Destiny: FIN

[vamecum]

not having a matchmaking option on story missions, or maybe even on patrol as well, is just horrible.It seems awesome to play with friends, but it's a hazzle to round up enough friends with ps4, destiny and time to play at the same time. Some of the missions later in the game feels awesome, but the first twelve levels feels a bit of a grind. The core is great though, but the rest could have made it a legendary game.

[Graham S]

Im only level four so Im still quite the noob but does anyone know how the charge for the Fist of Havoc works? Every now and then Ill get a notification that Im charged but is it time based or is it conditional on the amount of Fallen Ive killed?

Yeah, kills and a few other things. A good one is when a team mate unleashes their special, depending on how many enemies they get with it they generate some orbs of light. You'll get a message on the HUD when this happens. You can walk over them to get more charge.

[V3zna]

I found myself in a random fireteam from here on Venus just now. I have no idea how I joined it, or even that I was in a fireteam for a few minutes, but it was good fun! We beat one public event together, and held or own on a second before it got a bit nuts.

Sorry for the hasty exit after that. If I realised what was going on I'd have stuck around for longer, but I'm an idiot.

We joined up with you when you where out on patrol. Public events seem a bit too rare but we got involved with two, minutes apart. I'd imagine Bungie will tweak the frequency of these events.

[FiveFootNinja]

Three including ones self - but you mean slots?

Sorry, I'll clarify. There are 3 trophies that are class specific. Therefore if you wanted all three trophies you'd need to max out the two other classes alongside your main character.

Great picture. Someone has been hacking my iCloud selfies again.

[K]

I’d be interested to read a post-mortem on this game, if only to see what happened with the story. I struggle to believe that it’s the way it is on purpose. Like, last night I reached a mid-game location that appears to exist solely to host a lengthy cutscene, with full face-acting, mo-capped animation, and attempts at building character and story intrigue; this is in such stark contrast to the first half of the game, where you have very short cutscenes involving characters that are wearing helmets or masks, that it makes me suspect that the big mid-game cutscene is the remnant of something much grander and more elaborate.

The early cutscenes, with their complete lack of any facial animation, look like last minute replacements for stuff that Bungie had to scrap, especially given how much effort and resource they put into the story bits in the last few Halo games. Plus, there are all these name actors who seem to have been employed solely to say “What can I do for you, Guardian?” in the Tower (which is also weirdly elaborate given that it’s basically a fancy menu). All wild speculation of course – maybe Bungie just decided to change focus on the game. Joe Staten was the key driver behind the cinematic stuff, and he’s left Bungie to work at Microsoft, so maybe that explains it.

But there’s also the fact that the original Halo had a fairly bobbins and minimalist story - I was quite disappointed at the time, given that it was Bungie and their previous stab at an SF FPS was the Marathon trilogy. It wasn’t quite as bobbins and minimalist as the story in Destiny, but I remember a fair bit of criticism at the time for being so basic. Halo’s story was the result of Bungie having to rip out so much stuff to get it released, and this seems to be a bit of a running theme for Bungie – colossal ambition, tempered by immovable release dates. Maybe the same thing happened with Destiny.

[Eighthours]

Would anyone like to join my Fireteam for the Earth Strike tonight at around 9.30pm? I'm Level 8 and need one other person who's at a similar level. Most of you seem waaaaaaay ahead of me, I need to catch up!

[Uncle Mike]

I have to say, all my early bewilderment has totally dissipated as the game has got its hooks into me. I'm a level 16 Titan, and I only really put any significant time into it over the weekend, but it's gone from fun but underwhelming to fun and awesome and compelling somewhere around the end of the Moon story (around level 10, I guess.)

I'm just starting to see how it all plays together. How the bounties and the modes and the loot and the patrols all fit in. I wonder how much of the underwhelm at the start is due to repetition from the Beta.

But yeah. It's not a great opening, I think. Given that getting to 20 is basically a heavy weekend's work, I wonder if they'd have been better off giving you a bit more access to your abilities earlier on, because not having grenades or double jump or the Super means the opening couple of Story missions are dull as fuck.

But then the game kicks in, and like K said, you find yourself doing an awesome mission. That first Venus mission-end was amazing. The couple towards the end of the Moon are brilliant.

I do still think the Tower could be better though. It's all too spaced-out and empty. Running from Cryptarch to Gunsmith to Bounty dude is fine, but then visiting the Vanguard dudes, the Quartermaster, the Shipwright and (once I get there) the various faction dudes takes too much time.

Once I'm up there, do people know whether you're likely to join a faction and stick with it? Or are you always chop-and-changing?

I just want to be playing it now.

Up for some action if anyone wants me tonight.

[Moz]

FYI

Preview any shader on your character here:

http://db.destinytracker.com/Character

[K]

I do still think the Tower could be better though. It's all too spaced-out and empty. Running from Cryptarch to Gunsmith to Bounty dude is fine, but then visiting the Vanguard dudes, the Quartermaster, the Shipwright and (once I get there) the various faction dudes takes too much time.

There are bits where you have to go back to the tower to give a thing to someone, and then they give you a thing to take to someone else so that they can give you a thing, and it's like you're a work experience kid and they're taking the piss.

But yeah, it seems a bit weird that almost everything I have to say about the game is negative, but at the same time playing it is a complete joy. It seems to only properly ignite when you get to Venus, although maybe that's just because I played the Moon and Old Russia in the beta.

[Uncle Mike]

Oh God, yeah, like "here's a chit for a new gun, go see the Gunsmith" or "The Bounty guy sent you a message" (which you can't pick up unless you're only carrying 4 bounties) go see him for a bounty" So you end up seeing the bounty guy to turn in the bounty, running to the Postmaster then back to the Bounty chap. And then it's not any different to the ones he's already got.

Grr.

[Pob]

The 'dungeons' on the moon seem much more interesting than those in Old Russia, so maybe that explains it. Old Russia is mostly identikit dingy, rusty corridors, whereas the moon has the huge, elaborate underground chambers full of alien machinery.

[Banjaxed]

I've got about 80 vanguard marks now, I was grinding vanguard rep to get the level 2 (to buy items from the warlock shopkeeper) but ran out of bounties. A few more bounties tonight (after the refresh) and I'll be able to buy my first bit of purple gear. Just in time for vault of glass, eh banjaxed?

Got a drop if purple gauntlets last night. Was disappointed that they only had 14 light (my blue ones had 13). Wondering if the light level of armour increases as u level it up? Hit level 24 last night without making any swaps to my armour.

Not sure I will make it to 26 in time for the start of Vault of Glass but should make it at some stage this week. Looking forward to it. Think it's going to be like the first time we attempted that weekly strike x 10!!

[p1nseeker]

How many of us are at around level 25? Looking at getting a group together for the raid.

[Moz]

Yeah, adding more defense increases the light level on the items too I think.

Someone on Reddit posted this interesting observation...

There are 2 factions missing (Osiris and Seven Seraphs), MoreConsole said "The Reef is not empty! Bungie is still keeping it a secret! ", "When speaking about his in-game character, Joseph Staten claimed that he'd "Turned in every possible bounty to the Queen of the Reef.", this image shows guardians in a purple area, possibly the reef? There is also a big circle surrounding nothing in the reef, and the Tower is listed in the "Social" category, implying there are multiple. Thoughts?

This implies there's another social/quest hub in the reef, possibly a proper quest environment too. This ties into the Queens Wrath stuff listed as for September

This is an image from the first trailer:

Seems like they've built a lot more content than we got day one, and are slowly dishing it out. A steady influx of new stuff to do will be more than enough to keep me playing.

[Lovelyman]

Details of the public events (sorry if it's already been posted):

http://destinynews.net/public-event-schedule/

Totally agree about the Tower. Should be able to do it all from a menu if you want, instead of going there.

[Moz]

Nah, you should have to go there, but you should be able to do it at any time and without three minutes of loading screen. Like the town portal scrolls in Diablo 3.

[Lovelyman]

Yeah, the loading is baaad.

[routeburn]

Haven't followed this thread at all but I am fucking loving this game. Bought a new PS4 for the bedroom for it.

Any particularly good deal locally? I'm holding off for either a "killer app" or excellent deal on PS4.

[Takizawa]

I like the way the postmaster gets loot items you forgot to pick up or missed during a mission, presumably that's how it works anyway!

[englishbob]

I’d be interested to read a post-mortem on this game, if only to see what happened with the story.

There's a story?

[Opinionated Ham Scarecrow]

Can someone kindly remind me what to do with spinmetal /spirit bloom and the like?

Thx

[p1nseeker]

I think you can exchange them for crucible marks and/or rep with the crucible quartermaster iirc.

[Takizawa]

Can someone kindly remind me what to do with spinmetal /spirit bloom and the like?

Thx

I've been handing them in to the Vanguard Quartermaster for reputation.

[Nespresso]

Polygon Gives it a 6/10, saying:

Arthur's take

As Destiny begins, it's practically aching from all the potential it carries. There's all the hallmarks of epic sci-fi, with the human race under fire and almost extinct from an alien threat, protected in turn by a mysterious alien savior, called the Traveler. As Destiny's music builds and swells and the tiny robotic Ghost voiced by Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage raises you literally from the dead, there's a magic present that Bungie hasn't executed on so well since the original Halo's second mission.

It's not just the production values, though those are evident immediately — Destiny doesn't look real, but rather, it looks like painted concept art, meticulously assembled and presented to you at all times. Instead, it's the suggestion, through Destiny's concept, its soundtrack and its visual presentation, that Destiny is big. That there's a whole universe out there to explore, a reality worth discovering.There isn't, though.

Good write up and seems pretty spot on. Especially about the longer fights. Jesus lord almight, saw one at a friends' house who then asked me to take over after he died. "Maybe next time" I said.

[Down by Law]

Made a couple of videos via the PS4. First a little tour of Venus and the amazing skyboxes and architecture. It's at this point I began to love the game.

The second video is blowing stuff apart. Much fun.

[Moz]

I don't think the story is even remotely over. It's just a shame the intro to the world and story contained in the day one content is terribly handled and delivered.

Can someone kindly remind me what to do with spinmetal /spirit bloom and the like?

Thx

Scrounge up 50 of them and swap them for reputation.

[Gigga]

Played a bit last night, didn't really enjoy it as everything was a bit hard to tackle on my own and I didn't really see any other people.

I continue to hate the progression towards the next generation, I just want to keep playing on my 360 but I can't :'(

[Down by Law]

I've played it all Solo on PS4 and really enjoyed it. Other than the Strike missions which are arguably impossible solo I wouldn't say you've missed much out.

[Loki]

Polygon Gives it a 6/10, saying:

Good write up and seems pretty spot on. Especially about the longer fights. Jesus lord almight, saw one at a friends' house who then asked me to take over after he died. "Maybe next time" I said.

What's up VN1X? No one around to play Titanfall with you any more?

I'm loving this at the moment though myself. Currently have a 20 Titan and 16 Hunter. The Ward of Dawn special for the Guardian subclass is amazingly good for PvP. I solo defended a node against four enemies the other day by simply popping it down on the captured node and waiting for them to come into it before smacking them in the face (which gives me a further absorb and ultra quick reload time). Was quite amusing.

[Teeohbee]

Jesus lord almight, saw one at a friends' house who then asked me to take over after he died. "Maybe next time" I said.

Cool, keep us posted on other occasions where you nearly play Destiny.