Destiny 2.0 is the game that I’ve been waiting for

Say what you like about Destiny, a game that runs on Redbull, but right now it is running superbly. After a massive 18 gigglebyte patch, Destiny was essentially re-written for everybody. Whether you’re picking up The Taken King tomorrow or not, you’re in for a better Destiny experience.

And after playing around in the brave new world for the last week, I’m in love with the changes that I’ve seen so far.

Now everybody’s equal

Getting to level 34 in Destiny was a pain in the ass. You’d max out at level 32 with the year one expansions, and have to get your hands on Etheric Light, a substance that happened to be rarer than truthful internet ads. Now, everybody is on a level playing field, with your light level being less of an esoteric system of gauging your strength.

Slap the right gear on, and you’re good to go, thanks to a simple game of numbers, Mason.

Armsday

Wednesdays are now fun in Destiny. With the Gunsmith being given a useful role in the game, you can bet that you’ll be seeing more of him in year two. Specifically on Arms Day, where players can test out some mighty nice prototypes and earn some extra rank and rewards with the fella.

iPads

iPad pros, everywhere. Clearly, Destiny has seen the future of Apple.

Nolanborg

I’m most likely one of the few people who did enjoy Peter Dinklage’s performance as your trusty AI buddy, Ghost. Now, the Lannisteroids have sent their regards as Dinklage is out and industry favourite Nolan North is in.

And at first, it’s kind of weird. Unsettling even. But as I’m replaying quests, I’m getting over my Stockholm syndrome and starting to like Northbot as my new partner. He’s got a more subtle approach to voicing the absolute twaddle of a script in the game, and that’s growing on me.

At least until I manage to crack the game files, and replace North with a stereotypical Jozi boet. “JISSUS BRU, YOU’VE WOKEN THE V***IN HIVE HEY”.

Quests

Missions always felt like more of an obligation than a fun diversion in Destiny. Now, they’re actually interesting, while your Vanguard mentors serve as more than just tight-fisted givers of gear. Now, there’s an actual effort to put some narrative behind your quests, while the worst side-missions of the lot, Patrol, have been kicked out.

Instead of having to engage in the same six Patrol missions per bounty, players can now just go on actual reconnaissance and quickly complete those bounties by exploring and murdering their way across the Moon or the Cosmodrome. MUCH BETTER. There’s more to it, but it’s fun to also access quests which now reward players with proper incentives.

Vault space

Finally, space for all my crap. Look at it! LOOK AT IT! YOU LOOK! AT IT!

Bounty space

Speaking of space, being able to do ALL the bounties and hand them in at my leisure, is one of the features that I dig the most. Right now, I’ve got a stack of bounties all saved up, ready to be redeemed tomorrow when the level cap increases to 40. There’s no point in completing any of them right now, unless you got an Exotic waiting to gobble up all those experience points. Speaking of exotics…

Proper rewards for procrastinators

Now granted, this isn’t something that happened to everyone, but if you had any outstanding Exotic weapon bounties, then you were in for a treat. Because Destiny just rewarded you with those guns. That’s right, I had bounties for Bad Juju, Thorn and Invective waiting to be finished. Hell, I hadn’t even started them. And then Destiny just handed them over to me.

I’m purely gloating right now, but WHATEVS. I HAVE A THORN AT LONG LAST!

The Crucible

Guys, go play Mayhem. Seriously. It’s Destiny turned up to 11, with Supers recharging too quick and everybody getting a golden bullet in the face while domes are popped just as void bombs are hurled. It’s pure madness, but the best kind of madness. As for Rift, it’s just one Boomshakalaka away from being the NBA Jam sequel that I’ve been craving lately.

Factions

Plainly speaking, Factions were a pain in the ass. Now, they’re actually a useful part of the game eco-system, with your reputation towards a given faction not being reliant on some bad fashion for once. I’m with Dead Orbit right now, based purely on the fact that they’re led by Peter Stormare.

The game isn’t perfect though, I’ll be the first to admit that. For starters, I miss the Wolf patrols that yielded Ether-Chests, Eris Morn seems to have packed up her bounties and tracking down House of Wolf traitors for treasure keys seems to be dead right now. Hopefully those are issues which can be ironed out soon.

But after a rocky first year, I’m excited for the next big adventure in Destiny. Come Tuesday, I’ll be ready for a taste of regicide.

Last Updated: September 14, 2015