In yesterday’s reveal stream for DLC II of Destiny 2, the new activity of “Warmind” was also introduced. Escalation Protocol is a new type of public event that can be initiated by the players themselves and offers exclusive rewards.
With the Escalation Protocol, Bungie aims to address the criticism that activities in Destiny 2 have been too easy so far. With the upcoming second DLC “Warmind”, the game will now have a new type of public event with a horde mode character.
These are the requirements for Hive Escalation
- Hive Escalation is exclusive to the DLC “Warmind”
- The event is initiated by the players themselves
- To start the event, players must have completed the story of the new expansion
- However, anyone in the region can participate in Hive Escalation, even if the campaign has not yet been completed
Since the new event is located on Mars, players need the DLC “Warmind” to participate in Hive Escalation. It is supposed to be an endgame activity that presents players with a new challenge and offers exclusive rewards.
In the stream, it was explained that players must have completed the story of the additional content to be able to start this mode themselves. While all players can join this event, since it is an endgame event, it is very likely that one will die more than play before completing the story. Participation is accordingly recommended only for high-level players.
This is what Hive Escalation offers
- Hive Escalation is a kind of horde mode
- In increasingly stronger waves, there are a new type of Hive enemies
- There are a total of seven waves
- Each wave has a mini-boss, while the final boss awaits in the seventh wave
- In total, there are five unique final bosses with their own loot, which rotate each week
In Hive Escalation, towers must be activated that attract the Hive. This is how the event is started. In a total of seven waves with different characteristics, a new type of Hive enemy is fought. This Hive is covered in ice.
Each wave has its own mini-boss, while at the end of the last wave, a large boss enemy awaits. There are five “bosses of the week”, each dropping different loot and rotating weekly.
After the third and fifth waves, there are supposed to be crates with rewards. Among other things, there is exclusive armor in Rasputin style, but there are also cosmetic items. Hive Escalation is also supposed to provide armor and weapons that can only be obtained in this mode.
Additionally, with Hive Escalation, the Hive Swords return. During the event, shadow rifts spawn, which must be destroyed within a certain time. The rifts are protected by a knight, who drops one of the swords upon his death.
Players also receive weapon cache codes during the event, which grant the players special weapons. These weapons can only be used during Hive Escalation and are only available for a limited time.
The weapon shown during yesterday’s stream was the Valkyrie spear, which can be used for both close combat and ranged combat. In close combat, the spear is plunged into the ground, while it is thrown for ranged combat.
