Early access to the Destiny 2 beta is now on-going for PlayStation 4 users, and we’ve already sampled the delights of Bungie’s shared-world shooter teaser to bring you some of the highlights from the highly anticipated alien shooter.
While gamers are able to get stuck into some Crucible matches or tackle a brand new Strike, one of the biggest highlights is of course the Homecoming mission. This action-packed story mission sets up Destiny 2’s core narrative, which sees the Tower devastated by a pack of decidedly nasty Cabal warriors known as the Red Legion. It’s a cracking mission, and full of some great moments that we’ve dissected below.
Here’s five highlights from the Destiny 2 beta Homecoming mission.
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Cayde-6 is a total badass
One of the chief criticisms of the original Destiny was its lack of memorable characters, with many of the game’s cast lacking distinct personalities and punch dialogue. Not so with Destiny 2. Voiced by Nathan Fillion, Cayde-6, the Hunter Vanguard, is easily the best thing to happen to Bungie’s shared-world shooter in terms of its principle cast, as he immediately stamps down his authority and sheer badassery when the Tower is set upon by the Red Legion. Whether it’s his sharp wit, wise-cracking nature, or fighting prowess with the Golden Gun, Cayde-6 is easily one of the highlights of the Homecoming mission and one of our favorite things about Destiny 2.
Picking up your first Exotic weapon
Destiny players know that laying your hands on an Exotic weapon is a thing of beauty, and that’s no different with the sequel. Fortunately, Homecoming give us as a chance to get our grubby mitts on a few Exotic weapons, one for each class in fact. We played as a Titan during our first playthrough, and as such picked up the mini-gun known as Sweet Business. Other weapons available include Sunshot and Riskrunner for the Hunter and Warlock classes, respectively. Needless to say, we’re eager to find out what other rare weapons the game has in store, as what we’ve tried out has certainly whet our appetite.
Seeing our favorite hangouts destroyed
The first part of Homecoming takes place in the Tower itself, and takes us through a number of locations both new and old. However, while it was intriguing to see some areas of the Guardian stronghold that we hadn’t seen below (albeit completely destroyed), it was particularly shocking to revisit old haunts, such as the Tower hanger and the main social hub, which have now been reduced to smouldering wrecks. After spending so much time in the Tower in the original Destiny, seeing areas including the Cryptarch’s bench, storage vaults, and Eververse Trading Company desk as burnt out husks as Cabal ships encroach on the Traveller in the background really make for standout moments. Indeed, it’s a far cry from the days of chilling with Guardians under blue skies without a care in the world as we plan our next mission. RIP Tower, we’ll miss you.
The Cabal mean business
While we already knew that The Cabal would be returning in Destiny 2, it wasn’t until we went hands on with the beta that we realised just how much they’ve been given an upgrade. Sure, you still have your standard grunts to blow heads off in that satisfying puff of oily smoke, but Bungie has really gone to town on creating a more fearsome unit to battle against this time around. There’s the flame-throwing Incendiors for starters, which can roast Guardians at long range and take quite a beating themselves unless you manage to shoot them in their vulnerable spot on their backs. We also had to battle against some pretty meaty sub-boss characters who took quite a beating even with our most powerful weapons, with the melee-based Gladiator one of the most formidable opponents we encountered. All in all, it looks like we’re in for a tough fight to reclaim our Light.
Cinematic qualities we haven’t seen before
Not only does Destiny 2 prove that Bungie is serious about crafting a more cohesive storyline, but it also provides a succinct look at its cinematic flare, which frankly blow its predecessor out of the water. Right off the bat, we’re treated to some epic battles that wouldn’t look out of place in the latest sci-fi blockbuster, with adrenaline-fueled ship battles and fierce gun battles punctuating the bread-and-butter combat as you press through the remnants of this once-mighty stronghold. In the background, the Traveller comes under attack from the Cabal as flaming debris rains from the sky, while massive sphere-like contraptions drop fresh enemy reinforcements for you to take care of. It’s remarkably sleek stuff, and clearly shows that Bungie is throwing everything at its production budget this time around.
