Striking back with new Destiny DLC, first expansion pack

Just when we thought we were out, they pull us back in. Not to go all Silvio from The Sopranos on you, but we’re not sure our Destiny obsession will ever relent. With the MMO shooter’s first expansion hitting 9 December, our Christmas is set to be more concerned with new Strikes than selection boxes.

Priced at an eye-wateringly steep $20 , The Dark Below DLC nevertheless represents a major update for a game that’s long term future is dependent on new content drops. Two fresh Strikes (including the Mars set Undying Mind, which is a timed exclusive on PlayStation until at least Autumn 2015), a new *gulp* Raid called Crota’s End; three new Crucible multiplayer arenas; a raising of the Light level cap to 32, plus three additional story missions this is one of PS4’s most exhaustive expansion packs. It also looks to mark what could be a significant thematic change for the game’s much maligned narrative.

the mmo’s first expansion pack arrives 9 december.

“You’ll see a different approach to storytelling from us in The Dark Below,” Bungie president Harold Ryan reassures us. “It'll be easier to consume and understand.” We don't even have time to explain why we don’t have time to explain why this makes us so happy.

 Yes, Destiny’s script was rightly pilloried after launch, drawing ire for its hamfisted plotting and phoned-in ‘direlogue’. Though the shooting may boast wonderful feedback and the quest to get a magic hat with slightly higher Light fuels the game’s feverishly moreish end game, Ryan and his team are acutely aware of the criticism levelled at their new IP’s approach to storytelling.

same old story
“It’s a pretty common [piece of] feedback that people either don't understand the story or it’s not accessible enough for them to get into the fiction deeply,” he says.
“Telling a story in a game such as Destiny is a challenge. As a team, we were stuck coming from a very linear, cinematically driven story like we’d built in Halo. It was hard to decide how to push story at people.” Focused around Eris, an enigmatic Tower, the plot presented in The Dark Below’s new missions will be more, “consumable.” While you're chowing down on the new narrative, you’ll take on special quests to stop the Hive from summoning the god Crota, who apparently really wants to destroy Earth. Bummer.

As for the tantalising (and terrifying) prospect of Crota’s End, Ryan promises the new Moon based Raid will, “make a lot of people happy.” Couple this with two Strikes that boast, “more detail and polish,” and Destiny is ever evolving into PS4’s must have shooter, albeit at a higher price point than we’d like. With the House Of Wolves pack coming in early 2015, you’re in for quite the grindy workout. We’ll see you in-game, fellow Guardians.