Destiny 2: Lightfall Next Week, Free ‘Witch Queen’ Weekend
The next chapter in the saga of Light and Dark is coming next week and this weekend is the perfect time to play catch-up.
Next Tuesday Bungie’s hit looter-shooter Destiny 2 is getting its next major yearly expansion with Destiny 2: Lightfall. The launch trailer dropped yesterday and it’s got fans of the game (like me) HYPED.
“The Witness and its newest Disciple are here. Begin a journey that will reveal the hidden threads that bind us, the ability to unravel them, and the mastery to weave them anew. With this new power in hand, find strength in your fellow Guardians and triumph in the face of annihilation.”
Destiny 2: Lightfall Is A Game Changer
If you watched that video and didn’t know what was going on I’m sorry to say that we can’t catch you up on all the events that are happening. Frankly, there’s just too much to cover. On the lore side there’s so much happening that’s it’s mind blowing. Anyone who says Destiny 2 doesn’t have a story clearly hasn’t been playing. If they have and still say that then they probably skips the cutscenes, don’t read the in game lore or quest tabs, and then ask their fireteam what the next thing they have to do is.
The long and short of it is that The Witness (aka smokey-headed alien) has finally arrived with the Pyramid Ships to wage war on the Guardians (aka the players) and The Traveler (the big white/silver sphere in the sky). This is a super simplified explanation and if you really want to get into the lore you can check out the youtube channel My name is Byf for more lore than you can shake a stick at.
On the gameplay side…holy crap. Destiny 2 is about to feel like an entirely new game. First and most flashy is the new subclass coming to the game: Strand. This new power taps into the cosmic threads that bind everything and allow the Guardians to weave new weapons and powers into some awesome looking abilities. The devs have described this subclass as the “AMP” class or Actions Per Minute class. That means if you can juggle all your abilities well you’re going to be very busy with some exciting frenetic gameplay.
From what I’ve seen thus far Strand plays like a Spider-man game…but with Space Lasers. And yes, that includes web-slinging gameplay and crazy air-maneuvers. But it’s not just Strand that’s changing the game. Bungie has taken some lessons learned from The Witch Queen campaign and applied that to Lightfall.
Core System Changes
There’s a jump in difficulty coming. The good news is that there is still “normal” mode but the top end is getting more challenging. There’s a change to the weapon crafting that was introduced in Witch Queen. Buildcrafting is about to get easier and crazier! And the abilities and subclasses are getting more tweaks and changes.
Last week, Bungie released their ViDoc covering a bunch of the stuff coming to Lightfall. If you’re a lapsed player it’s going to make a lot more sense and hopefully explain a bunch of those changes coming.
Free Witch Queen Weekend
With all that said and all those videos to watch it’s …a lot. So what if you just want to give the game a try? Well good news: you can play The Witch Queen standard edition for free this weekend.
Keep in mind that the current state of the game doesn’t include the new Lightfall stuff. That’s next week. But this weekend is a golden opportunity to get in there and explore the game. Plus, The Witch Queen storyline and campaign is one of the best ones from both the lore perspective and gameplay/campaign play — and it’s not going anywhere either (ie, no content vaulting). If you were a Halo fan back in the Bungie-era days, then you really should give The Witch Queen a go. Preferably with a friend or two (and the challenge will scale for you all).
Eyes up, Guardian. Because it’s about to go down!
