Tech

Wildly popular game 'Destiny' just got a huge upgrade — here's what's new

Dave Smith

2015-09-15T15:05:08Z

The world of "Destiny" — the newest franchise from Bungie, the original studio behind "Halo" — has undergone its biggest transformation yet, thanks to this week's release of "The Taken King" expansion.

"The Taken King" marks the beginning of Destiny's second year on the market: Not only does it introduce a host of new challenges, enemies, and gear to obtain, it also completely transforms how people play the game.

Whether or not you're new to "Destiny," it helps to get a birds-eye view of everything you can do in the game, given how much has changed.

Here's what "Destiny" looks like at the beginning of Year Two.

The story — or lack thereof — was a major complaint when "Destiny" launched last year. "The Taken King" introduces a more straightforward plot with beautiful cutscenes.

In "The Taken King," you'll fight an army of corrupted aliens called Taken, led by King Oryx.

Luckily, your Guardian will receive a wealth of new powers to fight this new threat.

Titans gain the power to wield and throw flaming hammers...

...Hunters can create bows formed from void energy to destroy enemies or anchor them in place...

... and warlocks gain the power to shock people with lightning a la Emperor Palpatine from "Star Wars."

Players will need these new powers to tackle new missions, strikes, patrols, and more.

The biggest new area in "Destiny" is the Dreadnaught, Oryx's ship hiding out in the rings of Saturn.

The Dreadnaught is where you'll find the Court of Oryx, where players can initiate public events with up to nine people to tackle extremely difficult enemies for a chance at some sweet loot.

The Taken King storyline culminates with a raid called "King's Fall." You'll need five people to join you in the largest and most ambitious raid yet, which requires lots of teamwork and puzzle solving to unlock the best gear in the game.

Leveling up is much easier than it used to be.

You don't need better gear to upgrade, you just need to kill bad guys.

On this page you can see all your active quests and bounties. Quests are a new addition to "Destiny," and the bounties limit has been increased from 10 to 16.

This is what accepting a quest looks like.

You can also join factions in "Destiny" — they reward you with themed gear like weapons and armor. You can pledge a new faction once a week.

The Gunsmith has a bigger role in Year Two of "Destiny." You can test experimental weapons for rewards and order legendary weapons once a week.

There's a new currency called "Legendary Marks." You'll need it for most items available for purchase.

The Crucible, Destiny's multiplayer mode, is getting three new modes and eight new competitive maps (including one PlayStation exclusive).

All of these game modes will give you lots of new gear and armor. Thankfully, your vault space in "Destiny" has doubled from last year.

Here are some examples of the new gear you can acquire:

Exotic items are the best in the game. Here's an example of a new exotic shotgun called "The Chaperone."

You must adapt to persist, Guardian. The Chaperone Exotic shotgun fires a single slug shot and grants an Agility boost when equipped. Your precision kills will grant a brief increase to Handling, Range, Rate of Fire, and Stability. - Xûr, Agent of the Nine

A photo posted by DestinyTheGame (@destinythegame) on Aug 25, 2015 at 11:00am PDTAug 25, 2015 at 11:00am PDT

And here's a new exotic helmet, called Empyrean Bellicose.

I have information, but I do not know yet if you are the one it is meant for... Titans: fly like the shadows with the Empyrean Bellicose. Aiming your weapons while in the air will hold you in place for a short time. Orbs collected when your Super is full will recharge your melee ability. - Xûr, Agent of the Nine

A photo posted by DestinyTheGame (@destinythegame) on Aug 25, 2015 at 10:01am PDTAug 25, 2015 at 10:01am PDT

All of these improvements in Year Two will make you feel like dancing.

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