October 1 marks the release of Destiny 2: Shadowkeep, and the first true test of Bungie’s ability to execute a new vision following their split with Activision. The developers who have poured their time and effort into making the newest expansion a reality have discussed at length where Destiny 2 is headed. Overall, the game looks to be more and more like a traditional MMO, and the team at Bungie recently discussed a number of topics in a recent ViDoc titled “To the Moon and Beyond”.
An Evolving Story Line choices impact the story
A fundamental goal that Bungie seeks to achieve with the kickoff of Shadowkeep lies in preparing the players for what lies ahead. Game Director Luke Smith describes the upcoming weeks as, “telling our players where we’re going. We’re saying, ‘Hey, we’re back, and this is the five-year vision for the game’. A lot of what we’re doing this year is to set Destiny into a place where Destiny can begin its next major change.”
Smith goes on to say that from here on out, the goal is to create an evolving world where players feel that their actions as individuals or as part of an overall global community are moving the universe forward in a meaningful way. With the launch of Shadowkeep, the intended vision for the game is to be an “awesome action MMO, in a single evolving world, that you and your friends can play together.”
Armor 2.0 – Making Every Piece Of Gear Impactful
According to Matt Zitterman, the Production director for Destiny 2, the introduction of the Armor 2.0 system aims to make “every slot on your character sheet have an impact”. Stats are back, along with several mods that can be used on close-quarters finishers.
There are also several new weapons being released, many themed on the Moon following the return of the Guardians. Some weapons will retain the classic, high-tech appearances that players are used to, but others will have a darker feel to them, imbued with the powers of ancient beings. When a player is near a Nightmare opponent, some of the weapons will change in their color, giving off a faint glow. It may be straight out of The Hobbit, but its still a great idea to incorporate into the game!
All these changes work towards the goal of shaping Guardians in the way that players want, and this is further reinforced with the Rune Table. Using the Lectern of Enchantment, players will have a system through which they can craft the gear they want. This is similar in theme to the Chalice of Opulence, with the overall goal of helping provide against too many unlucky rolls on found gear.
An Expansion Introduces The Story, And Seasons Develop It Further
Evolving the new direction for the Destiny 2 universe begins here, with Shadowkeep, and Seasons will continue propelling the content forward. While the expansions are meant to be an anchor to set the tone and space for the next chapter to occur, everything that happens in terms of growth and massive change during story events comes in the form of seasons. Design Lead Robbie Stevens states that,
“One of the biggest changes you’ll see from the seasonal model from the annual pass is that we’re focusing a lot more on how the seasons actually connect to one another. We want to make sure we’re threading a narrative that players can follow, starting in Shadowkeep.”
The developers are looking to make the narrative structures within Destiny 2 a fundamental component of the game, much more than has been done so far. With every major seasonal event, players will have an opportunity to be part of something bigger than before, and each season will further work to bring the community together.
Endgame Content – More Raids, More Of An MMO Feel
Champions are the newest, strongest opponents that players will work hard to take down in the new Nightfall modes. Artifacts will provide players with the tools they need to overcome these powerful beings and are described as a way to generate an infinite power grind for players who want a constant task to work towards. This is another way that Destiny 2 has gone further down the route of becoming an MMO, as both the description of how Champions work and the augmentation of a player’s artifacts feels like World of Warcraft, in either the Battle for Azeroth expansion, or Legion.
Most players may not even notice how close Destiny 2 is coming to approximate a high-fantasy MMO thanks to its science-fiction setting and big guns, and there is nothing wrong with the shift. Now that Bungie is no longer associated with Activision, the long-term plan for the game seems to be more of these interesting changes, which focus on both storytelling and making the individual player feel impactful. Now is a great time to get back into Destiny 2 or try it out for the first time.
Source: Bungie.net