New Cabal Enemies
The Cabal have taken center stage in the upcoming Destiny 2 and with them, this fearsome army has decided to bring some new friends along for the ride. While we get a glimpse at the base Cabal soldiers and some of the shield-carrying Phalanx units, however, there are some curious changes. One of which appears at the 0:19 second mark of the trailer and showcases what appears to be an updated Phalanx. Not only does the front of his shield now have an energy barrier, but there is also a rather large spike protruding from the center. This could either mean that the old versions are getting updated or we will have different versions to battle it out with.
Another, more elaborate type of Cabal appears to be a melee-focused one and appears at the 0:30 second mark. This brute appears to be about the size of a Colossus, but is wearing far different armor which could indicate the specific faction of the Cabal that warrior is a part of. Given these appear to be the new big baddies, it’s nice to see that Destiny 2 is going to expand upon the existing roster, while still keeping a few of the familiar faces we love to shoot.
Alien Dogs!
One of the more curious parts of the original Destiny is that players never really interacted with the wildlife, despite there being some clear signs on planets like Venus. At the 0:32 mark of the new Destiny 2 trailer viewers get to witness rather large, red dog-like aliens that attack Cayde-6.
It’s pretty clear given the tone/focus of the trailer that they are used by the Cabal, but this would mark the first actual “animals” that players will go up against. Not only could this mean that we might have to deal with roaming packs of these beasts, but that other alien races such as the Fallen could start showcasing their own pets for combat, too.
Ace of Spades Hand Cannon
While it was shown very briefly in the teaser, it’s pretty clear now that the Ace of Spades is probably a returning exotic in Destiny 2. There was no doubt some of the weapons and armor would carry over, but this Hunter-exclusive Hand Cannon is a bit of surprise. Outside of being Cayde-6’s weapon of choice, the Ace of Spades is not nearly as well-known among the Destiny community as the Hawkmoon or The Last Word. It will be interesting to see if Bungie continues the trend of class-specific exotics going forward, or if this was specifically for the trailer itself.
Another interesting note from the trailer is that neither Commander Zavala or Ikora Rey are using exotic weapons, but are instead using Vanguard-specific guns. In the cheering section at the end, none of the other Guardians are carrying exotics that we know of either, which makes the Ace of Spades’ inclusion only that much more interesting.
Lord Shaxx Lives!
Should we even be surprised that the Crucible master is still around? At the 1:16 mark in the trailer you can catch a glimpse of this mighty Guardian behind Zavala on the left among the crowd. We don’t see any sign of other members of the Tower like Eris Morn or the Cryptarch, but it would be surprising to learn they didn’t make it.
Curiously, Saladin also doesn’t seem to be a part of the crowd, though this is more than likely due to him still chilling at the Iron Temple. Shaxx appears to be the only other Destiny character to make an appearance that isn’t one of the specific class leaders.
Civilian Interaction
While Destiny players ran into quite a number of vendors, warriors, and important figures on their journey, they never got to actually see the impact of their work. Given players have literally never even ventured into the city once during the core game, it will be interesting to see if we get to interact with civilians in the core game. Patrols around the Last City could have us try to rescue them for experience or since The Tower is gone, the people could supplement our need for shops and items to purchase. It will be interesting to see if Bungie allows us to have actual interactions with them, as this will most certainly deepen the experience for many users.
While this trailer was more to set the tone of this future title, it’s clear there are some things to unpack. Where it will get interesting is how Bungie plans on revealing the gameplay and what community requests make it into the final product. There’s a lot riding on Destiny 2, but one cannot help but be excited at the prospect of pushing back the Darkness once more… also getting new loot.
Published: Mar 30, 2017 03:18 pm