Destiny

Destiny
Developer(s):	Bungie
Publisher(s):	Activision
Platform(s):	Xbox One Xbox 360 PlayStation 4 PlayStation 3
Release date(s):	September 9, 2014
Genre(s):	First-person shooter
Mode(s):	Campaign Cooperative
Rating(s):	ESRB: Teen (T) for Animated Blood and Violence PEGI: 16+

"Become Legend."

— Tagline

Destiny is a massively multiplayer first-person shooter video game developed by Bungie, released on September 9, 2014 for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3. .

Unlike typical FPS games, Destiny features role-playing elements and as such has been likened to "World of Warcraft in space," while Bungie refers to it as a "shared world shooter." It has been reported that sequels will be released every two years through 2020, with downloadable "Comet" expansions released in the years between the main Destiny titles.

Premise

Destiny is set in the 28th century in a post-apocalyptic setting. Humans had spread and colonized the Solar System with the help of a spherical entity known simply as "the Traveler" who reshaped planets and moons, and taught humanity new technologies and mystical powers that led to a time later called the Golden Age. An event known as "The Collapse", an attack from the Darkness, an unknown faction or entity, saw the dissolution of these colonies and left mankind on the brink of extinction. The only known survivors of the Collapse are those living on Earth, who were saved by the Traveler. The Traveler hovers above the last remaining human city as a large spherical body, and its presence gives the Guardians of the City—the last defenders of the human race—the ability to wield an unknown power.

Upon mankind's first attempt to repopulate and reconstruct after the Collapse, it was discovered that hostile alien races have occupied mankind's former colonies and civilizations. The player takes on the role of a Guardian of the City, and is tasked with investigating and destroying these threats before the remnants of humanity are completely wiped out.

Gameplay

Destiny includes the following game modes:

• Social: Non-combat locations where players can store or acquire new gear, pick up bounties, or meet other Guardians.
• Story Mission: 1-3 player activities, tie in with the main arc of the campaign.
• Strike: 3 player activities based on fighting through an enemy encampment to reach a boss at the end.

• Nightfall Strike - An Endgame, high-difficulty version of strikes that offer high rewards.

• Patrol: General team-based exploration based on gathering of resources and tracking down bounties.
• Raid: Endgame 6 player missions of high challenge, featuring multiple boss fights, deadly enemies, and puzzles.
• Arena: Endgame 3 player challenges with rotating missions and modifiers.
• Crucible: Player vs. player gameplay. Multiple playlists ranging between score and objective-based gametypes are available.

• Iron Banner - A special event in the Crucible available every other month for special rewards to those who compete.
• Trials of Osiris - Endgame 3 player Crucible event every weekend that offers high rewards to those who win consistently.

• Public Event: Optional cooperative multiplayer events that are dynamically generated in the game world. Can be found in public spaces in the game world.

Characters are the same across all game modes; players can bring items that they win in PVE content into the Crucible (and vice versa) to gain a competitive advantage. Players can save up to 3 characters and can share gear across all three of them. Characters are created by the player and can be one of three different classes: Hunter, Titan, or Warlock. Each class has its own unique abilities, ranging from melee attacks to grenades to their iconic Super Ability. Players can also choose race for aesthetic purposes, ranging from Humans, Awoken, and Exo.

Combat focuses mainly on typical FPS mechanics, with players able to carry one Primary Weapon, oneSpecial Weapon, and one Heavy Weapon. In addition, they also have access to their class-specific abilities, which can dramatically change the tide of a fight. Leveling up a class unlocks new abilities and perks; gear can also provide unique perks, so acquiring loot to create the best combination of perks and abilities is desirable.

Players explore the different planets of the Solar System. Available locations are Earth (which features two destinations, Old Russia and The City), the Moon, Venus, Mars, the Reef, Saturn, and Mercury (under specific conditions). Each planet comes with its own set of Story Missions, Strikes, Crucible maps, Patrols, and sometimes Raids or other activities.

Limited editions

The Destiny Ghost Edition

Ghost Edition

Main article: Destiny Ghost Edition

The Destiny Ghost Edition is the second-tier physical limited edition of Destiny; includes a Ghost replica, Golden Age relics, a letter, Steelbook, folio of story-based material and the Destiny Expansion Pass - as well as extra digital content. Template:Article Quote

The Destiny Limited Edition

Limited Edition

Main article: Destiny Limited Edition

The Destiny Limited Edition is the first-tier physical limited edition of Destiny; includes a Steelbook, folio of story-based material and the Destiny Expansion Pass - as well as extra digital content. Template:Article Quote

Digital Guardian Edition

The Destiny Digital Guardian Edition is a digital only bundle; it includes a digital copy of Destiny, early access to Vanguard armory, the Destiny Expansion Pass and aforementioned digital content.

Support Apps

Players can access a number of free support apps, either on their smartphone or in a web browser. These support apps provide access to in-game content, as well as information regarding the game.

Companion App

The Destiny Companion App offers a condensed newsfeed from Bungie.net and access to the site forums, as well as the ability to access one's character and inventory and receive updates on special events.

Destiny Planet Viewer

The Destiny Planet Viewer allows players to explore areas in a Google Earth style browser app.

Expansions and bonus content

All three limited edition bundles were announced to ship with the Destiny Expansion Pass

The Dark Below was released to players on December 9, 2014.

The House of Wolves is set for release on May 19, 2015.

A Comet expansion pack for Destiny is expected to be released in 2015.

Owners of the Playstation 4 version will receive timed exclusive content.

The game had different pre-order bonuses.

Marketing

Destiny Alpha

Main article: Destiny Alpha

The Destiny Alpha, a closed Destiny alpha test accessed by signing up after E3 2014, was live between June 12 and June 15, 2014 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 platforms only.

Destiny Beta

Main article: Destiny Beta

The Destiny Beta was a public Destiny beta test, accessed by pre-ordering the game from selected retailers. The beta was released on July 17, 2014 for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 platforms, while Xbox One and Xbox 360 access began on July 23, 2014. The Beta became open to anyone, regardless if they pre-ordered, on July 25, 2014. The beta ended for all platforms on July 27, 2014.

Alternate reality games

Alpha Lupi

Main article: Alpha Lupi

Alpha Lupi is the alternate reality game (ARG) that began on February 11, 2013, to herald the announcement and reveal of Destiny. Over the course of seven days, a forum account run by Bungie released cryptic images and messages to be solved by the community prior to the Febraury 17th public release of Destiny information.

Final results of the ARG, once solved included an mp3 track by Marty O'Donnell as the background music and a completed image of the entire solved puzzle.

Trailers

Pathways Out of Darkness

Main article: Destiny ViDoc: Pathways Out of Darkness

The Pathways Out of Darkness ViDoc was released February 17, 2013. It is named in reference to Bungie's earliest first-person shooter, and first commercial success, Pathways Into Darkness.

PlayStation 4 Official Announcement

Main article: Destiny PlayStation 4 Official Announcement

PlayStation 4 Official Announcement was released February 21, 2013, detailing its release on PlayStation 4 and featuring more in-game material.

Character Development

Main article: Destiny Character Development

Character Development was released March 28, 2013. It was shown in Bungie's GDC 2013 presentation. This video provides a glimpse into the character art, development, and design of Destiny -- from early sketches and concept art, to animation and in-engine 3D character models.

The Law Of The Jungle

Main article: The Law Of The Jungle

The Law Of The Jungle was released May 23, 2013. The trailer shows a Guardian recalling the moment when he was first taught the most important lesson of all – The Law of the Jungle.

Out Here in the Wild

Main article: Destiny ViDoc: Out Here in the Wild

Out Here in the Wild was the second Destiny ViDoc and was released on August 22, 2013. It is named in reference to the Crow's dialogue in the trailer.

The Devils' Lair

Main article: The Devils' Lair

This gameplay trailer was released on April 28, 2014.

Development

Screenshot of the Halo 3: ODST reference

When designing Destiny, Bungie wanted to push themselves away from their Halo series. While Halo gravitated towards the "hard" side of the sci-fi spectrum, Destiny was designed to be "mythic science fiction"—a world rooted in science, but with fantastical elements. Originally it was more akin to pure fantasy, with designs for knights, swords and sorcery in a white city on a hill. However, the designers thought they were denying themselves as per their preference for science fiction, so they decided to incorporate the elements together.

The series was first alluded to by a poster in Bungie's previous game Halo 3: ODST. The poster showed an image of the Earth and Moon (or possibly the Traveler), with the caption "Destiny Awaits".

Multiplayer

There will be online matchmaking as confirmed by Bungie in the Mail Sack.

Reception

Destiny has received mixed to positive reception:

• GameSpot: 6/10
• Giant Bomb: 3/5
• IGN: 7.8/10
• Official Xbox Magazine: 8/10
• Polygon: 6/10
• The Escapist: 3/5

The game sold $500 million worth of units within 24 hours of launch. One in five copies of the game have been sold digitally. Heavy criticism was leveled against the game's story and its style of delivery. As for February 2015, the game has had 16 million registered users.

Awards

Year	Award	Image	Result
2014	Most Anticipated Shooter Game by IGN readers		Won

Gallery

Concept art

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  The three Guardian types.

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  The Ocean of Storms.

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  Hellmouth.

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  The Traveler.

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  The Vex on what seems to be a lake.

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  The five races.

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  The cut Tiger Man.

Pre-Alpha

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  Pre-alpha environment render.

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Renders

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  A Hunter

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  A Warlock

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  A Titan

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  A Fallen Dreg

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  A Fallen Vandal

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  A Fallen Captain

External links

• Official Destiny site
• Destiny on Bungie.net
• Destiny's Official Facebook page
• Destiny's Official Instagram
• Destiny's Official Youtube channel