Since its initial release in 2014,
Destiny has continued to evoke
a myriad of emotions from its player base.
Three expansions have helped redefine the game
into what many players wanted from the beginning.
Looking to keep the community invested before the inevitable sequel,
year three begins with the fourth and final expansion, Rise of Iron.
While not nearly as transformative as The Taken King,
Rise of Iron injects some fresh life into a community
that craves new goals to fulfill.
But is it enough to sustain its core audience
or encourage the return of dormant guardians?
The expansion picks up a year after The Taken King
and revolves around the legendary Iron Lords
and their only surviving member, Lord Saladin.
In true Destiny fashion,
an ancient technological evil named SIVA
has awoken and it’s up to the guardians to defeat it.
The story never reaches the urgency of Taken King,
and after completing the campaign in about two hours,
it ends up feeling like filler.
Fortunately the missions themselves offer memorable encounters
and they’re some of the best Destiny has to offer.
The new SIVA enemy penalizes players for headshots
forcing you to rethink old strategies.
Beautiful snow filled vistas,
an increased emphasis on movement,
and the new iron lord axe
will make you want more after the brief journey.
Once the new arc is completed it’s immediately back to the grind
many Destiny players are already intimately familiar with.
This is when Rise of Iron begins to show signs of fatigue and repetition
due to the lack of new activities to further advance characters’ light levels.
Despite hidden quest lines that offer a few additional missions,
strikes are still one of the main avenues of progression.
Many of the old strikes are included in the playlist.
Only three strikes are new,
and even two of those are just remixes of older ones.
This is a huge disappointment
for what’s intended to be the final farewell to Destiny.
Many players have been grinding these strikes for years,
and as a dormant player coming back to the fray,
shooting Vex in The Undying Mind isn’t nostalgic, it’s old.
The Plaguelands is a new patrol zone on Earth.
It offers another way to progress your character’s light,
but it quickly becomes a monotonous grind
through the same menial objectives.
At a certain point in your character’s journey to the max light level,
continually grinding these tasks
becomes the most efficient way of progression.
There is one bright spot however, and that’s the Archon’s Forge.
Similar to the Court of Oryx,
the public event zone offers some chaotic arena style action
for anyone with a SIVA offering.
Grouping together with nearby guardians to tackle the Forge is rewarding at first,
but like most of Rise of Iron, quickly becomes predictable.
Player vs. Player has seen some small shake-ups
including the new private match feature added just ahead of Rise of Iron.
The largest addition is the new Supremacy mode,
similar to Call of Duty’s Kill Confirmed.
Supremacy adds an extra layer to the traditional deathmatch
by putting an emphasis on timing your team’s movements.
Knowing when to press on or when to stay back is key to victory.
Additionally, the eight new Iron Lord Artifacts
offer varying perks that are sure to challenge expectations,
such as enhanced radar effects, eliminating the cooldown for sprint,
and reducing damage over time effects.
There are also four new maps on PlayStation 4
while Xbox One gets three.
Trials of Osiris and The Iron Banner
will return in the near future with new rewards
ensuring that the PvP scene will remain a hotly contested warzone
for the foreseeable future.
The Wrath of the Machine Raid
is without a doubt the highlight of Rise of Iron.
Corralling a group of six people together
to tackle the subtle mechanics and admire breathtaking views
is a fitting reward for the most dedicated players.
Destiny’s secrets and the way the community reacts to them
are fascinating to be a part of,
and Rise of Iron doubles down on this idea.
Whether it’s solving an ARG puzzle for secret exotic quests,
navigating tricky platforming sections for unknown treasures,
or opening hidden areas,
Destiny continues to offer a meaningful sense of discovery
at the beginning of its third year.
Felwinter Peak is the new social hub
and it’s soothing place to hang out in between activities.
It even has a few secrets to uncover.
The Rise of Iron Record Book is similar to the year two moments of triumph,
and it truncates all of your objectives into one streamlined place.
Each time a task is completed, the book rises in level
and offers unique rewards including the titular armor set.
Exotic weapons and armor can be customized further
with the new ornament system,
which essentially gives you access to additional skins.
These ornaments are extremely hard to come by,
and even spending real world money on radiant treasure boxes
doesn’t guarantee a drop.
It has been a long and winding road for Destiny.
Loot caves, sleeper stimulants, the lighthouse, and Gjallarhorn
are words that may evoke powerful emotions from you.
Only one week into Rise of Iron
and now Outbreak Prime is potentially one of these memories.
How much you care about these stories varies,
and ultimately depends on how much you’re willing to invest to get there.
Like Destiny as a whole, Rise of Iron has moments of legend,
sandwiched between repetitive, forgettable tasks.
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