Gamers around the world descended on their consoles en mass the past few days to take part in the Destiny 2 beta, but not all of them did so for the same reason.
Some of those most eager to try out the beta are hardcore fans who had sunk hundreds of hours into the 2014 original, and are still playing it to this day. For them the beta is a chance to see what has changed and what has stayed the same in the Destiny formula.
Arcstrider in action.
It is an opportunity to acclimatise to the brave new world that will come into being on September 6, when the game launches worldwide on consoles (PC players will have to wait until October 24.
Then there are those who may have played Destiny for a while, but weren’t enamoured enough with it to stick around for the long haul. Destiny was and is quite unlike anything else out there, and the result of the alchemical experiment of melding a Halo-style first-person shooter (FPS) with a World of Warcraft-style massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) didn’t grab everyone. Will the sequel be different enough to make them take another look at this franchise?
Another group consists of those who had never played Destiny at all, for whatever reason, and whose time with the beta will be their first foray into this science fantasy universe.
Having only played little more than an hour of the original, I fall mostly into the final group. The original didn’t grab me, but then I also never gave it another chance to do so after it underwent quite a few dramatic changes in the form of regular and substantial updates. So I came to the beta with an open mind, ready to experience Destiny 2 for what it was, not comparing it to the original or expecting it to conform to some idea of what a Destiny game should be like.
I was ready to go where Bungie wanted to take me.
Performance
Destiny 2 looks gorgeous, and on a purely technical level is quite a leap from its predecessor. Not having to develop for two console generations at once would have been a huge help in this regard, with Bungie not having to ensure the game would also run at a decent framerate on much older hardware.
The sound design is worth a special mention: the weapons sound absolutely incredible, each shot producing a satisfying aural jolt that combines beautifully with the controller vibrations.
Performance is as smooth and fluid as one would expect.
The gunplay in the beta has that familiar Bungie feel to it, and can best be described as intensely satisfying. Wielding a gun and taking down enemies with it, from whatever range, always feels rewarding. No, it’s not exactly the same as the developer’s Halo games, but it isn’t hard to see how what’s on offer here is an evolution of what started back in Halo: Combat Evolved. And it is better than what current Halo developers 343 Industries has managed to do in Halo 5: Guardians. As a pure shooter it isn’t quite up there with the experience on offer in Titanfall 2, though, especially in terms of movement mechanics.
Classes
The class that you choose has a big impact on how you will approach the game’s many challenges.
There’s the Titan, which is your classic heavily armoured full-frontal assault soldier. This class has the ability to deploy an energy barrier that can be used as cover.
If the Titan focuses on Strength, in terms of classic RPG stats, then the Hunter is an Agility character, focusing on quick, precise movements and positioning to achieve victory.
If the Titan and Hunter are the Warrior and Rogue classes of Destiny 2, then the Warlock is the Mage, focusing on longer-distance high-damage attacks and buffs that increase you and your party’s damage output and healing rate.
Content
While the Destiny beta consisted of a good portion of what the final game would offer, the Destiny 2 beta gives us a much tinier chunk of the game, just enough to get a good feel of what to expect. The game first story mission, “Homecoming”, can be played in its entirety. This is a really fun mission with some great battles give you a tiny taste of what your character is capable of. The story is engaging enough that you want to know what happens next, and the cut-scenes add to rather than detract from the experience. If the rest of the story campaign is like this, then Destiny 2 might even end up being a must-play for those who have no interest in its more online-focused components.
After completing “Homecoming” beta players can experience three multiplayer modes.
There’s a Strike, “The Inverted Spire”, in which you team up with two other players to complete a mission that culminates in a boss fight and a loot reward you can use to further upgrade and customise your character.
The other two multiplayer modes on offer are purely Player vs Player, unlike the two Player vs Environment modes already mentioned. These consist of “Countdown” and “Control” game modes, in which teams of four players per side try to blow up or defend map positions, or control map positions to gain points and victory, respectively.
Impressions that last
After spending some time with the beta’s various modes, I began to understand why this series has developed such a devoted following. The setting is interesting, the shooting has that familiar and rewarding Bungie feedback loop, and the MMORPG elements add to rather than detract from the experience. The super abilities, which have a cooldown period that should probably be slightly reduced in the final release, make you feel like a real force of destruction. Unleashing them in the middle of a multiplayer session to help your teammates achieve victory feels intensely satisfying, and the rush I got from activating the Hunter’s special ability never got old.
September 6 is still quite a while away, but I’m already thinking of who I need to recruit to join me in regular Destiny 2 sessions.
The Destiny 2 beta runs until July 23. Check Game Masters for more coverage in the weeks ahead and a full review of the game after it launches.
