We search Bastion of Shadows and New Light, the conversion to Destiny 2's free to play with great news and a new expansion of a nightmare that will take us to the Moon.
New Light and Shadow Bastion makes Bungie resurface. It seems that the creators of Halo have been well suited for their separation with Activision. And it is that for a few months, the company has worked on its own in order to polish and improve the child with freedom from its eyes: Destiny 2. More than two years have passed since its launch; and although his sales start didn't help too much, Bungie has tried to keep the game alive. Several DLC’s later and with small monthly updates that have progressively improved the playable experience, the company has shown its intentions by doing a nearly complete face wash with Shadow Bastion and New Light. Two things that, while far from each other (one is an expansion, the other an update), serve as a precedent for what is to come.
All About New Light, the new Destiny 2
On October 1 Destiny 2 released one of its biggest updates in its history with Nueva Luz, to turn the title into a Free to Play that changes part of its bases with new and refreshing elements. From now on, users will have access to much of their content completely free, among which:
- All the content of year 1 (including the DLC’s The Curse of Osiris and The Strategist, as well as the main story of Ghaul and the Red Legion)
- Exotic year 1 and 2.
- Crucible and Gambit in all its branches.
- Space patrols
- Initial mission of Shadowkeep and access to its main stage.
- Dream City and Tangled Coast.
As we see in the image, our character will start with 750 power, regardless of whether we played Destiny 2 before or not. It will be our job to increase our level of power until it reaches its maximum, established in 900.
However, this does not end here, and it is that with the gigantic update that Destiny 2 supposes, some aspects of the game have changed, which further increases the possibilities and should be emphasized.
New equipment system with Armor 2.0
New Light has brought the new and interesting Armor 2.0 system. Now we can further customize all our equipment through a selection of improvements, effects and passives that will consume energy from our equipment.
In addition, we can improve weapons and armor so that they have greater energy capacity, being able to "check" based on mods and improvements the equipment of our guardian. It can become a demigod if we choose the right mods to create synergies, and further expand the customizable possibilities with a role-playing touch.
Battle passes and seasonal artifacts
Another thing that Destiny 2 has implemented with Nueva Luz has been the season battle pass, very much in the line of games like Fortnite. With this, Bungie sets aside the Annual Pass of previous seasons, and divides year 3 of the game into separate stations with lots of content. Rewards system by levels, exclusive activities, as well as a seasonal device, which specifically gives us benefits that we can select for our equipment.
As the company said, all this will be constantly changing. The rewards, activities and artifacts are exclusive of each season, and will vary in relation to the context of each one; so if we do not play an activity in a specific season, we will not be able to play it again.
This progressive experience for year 3 will have content for both those who pay and those who do not. While the former will receive double reward for each season level, as well as exclusive activities; the second will receive only one reward for leveling up.
The expansions, as well as the silver coins of ingame use, will be the payment components in Destiny 2, something that Bungie wants to continue keeping ahead of the future as a business model. Of these paid contents; the one that concerns us in these lines is his last expansion, Bastion of Shadows, which comes from the hand of New Light with strong touches of exploration and nostalgia.
Bastion of Shadows and the dark side of the Moon
In this new adventure we will have to go in the footsteps of an unrecognizable Eris Morn, an experienced and powerful guard who has been missing the Beehive for years and we already know about the first Destiny.
In order to help you solve the riddle of your latest research, we will enter the depths of the Moon. A scene very loved and remembered by the majority of veterans of the saga, since it was one of the most applauded in its first installment. A fair breath of fanservice that feels good and fits within the context of its history.
In this part, Bastion of Shadows shows the darkest tone of Destiny 2 with a leitmotiv nightmare, literally speaking. And it is that on this occasion, it will be the evils of the past that torment us in a plot that closes with a surprising end, but that floats considerably in some parts of its development.
Compared to other expansions, this may be one of the shortest in terms of duration. About 5 hours to finish its main arch, to which new contracts, activities, dungeons, equipment and raid are added. Bungie has assured that in the coming months, playable content will be added (both for the holders of the expansion and for the free to play players). A wide catalog of game modes that we can see in more detail in this official image of Bungie, facing the October-December season:
We also warn you to be careful newbies or first-time students of the online shooter. Bastion of Shadows is not a path of roses, precisely. The difficulty is high. There are many enemies per zone, the enemy AI is hard, clever and accurate (its Halo roots are noted) and a previous skill is required to face the dark side of the Moon. The advisable thing in this case would be to enjoy before the Destiny 2 free to play package, with its main history and its previous expansions, and thus to be tanned with the thousands of combats that await you. Afterwards, the apprentice will have become a teacher, and if he wants to pay for the DLC, he can face the adversities of the Moon in a short but intense adventure.
The general feelings have been very positive. The Shadow Bastion experience brings us more good things than bad. The Moon is a wide and spectacular stage. both visually and playably, with dozens of activities and lore to lose us. A more than enjoyable gunplay, unmistakable seal of Bungie, which integrates notably to the stage and enemy, to the point of giving us some occasions reminiscent of the Doom 3 (if we replace Mars with the terrestrial satellite).
It is true that the main adventure has become quite short (perhaps too much); However, its unexpected and daring end superbly closes a very important episode in the life of Destiny 2 and opens the way to promising new horizons where to preserve the light.
CONCLUSION
Although Destiny 2 goes through its third year of life, Shadow Bastion and New Light have turned it into year 1 after Bungie. With regard to New Light; its considerable change to become free to play, as well as the implementation of interesting systems such as Armor 2.0 or season passes, have given a face lift that feels great in general terms. Shadow Bastion works as an additive to all this; laying the foundations of what is to come with a story that, although it is short and sometimes tasteless, works and closes with a very interesting final touch for the bright future of this great title.
THE BEST
- Go back to the moon, which looks spectacular
- The incursion of Nueva Luz and the news in season pass, weapons …
- The closing of the story
- The jump to F2P brings several relevant changes
WORST
- Short duration of the main arch
- The expansion itself does not bring as many novelties as others
- The main plot loses bellows at various times
Very good
Remarkable game that we will enjoy and remember. A good purchase, highly recommended for lovers of the genre. It is well taken care of at all levels.
