Gaming Destiny & Destiny 2

I used Tlaloc a lot during the closing months of D1, but have never routinely used a Scout in D2. I have a zillion different rolls of Night Watch in my vault, but none feels right.

 

I actually quite like Symmetry, but I'm weird.

Got Hawkmoon over lunch today, in spite of a glitch that made me have to redo the quest.

 

Which quest line is Hawkmoon?

 

Go talk to Crow to start it. Can't remember what the first step is called but you start out collecting feathers.

 

Did 2 raids tonight on 2 characters and got 2 rocket launchers.

 

The new raid?

 

Yeh

 

It looks so cool. Haven't had a chance to try it yet though.

 

So Destiny 2 on PS5 - wow.

The load screens are faster across the board to a staggering degree.

First few shots also showed up how much more responsive the guns are. They were great before but now?

This is a very, very smart piece of work.

 

Um, so the US space force has announced its members will be known as Guardians.

Have we just stepped into a war with the Cabal on Mars?!

 

No, you're the Fallen, you just don't know it yet.

"Soldiers, you will have surgery to fit two exo-arms to improve your efficiency."

 

I, for one, don’t want to.

 

Yeah me either. Obviously Space Force is stupid.

 

I mean...better to step into a war on mars than....

WAKING THE HIVE

high fives self

 

Did the DSC for the first time earlier this week. Not the biggest challenge (when I look back on it), but extremely, extremely fun with some great loot. What a raid should be, IMO.

 

I still need to do it. I've not played a lot over the Christmas period to be honest. I'm only now just dipping my toe back in to do the latest seasonal mission (v.good btw) and play a bit of Iron Banner. I've joined a different clan which seems to be a bit more active so hopefully that'll help.

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Yeah I need a new clan, mine is not active save for my three person fireteam and my cousin and her husband. That's not enough for a whole clan.

I really want to do DSC but have no idea when I'll be able to. Not until after the Super Bowl hopefully.

 

So this is really exciting:
https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/50109

Not least because it means Destiny 2 is highly likely to continue beyond Lightfall in 2022, but we're likely to see Destiny in other formats like TV or film.

I've said for years that Destiny has some of the best stories in gaming, they're just not told well. Great stories, terrible storytelling if you will. The Collapse, Clovis Bray and the Exo's, Shin Malphur and Dredgen Yor, the Books of Sorrow, the Awoken, the Midnight Coup, the Battle of the Six Fronts and Twilight Gap, the Great Disaster. All of those could make, at the very least, fun seasons in a TV show. They also wouldn't step on the toes of the games. I'd hate for there to be a 'canon' Guardian. I'm one of those sad buggers who makes up backstories for his characters in Destiny. My ideal film or TV show would end with the cinematic at the start of the game, your Ghost searching for you on the Cosmodrome, before a fade to black and Nolan North saying "Guardian. Guardian? Eyes up, Guardian!" Don't just adapt D1 and D2, there's no point.

Also, Season of the Chosen has started off strong. Battlegrounds are a fun activity, certainly better than Wrathborne hunts. Will they be boring in a month or two? Almost certainly. But for now they're holding my interest. I've also been farming the hell out of the Nightfall this week for a decent Palindrome roll. Still haven't got my God roll yet (Ricochet Rounds, Outlaw, Rampage with a stability masterwork) but I'm getting there. Playing through Devil's Lair last week was a fun nostalgia trip as well. Still probably the best strike they've ever done and it was the very first one.

The best bit of new content though is the Presage exotic quest. Spooky as all hell, challenging but not impossible and with a great gun as a reward. May well jump back in to try and get a version with a good random roll (I'm thinking either Killing Wind or Subsistence). If anyone wants to do it but doesn't want to go in solo then let me know, I'd happily go through it again.

 

https://www.bungie.net/en/Explore/Detail/News/50124

More big news regarding the future of Destiny 2. Literally nothing about this is a negative, at least as far as I can tell.

 

The one negative I and others see is the transmog process and its possible costs. If Silver is rearing its ugly head in the procedures, that implies that the material drops it requires might be be very rare or the process involved for converting any collection item into an ornament may be a dreary, grindy slough. That is BAD for a thing that's been hyped up for nearly a year now.

In regards to the Witch Queen delay, the reasons mentioned do sound very plausible and sensible. But part of me wonders if Bungie doesn't want to compete with late 2021 big releases (like, say, Halo: Infinite) or wants more new console user adoption before launching their next big content drop.

 

I think they honestly just feel they need to up the story content. Also hearing that Lightfall won't be the end is great. A Witch Queen delay is fine. I want them to get it right.

Also this update came from Joe Blackburn not Like Smith. Sounds like Luke has moved up to being in charge of all Destiny content, including the show. If so I am quite happy if Joe steps in as game director. This stuff signals his commitment and it's all good.

 

Yeah, the silver for transmog materials was the only slight negative, but I can't say I'm surprised. Still, the fact you can earn the materials in-game means that if it's too stingy then it can hopefully be adjusted at a later date. Plus you get some for completing the introductory seasonal quest which is a positive. I can also see the materials being put on the season pass or purchasable with Bright Dust as well. It's hugely dependant on pricing, but say it costs 500 silver to turn an entire armour set into ornaments (100 silver per item) then I think I'm okay with that. 700 would be pushing it, but anything over 1000 silver would be too much IMO.

I'm already planning what sets I'm going to turn into ornaments tbh. The changes to shaders is a massive bonus as well.

Moving the expansions to the start of the year is a big plus IMO, even leaving aside the help it gives the devs whilst Covid is still going on. Considering how barren this time of year is for new releases it means that Destiny should have very little competition. There was no way they were going to get Witch Queen out in September and November is too crowded. Also, as you say, more people on the PS5 & Series X/S will only be a benefit.

 

Yeah the beginning of the year is usually sparse and the fall is busy, so I'm fine with the move.

 

You know, count me in the minority of folks that wanted Lightfall to be the end of Destiny, period. Maybe it's the franchise fatigue talking, but I'm a firm believer of the "all good things should come to an end" adage. Destiny hasn't been terribly good as of late, so if things picked up the pace and the overall "Light vs. Darkness War" arc ended well, I would've been happy with that. But it going on and on indefinitely is a bit annoying as someone not used to ongoing decades-old MMO's like WoW.

 

I know lots of people have been turned off by the game recently, but I've not found D2 to be that bad since Beyond Light. Since November I'd say the game's been "fine". Any of the major issues I've had with the game have been solved by removing sunsetting of gear. Grinding Nightfalls or dungeons now doesn't feel like a waste of time.

I barely played the game around Christmas and the New Year and my experience since has been all the better for it. The latest season has also been a marked improvement on Season of the Hunt. Admittedly, if I were a big PvP player my view would be radically different. Crucible seriously needs some love and attention.