The game has changed, both literally and metaphorically, for the better.
“Destiny 2: Forsaken” is Bungie’s latest addition to their shared-world shooter franchise. This expansion brings new changes to the weapon system, storyline, and selection of superpowers to play with, which injects a very much-needed breath of fresh air into a game that had been struggling a bit lately.
NEW WEAPON CHANGES
The first important change is the altered weapons system. Before “Destiny 2: Forsaken” was released, a few specific types of weapons (Shotguns, Snipers, Fusion Rifles) that were generally available for greater use in “Destiny 1”, had been moved from the Energy Weapon Slot to the Heavy Weapon Slot, which meant Bungie had a different philosophy on how those weapons should be used—saved for moments of power, rather than using them as the players pleased.
However, with “Destiny 2: Forsaken,” Bungie has changed the weapons system yet again: this time, weapons like shotguns or snipers are no longer restricted to a specific weapon slot, but are now tied to a specific ammo type. This means that, if they really wanted, players could equip two sniper rifles (or two shotguns, or snipers, or a shotgun and a sniper) at the same time, or play with the old weapons system. The only catch? Good luck finding ammo, as those two sniper rifles use the same green ammo drops found in game.
This new weapons system has allowed for much more freedom when planning a loadout, whether that is for fighting the enemies of Humanity, or other players in the Crucible, Destiny 2’s PvP arena. These weapon system changes have served quite nicely to increase the amount of creativity players had while playing through the story of “Destiny 2: Forsaken,” which is a step-up in storytelling for Bungie.
COMPELLING STORY LINE
The story of “Destiny 2: Forsaken” starts with a close ally, a robot by the name of Cayde-6, being shot down in cold blood by escaped convict Uldren Sov, after he attempted to stop him from escaping and releasing some powerful enemies that would become his allies. It then falls to the players to seek out Uldren and his cohorts in a new destination, known as the Tangled Shore (essentially a science fiction version of the Wild West), and bring them to justice for the murder of Cayde-6.
Along the way, players will meet new and returning characters, like the Spider, who is essentially a mob boss who ran the Shore before Uldren showed up. The story is more emotionally investing this time, and the need for vengeance is powerful. Many players have known Cayde since the first Destiny game released in 2014, and it falls to them to hunt down Uldren’s cohorts, one by one, eventually confront Uldren himself, and bring him to justice. However, along their journey, players will receive new abilities to further their quest for vengeance.
One of the new abilities players may acquire while playing “Destiny 2: Forsaken” is a new Super, a powerful ability that players wield in game for moments of extreme power. Bungie has always been good at making combat feel fantastic; the way a gun kicks when you fire it, the sound, the satisfying smack sound that comes from punching another player/enemy. The new Supers in “Destiny 2: Forsaken” are on a different level, though.
For example, players can choose from 3 new Supers for their character; one such super is Chaos Reach, where the player character charges up and shoot a raw beam of electric energy from their hand, which makes anything in its path explode before evaporating into nothingness. To call it satisfying would be an understatement.
The most impressive aspect is that, as much as players have uncovered in the first week, there is plenty of content still hidden, to be uncovered in the following weeks. The entirety of the content is not even available yet, which just means that anyone who plays “Destiny 2: Forsaken” now will have their hands happily full for a long time.