Today marked the release of the final Destiny expansion, The Rise of Iron. Yes, that’s right, the final expansion. That “10 year plan” they spoke of apparently only went for 3, going in to 4 years. Their next plan is to release a full on new game, currently spoken of as “Destiny 2” and to fill every couple of years with new releases.. which somewhat defeats the MMO idea and traditions if you ask me, but that’s neither here nor there for this quick article – it would make a good future one though. Instead, I’m going to throw out my initial impressions of The Rise of Iron.
Simply put, I like what I see. The tweaks to the game interface are solid, and the increase in character light levels and the generous increase in the power of random weapon drops, and purchasable items, makes getting into this battle all the more smooth.
The challenge is high, but it feels even more balanced than The Taken King did. More logical battles, better flow to the zones, and just a feeling of “completeness” to the world, at least as far as I have experienced. It’s hard to describe, but the expansion feels right – The Taken King felt somewhat forced on, but at the same rate gave me hope for the games future. The Rise of Iron helps to seal this idea, but considering it’s the last expansion for the original game, it feels like an idea that hasn’t been run as far as it can.
Destiny could have gone so many other places, and I’m sure there are good reasons that they don’t want to continue on this base game engine, but, updates could be made, and even as it is, they could very easily continue with expanding areas, adding in more minor, but fresh, content, and keep the game going as it stands. Of course, I’ve only tapped into a small bit of what Rise of Iron has to offer, so maybe I will find what I am hoping for in the new area, the Plaguelands. Maybe. Who knows.
I’m mixed on it all. Like I said, after I’m “done” with the bulk of Rise of Iron I might be able to properly express what I think, and have a complete game to compare and contrast my ideas with. I like Destiny. I like where this is all going, and I do see why the game needs a “fresh start” but I feel this original version hasn’t been exhausted yet.
I don’t know… what I do know is I’m going to head back into the game after this. Might as well spend the night storming through as much of it as I can – I’ve only done a few missions, and barely scratched the surface!
By the way… SIVA is awesome, from what I’ve seen so far. Crazy looking stuff, that’s for sure.
I’m torn on getting this expansion. I purchased the Taken King and I regretted it. I love the gun-play of Destiny, but it feels like a lot of the content is re-used assets. I also don’t have enough friends to play the raids, so that probably effects my decision as well.
I for one am loving it! I’m not one for raids and strikes (no joke, haven’t done a single one ever) but, even with the somewhat short main story, the plaguelands is an amazing zone, and many elements feel right. I don’t feel as much is reused as you may think – yeah, it’s some same old same old, but it’s done in a very fresh way – better than the Taken King did things, that’s for sure.