Bungie's highly anticipated shooter Destiny 2 is finally here, and we'll have lots of coverage in the days and weeks ahead. For now, we're collecting all the big details to know about, including our review in progress, recent news stories, and other key particulars. You can keep checking back with this story as we learn more about the shooter.
Editor Kallie Plagge spent 20 hours playing Destiny 2 and came away feeling generally impressed and eager to keep playing. She is starting again now that the game is in a live environment and will document her progress in a Destiny 2 review diary (now updated for day three) over the next few days as she plays more. You can look for Kallie's full review in the days ahead.
Destiny 2 Review
"I haven't finished the main story yet, but so far it's a clear improvement over Destiny's much-maligned storytelling," Kallie said. "Like the beta, Destiny 2 begins with an attack on The Tower by a Cabal faction called the Red Legion. But rather than being thrust into situations with little to no context, as was so often the case in Destiny, each mission of the Red War arc has objectives that make sense within both the mission itself and the grand scheme. Locating a missing Cayde-6, for example, is important to the fight against the Red Legion, since he's a powerful Hunter. But fighting waves of Vex to get to him also makes sense, as he's trapped in a Vex teleporter, and that small bit of context makes that moment feel distinct from others where you're killing the same enemies."
For Destiny veterans, a lot has changed in Destiny 2, while the game will also see many newcomers to the series. Whichever boat you fall in, we'll have plenty of guides to help you succeed in the days and weeks ahead.
Unlike the first Destiny, Destiny 2 is available only for new-generation consoles, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It's also coming to PC, but not until October 24. Returning players will get rewards and a nice little memorial.
Destiny is available in Standard, Digital Deluxe, and a Game + Expansion Pass Bundle. The Digital Deluxe edition comes with a Legendary emote and the Cabal Empire-themed emblem. It also includes the Expansion Pass, which comes with two expansions to be released later. The Game + Expansion Pass Bundle is pretty self-explanatory.
Here are the prices:
Standard -- $60/£55/$100 AU
Game + Expansion Pass Bundle --$90/£80/$140 AU
Digital Deluxe -- $100/£90/$150 AU
People who pre-ordered Destiny 2 will receive the Coldheart Exotic rifle, the Kill-Tracker Ghost, and the Salute emote.
According to Destiny 2's store pages, the game weighs in at 30.9 GB on PS4 and 34.98 GB on Xbox One. The PC version's file size may end up being larger, but we don't know yet.
What Is And Isn't Available In Destiny 2 Now?
While Destiny 2's first Raid, Trials, Guided Games, and in-game Clan features are not available, you can play the full campaign and the Crucible multiplayer mode. Additionally, Destiny 2's first Nightfall Strike is available now.
The raid kicks off at 10 AM PT / 1 PM ET / 6 PM BST on September 13 (3 AM AET on September 14 in Australia). Trials will become available at the same time on September 15 (16 in Australia). The in-game Clan features will go live in the next several days, Bungie said, but for now you can access Clan-management systems through Bungie's website.
If you're willing to take a break from leveling up, the Farm social space holds an intriguing secret that you might have overlooked. [More details and mild spoilers here]
How To Kill Those Annoying Phalanx Enemies
In the original Destiny, defeating Phalanxes usually involved either chucking a grenade behind them, or shooting the tiny bit of arm visible sticking outside their shields. In Destiny 2, they've been granted a brand new weak spot, smack in the middle of those shields. Ping that glowing spot with a few shots and the shields retract, stunning the jerks in the process. [Lots more details here]
Known Issues, Technical Problems, And Server Queues
Destiny 2's release is poised to be massive, likely straining the game's servers. To allow for a better experience, Bungie is using a system MMO players are familiar with: server queues. Bungie has warned that players may not be able to immediately access the game. In order to "regulate player population to provide stable conditions for Destiny gameplay," server queues can pop up in Destiny 2 just as they could in the previous game. In other words, you may have to wait in line before you can play. Additionally, there are a number of issues to be aware of.
One of the shortcomings of Destiny 1 was that content was not released fast enough to meet players' expectations. For the sequel, Bungie is working with outside studios like High Moon and Vicarious Visions to create and release content faster. We know there are two paid expansions coming, and recently, a leak suggested the first expansion is called The Curse of Osiris and will be out in December. It'll supposedly add a patrol zone on Mercury, a social space, and a storyline centered around Osiris.
Keep checking back with GameSpot in the days and weeks ahead for lots more on Destiny 2.
Like in the original game, Exotics are the most desirable items for you to obtain in Destiny 2. While you're sure to get your hands on some through loot drops from enemies or chests, there are also those that you can obtain through a specific process.
There will likely be more uncovered in the days and weeks ahead, but to help kickstart your Exotic collection, we've rounded up the ways in which you can get your hands on several right now. You're guaranteed to get one piece of armor fairly early on by completing story missions, but these guides should give you some targets to aim for (or an idea of what's required if you want something specific). One word of caution: You may want to wait before completing quests that reward you with an Exotic, as your Power level will determine how strong it is. By waiting, you'll ensure you get a higher-level weapon without needing to infuse it.
We'll continue to update this guide with more walkthroughs in the days ahead. For more, check out our roundup of Destiny 2 guides, tips, and tricks.
Coldheart (Exotic Trace Rifle)
Coldheart is very straightforward to obtain: if you pre-ordered the game, you'll get it--eventually. As with the bonuses for purchasing Destiny 2's Deluxe edition, you first need to complete the campaign. Once you've done so, you can simply head to the Gunsmith (located at the Farm) to acquire it.
Sturm (Exotic Hand Cannon)
Once again, completing the campaign is a prerequisite for getting your hands on Sturm. With that out of the way, head to Nessus and start the mission O Captain (at Exodus Black, near Failsafe). Make your way through it and you'll receive the sidearm Drang, and then receive a request to talk to Rahool. You'll have to bring him a number of Engrams--five Legendaries and one Exotic--and kill 10 Fallen on Nessus using Drang. Rahool will then send you to Tyra Karn at the Farm, who will send you to Nessus to kill 10 Fallen without reloading (though it seems you can kill a few, reload, and then kill a few more to make progress). After that, you'll have to 10 powerful Fallen on Nessus using Drang. Head back to Tyra and she'll send you to the Exodus Crash Strike on Nessus where you have to kill the Servitor named Kendriks-7. Go back to Tyra, and Sturm is yours.
MIDA Multi-Tool (Scout Rifle)
Again, you'll need to complete the campaign to qualify for this. Work your way through the various missions available in the European Dead Zone, culminating in the mission titled Enhance, which will net you the MIDA Mini-Tool. (Take note that this step involving Enhance is currently bugged--make sure you have more than one Energy Weapon slot available when completing the quest.) With that in hand, head to Banshee-44 at the Farm to receive a new mission: using a scout rifle, land 50 precisions shots and then get 25 multi-kills without reloading. Go back to Banshee-44 for the next quest, which tasks you with dismantling five Rare (or better) scout rifles. Returning to Banshee-44 will give you another quest, this time to rack up 50 kills while in mid-air with the MIDA Mini-Tool. With that complete, see Banshee-44 for your new MIDA Multi-Tool.
Destiny 2 developer Bungie has confirmed it's aware of another issue with the game and is currently on the case to fix it. The official Bungie Help Twitter account today acknowledged a problem where the MIDA Mini-Tool does not get sent to the Postmaster after completing the "Enhance" quest.
Until a fix is made, you can prevent this issue from happening by making sure you have more than one Energy weapon inventory slots available when you complete the quest, Bungie said on its support site. Presumably a permanent fix is coming later.
Destiny 2's release has not gone entirely to plan. In addition to this issue, others have cropped up as well--you can see a rundown of all the known issues and a list of what's been fixed right here. Despite whatever problems there have been, Destiny 2 welcomed "millions" of players in its first few days, so there is no question that the game is a big hit.
In other Destiny 2 news, Bungie has published a roadmap image that shows all the activities and new content coming to the game this month. Additionally, Bungie released the game's entire, 33-track soundtrack online for everyone to listen to.
The lingo of Destiny 2 can feel like a foreign language to those new to the series, even for shooter and RPG fans. Do you not know your Cryptarchs from your Shaders? We have you covered with this list of definitions, including terms new to even Destiny vets, like Bright Dust. Once you've gotten a handle of everything from Engrams to Glimmer, be sure to check out the rest of our Destiny 2 guides.
Adventures are quests that are smaller than story missions, but larger than mere patrols. You can find them while exploring the solar system's various destinations.
Arc/Solar/Void
Arc, solar, and void are the elements of the world of Destiny 2. Subclasses, energy, and power weapons have elemental affinities, and they affect how well your attacks and abilities work against enemies with shields of the corresponding color. Solar weapons and solar subclass grenades, for example, work most effectively on enemies with orange shields.
Bright Dust
Bright Dust is a special currency you get by dismantling items received in Bright Engrams. It can be used to purchase specific items from Tess Everis and her Eververse store.
Challenges
Challenges are location or activity-specific goals available after a certain point in the story. You can view them while in the field or playing in the Crucible by bringing up your Ghost--tapping the touchpad on PS4 or the select button on Xbox One.
The Collapse
The Collapse is Destiny's name for the apocalypse--a catastrophic event when the Darkness arrived, destroying most of humanity's solar system-wide civilization and bringing an end to the Golden Age.
Commander's Blessing
Commander's Blessing is a buff received at the Farm when you complete a series of seemingly random, but oddly connected, steps. You can also receive it in passing from players who've completed said steps. Check out our guide to learn more.
Consumables
Consumables are one-time-use items that grant a variety of effects. Tokens and Gunsmith Materials fall into this category, as well as other items, like the Scout Reports you can buy from Cayde.
Cryptarch
A Cryptarch, like Tyra Karn in the Farm, can decrypt encrypted Engrams for you, turning them into gear.
Crucible
The main adversarial PvP area of Destiny 2. Participating here will complete Milestones and you're also rewarded with experience and loot for playing.
Darkness
The Darkness is the opposite of the Light. It's a vague term for bad guys in Destiny's universe; the worse a bad guy is, the more they've embraced the Darkness. It's not Destiny's most original writing.
Director
The Director is the interface that includes the map screen (and your Milestones), your Destinations (the solar system map), and your Roster, which includes your friends list, clan list, and players currently in your game. It's accessed by holding down the touchpad on PS4 or the view/select button on Xbox One.
Dusklight Shard
Dusklight Shards are items you can find in the European Dead Zone on Earth and turn in to Devrim Kay for reputation. They look like white crystals.
Energy Weapons
Energy weapons are your secondary weapon slot, accessed by tapping triangle on PS4 or Y on Xbox One. They can be the same weapon types as primary weapons--auto rifles, hand cannons, scout rifles, pulse rifles, submachine guns, and sidearms--but with an elemental affinity (arc, solar, or void).
Engrams
Engrams are the hexagonal items you find out in the field, color-coded to the rarity of the equipment they hold, the rarest being purple for legendary gear and golden/yellow for exotic gear. Some engrams appear automatically as items in your inventory, while others need to be brought to a Cryptarch to decrypt. Bright engrams, which hold special items like shaders and ornaments (and rarer loot) can only be decrypted by Tess Everis.
Exotic
The rank of the rarest items in Destiny 2.
Fireteam
Your Fireteam is the squad of Guardian teammates you're currently playing with. When you add players to your Fireteam, they stay with you when you change activities, like going to orbit or starting a new mission. Fireteam members share objectives and map markers. Random players added to your team through matchmaking aren't automatically in your Fireteam; you have to invite them, or set your Fireteam to "public" in the roster tab of the Director to let them join you manually.
Ghost
Your Ghost is the tiny floating robot who brought you back to life, heals you, and keeps up the chatter throughout the game. It's voiced by Uncharted actor Nolan North, although in the original Destiny it used to sound different.
Glimmer
Glimmer is Destiny 2's main currency, the universal cash of the solar system. Spend it freely, because it's easy to get.
Gunsmith Materials
Gunsmith Materials are like Tokens, but for the Gunsmith character. In other words, trade them with the Gunsmith for reputation.
Infusion
Infusion is the process by which you raise your gear's Power level. It's only available on Legendary or Exotic weapons and armor. If you have another piece of comparable equipment with a higher Power level, you can infuse that gear into the lower-level equipment, raising its Power. Infusion uses Legendary Shards and Glimmer.
Legendary Shards
Legendary Shards are used to infuse weapons and armor, raising their Power level by sacrificing a higher-level piece of gear. Obtain them by dismantling Legendary and Exotic equipment.
Light
Light is the Traveler's power that, in turn, gives Guardians their power. It's a general force of good that manifests itself in various types of space magic, from flaming hammers to deadly balls of void energy. It also reanimates dead people and turns them into Guardians. Don't think too hard about it.
Microphasic Datalattice
Microphasic Datalattices are items you can find on Nessus and turn in to Failsafe for reputation. They look like glowing white glitches floating in the air.
Milestones
Milestones are Destiny 2's quests and other goals. You can view them by holding the left trigger on the map or destinations tabs of the Director.
Mods
Mods are new to Destiny 2. You can apply them to weapons and armor to grant various effects, from improving certain stats to changing the element of a gun. Beware, they're one-time-use.
Patrols
Patrols are available after a specific point in the story. They're smaller subquests that involve a single goal, such as killing a specific number of enemies or reaching a certain point on the map and scanning something. Their rewards are proportionally small, but they can be easily grabbed from Patrol beacons and accomplished while you're focusing on bigger goals.
Power
Power is the number you see next to your name and level in most situations. It's an average of the Power numbers on all your gear, including weapons and armor. You should always be working to increase your Power, as some activities can't be accessed until you hit a certain level. If you played the original Destiny, you'll be familiar with this concept, although it used to be called your Light Level.
Power Weapons
Power weapons include the weapon types that don't go in the primary or energy slots: rocket launchers, shotguns, sniper rifles, fusion rifles, swords, grenade launchers, and more. Access them by holding the weapon swap button.
Raid
Raids are Destiny 2's ultimate challenge, six-person missions that are far more difficult and complex than story missions or strikes, with unique and valuable rewards. Destiny 2's first raid, Leviathan, will become available Sept. 30. Make sure you're ready for it!
Reputation
Reputation is your standing with various factions and characters. Increase it by giving them your tokens. Each new level gets you another reward.
Shaders
Shaders are one-time-use items that change the color of a weapon, piece of armor, or vehicle when applied. They can be acquired a variety of ways, including from Bright Engrams.
Sparrow
Sparrows are light ground vehicles that Guardians can summon at will by pulling up their Ghost (tap the touchpad on PS4 or the view/select button on Xbox One) and holding square (PS4) or X (Xbox One). They're available after you complete the story, or, if you're lucky, from a Bright Engram once you hit level 20.
Strikes
Strikes are longer missions that are more challenging than typical story quests. Luckily, that also means greater rewards.
Tokens
Tokens increase your standing with specific factions or characters when you speak to those characters and hand them over. You can acquire them in a huge variety of ways, from opening chests in various locations to completing Crucible matches. Earning enough reputation with factions generally rewards an Engram.
The Traveller
The Traveler is an important figure in Destiny's lore. It's the big, white orb that floats over the Last City, and the source of the Light that gives Guardians their power. In Destiny 2, Ghaul assaults the Traveler, setting the game's story in motion.
Upgrade Points
Upgrade points let you unlock new subclass abilities. They're shared between subclasses, so use them wisely. You get them when you level up, until you reach level 20, at which point they're more difficult to get.
Xur
Xur is a mysterious vendor, an "Agent of the Nine" who appears sporadically to sell rare exotic wares. It's unknown ahead of time where he'll appear or what his inventory will hold, but it's always worth seeking him out.
The fall TV season is just getting started, and there are a lot of new and returning shows coming to a television screen near you. However, it's almost too much, so what should you invest your time in? There is a lot to choose from, but don't worry, we have you covered.
Over the course of the next couple months, we'll be looking at a selection of new series and seasons and giving you a quick breakdown of what is worth watching and what you should pass on. This week, we're talking about American Horror Story, Total Bellas, You're The Worst, and Bojack Horseman.
American Horror Story: Cult (FX)
While the first episode of American Horror Story: Cult has already aired, the story is still a bit of a mystery. It primarily follows two not-so-average citizens on the opposite sides of the political spectrum: Kai Anderson (Evan Peters) is a right-wing, Trump loving potential sociopath, and Ally Mayfair-Richards (Sarah Paulson) is a left-wing, liberal in the midst of a complete mental breakdown. There's also a whole bunch of clowns in the episode, but we're unsure at this point if they're real or all in Ally's--and her son's--head.
Like most season openers for American Horror Story, the episode is confusing and doesn't give a full-scope view of what's to come. The show merely offers a taste of what it has to offer and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats, guessing what everything means. However, there is some connective tissue between seasons here as Twisty The Clown (John Carroll Lynch) reappears and is just as murderous as he was in Season 4, Freak Show. What I really loved about this opener was the inclusion of clowns, since roaming, evil-looking clowns were actually reported across the country throughout last year, so the creators are playing with two different real-life aspects of American life from 2016. There is a lot of complexity within this first episode that makes me think this season has some legs on it.
Is It Worth Watching?: If you are one of the people with Coulrophobia, then Cult will be terrifying to sit through; however, this should be a great season. The only problem is that AHS has a tendency to lose its momentum at the halfway point of its seasons.
American Horror Story: Cult airs Tuesdays at 10 PM ET on FX. Seasons 1-5 are available to stream on Hulu and Netflix. Season 6 has not been released yet.
Total Bellas (E!)
The Season 2 opener for the WWE reality series--a spinoff of the successful Total Divas--follows Brie Bella's pregnancy, while Nikki Bella and boyfriend John Cena figure out whether or not to temporarily move to Phoenix in order to help Brie out. She wants to get maternity photos taken, and husband Daniel Bryan struggles with his wife's over-involvement with social media. In addition, the Bella brother JJ is struggling with his marriage and is temporarily separated from his wife.
The second season opener for Total Bellas is a quick reminder that not everything that has the WWE stamp on it is for me. While reality television isn't necessarily my cup of tea, Total Divas has been a fun experience for the past couple of seasons, so why shouldn't a spin-off be? Everything that made Total Divas fun and worth watching is gone, except for the one entertaining moment where Daniel Bryan was randomly wearing a mullet wig, pictured above. Instead, Total Bellas focuses more on forced, manufactured drama and John Cena wearing outlandish suits, which people constantly tell him look good (they don't). Everything that draws me to the world of wrestling, including the backstage antics, has been sucked out of this show, leaving behind a typical, bland reality show.
Is It Worth Watching?: This is a hard pass. It's better to wait for the next season of Total Divas to air, if that's your thing.
Total Bellas airs on Wednesdays at 9 PM ET on E!. Season 1 is available for streaming on Hulu.
You're The Worst (FXX)
At the end of Season 3, Jimmy proposed to Gretchen, but the thought of being a part of a family sends Jimmy off the deep end and he gets in his car, leaving Gretchen behind. Season 4's first episode opens with Jimmy living in a trailer park for seniors, his only friend a surly neighbor. The two find comfort in each other as they're both loners and keep to themselves. Three months have passed during this time, and back home, Gretchen has been living with Lindsay, but hasn't left the apartment since Jimmy left. When she finally leaves home, she meets up with an old boyfriend.
The first part of the premiere is not the best representation of the entirety of the series, since the show is about Jimmy and Gretchen's toxic relationship; however, this was still a wonderful, funny, and at times, heartfelt episode, revolving around Jimmy finding himself. In addition, the follow-up to the two-part premiere also gives some depth to Gretchen on her own, dealing with the fallout of Jimmy leaving. What makes this episode work exceptionally well is the sense of realism within Jimmy. He's a fish out of water, dealing with pain, without letting any of it show, something most people can relate to at some point in their lives. Its brutal honesty, along with some great dialogue, make this a fantastic episode.
Is It Worth Watching?: Out of everything I've watched this week, You're The Worst was overall the best. If you've missed out on the series, there's still time to catch up by bingeing it over the weekend.
You're The Worst airs on Wednesdays at 10 PM ET on FXX. Seasons 1-3 are available for streaming on Hulu.
Bojack Horseman (Netflix)
Season 3 left the series at a weird place where Bojack was severely depressed after the death of Sarah Lynn and the titular star of the show disappeared. That's where Season 4 picks up; however, the first episode of the season is right back to being bizarre, comedic, and silly. Mr. Peanutbutter wants to run for office and challenges the governor to a ski race. Only on Bojack Horseman could that be a plot for an episode.
The writing on this show is unbelievably witty and hilarious, with the amount of dumb, yet hilarious wordplay throughout the season opener. Bojack Horseman continues to be one of the funniest shows out there, even when the main character is absent. The first episode of Season 4 plays exceptionally well to '80s nostalgia, with the backbone of the story being the lead up to a skiing competition like so many terrible films from that decade. It's absurd and fun, and you'll find yourself laughing out loud with some of the moments throughout the episode, including Todd's adventure riding a drone.
Is It Worth Watching?: Yes. You'll want to spend the whole weekend bingeing this.
All of Season 4 of Bojack Horseman is currently available now on Netflix, along with Seasons 1-3.
That's it for this week, but make sure to come back next Saturday when we're discussing The Orville, Fear the Walking Dead, The Deuce, The Mindy Project, and South Park.
Destiny 2 has officially launched, and soon it will be available worldwide. Full reviews won't arrive just yet, but reviews-in-progress from a pre-release event have been online for a few days, with more impressions from the live version also becoming available.
The much-anticipated sequel doesn't radically shake up the Destiny formula, instead opting primarily to refine and improve the core of the first game. You can see our breakdown of Destiny 2's five biggest changes for a basic idea of what to expect.
Below, you'll find a collection of various critics' impressions of the game so far. In GameSpot's Destiny 2 review in progress, Kallie Plagge calls the story a "clear improvement over Destiny's much-maligned storytelling," adding that "Destiny 2 builds on the original in smart ways that make me excited to keep playing." We've also more recently published a Destiny 2 review diary (now updated for day two) that offers more of Kallie's thoughts now that the game is live.
Release: September 6 (PS4/Xbox One), October 24 (PC)
Price: US $60 / £50 / AU $100
GameSpot
"Of course, all of this still feels like Destiny. The new social space, the Farm, is functionally the same as the Tower in the original. Finding loot and switching out your old gear still takes up a significant portion of your time. Enemies have been tweaked, but they're not wildly different, either. That's not necessarily bad, but it also makes me wonder if I'll see Destiny 2 as a sequel, rather than a half-step forward, the longer I play and the more I grind and repeat." -- Kallie Plagge [Full review in progress]
"Though I've only replayed things I've already done, I'm still excited about Destiny 2. I can't wait to find my next exotic weapon, but I'm also looking forward to completing more Adventure missions and learning more about the world. My next step is to finish the story, reach level 20, and run some Strikes, so check back soon for more impressions." -- Kallie Plagge [Destiny 2 review diary]
US Gamer
"Destiny 2 doesn't necessarily feel like full sequel to Destiny, but it doesn't need to. So far, what's here is fun and engaging. As I polish off the Story Campaign, partake in the current elder game, and await the unlocking of the Raid next week, I'm having fun. I don't know if it stands up to the best MMOs yet, but I'm liking what I'm seeing so far." -- Mike Williams [Full review impressions]
Polygon
"At the very least, what I've played of Destiny 2 is an incredibly promising start. In plain English, it feels like Destiny without all the bulls***. It seems like the sequel Bungie needed to make--not a fundamentally different experience, but improved enough over its predecessor to reel veterans back in and attract people who skipped the original Destiny. Now we have to see how it holds up." -- Samit Sarkar [Full review in progress]
IGN
"So far, while I'm in the endgame grind I'm still having a good time, and I'm excited to hop back in and get my first max-level character. But as I mentioned, there's not a lot of clear direction from Destiny 2 after completing the campaign, and as much as I've loved the story I'm left feeling like I've seen it all, and I'd really like to see more. The upcoming Raid and Trials multiplayer mode do promise more narrative threads for me to pull at and I can't wait to dive in to see if they satisfy my content hunger pangs. Still, I'm thrilled to see Bungie deliver on its story promises and give a more balanced PVP experience. " -- Destin Legarie [Updated review in progress]
Rolling Stone
"However, what's remarkable about the structure of Destiny 2--aside from it having a real central plot--is that it achieves what the first Destiny tried but ultimately failed to do: it gives the player freedom. Yes, there's some linearity to the Red War missions and the order in which the destinations are introduced--but you can spend the bulk of your time wherever you're most comfortable, where you find combat encounters most fulfilling, or where the rewards on offer are most appealing to you." -- Alex Kane [Full impressions]
Ars Technica
"I am not at an ideal state to issue anything resembling a verdict. But I at least feel safe declaring this: I entered the event perturbed that I would play so much Destiny 2 and not get to transfer that progress to the final, retail version. Now, I am anxious to dive back in and try again. I want to flex the muscles of an entirely different class. I want to devote far more attention to so much in-mission dialogue and exposition. Above all else, I want to group up with some friends and see how the 'always a battle around every corner' sensation feels when I have some persistent fireteam members at my side." -- Sam Machkovech [Full pre-review]
DualShockers
"So far, Destiny 2 has improved upon the original Destiny in every way. There's a Pierce Brosnan-impersonating sniper who serves as your faction representative for the European Dead Zone. There's new enemy types, including staff-wielding Fallen Wretches and caped-flaming-crossbow-wielding Hive Knights. There are cutscenes where The Speaker, who never really had much to say, is actually a savage and disses Ghaul in rap-battle proportions during cutscenes. When I sat down to play this game I had one mission for Bungie: prove to me that Destiny 2 isn't just another expansion. Thankfully, it turns out that Destiny 2 has listened to the fans and has taken a look in the mirror: the product is one that I--so far--thoroughly enjoy." -- Noah Buttner [Full review impressions]
Destiny 2 is out now on Xbox One and PS4. I've played enough to put up a review in progress, but I still have a lot more to play before I can give my final review. Here I'll be detailing my day-by-day activities and impressions as I gear up for the Raid next Wednesday. Check back for impressions on the story, Strikes, PvP, and more, and keep an eye on our Destiny 2 news and guides roundup for everything else.
Editor's note: We've updated this article with a new entry. For previous entries, please scroll down. -- Kallie Plagge, September 8, 2017 3:00 PM PT
Day 3: PvP? Yeah You Know Me
I didn't do a lot of PvP in Destiny 1. I had a few bad games one night and, frustrated, decided that the Crucible just wasn't for me.
I was terrified to enter the Crucible in Destiny 2.
After exactly one game, I realized that I was very, very wrong about PvP. I went in with my trusty Graviton Lance and new, crazy-cool Exotic gauntlets with a SKULL and SPINE running down one arm, but absolute garbage for the rest of my armor… and I actually did very well. I was surprised, mainly, because I switched to my Gunslinger subclass to take advantage of my gauntlets' passive abilities, and I've put no time or upgrade points into it whatsoever.
Level advantages are disabled in the Crucible, which means you can hold your own even at level 1, with a low Power level, against higher-level players. I'll keep messing around in the Crucible to see just how balanced it is (and to get some sweet loot, obviously), but I'm having a ton of fun with it so far.
I'm signing off for the weekend as I dive completely into Destiny 2, but check back Monday for more updates. Clans just launched, so I'll be checking that out along with more Strikes and some general Raid prep. We also have tons of guides and the latest news, including how to get certain Exotics, in our Destiny 2 hub, plus a new weekly Let's Play, Destiny's Children.
Day 2: Ups And (Server) Downs
So, my progress was kind of derailed last night by server issues on PS4. I'd wanted to run some Strikes, but a bunch of us around the GameSpot office were locked out of the game. I spent about an hour intermittently trying to sign in before I gave up.
I thought a lot about what makes Destiny fun, or specifically, I guess, what makes it a game I want to keep playing. I like grinding in games, and I like a feel-good combat feedback loop. A certain kind of repetition is therapeutic for me. I stopped playing the original Destiny because the repetition wasn't balanced by anything else; I didn't really play with other people, and running the same Strike for the hundredth time by myself was a special kind of lonely.
Thankfully, I now have tons of people to play with (when the servers work). That's one of the missing pieces, found. But I think that Destiny 2's core changes--the greater variety in activities, the once-hidden lore now brought to the surface, the increased focus on character and personality--has made playing alone better, too.
I finished the last story mission this morning. Overall, it's a pretty standard save-the-world story with some cheesy moments, but it capitalizes on Destiny's most interesting narrative trait: its lore. I won't spoil anything, but I was satisfied and maybe even a bit emotional about the ending. A little worldbuilding goes a long way.
I've reached max level, 20. I also found a stronger version of the Graviton Lance, my beloved pulse rifle, and am no longer indebted to the annoying NPC Asher. (Sure, there's a lot more "character" to the characters, but some are better than others. My favorite is the deranged AI, Failsafe.) Crossing my fingers that I'll actually get to some Strikes tonight.
Day 1: The Replay Day
My review in progress is based on my experience at a Bungie event a few weeks ago, where I'd played Destiny 2 on a dummy account. My first day with the game at launch--with my own account and character--has mostly just been replaying the story missions and side activities I've already completed. It's… actually kind of nice.
I played the original on Xbox One and switched to PS4 for Destiny 2. I wouldn't call myself a hardcore Destiny 1 player, but I did play through Year One and all the expansions and spent a decent amount of time grinding. Leaving behind my old character wasn't as hard as I'd anticipated, though. I like having the opportunity to start fresh with a game that's already more compelling than its predecessor, one that I can see myself committing to in a more substantial way, without having to worry about catching up to the people who have been playing regularly this entire time. And surprisingly, replaying the story isn't the slog I thought it would be.
Part of that is due to using my own character and knowing that the loot and gear I get is mine to keep. But for the first time in my history with Destiny, I'm also properly invested in the story and characters. The dialogue can be a bit cheesy at times, but the characters are more three-dimensional and have more personality. There's also plenty of lore peppered in thanks to quips from your Ghost and items you can scan in the environment. Because the story missions (and in many cases, the side Adventure missions) give the proper background to contextualize your actions, it feels like you're doing something of substance, rather than running through missions as a means to an end.
I also tried the story and side missions with a Fireteam of myself and one other person, which worked seamlessly--neither of us lagged, and from what we could tell, we were watching the same cutscenes at the same time with no delays.
The coolest thing that came of of co-op, though, was the discovery that dialogue does indeed change if you import a Destiny 1 character rather than making a new one. My friend had imported his character (we're both Hunters), and certain conversations were slightly different between the two of us. Where my Ghost gave me a basic introduction to the Taken, for example, his reminded him of the time they beat Oryx and questioned why the Taken would have returned.
At the end of Day 1, I'm at level 15 and have a pretty sweet exotic pulse rifle courtesy of mad scientist Asher. (It's called the Graviton Lance, and it's a nice first exotic.) I otherwise kind of hate Asher.
Though I've only replayed things I've already done, I'm still excited about Destiny 2. I can't wait to find my next exotic weapon, but I'm also looking forward to completing more Adventure missions and learning more about the world. My next step is to finish the story, reach level 20, and run some Strikes, so check back soon for more impressions.
Destiny 2 is out now, and among the elements that you can play beyond campaign and the Crucible is the first of the game's weekly Nightfall Strikes. A Nightfall Strike is a special version of the activity, with special modifiers to crank up the challenge.
A post on Bungie's website confirms many of the details about this first Nightfall Strike, including the name, "The Arms Dealer." Your task is to "shut down the operations of an ironmonger providing weapons to the Red Legion."
Unfortunately, the modifiers are being kept under wraps. So you'll have to discover those for yourself when you play the game. We do know the challenges, however, and these include the following:
Speed Of Dark: Complete the Nightfall with at least 5 minutes remaining.
Unbroken: Complete the Nightfall with fewer than 3 deaths.
Trash The Thresher: Shoot down a Thresher while fighting Bracus Zahn.
Nightfall Strikes, along with their modifiers, rotate weekly, so you'll have many more chances in the future to try your hand at them. Given that the modifiers change, it is recommended that players select a loadout with the modifiers in mind, but you can do whatever you want.
Destiny 2's launch has largely been very smooth, some short waits in server queues aside. But there are a number of other, mostly minor issues that have already been discovered. Bungie has provided a list of those that it's aware of, and in some cases, it has tips to help resolve or avoid them.
Perhaps most notable is one concerning the Nightfall Strike. This high-end activity is available now, and if you're powerful enough to attempt to tackle it, you'll want to make sure you create a Fireteam before jumping in. That's because people who join an in-progress Nightfall may not qualify for completion of the activity, meaning they won't receive the rewards for finishing. For now, creating a Fireteam and then launching the Nightfall is the way to ensure this doesn't happen.
Also worth calling out is an issue on Nessus. Falling off the cliff in the Sunken Caverns can cause your Ghost to "be placed in an area that blocks progression of activities." If that happens, you may have to head back to orbit and then come back to Nessus in order to proceed.
Bungie also said it's aware of problems that cause the Cabbage error code to pop up; an issue where the first item in your inventory can't be moved to the Vault; and crashes for PS4 Pro players. The full list of known issues follows below, or you can also see them on Bungie's forums. There's no word on how soon these will be resolved, and presumably, additional problems will arise as players spend more time with the game. We'll report back with any developments, but you can follow along with all of our coverage in our roundup of everything you need to know about Destiny 2.
Destinations
Nessus: If players proceed to fall off of a cliff on Nessus in the Sunken Caverns area, their Ghost may be placed in an area that blocks progression of activities. Players may be required to return to orbit and relaunch the Destination.
Cinematics
Skipping Cinematics: Non-Fireteam Leaders cannot skip in-game cinematics. Fireteam Leads must manually skip the cinematic if the Fireteam desires to.
Armor Perks
Linear Actuators: The functionality of this perk does not always trigger upon the correct requirements.
Activities
Nightfall: Fireteam members who attempt to join a Nightfall Activity in progress will not always qualify for Activity completion. We recommend that all members be within the Fireteam when initially launching the activity.
Memorialization
Emblems: The Lore Scholar emblem will only be awarded to players who have opened the Age of Triumph Record Book within Destiny 1 prior to August 1, 2017.
Prison of Elders: Memorialization for the Prison of Elder will show the first time a player defeated Skolas, rather than completing a Prison of Elders activity.
Character: Some hair colors do not match their Destiny 1 counterpart.
Inventory
Storage: The first item of Inventory categories cannot be played within the Vault. For example, if a player wishes to place the first Shader present within their inventory into the Vault, they will need to select an alternate sorting for the Shader to be moved from the first slot, then they may proceed to store the item within the Vault.
Subclasses
Sentinel: If a player has swapped their Shoulder Buttons and is guarding when the Titan Sentinel Super ends, they will be temporarily suspended aiming down sights. To resolve the issue, players will need to tap their left bumper.
User Interface
Waypoints: Tracking a Vendor during an activity will not present a waypoint to players.
Infusion: When an Exotic Weapon or Armor piece is equipped, eligible exotic items under the Infusion tab will be grayed out due to Exotic equipment limits. The item may still be infused as desired.
Player Inspection: Destiny 2 Currencies, such as Glimmer or Bright Dust, will display as "0" when inspecting an alternate player.
Roster: Adding or removing a friend on Xbox Live will temporarily remove all friends from the Director Roster on Xbox One.
If you're looking to score some extra Engrams in Destiny 2, Rockstar Energy Drinks has revealed these are the prizes you'll get in its latest promotion. For a limited time, the tabs on special Destiny 2 Titan, Warlock, or Hunter cans contain codes you can redeem in the game. Redeeming a code gets you an Engram (confirmed as Blue Engrams, for the time being at least) to a maximum of three per week. Rockstar says there will be 24 in total, with the promotion ending on March 1, 2018.
Each tab will also enter you in a draw to win several prizes, and might be of big interest to anyone who hasn't bought the game or a PS4. There are daily and weekly prizes, plus three grand prizes.
Daily Prize--Destiny 2 Limited Edition game
Weekly Prize--PS4 Pro system and Destiny 2 Collector's Edition bundle
Grand Prizes--One of three Destiny 2-themed Husqvarna 701 Enduro Motorcycles (a Hunter Edition, Titan Edition, and Warlock Edition)
Rockstar says there is no limit on how many codes you can enter to win the prizes. For the grand prizes, each Hunter, Titan, or Warlock Rockstar drink enters you into the draw for that matching motorcycle.
Pop-Tarts is also offering a Destiny 2 promotion. It's offering players an XP boost with every Destiny-themed box, and there are also "custom-designed, collectible packs highlighting each Guardian Subclass."
Madden NFL 18 has been updated just in time for the start of the real-world NFL season, which kicks off on Thursday night. Today's patch makes the game look better on some consoles, as it introduces high dynamic range (HDR) support, while it also implements "general stability updates" that should fix crash scenarios and lock-up scenarios.
The Madden 18 update also fixes a problem where the "Terrible Towels" during home Pittsburgh Steelers games showed up as black or grey instead of yellow and black. What's more, the patch changes the quarter length in online head-to-head matches from four minutes to five.
As for gameplay changes, the new update makes tweaks that make it so ball carrier moves are less effective (dammit), while it should be easier to pass rush the QB now when they hold onto the ball for a long time. The update also fixes a problem where characters on the sideline would not react as they should when big plays happen. You can see the full patch notes below, as shared on EA's website.
The 2017-2018 NFL season begins with the Thursday Night Football matchup between defending Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs. Tom Brady, the QB of the Patriots, is on the cover of Madden NFL 18. While he does not believe in the curse, one of Brady's most reliable receivers, Julian Edelman, suffered a season-ending ACL injury during a preseason game this year.
Madden NFL 18 September 6 Patch Notes:
General
HDR support
General stability updates fixing various crashes and softlocks
Fixed issue with the Steelers' crowd "Terrible Towels" appearing black or grey
Online Head-to-Head quarter length changed from four minutes to five minutes
Fixed an issue around MUT Squads players receiving the incorrect rewards when teammates leave the session early
Improved a small framerate drop when the ball is snapped on PS4
Tuned scaling of the football to be slightly smaller
Fixed an issue where points were purchasable in trial
Fixed button functionality to correct X button notfunctioning on PS4 when attempting to load a Madden Profile
Gameplay
Zone Coverage tuning to increase Break-on-Throw times
Tuning to decrease effectiveness of Ball Carrier moves
Fixed issue around coaches standing in the middle of the field when restarting MUT Challenges
Tuning to increase blocksheds in run defense vs. Gun Inside Zone plays
Tuning to slightly increase pass rush when QB holds onto the ball for extended time in the pocket
Fixed issue with sideline characters not reacting appropriately to big plays
Franchise
Fixed incorrect Chargers vs. Giants Week 5 game on the schedule
Fixed issue around schedules recording incorrectly when using Play Now Live for Preseason Week 2
Like the first Destiny (and many other games for that matter), the newly released sequel Destiny 2 lets you spend real money on a currency system called Silver. This takes place in Destiny 2's Eververse Trading Company store, which becomes accessible at Level 20. The character Tess Everis operates the store again, and here is a breakdown of the cost.
Destiny 2 Microtransaction Pricing:
500 Silver -- $5
1110 Silver -- $10
2300 Silver -- $20
5800 Silver -- $50
Everis sells Bright Engrams, which are sort of like loot boxes from Overwatch. It works out to 200 Silver for one, three for 500, and five for 800. Decode them and you'll earn special rewards like Exotic weapon ornaments, a Sparrow, emotes, or something else. As Polygon explains, there is a chance you could get an elemental weapon mod, which can affect gameplay and may be controversial because of that. Weapon stats can be "slightly" enhanced with these mods, and there are also armor mods and one for subclass abilities to make them regenerate faster.
Additionally, you can buy Destiny 2 emotes with Silver--and there are some cool-looking ones. For example, Spicy Ramen shows your character cooking and consumer spicy ramen while Flip Out displays your Guardian flipping a table over. There are also shaders, which has caused some anger among fans. Check out this video from YouTube's DestinyOverwatch to see all the Eververse items you can buy now.
Update: Bungie says the issues affecting some Destiny 2 players on PS4 have now been rectified. "Issues causing players on PlayStation 4 to receive an error indicating permissions to access online multiplayer have been resolved," the company said on Twitter. Original story follows.
Destiny 2 is a big, big game with a huge focus on multiplayer and online. Presumably due to the strain of loads of people coming online for launch, the game is running into some issues. Bungie acknowledged one of these issues on Twitter today, saying it's aware of and looking into a problem with the PlayStation 4 edition related to multiplayer permissions. The exact nature of the problem isn't immediately clear, but people are responding to the tweet to voice their displeasure with the state of things.
Here's what Bungie had to say: "We are investigating players on PlayStation 4 receiving errors indicating permissions to access online multiplayer may have changed."
According to the error message posted above by Twitter user @cokelogic, they were booted from Destiny 2's servers because "your permission to access online multiplayer gameplay may have changed." Alternatively, it might have been because "your profile may have been sign in elsewhere." The error message then points to Bungie's support site for further details.
Destiny 2 is finally here. Bungie's long-awaited shooter is out now on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, with a PC edition to come in October. Now that the game is out, we know more about its microtransaction currency, Silver, which is sold in allotments of 500, 1,100, 2,300, and 5,800. You can buy the currency digitally through PlayStation Network and Xbox Live, but another option is a digital purchase through GameStop's website.
GameStop is offering the same allotments of Silver for the same prices for PS4 and Xbox One. You get them through the allotments listed below.
Players continue to come to grips with the changes in Destiny 2, many of which are for the better. Some of these involve obtaining new gear and decrypting Engrams, a process which has been radically simplified.
As we've pointed out previously, you'll notice that Engrams drop less frequently than in the original Destiny. That means you can more frequently acquire new gear and equip it without first taking a trip to the Farm, which is certainly nice. But when you do obtain an Engram, there are two key bits of information to be aware of.
The first is that there's no sense in holding onto Engrams, as their Power level is determined when they're dropped. In other words, grinding your level or Power up before decrypting an Engram won't have an effect on it. In fact, by waiting, you may end up finding that it's underpowered relative to your current gear, forcing you to waste materials to infuse it in order to bring its Power level up.
Better yet is what Destiny 2 project lead Mark Noseworthy confirmed on Twitter recently: You no longer have to equip your best gear when decrypting. The game automatically determines what your best possible loadout is and uses that figure when dictating the Power of an Engram. As a result, you're essentially free to use whatever gear you want--you're no longer impacting the strength of your drops by using a lower-level piece of gear you prefer.
Among the many smaller changes in Destiny 2 is one concerning shaders, the items used to re-color your gear. Many players have responded negatively to the way they function as consumables, and now Bungie has responded with an explanation of why the adjustment was made.
Whereas Destiny 1 allowed you to freely switch between any shader you had obtained (which was then applied to all of your armor), those in Destiny 2 are single-use consumables, meaning you'll need to repeatedly acquire a single shader if you want to change the look of a bunch of items. Of course, there are other changes at play here, too, like the fact that randomized rolls on items are gone, meaning you won't be dismantling them as frequently. But because shaders can be obtained by spending real-world money, players have complained that this change was motivated purely by greed. As a result, players are quite angry, as this popular thread on Reddit demonstrates.
No doubt in response to the frustration regarding the subject, Destiny 2 director Luke Smith took to Twitter today to provide some insight into why shaders now work the way they do. "Shaders are earned through gameplay: leveling, chests, engrams, vendors," he explained over a series of tweets. "We expect you'll be flush w[ith] shaders as you continue to play. When you reach Level 20, shaders will drop more often: vendor rewards, destination play, and endgame activities.
"Shaders are now an ongoing reward for playing. Customization will inspire gameplay. Each planet has unique armor and shader rewards. With D2, we want statements like, 'I want to run the Raid, Trials, or go back to Titan to get more of its Shader' to be possible."
The explanation is unlikely to convince angry players, though it remains to be seen if this is one of those changes that becomes accepted as people spend more time with the game. For more, check our Destiny 2 review diary and roundup of everything you need to know about Destiny 2.
At the time of this writing, PUBG hit a record peak of 1,028,275 players. It far surpassed the number of concurrent players playing Dota 2 (a regular occurrence now), but it's not high enough to snatch the all-time record from the game. Dota 2's all-team peak number of players is 1,295,114 (the highest ever recorded, according to SteamDB), so PUBG still needs to get 200K+ more concurrent players to truly unseat Dota 2 as the reigning multiplayer champion. Its creator, Brendan Greene, is confident that's a likely possibility; he suggested PUBG could hit League of Legend-level success in the future.
Keep in mind, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is still in Early Access. Despite that, it's currently way ahead of all the other top 10 games on Steam, include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, and it's also coming to Xbox One later this year, with Microsoft on board as its publisher. Developer Bluehole is leaving the possibility of other console releases open at this time.
PUBG is also about to get new features and content. An update to the game is scheduled for next week. "Some of the key features of the new build include a new weapon, foggy weather condition, FPP leaderboards, and multiple bug fixes," Bluehole said in a tweet, adding that the test servers will be up for at least two days early next week. While its release is still far off, Bluehole has also revealed more details about the PUBG's anticipated desert map, which won't be smaller than the game's first map after all.
LA Noire for PS4 and Xbox One comes with the full version of the original game and all DLC, along with expected updates such as better graphics. This includes "enhanced lighting and clouds, new cinematic camera angles, high resolution textures, and more." The game will output at native 1080p for PS4 and Xbox One, and in 4K on PS4 Pro and Xbox One X.
LA Noire was developed by Australian studio Team Bondi. However, that developer has since closed. Rockstar did not say which team or teams made the new versions of the game. We've contacted the publisher for comment and will update this post with anything we hear back. For its part, Rockstar said is will have more details to share on the new versions of LA Noire "in the weeks ahead," so keep checking back soon for more.
LA Noire originally launched for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in May 2011, before coming to PC in November of that year. You play as LA police detective Cole Phelps, who was performed by Mad Men actor Aaron Staton. Among the cases you investigate is the horrifying Black Dahlia murders. GameSpot's LA Noire review scored it a 9/10. For more on Rockstar's LA Noire announcements today, check out the stories below:
Destiny 2 is finally out, and the online-focused shooter's launch was not entirely smooth. PlayStation 4 users reported issues and some players got kicked from the servers. Not only that but people have raised concerns about how shaders work--and Bungie has responded. Now, Bungie has provided list of the current list of known issues and also what's been fixed so far, and more.
Beginning with the known issues, which Bungie calls "Active Investigations," these include things like the the aforementioned PS4 issues and other crash reports. Bungie is also aware of players getting booted back to orbit when trying to access a new area. Additionally, the developer warns players that when they complete the "Enhance" quest they should have multiple inventory slots available for Energy weapons or else you might run into a problem. Here is a rundown of all of the known issues:
Destiny 2: Active Investigations
PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro platform error CE-34878-0
We are actively investigating crash reports from the #Help forum with platform partners
Some players have reported that disabling PlayStation 4 HDCP settings may circumvent the issue
Destiny 2 CABBAGE errors returning players to orbit when attempting to enter new areas
Some Network hardware and service providers are impacted by this error more frequently than others
Mida Mini-tool is not properly appearing at the Postmaster
We are actively investigating an issue where Mida Mini-tool is not properly sent to Postmaster
When completing the "Enhance!" Quest, please ensure you have multiple inventory slots available in the Energy Weapons category to prevent this issue from occurring
Vanguard Research Tokens may be lost if a player completes a Meditation without first receiving the Meditation from Ikora
To prevent this issue from occurring, ensure the proper Meditation has been selected prior to a Fireteam Lead launching the activity
If a player has selected the wrong Meditation, they will need to complete the activity before they're able to select an alternate mission
As for the Destiny 2 issues that have been resolved, these include the multiplayer permissions issues that popped up yesterday. Bungie says it also fixed a problem related to long matchmaking times that led to Mongoose errors.
Destiny 2 Resolved Issues
Issues causing Multiplayer Permissions errors on PlayStation Network have been resolved
We have resolved an issue where players would see "Content cannot be selected at this time" messaging when attempting to access the PlayStation Store from Destiny 2
We have resolved an issue where players would encounter 503 errors when attempting to view pages on Bungie.net
We have resolved issues with long Matchmaking times that were resulting in MONGOOSE errors
Bungie also confirmed new details about Destiny 2's server queue situation. The developer implemented a queue at launch in North America to deal with the huge demand, it didn't stick around for long. Bungie said the server queue could back this weekend "to ensure stability," but only if there is enough traffic to warrant it. "Players should only expect to encounter the queue during period when more players that usual attempt to sign in every second," Bungie said.
GameSpot's Kallie Plagge is progressing through the game now and you can read her latest thoughts in our Destiny 2 review diary. A full review is coming up soon.
Destiny 2's launch this week is just the beginning. As you'd expect, there is a lot more content and activities coming, including quite a bit of fresh material this month. As part of Bungie's newest blog post, the studio shared a schedule of Destiny 2's first-month activities, which include the Inverted Spire Nightfall Strike on September 12, followed by the mysterious Leviathan raid on September 13.
Later in that week, on September 15, Destiny 2's Trials of the Nine event kicks off. On that same day, the Exotic dealer Xur arrives to sell his wares--unfortunately for those expecting to see him today, there's another week to wait. You can see everything coming to Destiny 2 during its first month in the image below.
Looking ahead to October, Bungie will add even more new activities, one of which is the Iron Banner multiplayer event. Not only that, but it sounds like a change is coming to the Leviathan raid, as Bungie says you'll have "new ways to have your prestige tested."
Bungie's Halo games had great music. Destiny 1 did as well. And this continues with Destiny 2, which has a score that is memorable and drives you into the game further and pulls you along with its orchestral themes and driving tone. If you want to listen to Destiny 2's score outside of the game, Bungie has now released all of it on YouTube.
All 33 tracks, spanning more than 2.5 hours of music, from the Destiny 2 official soundtrack are available to stream through the YouTube playlist below.
Destiny 2's music was composed by Michael Salvatori, Skye Lewin, C. Paul Johnson, Rotem Moav, and Peter Schlosser. In a statement, the composers talked about what they wanted to achieve with Destiny 2's music.
"'What makes a Guardian a Guardian?"' This is the central question posed by Destiny 2," they said. "In creating the music that will drive you through moments of loss and recovery, we have asked that same question of ourselves. The new soundtrack was composed to capture the somber spirit of a civilization confronting immense tragedy, and also to inspire bravery in the hearts of our heroes as they stand together and fight to reclaim all that they hold dead. We hope that you enjoy the music that accompanies this bold new adventure. Be brave all over again, Guardians."
You can buy Destiny 2's OST from the Bungie Store for $10 to get a digital copy, not a physical one. The soundtrack comes with options for MP3, Lossless, and Flac formats. Additionally, it has liner notes from the composers, along with a code to unlock a player emblem called "Resonant Chord" for Destiny 2.
Bungie's highly anticipated shooter sequel Destiny 2 launched this week for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One--and it was a massive success, it seems. In a blog post today, Bungie said "millions" of players have jumped into the game and reached the new social space, the Farm, in just two days since the game launched on September 6.
The developer went on to say that it expects more players to pick up the game in the days and weeks ahead, and promised there will be many more activities to play in the future. Destiny 2 launches for PC in October, so game sales stand to grow further still when the game is released through Blizzard's Battle.net next month.
"We've taken our first steps on a new journey as a community," Bungie said. "We expect more players to join our ranks in the days and weeks that will follow. Veterans of our community know that Destiny is not just a story about heroes, but also a world that evolves with you. New rituals will begin. New challenges will be revealed. New platforms will come online. New legends will rise."
Bungie also published a schedule for Destiny 2's first-month activities, including the Leviathan raid, Guided Games, Trials of the Nine, and more. Check out the image above to get all the specifics on what's coming and when.
Looking to October, Bungie said players can expect a set of "new challenges," including the first Iron Banner event and an update to the raid.
After an investigation, the FTC has decided not to impose any fines on Martin and Cassel, who have instead agreed to disclose any endorsements going forward. Future breaches of this agreement will lead to a $40,000 fine for every infraction. Notably, the FTC's decision does not require Martin and Cassel to admit any wrong-doing over the pair's promotion of CSGOLotto.
"The goal of the FTC isn't to be a punitive or draconian agency," the regulator told Rolling Stone. "We are here to educate consumers about new markets."
Martin and Cassel's site allows users to gamble weapon skins earned in CS:GO in an attempt to win rarer and hence more valuable skins. These skins have real-world value and can therefore be sold for large sums of money by circumventing Steam, the Valve-owned platform where CS:GO is played. According to a Bloomberg report, as much as $2.3 billion worth of skins was bet in 2015 over a number of websites.
The YouTubers' failure to disclose their interests in CSGOLotto violates YouTube guidelines and has also called into question the authenticity of the videos; it has been suggested the pair's ownership of the site may have allowed them to fix the outcome of bets in order to stage wins and thus encourage viewers to use the website. Their videos showed them reacting with surprise and elation as they won large sums of money.
In addition, the FTC's report states that Martin and Cassell also ran an "influencer program," which paid other YouTubers between $2,500 and $55,000 to promote CSGOLotto while avoiding saying anything negative about the site. The pair will now be required to disclose any such agreements.
Since skins are not a legal currency in themselves, the skin gambling industry has not until now been regulated as tightly as traditional casinos and bookmakers. TmarTn and ProSyndicate's audiences--which together total over 13 million users--include a number of children, leading to the pair's promotion of a gambling site drawing further criticism.
TmarTn defended his promotion of CSGOLotto in a video that he later deleted but has been archived. "It's never been secret," he said. "We've never gone around bragging about it saying, 'Oh yeah we own the site' all over social media. But it's also never been a secret, it's been mentioned in videos before, on livestreams before ... it's never been this big scary, hidden thing that people are making it out to be."
Clans have returned in Destiny 2, but this time around the feature is properly implemented into the game. You now have access to a multitude of tools and features to manage and maintain your Clan. In addition, members of your Clan have the opportunity to unlock special perks, earn end-game rewards, and host solo players seeking out people to play with in end-game activities.
With so much to understand about Clans in Destiny 2, we've compiled a beginner's guide detailing everything you need to know about what they are and how to access them.
Clan Q&A
What Are Clans?
Clans are communities that can be accessed in-game that are created and managed by players. They allow its members to play and progress together, communicate, and build up a community.
What Are the Benefits of Joining a Clan?
You can earn experience, level up, and obtain rewards when other members progress through the main campaign and participate as a group in normal or end-game activities. Progression can be viewed anytime in the Clan Profile in the game and the Destiny Companion via Bungie.net or the mobile app. Keep in mind that there's a weekly cap of 5000 XP per character.
It's also possible to obtain special perks, which are unlocked as your Clan gains experience and reaches certain Clan levels. You can receive perk benefits by obtaining the Clan Banner item from Hawthorne after unlocking the Farm social space and joining a clan. Be mindful that Clan Perks and Levels reset with each new Destiny 2 season.
You even gain Weekly Clan Engrams. However, in order to earn them, at least half of a fireteam attempting the activity must belong to the Clan. Like perks, Weekly Clan Engrams reset with each new Destiny 2 season.
Lastly, you can participate as Clan guides in Guided Games to help solo players through endgame activities
How Do I Join a Clan?
In order to be eligible to request to join a Clan or to receive Clan invites, you need to link your platform account to your Bungie.net profile. Once you've done so, you can use the Destiny Companion to search for Clans to join. Alternatively, a Clan leader can send you a direct invitation.
It's worth noting that you can only belong to one clan per Destiny account. In addition, if you have Destiny accounts on multiple platforms, you can have each account be in the same Clan or in different Clans.
How Do I Create a Clan?
Go to the Clan page in the Destiny Companion and highlight the Create Clan option. During the creation process, you can set the Clan Name, Motto, and Mission Statement. You can even choose your Clan's membership parameters. For example, you set Clan enrollment to Invite Only, or you can make joining completely open to the public. Regardless, only Clan Founders and Clan Admins can accept or deny requests to join the Clan.
Once a Clan is made, you're free to set the Clan Banner, change Clan settings (including the name and motto), shift Clan Founders and Admins, or edit Clan management tasks. Keep in mind that Clans must have a total of at least two members to start earning experience, as well as for the Clan, Clan Roster, and Clan Banner to show up in Destiny 2. Total Clan membership is limited to 100 players.
How Do I Communicate With My Clan?
Clans can communicate in real time using the text chat feature in the Destiny Companion. Also, every Clan has a dedicated private forum that can be used to post messages to their community.
Can I Change Clans?
It's possible to join a new Clan while already a member of a different Clan only if the new Clan you wish to join has an "Approval Required" enrollment. Once your new Clan request is approved, it'll automatically be converted into a pending invitation. This precaution is put in place to prevent a requesting player from being removed from their old Clan without notice. Be wary; changing Clans can impact your Weekly Clan Engrams and Clan Perks.
Can I Leave a Clan?
If you're a basic Clan member, it's possible to leave a Clan. But keep in mind that doing so impacts what Clan Perks and what weekly Clan Engrams you can access.
However, if you're a Clan Founder, you cannot leave or join another Clan until you've re-assigned the Founder role to another member or are the last member of the Clan (in which case leaving deletes the Clan).
The Nintendo Switch version of Rockstar's L.A. Noire will cost $10 more than the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions, at least for the physical edition. A physical copy of L.A. Noire for Switch will go for $50, with the PS4 and Xbox One editions offered at $40.
The digital versions of L.A. Noire for PS4, Xbox One, and Switch will go for $40 each. This information was apparently displayed on Rockstar's official website, though it appears the website has been updated since.
So why is L.A. Noire more expensive on Nintendo Switch for a physical version? According to US Gamer, it comes down to the cost of producing Switch cartridges; these are apparently more expensive to produce than discs, thus, the price difference.
We have followed up with Rockstar in an attempt to get more details. We'll report back with any information we receive.
The Switch edition includes the full original game and all previously released expansions. Specific to the Switch version will be gesture-based controls with the Joy-Cons. Also included is HD rumble and new camera angles: wide and over-the-shoulder. Additionally, there will be "contextual touch-screen controls" for when playing in portable mode.
Users of AMD's graphics cards have a new edition of the Radeon Crimson ReLive software suite to download. Driver version 17.9.1 doesn't make any optimizations to new releases or outright performance improvements, but it does iron out some notable bugs.
The following is the full list of changes and fixed issues in the new driver:
Titanfall 2 may experience a hang or crash on some Radeon GCN1.0 series graphics products.
Radeon ReLive Toolbar and Instant Replay features may experience issues or fail to work when playing Guild Wars 2.
Moonlight Blade may fail to launch on some Radeon Graphics Core Next series products.
After resuming from sleep and playing back video ceontent the system may become unresponsive on Radeon RX Vega series graphics products.
Mouse stuttering may be observed on some Radeon RX graphics products when Radeon WattMan is open and running in the background or other third party GPU information polling apps are running in the background.
Radeon Software Installer may shrink or appear very small when installing on some 4K HDTVs.
Radeon Settings may sometimes experience a hang or crash when viewing the Display tab.
Random corruption may appear in Microsoft desktop productivity applications.
There are lingering issues that AMD is aware of, and according to the release notes, these are the problems still present:
Overwatch may experience a random or intermittent hang on some system configurations.
The drop down option to enable Enhanced Sync may be missing in Radeon Settings on Radeon RX Vega Series Graphics Products.
On a limited number of systems Radeon Software may display an erroneous "1603 Error" after installing Radeon Software. This error will not affect your Radeon Software installation.
Unstable Radeon WattMan profiles may not be restored to default after a system hang. A workaround is to launch Radeon WattMan after reboot and restore settings to default.
GPU Scaling may fail to work on some DirectX 11 applications.
Secondary displays may show corruption or green screen when the display/system enters sleep or hibernate with content playing.
Bezel compensation in mixed mode Eyefinity cannot be applied.
While you won't get better framerates in any games with this update, the previous driver update did make some optimizations. Check out what version 17.8.2 did for AMD graphics cards and make sure your computer is up to date if you're still using older drivers. You can download the latest software on AMD's official website.
A few of the tweaks and fixes to issues improve the performance and stability of AMD's new RX Vega graphics cards. If you want to know how they stack up against other cards, read our reviews of the RX Vega 64 and RX Vega 56.
NBA 2K18 may still be a little over a week away from release, but PS4 and Xbox One players have a chance to dive into a portion of the game a little early. The game's Prelude demo is now available to download on both consoles.
Like its name implies, The Prelude offers players a chance to get an early start in the MyCareer mode. It also gives them a chance to experience the Neighborhoods mode, the game's new shared social space. Here, players can customize their player's appearance, play mini-games, and hang out with other players.
You can download The Prelude starting today for free from the Xbox and PlayStation stores. Those who do dive into the demo will be able to carry any progress they make over to the full game once it's released.
Destiny 2 brings many changes in this next adventure for the Guardians. With new gear, mission types, and other gameplay systems being introduced, it's a little hard to keep track of what's new and what's more of the same.
If you're a returning player still used to the way Destiny operated, it's important to single out the most important updates and tweaks in Destiny 2, some of which shake up what people are accustomed to. But whether you've played the first game or not, here's a quick list of things to know before starting Destiny 2, and what to expect when diving in.
Once you boot up Destiny 2, you'll likely be in a mad dash to get your levels and gear up to par to take down the forces of the Red Legion. The game has made a number of changes and tweaks that make the grind more palatable and less of a hassle than in Destiny 1. Unfortunately, some of the more subtle changes were kept vague and obtuse.
Destiny 2 drops random perk rolls and the need to level up weapons and armor--which required breaking in your gear before taking it on strikes and raids. But the most important change comes from the internal calculator that determines gear drops. In Destiny 1, players would have to equip their most powerful gear to yield the best results from decryption, opening loot chests, and regular drops from bosses. Bungie has rectified this quirk by reading your entire inventory to determine what level of drops you receive. So feel free to use whatever gear you like, as the game will know what your maximum Power level is when the loot starts to drop.
2. How To Unlock Your Subclasses
With your Light stripped away, you'll be put through your paces once again in order to prove yourself as a Guardian of the Light. While you start off with the familiar subclasses from Destiny 1--the Voidwalker, Striker, and Gunslinger--soon after you are restricted to the new Arc Strider, Dawnguard, and Sentinel subclasses. From there, the game doesn't quite explain what happens next in the evolution of your class, which may make some returning players feel anxious. The process of obtaining your second and third subclass in Destiny 2 happens a lot differently and will take some extra work.
When opening up loot chests, getting drops from high-profile targets, and raiding Lost Sector caches, there's a chance that you'll acquire a class artifact. As random drops, these artifacts will allow you to learn the ways of the other subclasses. Charge these relics up by taking out enemies and completing public events across the sectors, and you will then be tasked with returning to the Shard of the Traveler to unlock the next subclass. As of now, there are two classes to unlock after the first one, with the final ones being the return of the Taken King subclasses Stormcaller, Sunbreaker, and Nightstalker. Though the drops are random, they're not overly rare, and you'll gain them in due time.
3. Heroic Public Events
In the original game, taking part in Public Events was a staple of exploring the open areas on each planet. With big, set-piece encounters focused on taking down powered-up targets and machines of war, Guardians would have to work together to eliminate the threat in a short span of time. While these events return in Destiny 2 and are much easier to track thanks to the Director map (showing timers for upcoming opportunities), there have also been some changes to them that aren't as clear--and could be a valuable opportunity to take part in early on.
In the new Public Events, which are similar to the original's in setup and execution, there's a way to trigger a harder variation of these challenges. In one example, the Fallen in the EDZ set up machines to extract glimmer. By destroying several extraction machines--instead of focusing on the main targets--you will activate a new encounter with a squad of elite Fallen, who arrive to take out the Guardians ruining their operation. Every Public Event has a Heroic encounter option, which offers greater rewards but is much more difficult. If you're feeling bold enough and have a crew up for the challenge, take the opportunity to dive into these Heroic events. You can see how to unlock each one in our Destiny 2 Heroic Public Events guide.
4. How To Get Your Sparrow
Aside from the Guardians, your Ghost, and all the weapons you acquire, one of the most iconic aspects of Destiny is the sparrow--a fast-moving mount that lets you darts across the map with ease. However, the Sparrow is unusually absent in the early hours of Destiny 2--a far cry from Destiny 1, which seemed eager to get the vehicle into your hands. Early on, the new maps you'll explore are large in scope, making for a lot of ground to cover.
While sparrows are in Destiny 2 (and with Exotic variants to obtain), acquiring one has been pushed till later in the game. According to the developers, the reason for making the Sparrow a late-game reward was to encourage players to explore and be aware of their surroundings, while taking in a number of side-events and exploring the hidden dungeons throughout. So rest easy, and take in the sights while on your travels; your new sparrow will be rewarded to you after reaching level 20, or by finishing the main story.
Sentinel, Dawnbringer, Arcstrider. If you've been following Destiny 2, you'll likely know a lot about these new classes. But what about that Hunter Gunslinger, Warlock Voidwalker, or that Titan Sunbreaker? Well, you can get access to these classes eventually, but you won't be doing so as part of the main campaign.
Each primary class has two additional subclasses in Destiny 2. These are:
Titan Striker - An Arc-based class focused on big area-of-effect damage
Titan Sunbreaker - A Solar-based class focused on burn damage over time.
Hunter Nightstalker - A Void-based class whose skills help immobilise enemies
Hunter Gunslinger - A Solar-based class that deals huge single-target damage.
Warlock Voidwalker - A class focussed on big balls of exploding Void Damage
Warlock Stormcaller - Basically Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars. Lightning hands.
In Destiny 2, subclasses are unlocked by finding Relics in loot chests as you explore the planets, which will begin a short questline. This could be a regional loot chest, one you get from completing a public event, or one you find at the end of a Lost Sector. For example, to unlock the Titan Striker subclass you'll first need to find the Battered Gauntlet Relic.
For the moment, as far as we can tell, the discovery of these relics is completely random. Some of us found relics for two additional subclasses before even hitting Level 15, and some didn't get their third subclass until after the campaign.
Once you have an artefact, you'll be asked to to charge it by defeating enemies and participating in Public Events. This means if you go about your business, you'll achieve this eventually, but if you want to fast-track your progress, you can easily find out when Public Events are happening by checking your map while exploring. Once you've charged the artefact, you'll get a notification that your "lost strength is returning to you". How exciting!
You'll now be given a mission in the European Dead Zone to visit the Shard of the Traveller and further restore your Light. This mission will usually involve some light lore and a large arena firefight. Finish that off and you'll have your brand new, familiar subclass to start spending upgrade points on.
One thing to note is that you won't need to spend Upgrade points to unlock all the different jumps, grenades, and class abilities, just the passive buffs. Now all you need to do is keep searching loot chests for that second relic…
One of Destiny 2's many additions to existing systems is the concept of Heroic Public Events. These are harder versions of the standard Public Events you run into throughout the world and, as such, provide an opportunity to earn better loot. Unlocking them, however, is not quite as simple as pressing a button to jack up the difficulty.
The process for activating a Heroic Public Event varies from one to the next. There is a specific set of steps you (or the other players around) have to follow; these need to be repeated within the time limit each time you want to attempt a Heroic. The video above provides a step-by-step breakdown of what you need to do for each Public Event, which should make it easy to identify exactly where to go and what to do. You'll also find the instructions for each Heroic below--be mindful to do everything before the event's time limit expires. For more, check out our roundup of all of our Destiny 2 guides, tips, and news.
Injection Rig Heroic Public Event
Start out by killing a Psion, and then shoot a vent at the top of the rig. Although you'll be taking damage, be sure to destroy it. Kill the next Psion and destroy another vent located in the middle of the rig. Kill a third Psion and then destroy the vent that becomes exposed at the bottom of the rig. You may need to run around the middle in order to see which part of it has opened up to take damage. This process will cause a boss, Infiltrator Valus, to spawn, whom you'll need to defeat.
Destroy The Arsenal Walker Heroic Public Event
The goal here is to obtain the three Scorch Cannons surrounding the area, each of which is encased in a dome. As usual when dealing with a walker, attack one of its legs until it collapses. This will cause it to drop three Arc Charges, which you'll then need to carry to one of the domes containing a Scorch Cannon. The dome will have a place to deposit the Arc Charge, and you'll need to bring a total of two to each dome to get your hands on the weapon. Eventually, a second walker will be deployed, and you'll have to defeat both of them to finish.
Glimmer Extraction Heroic Public Event
At each of the sites throughout the event, there is a device that is extracting Glimmer. Destroy each of these before eliminating all of the nearby enemies. Then, at the final site, you'll have to guard a pile of Glimmer while standing in a designated area to complete a transmat process. Stay in the area as much as possible, as the transmat has to finish before time runs out.
Cabal Excavation Heroic Public Event
Stand near the drill to make progress, and eventually a Cabal Thresher ship will fly in nearby. Do everything you can to quickly destroy it, as it only sticks around for a limited time. If you manage to do so, a Centurion boss will spawn who needs to be defeated to complete the Heroic.
Witches' Ritual Heroic Public Event
Start out by killing a pair of Wizards while standing on the designated circles on the ground. At this point, you'll need to stand on one of the circles and destroy two shards--one is above and to the left of the big portal that enemies are coming through, and the other is above and to the right. This will cause a Hive Knight boss to spawn in; defeat him, and you're all done.
Ether Resupply Heroic Public Event
Before taking out the giant Servitor, quickly kill all of the smaller ones around the area. Once they've been dealt with, the main enemy becomes more challenging. Defeat it and you're done.
Taken Blight Heroic Public Event
The initial goal here is to destroy the giant Blight ball, which is immune to regular damage. In order to hurt it, you'll need to obtain the Blight Receding buff by going into the nearby Blight-infested area. Step back outside with the buff and deal as much damage as you can to the big Blight ball. Once you've destroyed it, the Blightmaker boss spawns in, and you'll have to defeat it to complete the Heroic.
Spire Integration Heroic Public Event
In addition to protecting the main conduit, players have to go around and stand on nearby pads. There are three in total that need to be captured, and once that's done, a Hydra will spawn in that needs to be defeated.
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