Two weeks ago, I spent the better part of two days playing through Destiny’s newest expansion, The Taken King. And since Bungie released its sci-fi shooter in September of last year, a lot has changed.
By nature, Destiny requires a huge time commitment–weekly cooperative strikes, daily story missions, and a pervasive bounty system all propel you in the pursuit of better gear and, in turn, a better character. So based on the 14 hours I spent with my Hunter in this new environment, I’m not ready to attach a complete opinion to The Taken King. But many of its contents already stand out.
There are new story missions. There are new cutscenes. There are three new character subclasses, and a whole new world to explore in the rings of Saturn. But despite all of this, The Taken King stands out among Destiny’s expansions not because of what it adds, but what it transforms. You level your character differently, find more relevant loot drops, and have a comprehensive quest log to guide you every which way. The recent Patch 2.0 laid the foundation for this evolution–The Taken King builds something more on top.
Much has been made of the new experience-based progression, and for good reason. This is the expansion’s flagship change. In Destiny’s first year, many players spent dozens of hours climbing the ranks through a traditional experience system. But at level 20, they hit an invisible wall. And this barrier came in the form of the Light system. Unlike the earlier hours of Destiny, reaching the level 30 cap required the completion of specific tasks in a math-based structure, tying character progression to a very specific number. If you didn’t max that Light number out, you didn’t rank up. And if you didn’t rank up, you couldn’t participate in the best cooperative content Destiny had to offer.
From what I’ve played, it feels as if I can choose to spend my time however I want now. This may change past the 20 hour mark, but of the time I spent so far, I felt free to explore whatever world I chose. I completed strikes knowing I would see some kind of worthwhile reward at the end. I returned bounties and in return, gained a satisfying pool of experience points in my pursuit of the new level 40 cap. And then I hit that point, and continued to feel satisfied with the time I spent playing.
Light is now just an indicator of how good your gear is, and isn’t reliant on specific quest chains or pieces of gear. From the time I played, I almost always swapped out my old gear for a new piece of loot after strikes, marking a drastic departure from the post-20 grind of Destiny’s first year. To be clear, there are still high-level quests that require a considerable Light level, and Destiny regulars will return to find The Taken King replete with challenges. Of the time I’ve played, I found difficult quest chains with powerful rewards, and I can see the expansion catering to veterans and newcomers alike.
Both groups have ample story missions to fight through, and new enemies to fight therein. The Taken are more varied than opponents of Destiny’s past, with abilities that change the flow of firefights, and hierarchies that dictate who you shoot first, and when you choose to do so. The strike bosses aren’t just bullet sponges anymore, and deliver more strategy to cooperative players than the nemeses of the past year. I can’t say whether they’ll become repetitive to the point of exhaustion in later playthroughs, but further time will yield an answer.
Like many Destiny players over the last week, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time playing through the new Crucible maps and new game modes. Each lends a new dynamic to Destiny’s PvP content, from the constant super abilities of Mayhem, to the tactical maneuvers of Rift, which tasks you with extracting a Charge to destroy the enemy’s base. The maps themselves have a good balance of verticality and long sight lines, extending Bungie’s tenure as a creator of well designed multiplayer arenas. I’m expecting these to provide dozens of enjoyable hours more.
But as of now, I’ve only spent a minimal amount of time in a game that requires much more. The Taken King adds new factors to the Destiny equation, and removes just as many. The story, firefights, loot, and leveling all coalesce into something bigger than the sum of their parts, and something different than Destiny has been for the last year. The King’s Fall raid releases three days after release, so I and my GameSpot team will be preparing for that. I also plan on working through quests with low level characters, to give me a better overall view of the quest system for anyone that might be playing Destiny for the first time. I’ll be spending many of my waking hours with The Taken King over the next few days, and I’ll have a more informed opinion on the other side.
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