Jun 12 2014- A Sneak Peak
Destiny’s First Look Alpha is released for PlayStation platforms and runs until Jun 16. The First Look Alpha brings players the line that will live on forever in video game history: “That Wizard came from the Moon!”
Jul 17 2014- PlayStation Beta Begins
Destiny’s Alpha was a huge success, but to provide a bit more testing and tweaking, a beta was released shortly after for the PlayStation platforms for those who pre-ordered or received a download code.
Jul 22 2014- Xbox Joins the Beta Fray
Anyone who pre-ordered Destiny on Xbox finally got their chance to see what all the fuss was about when the beta finally hit Microsoft’s consoles a couple of days before it was unleashed on anyone who wanted to try it.
Sept 9 2014- Your Legend Begins
Destiny hits store shelves and digital marketplaces, becoming the fastest selling new IP. The shared-world shooter finally receives its full release and is well received for stellar shooting mechanics but criticized for lack of a deep narrative.
Sept 16 2014- The Raid Begins
A week after the initial launch of Destiny, players finally got to delve into the endgame content that everyone was looking forward to. The Vault of Glass opened its doors portals to players who felt confident enough to take down the Vex on their own turf. The ‘near impossible’ challenge was completed 14 hours after launch by the clan PrimeGuard, forever cementing themselves in the legend of Destiny.
Sept 23 2014- Answer the Call of the Queen
The Queen’s Wrath event launches and is the first time when Destiny has new missions added through an event. It proves to be successful with its guaranteed legendaries, shiny shaders, and awesome ships. Also a bit more story is thrown into the mix (because Destiny really needed it).
Oct 1 2014- Cryptarch, Play Nice Please!
Bungie patches the loot system, making Legendary drops a bit more common and removing the Cryptarch’s ability to heavily troll players by giving nothing. He now only trolls a little bit, because sometimes you just need a little troll, you know?
Oct 7 2014- Iron Banner
The first Iron Banner event begins and runs for an entire week. It is the perfect battleground for the Crucible’s most fierce warriors and would return every month to offer rewards and bragging rights. Definitely not for the faint of heart.
Oct 14 2014- Bungie Tampers With Weapons
Bungie experiments with weapon nerfing, weakening auto rifles across the board in order to make the weapon balancing more fair. It will mark the first time that Bungie proves to not be afraid of backlash and more concerned with the entire player experience. This event is the grandfather of the fateful patch that placed the Gjallarhorn in the spotlight.
Dec 9 2014- The Son of Oryx Awaits
The first major expansion for Destiny, The Dark Below, releases and introduces a new threat in Crota, the son of Oryx. A Hive prince that is worshipped as if he were a god, Crota commands legions of Hive as they launch an all out attack on Earth and the Moon. More intense gunfights, and new challenges awaited players who had their fill of vanilla Destiny.
Dec 9 2014- Crota is Banished
On the very same day that The Dark Below is released, someone goes along murders Crota. The brand new, more intense raid activity was toppled in a mere 6 hours, much shorter than the Vault of Glass’s first runs.
Jan 13 2015- Play Fair, Everyone
After much cheating and cheesing, Bungie finally puts its foot down by patching all of the known raid boss exploits. It’s supposed to be difficult, and they wanted to keep it that way.
Jan 21 2015- Crota Remastered
For those who found Crota to be a bit too laid back, Bungie made sure to prepare a much more challenging encounter by way of a Hard Mode to Crota’s End, The Dark Below’s raid. This pushed players to the limit by lowering the time to enrage on bosses, throwing stronger enemies into the fold, and making it impossible to heal during the final fight by conventional means. It tested just how well players could handle the heat.
May 19 2015- The Fallen’s House of Wolves Must Be Stopped
Destiny’s second expansion, House of Wolves, releases and mixes up the formula once again. Eschewing the raid for a new arena-style challenge called the Prison of Elders, and changing up the reward system while also throwing in new story missions and an awesome new event, House of Wolves helped to once again put Destiny in the gaming spotlight.
