Destiny may have had a reduced (read: zero) physical presence at E3 2016, thanks to publisher Activision’s decision to withdraw from the show, but we still learned quite a bit of new information about Destiny: Rise Of Iron during and after the annual trade show.
Obviously, Rise Of Iron will include everything we expect from a Destiny expansion, including new exotic equipment, a (sort of) new faction, a new Strike and an increased Light level cap. Bungie has already promised an updated Gjallarhorn, complete with an alternate skin for pre-order customers, and a limited-use flaming axe. Rise Of Iron will also expand the scope of Destiny’s PvP content, introducing new maps and modes for those who prefer fighting their fellow Guardians over new PvE content. But we’ve learned a great deal more about the new Destiny expansion in the weeks since Bungie announced Rise Of Iron.
The fourth Destiny expansion will ditch last-gen consoles; however, Bungie says it will continue supporting the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of Destiny for the time being. It’s not clear what that means for players, whether Bungie just plans to leave the servers on for Taken King players or if other non- ROI content is being planned for older consoles, but we’ll presumably learn more between now and September. (UPDATE: Bungie finally released information on what content will/won't be supported on legacy consoles after Destiny: Rise Of Iron debuts in September.) Those who do decide to upgrade to the PS4 or Xbox One version of Destiny will be able to transfer their existing progress, provided they stay within the same console family.
Felwinter Peak will be introduced as Destiny’s third social space, joining the Reef and the Tower, but players won’t have access to the new hub until they’ve freed it from the corrupted Fallen who inhabit The Plaguelands. Those quests will be part of a brand new campaign, bigger than the quest chain from House of Wolves but smaller than The Taken King, with pacing Rise Of Iron director Chris Barrett says is unique to the expansion. Executive Producer Scott Taylor told Playboy the new social space will also introduce “new rituals” that Bungie isn’t talking about yet.
According to Polygon, a “self-assembling, self-replicating nanotechnology” known as SIVA will play a significant role in the expansion’s plot. The nanotech was originally discovered by the Iron Lords, whose only surviving member is Lord Saladin, but wrecked havoc on the area now known as the Plaguelands after heavy usage during mankind’s Golden Age. It’s bad stuff. Unfortunately, the House of Devils didn’t get the memo. Now, the Fallen are trying to use SIVA to their own advantage, and it’s up to players to protect humanity from the resurgent virus.
Rise Of Iron will also introduce the game’s fourth raid, which will apparently be set “in the heart of the Plaguelands.” Details on the raid remain scarce, though it’s probably not crazy to assume it’ll involve taking down who/whatever leads the corrupted Fallen. Work on the game’s next six-person mission, which won’t be an adaptation of the scrapped House of Wolves raid (as previously reported), began earlier this year.
Unfortunately, some portion of that new stuff we’ll see in The Plaguelands will just be re-skinned versions of existing Cosmodrome content. Right now, we only have confirmation the Plaguelands patrol zone will include portions of the Cosmodrome -- which look different than they do in the game’s starting zone -- but we won’t be shocked if a few familiar enemies show up near the breach in the wall. It also sounds like we shouldn’t expect any major new features, or other big changes to the core Destiny formula, anytime soon. On the plus side, Rise Of Iron will only be $30 at launch, $10 cheaper than The Taken King.
From a development standpoint, Bungie says they're aware of fans' insatiable appetite for new content, telling Eurogamer that they’re doing what they can to expedite the development process. This is another one of those statements with a pretty ambiguous meaning -- does Bungie mean we’ll see more timed events (like Sparrow Racing League) or big expansions (like Rise Of Iron )on a more frequent basis? -- but it’s probably good for the community either way. The studio also admitted it’s still open to the idea of bringing Destiny to PC during an interview with GameSpot.
For a closer look at the next Destiny expansion, take a couple of minutes to check out the Rise Of Iron announcement trailer and/or Bungie’s June 9 reveal (embedded below). Then head down to the comments section and let us know what you’re hoping to see in the next Destiny expansion.
Destiny: Rise Of Iron is in development for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. The expansion debuts September 20 price at $29.99.
Be sure to check back with iDigitalTimes.com and follow Scott on Twitter for more Destiny: Rise Of Iron news throughout 2016 and for however long Bungie supports the next Destiny expansion in the months following launch.
