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"Destiny 2" review: The wait was worth it for PC gamers

31.10.2017

Translation: machine translated

More than a month after the console version, PC players can also immerse themselves in Bungie's space shooter. You shouldn't miss out on this, and not just because of the excellent porting.

Finally, "Destiny 2" is also available for the PC. As a big MMO and sci-fi fan, it goes without saying that I had to take a look straight away. I still had to game the predecessor on the PS4. From now on, I can shoot aliens with my mouse and keyboard.

The game begins with the event that leads to the whole misery of "Destiny 2". Humanity's last city falls, the Guardians are deprived of their light and it's all thanks to the chief villain Garry, er, Ghaul. He thinks that humanity doesn't deserve its light (a psychic power that practically gives the guardians immortality) and steals it without further ado. Cheeky, that's just not on. So it's up to us to take down the villain. I don't want to give away any more of the story at this point. Just this much: it plays quickly and is ideal for familiarising yourself with the game and preparing you for the mid and endgame. It can be interrupted at any time for a fling, but some features are only unlocked with the story.

A thrilling story at last

The story of "Destiny 2" is light years better than that of "Destiny 1". Characters have a personality, there are appropriate film sequences and quite a few of them. And of course there's Cayde-6, who alone is reason enough to check out the game (voiced in English by Nathan Fillion, known from "Firefly" among others). He plays really well and it's fun to listen to him.

Before you start the story, you have to choose one of three classes. Gender, ethnicity and appearance can be modified. You have a total of three free slots per account. So you can play all classes: Titan, Hunter and Warlock.

These classes can be further specialised by assigning elements to them: Solar (fire), Arcus (lightning) and Void (dark energy). This specialisation can then be further expanded in the game as you progress. The Titan can be compared to a knight from fantasy games. It can take a lot and deals a lot, but is rather slower. As a so-called super ability, the Titan has a Captain America shield, for example, with which it deals a lot of damage.

The Hunter, on the other hand, is more of a rogue. Nimble and agile, but not very resilient. Thanks to its super skill, the Hunter can also dish out some serious damage. For example, with a golden cannon that sends enemies back into the darkness in an instant.

The last character to choose from is the Warlock. This is the equivalent of the mage. Strong in support and damage distribution as well as healing, but also not the most resistant. As a super ability, the warlock can, for example, shoot lightning from his hands - the emperor sends his regards.

Looting and exploring

As I stand now, there are four areas in the game: Earth, Titan, Io and Nessus. There are also two player bases or meeting points, if you will. The rural village on Earth and a second one, which I won't spoil. During the campaign, you are guided through all the worlds. So you unlock them bit by bit. Each world has its own character and flair and is different from the previous one.

You are completely free to go wherever you want. As enemies scale with your level, you never run the risk of wandering into a death zone. This encourages the spirit of discovery and motivates you to find lost treasures or join the public events, which are already familiar from the first part. These are public events that can be played by everyone and require team play to get the best possible loot.

The main focus of "Destiny 2" is clearly on the loot. There is something to collect and equip everywhere and at every corner. You are rewarded for missions and tasks with equipment and tokens, which can be exchanged for legendary equipment (from level 20). They help you to rise in rank. All these activities can be played in a team. You can explore the worlds with up to six people. Strikes and raids await you in the mid and endgame. Strikes are challenging missions that are played with three players. You can find fellow players via matchmaking and the missions can also be completed with strangers. But let's move on to the raids and the particularly difficult strikes, called twilight strikes. They require a high degree of coordination.

Unfortunately, this reveals a major problem with Destiny 2. There is a feature called Guided Games. This is supposed to help newcomers to share the experience of the endgame alone with others. But it doesn't work at all. I waited almost ten minutes for a twilight strike because I was the only one of my friends who was already level 20 and therefore levelled up enough. The problem is that the Guided Game is only meant for one player to join a team of two or five - there just aren't any of those. Everyone either already has three or six players or searches for themselves. This means that matchmaking doesn't work with the Guided Game. It's better to find a clan as early as possible and play with them. I haven't been able to try out the raid yet because it won't be released on PC until this week.

PVP seems unfinished

In addition to these PVE activities, there is also a PVP arena. Here you can shoot around in open matches or seek victory in competitive team matches. However, the PVP is more of a side activity as it is not mature enough. The hitboxes are too big and the lack of dedicated servers causes lags. Some weapons are also significantly more powerful than others. Level differences do not apply, but the weapon specs do, which can be unfair. There is also a third PVP level. In the Trials of the Nine there are no more rules and then level differences are relevant. In the Trials, the aim is to survive nine rounds to get as much loot as possible. The feature is not yet available on the PC, but it screams cheater to me.

Conclusion

There are many more activities, but that would go beyond the scope of this article. It's best to find out for yourself what else is hidden. Overall, "Destiny 2" makes a solid impression on me. After many hours, I can say that I have a lot of fun with the story, looting and messing around with my friends. And the PC version is a flawless realisation. Ultra-Wide, 4K, everything is supported and the result looks good enough to eat without making your PC sweat too much. It may not keep you motivated for all eternity, but it will take you a while to see and find everything. The first DLC has also already been announced. For anyone who likes sci-fi and has a weakness for loot and shoot games that you can enjoy with friends, I can highly recommend "Destiny 2".