in the Destiny universe (by the way, a brief retelling of the main events of the lore can also be found in our separate material ).
…and after
Destiny 2 Planets and Locations Map Before the New Update …
…and after
Destiny 2 Planets and Locations Map Before the New Update …
…and after
Nevertheless, the developers took care of those who, for some reason, did not have time to acquire one or another exotic weapon of the past seasons. Now there is a special “kiosk” in the tower, where for a certain amount of resources you can easily purchase “exotic”. The decision for some is controversial: those who, for example, performed long quest chains for the sake of Leviathan or Jotun, are especially unhappy.
Seasoned Guardians will have to come to terms with another feature of the new reality – some of the popular “guns” have become useless for PvE. In “Beyond the Edge of Light” the lower level of equipment is equal to 1050 units, and some weapons can only be pumped up to 1060 units. So those who loved, for example, “Hermit Spider”, “Sultry Orchid” or “Walking Dead”, will have to look for an alternative from the new legendary weapons. Bungie seems to want to invite players to actively get used to new content, experiment with new types of builds and modifiers. But some players, judging by the feedback on Steam, regard the move as a mockery.
In Europe, the developers for the first time introduced a dynamic weather change system. A clear landscape can be replaced by a strong blizzard in seconds
With the new subclass “Stasis”, which turns the Guardian into a kind of local Sub-Zero, not everything is going smoothly either. Firstly, it is received only by those who purchased the add-on (and only after completing the main campaign): “freeplayers” or owners of past DLCs will have to be content with the traditional elements – Emptiness, Sun and Electricity. Secondly, Stasis, along with all the freezes, is still completely breaking the balance in PvP activities, like the Crucible and Gambit. A grenade hit immobilizes the Guardian for several seconds, which are worth their weight in gold in such matches. Thirdly, in order, for example, to fully “pump” all types of ice grenades or passive abilities, you will have to engage in exhausting grinding.
Stasis in PvP can freeze several opponents at once, which breaks the balance in activities
However, in PvE, “stasis” is revealed to its fullest, adding more room for tactical maneuvers. For example, you can build ice walls, cutting off some of the opponents or creating temporary protection against spam damage. Stasis is ideal for freezing an entire crowd, after which it can be crushed into icy pieces by shots from a rocket launcher, making a real fatality.
For beginners, a full-fledged line of quests at the Cosmodrome (atmospheric location from the first Destiny) has been added to the game. The decision is wise, since it used to be quite difficult to understand what to do in the game due to the peculiarities of the universe itself, as well as the game interface and the presentation of the missions themselves.
The plot in “Beyond the Edge of Light” can hardly be called outstanding (you can guess the ending almost immediately), but its main advantage is that “movement” has finally begun in the Solar System. The Wanderer, who had hung wounded over the Last City for almost three years, recovered, and the Darkness unexpectedly offered its powers to the Guardians (and the Fallen for company). In addition, players will finally learn the backstory of the mysterious Exo-Stranger, a kind of analogue of the G-Man in the local universe. She constantly appeared in the first part in unexpected places, and then disappeared no less unexpectedly, forcing users to wonder about her motives.
… and Variks the Faithful
Main characters: Exo-stranger …
… Eramis …
… and Variks the Faithful
Main characters: Exo-stranger …
… Eramis …
… and Variks the Faithful
Throughout all the quests we are trying to figure out: what if we take yes and go (at least with one foot) to the dark side? Is it really as bad there as the defenders of humanity from the Tower insist? In addition, a friend from the first part appears in the game, which will certainly please the “oldies” of the series. Bungie promises that in the next updates the plot will continue to develop rapidly, so it is possible that very soon the fans of lore will witness historical events.
Bungie’s new raid, Deepstone Crypt, is, as usual, very hardcore. You need to thoroughly prepare for it, assign roles and study all the timings. Here you will have to confront the Fallen, who “settled” in Europe and plan to get to the very heart of the Clovis Bray research complex. The main boss is Tanix, a notorious mercenary of the Fallen, familiar to many experienced players, and to defeat him, you will have to sweat.
“Beyond the Light” came out as a controversial addition primarily for “veterans” of the online shooter. They cut out (albeit temporarily) a huge part of the content from the game, providing in return one planet with a small number of activities, turned the favorite types of weapons into a “pumpkin” and added a subclass that completely breaks the balance in PvP. On the other hand, the plot finally stopped marking time, a dozen new legendary and exotic items, as well as modifiers, appeared. And for beginners, finally, they made a full and detailed training. The massive update shook up the game in a good way, and if you’ve never played Destiny 2, or left the game a few years ago, now is a great time to try it out.
