The wait is over. The “Destiny 2″- beta has been open since July 18th at 7 PM for all pre-orders on PS4. What has changed compared to its predecessor? Is the gunplay still as outstanding? And what actually happened to the ball from the Tower? Read it in the first part of our preview report on the PvE activities!
Termites, everywhere termites
The beta launch of Destiny 2 was rocky. Anyone who received countless error messages like Termite yesterday knows what I’m talking about.
I also had to deal with the termite plague, but once I was in the game, it surprisingly ran smoothly. Some users reported client crashes and additional error codes, but I couldn’t notice any of that.
After selecting the class (I started the beta with the new Warlock class Dawnblade), the story was introduced through cutscenes. Following that, it went straight into the fray.
The character screen in the beta
My first official act as a Guardian supposed to save the Tower? Calmly opening the menu and taking a look around!
The character screen is very similar to that of its predecessor, so veterans should quickly find their way around. Bungie has reduced the number of available tabs in the selection menu to two for the beta. You have access to your character and game settings, nothing more. You have no access to side missions or your clan page.
A glance at the abilities of each class reveals the previously known layout. I preferred the selection of abilities in the first part, as I felt I could influence the direction my character developed, and I could see direct effects on the armor, recovery, and agility of my character with different skills. These three class traits are no longer present (at least at this stage).
Bungie has already unlocked several perks and abilities for the beta. All jumps, melee modifications, grenades, and special abilities are unlocked for the Dawnblade, which I can choose from. Also, all abilities in the upper right of the skill tree are already filled and active. The lower four-pack of perks cannot be tested in the beta.
The status values Intellect, Discipline, and Strength are gone. They are replaced by Resilience, Mobility, and Recovery. These values are influenced by the equipped armor. A look at the equipment shows that the values can vary.
Not well implemented is that I can see the value distribution for each item, but I have no overall view. I only get that when I leave the view of the equipment item.
I also could not find a way to reduce cooldowns or decrease weapon reload speed. Hopefully, these options will be added in the main game, as otherwise the armor serves only an aesthetic purpose.
The story mission “Homecoming”
Let’s get to the first and only playable story mission in the beta – Homecoming. There have been many reports and videos about this mission for weeks, and we finally get to try it out ourselves. I start with the auto rifle in the kinetic slot and a pulse rifle in the energy slot. As an old fusion rifle enthusiast, I am very pleased with my weapon in the power slot.
The mission is quite enjoyable. Linear sections alternate with open areas, there are entertaining cutscenes, and I suddenly had random players at my side helping me against smaller bosses. A welcome change.
There were also smaller puzzles and jumping passages to solve. The end was thrillingly staged and dramatic. Overall, a varied mission that makes you crave more. Whether Bungie can maintain this style throughout the main story remains to be seen. Still, it cannot be compared to the “story” of its predecessor. So far, I haven’t run into anyone who didn’t have time to explain to me why they can’t explain anything.
Where is the ball? And is the jukebox still playing?
Those who looked closely could even spot a few smaller Easter eggs. Indeed, the Cabal have let the air out of the popular ball in the Tower. Perhaps the main villain Ghaul watched old videos of Guardians balancing on the ball and tried to replicate that. He should have left it alone.
Anyone who has been eavesdropping in the hangar could even hear the jukebox singing. Bungie shows a sense of humor here, as Paul McCartney’s “Hope for the Future” plays on repeat. Veteran players will remember, the song was made specifically for Destiny and then disappeared into obscurity.
How is the gunplay?
The gunplay is characteristically outstanding for Bungie. The feedback from the weapons is individual and direct. I felt throughout that I was wielding real guns, not soft air pistols. Subjectively, the whole experience feels better than in its predecessor.
Bungie has also worked on the sounds of the respective weapons. It was loud and booming in my headphones, that I kept shooting even though the enemies were already on the ground. Bungie has really done a great job here.
Could this be the reason why I frequently had ammunition problems? Or was it due to my humble skills?
It feels like the game rewards hits on enemy weak spots more than in the predecessor; enemies seemed to drop faster with headshots.
The strike “The inverted spire”
After the story mission, you land in orbit. Via the navigator, you can select, among other things, the only playable strike in the beta. So invite friends and off you go!
The mechanics are enjoyable, especially the final boss is challenging and fun. Anyone who ignores the small enemies and only focuses on the boss will soon experience a nasty surprise.
At times we found ourselves in a kind of arena and were overwhelmed by dog-like enemies. Those who are not careful will quickly meet their demise.
Hopefully, Bungie will remain true to this line in the other strikes and bring varied mechanics to keep players entertained.
Will the Guardian become a chatterbox now?
A criticism from Destiny 1 was the fact that our Guardians were silent for long stretches. Bungie remains faithful to this line, at least in the beta. My Guardian has not said a word. Instead, my Ghost is now even more active.
I personally don’t like this, as I feel that Zavala, Ikora, and Amanda communicate only with my Ghost, and I am the appendage trailing behind. I hope Bungie will address this and incorporate the Guardian more prominently into the storyline moving forward.
How has your first impression been so far? Have you discovered other points that excite or annoy you? Let us know in the comments.
Read tomorrow in the second part of our preview report how our author fares in the Crucible, and what adjustments Bungie has made here.
Interesting: Which class you should play in the beta
