Bungie's efforts to generate excitement for Destiny 2's future amid major studio layoffs and fan concerns continue with even more trailers for next year's Codename: Apollo expansion, which is now confirmed to bring the players to a “Metroidvania-inspired destination,” as it turns out. in new concept art and arrives alongside “next-gen” armor.
Bungie announced Codename: Apollo in September as part of “major changes” that will see the studio release two “medium” Destiny 2 expansions each year, instead of just one major release. At the time, Apollo was described as a “non-linear, character-driven adventure”, with the word “Metroidvania” floating around but not confirmed.
Each will have their own unique campaign and post-game content that players can “dive really deep into” beyond the initial experience: Apollo kicks off Destiny 2's new Frontiers saga with a journey to a “Metroidvania-inspired destination” which presents a “non-linear campaign that puts [players] in the driver's seat to explore their world and their story.
Bungie says players will be free to explore multiple destinations from the start, and that some areas will only be accessible once a specific item has been found elsewhere. Along the way, there will be characters to meet and decisions to make, with Apollo set to feature between 25 and 30 different “threads” of stories that players can discover as they complete different activities; the idea is to keep them in the world. and always exploring.
The studio remains coy when it comes to details, but concept art (above) for the new expansion shows “people [players] I Haven't Met Yet” on Destiny, and inspirations for Apollo are said to range from early '60s progressive rock like King Crimson and Jefferson Airplane, to Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five and the TV show Scavengers Reign.
Whatever Bungie ultimately has in store, it's described as an “exotic world” that's “custom-built around the joy of discovery,” where players will gain powerful abilities to uncover secrets and make their way to the big mystery in the heart of the planet.
Also coming next year, as part of efforts to revitalize Destiny 2, is a system Bungie calls “next-gen armor.” This, he explains in a lengthy blog post, is aimed at making armor “exciting again” by giving it unique properties and more manageable stats. Basically, this will mean “fewer unique stats on any piece of armor, with higher contributions to these stats and each stat point providing a benefit.” However, there are a lot more details in Bungie's post, so it's worth watching in full.
Before all that, though, Destiny 2 is ready to embark on its final season, Revenant: Act 1, which begins next week. One of its main new features is the new Onslaught: Salvation mode, which features three maps (Widow's Court was demonstrated during the live broadcast), new enemies and new defensive abilities. There's a turret, for example, plus upgraded Stasis Slow tripwires and an airstrike that sends a devastating blast from above when enemies stray within its radius. Expect all that (and more!) when Revenant kicks off on October 8.