Calling all Guardians, the Destiny 2 beta is officially live.
When Destiny dropped in 2014, gamers were initially skeptical of its messy story and repetitive content. But over time, and through the release of some major expansions including The Taken King and Rise of Iron, the game has built a reputation as a solid MMO shooter that looks and handles exceptionally well. Three years on, fans are still flocking to it in their millions.
Destiny 2 is now waiting in the wings and ready to reset the game world.
We have a pretty good idea of what’s to come, thanks to Activision’s early launch of the reveal trailer and now gameplay trailer, and we can’t wait to get in and try our hand at the new classes: Dawnblade for Warlocks, Sentinel for Titans and Arc Strider for Hunters.
You can also count on a few new maps and PVP modes on tap here, including a mode called Countdown which has teams of guardians setting bombs in each other’s bases and then defending them until they explode.
If that wasn’t enough mouth-watering space goodness for you, here’s one more morsel: Destiny 2 is coming to PC for the first time in franchise history. In 4K.
Ahead of its scheduled release later this year we’ ve gathered all the news, rumors and info about the game into one place. Gear up space cowboy, this is everything you need to know about Bungie’s blockbuster sequel.
Destiny 2 got a brand-new trailer at Sony’s E3 2017 Keynote on Monday, June 12 that shows the three new classes in action and re-affirming the game’s September 6,2017 release date.
We also learned that gamers that buy the game on Sony systems will receive an exclusive strike, ship, weapon and PVP maps.
That’s a compelling reason for guardians to go for PS4 over the other systems, although PC gamers will be the only platform with 4K.
Is that enough to persuade gamers to Sony’s systems? Check out the trailer below and decide for yourself.
Activision and Bungie have been busy. Not two months after our first teaser trailer for the game, we’ve now got our first look at the gameplay.
Destiny 2 is going to have a beta release before its final September launch and it will be accessible in different stages.
For those that pre-ordered the game and received a unique code for doing so, the beta will open a week early at the following times:
Following this an open for everyone else regardless of console will begin on 21 July at 6 pm BST/ 10 am PST/ 1 pm EST.
The beta will then end for everyone on 24 at 5am BST / 12am EST, which is actually 23 July at 9 pm for those on PST.
As far as what you’ll be able to access in the beta Bungie has said players will be able to try out the game’s cooperative and competitive modes in Crucible and Stike as well as the opening mission of the single-player story mode. We got to try this mission out for ourselves on PC at this year’s E3 and you can find our thoughts below. There’s nothing new in the beta that hasn’t been revealed before but it’ll give you the chance to try it out for yourself and get a look at those new subclasses.
You’ll also be able to access the game’s new social area called The Farm, but only for an hour on Sunday 23 July starting 6pm BST/10am PST/1pm EST. This is presumably to stop the area becoming overwhelmed by players before it’s ready.
Nothing from the beta, however, will carry over to the final version of the game when it launches in September.
For PC gamers feeling left out, you will get your time! Just slightly later, sometime in late August.
As Destiny 2 is the franchise’s debut on PC, I was excited to get hands on with the game at this year’s E3 to get even a small sense of how the massive multiplayer first-person online so popular on consoles would feel with a mouse and keyboard.
I got the chance to try out the very first mission of Destiny 2’s single-player campaign mode. Called Homecoming, the mission throws players right into the action of the invasion of The Last City lead by Cabal Red Legion commander Dominus Ghaul.
I might as well make it clear right now, I am absolutely not a PC gamer. Though I had played the original Destiny on console, I wasn’ t entirely sure what to expect from the game on PC as keyboard and mouse controls are utterly unfamiliar to me.
It’s to Destiny 2 on PC’s credit, then, that I found the keyboard controls very intuitive and clearly laid out. Nothing is lost by using keyboard and mouse, and gunplay felt as sharp smooth and satisfying as it does on console.
In fact, with the game running in 4K at a speedy 60 frames per second it might have been even better.
Something that was enjoyable about the game’s first mission was that despite it being a single-player mode in a game that’s more focused on multiplayer experiences, I didn’ t feel abandoned and lonely when playing.
This is because Bungie has integrated its NPC characters into the campaign; characters like Ikora and Cayde-6 are there fighting alongside you and being an active and vocal part of the action. Not to mention the cutscenes.
In the short mission I played, the game’s environments were rich and detailed with an exciting sense of scale and life. The foreground of the action puts you in a crumbling almost completely destroyed city that feels like it’s coming down on top of you. Look past this though and you’ ll see an expansive horizon filled with enemy ships.
Basically, this was a much more cinematic experience than anything the original Destiny offered and it made playing alone more exciting as a result.
It’s worth going back to the fact that we noted the mission was short, though. I’ m not sure if it was for demo purposes but I was surprised by how quickly I managed to make my way through it so we hope other sections of the campaign run slightly longer if only just to allow us to savor the experience.
Though we’ ve only experienced a small part of it, we feel like it’s safe to say Destiny 2 is going to feel as fun and at home on PC as it does on console, if not more so with the extra effort Bungie has put in with its tailored PC version.
If the rest of the campaign looks and feels as good as the part we played, and the multiplayer is up to shape we don’ t doubt fans will love it and newcomers will flock to it.
The PC version may be coming later but from what we can see, it’ll be worth the wait.
Bungie confirmed a PC release on the day it released the game’s debut trailer and now there’s no looking back. Only forward to its October 24 release.
This is a very good thing considering that PC gamers are clamoring for Destiny 2 – and it’s a perfect fit for the platform, which has long been the spiritual home of the MMO. It will also give Bungie access to a huge new audience.
And if that news wasn’t good enough, Bungie is going to reward to the PC faithful by making the PC version of the game 4K compatible. Yep, your favorite shooter is now going to have a 3840 × 2160 resolution.
Here’s an images of the game in 4K to whet your appetite.
But its resolution isn’t the only unique thing about the game’s PC launch.
We’ve also learned recently that the game is going to be exclusive to Battle.net when it does come to PC … which, as it turns out, might be a few weeks after the console version is released. Destiny will be the first non-Blizzard game to be made available on Battle.net, however, so that’s quite an honor.
Activision and Bungie have played their cards very close to their chest – so, as of yet, there are very few confirmed features. However, there are a few things that are nailed on.
Improving on Groups from the original Destiny, Clans will be an important feature in Destiny 2 that will allow players to team up and organize games for online multiplayer.
