Summary
The Edge of Fate showcase happened recently, giving players a first look atDestiny 2’s new direction for the foreseeable future. According to Bungie, The Edge of Fate is just the first chapter in an entire new arc for the game, the Fate Saga, and already it’s showing itself to be a big departure from what came before. With the expansion taking Guardians to the edge of the Solar System,The Edge of Fatewill be reintroducing The Nine, an enigmatic power that has been lying low during the tumultuous years of the Light and Darkness Saga.
Appropriately for such a big shift in the game, a lot has changed inDestiny 2besides its new location. Many old game systems are being reworked, with the expansion structure changing completely, and Bungie hopes that the new player experience will be significantly improved. There’s a lot to unpack.
The Edge of Fate Is Pushing Destiny 2’s Story the Furthest It’s Ever Gone
The Edge of Fate will be sending Guardians toKepler, a planetoid in the Oort Cloud, the location of a mysterious singularity. Little is known about Kepler itself, but it is deeply connected to dark matter, a substance that has been mentioned inDestiny’s lore before, and is now a central pillar of the expansion. Bungie has said that it is a place where dimensions are at their weakest, leading to historical artifacts washing up on Kepler, such as an enormous aircraft carrier and a school bus.
But Guardians are not going to Kepler by themselves; they’ve been summoned by The Nine, an ancient collective of mysterious entities made up of the very same dark matter, and possibly more. The Nine have been responsible for a few things inDestiny’s past, such as the whimsicalDares of Eternity, as well as assisting Ghaul in the Red War.
New and Returning Characters in the Edge of Fate
The expansion reveal kicked off with some cryptic messages delivered by theEmissary of The Nine, Orin, who has broken free of them to take back her free will. This could hint at some of the earliest story beats, showing how The Nine are not completely united, and the idea of Guardians making their own destiny. There may be a few other returning characters too, with Ikora confirmed, and The Drifter being hinted at. Lodi was revealed for the first time, appearing like a Guardian, though Bungie says he is from “a distant place.”
The Fallen and Vex Will Make Up the Primary Enemies
Returning after a long absence, and with a new look, is theFallen House of Exile, a uniquely leaderless house that disappeared many years ago, thought to be lost after the rise of the Scorn. It seems that these cast-out Fallen have resurfaced on Kepler, wielding Strand and Stasis, and rocking some powerful new weapons. The Vex have also made Kepler their home, studying The Nine for their secrets, already shown to be reshaping the planet into some familiar cubes. The Precursor Vex seem to be the most prevalent, suggesting some more time-travelling antics going on.
Kepler Uses Dark Matter Powers to Enhance Destiny 2’s Puzzle Solving
Guardians will be getting to grips with the dark matter on Kepler in the form of two new abilities, changing how environmental puzzles are handled.Mattermorph combines Strand and dark matterto let Guardians change the environment, enabling some extra platforming. Matterspark, on the other hand, turns the player into a ball of Arc energy, bouncing around and shocking enemies. Bungie has put in new tunnels, letting these Matterspark balls solve puzzles to navigate Kepler’s bizarre environment.
Armor 3.0 Is Going to Change Buildcrafting in Destiny 2
Bungie has recognized thatarmor hasn’t been a top priority amongDestinyplayersfor a few years now. Even with Artifice armor, activity bonuses, and mod reworks, endgame players had few reasons to chase new armor, except for aesthetic reasons, as many had complete builds. Conversely, the old armor 2.0 system presented a tough grind for newer players to get the best rolls, which were impossible to guarantee, and expensive to masterwork.
Armor 3.0 is coming toDestiny 2, throwing out much of the old system. Armor stats have been entirely reworked, replacing the old Strength, Discipline, and Intellect, etc, with more streamlined names like Melee, Grenade, and Super respectively. Stats will now be distributed in fives and tens, mitigating the problem of wasted stats, and can even go up to 200. The need to masterwork for maximum energy is gone, and armor from the same set provides a bonus depending on how many pieces are equipped.
Bungie has confirmed that exotic armor will be updated to the new system, but old armor won’t be, so in the short term, there is an emphasis on returning players grinding out new rolls. For newer players, this should hugely simplify armor, which has historically been one of the biggest pain points, and should level the playing field with the veterans.
Weapon and Armor Tiers Will Shake Up the Loot Chase
The Edge of Fate is adding a new tier system rarity inDestiny 2, with weapons and armor having five different tiers. Sinceweapon crafting arrived in The Witch Queen, a lot of non-craftable ones have felt inferior, and hopefully tiers offer a new way to reinvigorate the loot. Tiers will go up according to activity difficulty, giving a weapon better perks and stat splits according to Bungie. The studio also claims they will be necessary for taking on said harder activities. The fact that this also affects armor is interesting, and it’s unclear what is meant by better stat splits, but clearly Bungie recognizes that players often look for stat spikes in armor, and these might be more common in higher-tier armor.
Destiny 2’s Destination Screen Is Gone, and the Shooting Range Is Here
Reminiscent of whenhalf the planets disappeared during Season of Arrivals, the planets are being taken away again, replaced by the Portal. The Destinations tab was a memorable part of the UI, but a very confusing one at times, and Bungie has decided to replace it with a more streamlined interface that takes Guardians where they need to go. If that wasn’t enough, there’s going to be a shooting range for testing weapons and abilities against all kinds of foes without having to reload the same Lost Sector.
Where Final Shape was the culmination of everything that came before, The Edge of Fate should feel like a new beginning. There’s a lot coming in the Year of Prophecy, and this first expansion looks well-equipped to entice players to return, while hopefully convincing a few new ones to finally jump in. With Bungie teasing that the expansionRenegades will beDestiny 2’s homage toStar Wars, the future of the franchise is looking very interesting once again.
