With the Destiny Beta closed as of July 27th at 6:30PM PST, we’re taking a look back at our finest moments of the last five days, as well as some moments we’d like to forget. The things we loved, didn’t love, and all the bugs they told us not to look at but we chose to stare at anyway.
“Dude, DON’T MOVE! There’s A Bug On Your Boot, But Don’t Worry. I Got This.”
In the beta’s final moments, we found ourselves situated at the front of the Tower (Destiny’s 3rd person social area) dancing, laughing, and creating memories to share with each other, and all of you as well. It made us truly reflect on the endless hours we spent fighting the relentless armies of the Darkness and wonder just what it was that we had experienced. We had experienced Destiny.
But what is Destiny? How would you describe it? Is it some kind of wondrous new theme park filled with all sorts of attractions and rides? Is it that adrenaline rush you get when you floor the throttle in your very first car? Is it the thrill of your first kiss? It’s all of the above.
Destiny is Bungie’s leap into a brave new world, and they’ve welcomed us to join them in their next great journey with open arms. With heightened energy and enthusiastic steps, we strode into Destiny’s Beta a little unsure of what to expect. But what we saw, was unprecedented. Miles of detailed landscaped in the remains of the Golden Age Russian Cosmodromes, weapons and technology of science fiction, new species of alien life, and the Traveler. The protector of the Last City, the Traveler is a shadow of its former self. At the conclusion of the last war, it created the Ghosts to seek out those who could wield its power to become the protectors of the light and do what it no longer could; The Guardians.
The Guardians. The Travelers’ Knights In Shining… Oh You Get The Idea. NOTE: Poses Not Included.
Here our journey began. We joined the ranks of the prestigious Guardians to help fend off the armies of the Darkness, the Traveler’s ancient enemy. From the Tower, home and safe haven to the Guardians, we traveled out into the Russian Cosmodromes, and from there, to the Moon and planets beyond in search of glory, bugs, and any way to break the beta we could find. We encounterd new and powerful enemies; The Fallen, living devils of the Darkness, and The Hive, a powerful underground bug like species. Both groups were formidable and deadly, but not a match for the Guardians three man Fireteams. Titans, Warlocks, and Hunters. These are the classes each new Guardian has a choice of becoming, and each has its own set of deadly skills:
- The Titan. These guys can take a beating, and they certainly dish out one. They specialize in close quarters and pack a punch. Literally. The Titans upgrades allow them to be up close and personal. Flash bang grenades, a disintegrating punch, and a teeth rattling ground pound super move, designated as the Fist of Fury, are just a few examples of the power Titans wield. Their ability to survive and fondness for roundhouse punching things across the world make them a worthy addition to the front line.
- Next, the Warlock. Never quite in the midst of battle, but always there to back up the Titans. Excelling at dishing out the maximum amount of pain in the smallest window of time, the Warlocks powers can hurt or kill large groups of enemies at once. Its area of effect Vortex Grenades and Nova Bomb as well as it’s Lift ability, giving the Warlock a birds eye view of combat, make it the last class of Guardian you’d want to encounter.
- Lastly, the Hunter. While usually the last guy in and furthest from the battle, don’t underestimate this crack shot class of Guardian. A proficient marksman, the Hunter relies far more on precision aiming than its brethren to get the job done, but it’s not without its powers. The Hunter hangs back with long range Fusion Grenades, a throwing knife, and its handy dandy Golden Gun, a little one shot surprise for any foe unlucky enough to get too close. Say what you will about Gunslingers, but the Hunter is one class you want in the support role.
Powerful though the Guardians are, they live in a post modern world, and they would be nothing without weapons. Thankfully, there are a multitude of choices. And much like their owners, they become more powerful with use. The rarer the weapon, the better the upgrades. And each class of weapon is deadly in its own unique way. The levels of rarity are as follows:
- Common – White
- Uncommon – Green
- Rare – Blue
- Legendary – Purple
- Gold – Exotic
Each weapon, regardless of rarity, falls into one of three classes: Primary, Special, and Heavy. Each class uses its own stock of ammunition which can be either scrounged from your fallen foes or purchased from the Gunsmith in the Tower. Primary Weapon ammunition appears as white, Special Weapon ammunition appears as green, and Heavy Weapon ammunition appears as purple.
These Weapons Are Beautiful And Deadly, Just Like My Ex… Was That A Slide Cocking I Just Heard…?
In addition to the 3 primary classes of weaponry, each weapon falls into a subclass allowing Guardians to select the perfect weapon to suit each mission:
Primary Weapons
- Auto Rifles – This class is fairly straightforward. Anything in this class fires fully automatic. Magazine size ranges from 21-24 rounds, however, it can be upgraded depending on the weapon. Auto Rifles are optimized for mid to short range combat.
- Hand Cannons – A class of pistols all its own, the Hand Cannons are not for the casual shooter. They hold an average of 6 rounds, have a longer than average reload time, and require very precision aiming to be used efficiently and are often favored by sharpshooters. The Hand Cannons work best at short range.
- Pulse Rifles – If you don’t like wasting ammunition with fully automatic weapons, perhaps a Pulse Rifle is for you. Using the same size magazine as the Auto Rifles, this class fires in three round bursts making most effective at mid range.
- Scout Rifles – Another primary weapon favored by sharpshooters, the Scout Rifles sport a single shot firing mode making them most effective at mid to long range. Much like the Hand Cannons, the Scout Rifles require pinpoint accuracy to be effective.
Special Weapons
- Fusion Rifles - Basically a long range shotgun, the Fusion Rifles deal heavy amounts of damage with each trigger pull, however, the weapon must be charged before firing, and will only fire after fully charging. It launches a high powered burst that disintegrates foes in an instant. Magazines range from 4 to 6 shots and they work best at short to mid range.
- Shotguns – No special explanation needed here. Get up close, point, shoot, pump, repeat until enemy falls over.
- Sniper Rifles – Long range, high powered, deadly accurate. Only the best marksmen are allowed to wield these deadly rifles.
Heavy Weapons
- Machine Guns - Built to handle the roughest and toughest soldiers The Darkness has to offer, these high powered death machines will tear through any demon unlucky enough to be on its business end. Despite their large magazines, ammo is scarce. Machine Guns should only be used in the most dire circumstances.
- Rocket Launchers – High powered flying explosive. For when bullets just aren’t enough and you absolutely must murder everything at one particular point.
With our chosen weapons locked and loaded, we entered the fight against the Darkness, and before long, none could stand before our Fireteams and live. Battle after battle blended together for hours of seamless gameplay. Of course we ran into the occasional loading screen when moving from one area to the next more quickly than they could render, but there was hardly a hiccup to be found. No corner of the map went unrendered, no mysteriously lagging or disappearing enemies were to be found. Not even in the Crucible where Guardians who have proven themselves may go to challenge each other in teamed combat. However, like many games, it wasn’t without its faults. Staying locked into Fireteams was a constant issue for some players and merely sporadic for others. While some had the occasional bump from the team back to orbit, a few players, our own Editor In Chief among them, had many moments where they couldn’t finish a single match in the Crucible without being knocked out. This culminated on Saturday with the launch of the 2 hour only Moon mission where many players were unable to even stay connected to the servers for longer than a few moments. In my experience, these events were sporadic even in my 8 hour sessions, but it is definitely an issue, one we hope Bungie will address with the launch of the full game just a month away.
Connection issues aside, the game stood out in nearly every category, including its music. After all, no adventure would be complete without the perfect soundtrack. Every moment of combat and every cut scene was set to tracks that inspired hope and fostered feelings of despair, sometimes at the same time.
Insert Majestic Inspiring Music Here
But alas, as with all good things, they must come to an end. And so they did that fateful Sunday evening. But we did not go into the end of the beta without one last hurrah. So with two hours remaining we took one final flight into danger that pushed the very limits of our skill, and we emerged victorious once more. And in celebration of our victory, we returned to our home in the Tower, and danced before the Traveler once more until the servers were taken down.
With all of our ammo spent, the body count finished, and the tears of our defeated and disheartened foes feasted upon, our adventure had come to an end, and we asked ourselves, “What is Destiny?” To the average person on the street, Destiny is just a game. But to us, those who braved its world in search of glory and fought tirelessly against the Darkness time and again, it’s so much more. To us, it’s a new and unexplored world full of possibilities. We see all of our childhood hopes and dreams that we once believed lost revived. But to answer the question, yes, Destiny is a game.
But this game… This game is something special.
So now we wait until September 9th with our ears to the ground and hope in our hearts….
In the words of Bungie, “See You Starside”
