Before Shadowkeep starts, Bungie wants to explain to players what they can expect soon in Destiny 2. Now they have shown new gameplay scenes from the expansion.
Where can we see the new gameplay? On Bungie’s official YouTube channel, the developers provided a new behind-the-scenes look yesterday. They not only talked about many innovations of Shadowkeep – most of which are already known – but also repeatedly showed exciting gameplay scenes that we had not seen before.
What kind of mini-raid? In the video, you can see both new material from Shadowkeep’s campaign and some upcoming activities. Among other things, we get a little insight into what the upcoming dungeon will look like. This can be seen as a kind of mini-raid – the Broken Throne, the only dungeon currently in Destiny 2, was also dubbed as such.
Additionally, we see the first boss of the dungeon and learn more about the new Nightfall modes.
Note: Spoilers ahead!
More from the dungeon and new Nightfall modes
This is what the new dungeon in Shadowkeep looks like: In the dungeon, you must delve into the depths of the Moon in the Scarlet Fortress. You fight your way from top to bottom until you carve your path into the abyss. However, many traps await you. This includes huge rollers with dangerous spikes. You should keep your distance and be careful.
The dungeon is supposed to provide a raid experience but is instead played with a 3-player fireteam. At the end of the activity, we see a cool Cabal Knight, who might also be the boss of the dungeon. In his hand, he holds a gigantic, flaming sword.
How do dungeons work in Destiny 2? So far, there is only the dungeon “The Broken Throne”, which was introduced with Shadowkeep in the Dreaming City. It is also a 3-player activity. The dungeon activities are aimed at all players who have always wanted to play a raid but have not been able to gather a 6-player fireteam so far.
Raids have been considered the absolute highlight of the game since Destiny 1 due to their mechanics. Unfortunately, they are played by very few players. Dungeons are therefore a good alternative.
This is the new Nightfall mode “The Crucible”: In the video, they also show new Nightfall modes. Bungie calls these “Nightfall: The Crucible”. Players can choose between different difficulty levels and encounter Champion enemies in the strikes. The champions are the new, toughest foes in the new Nightfall modes. In the future, it will be important that you prepare your character for these enemies in the endgame and master the hardest level. The seasonal artifacts are supposed to support you, with their infinite power grind, in this task.
There will be four different difficulty levels for the new Nightfall modes:
- Adept – Power Level 750 is recommended
- Hero – Power Level 920 is recommended
- Legend – Power Level 950 is recommended
- Master – Power Level 980 is recommended
The higher the difficulty, the greater the chance of receiving the rewards you want. These rewards from the Master rank include, according to the video, Enhancement Prisms, Ascendant Shards, and exotic gear.
A vibrant and growing game world
How has the game developed so far? So far, the seasons in Destiny 2 have been independent of each other. They do not follow a major overarching narrative or influence the entire game world. Instead, each season tells its own little story. However, these usually have nothing to do with the main events in the game world. This is supposed to change now.
What does Bungie want to change now? The developers want players to feel like they are embarking on a journey together with them. They no longer want to dictate or prescribe to players what they should experience.
They want to give the Guardians the feeling that they are responsible for some of the events in the world and to push the game world forward in meaningful ways. Bungie aims to build the best version of Destiny 2. All these changes are mainly aimed at players who love Destiny.
Bungie’s vision is an action MMO in a single evolving world. In this world, everything should be interconnected. According to the developers, Shadowkeep is the first step in the right direction. The expansions serve as anchors for the actions, and the story is supposed to continue from season to season, changing the game world.
All of this is told in this new ViDoc. In it, you can see some new gameplay scenes, some of which also contain spoilers. At minute 6:50, you can see more of the dungeon:
Other gameplay highlights from the video include:
- likely a new strike on Io:
- a cool sword emote:
- a look at the Vex invasions:
Which of the new activities do you think looks the most promising?
