‘Destiny’ Final Event Announced, Sequel Character Transfer Won’t Carry Progress
Bungie is finally taking steps to close out Destiny. The developer announced the final event and content update is coming soon to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One shooter. There is also some talk of Destiny 2 with a middle ground found for those that want to transfer over their characters.
The final Destiny event, called “Age of Triumph,” will be revealed next Wednesday, March 8 and launch at the end of the month. Bungie isn’t ready to share any details on what content will be included in the event, but did say it will be a “memorable celebration that will bring the first major chapter of our Destiny adventures to a fitting close.”
The reveal will also look back at the first three years of Destiny, which should prove interesting. There are few games that have changed as much as Destiny from launch onward. Bungie has completely re-worked character progression, quests, screens, and more while also cutting out some planned expansion content due to assorted development issues.
Two more livestream reveals are planned for Wednesday, March 15 and Wednesday, March 22. These will look at the changes to the weekly activities like Nightfalls and Raids along with updates to the sandbox. The latter suggests the update for the “Age of Triumph” will also address complaints about weapons and abilities from the recent 2.5.0.2 hotfix.
As for Destiny 2, rumors started last September that existing characters would not carry over to the sequel. This is apparently due to a complete restructuring of the game structure and tools from the original to the follow-up.
The Destiny sequel is said to follow a more traditional MMO structure with new play areas populated by “towns, outpost, and quests.” It’s possible the existing Guardian sub-classes will be significantly altered, and there is a chance that new sub-classes may be introduced.
Obviously, some fans were not entirely happy at the thought of losing their characters and progress. Bungie listened to the community, however, and is attempting to find a middle ground between Destiny owners keeping their character but still fitting in the new structure of the sequel.
“Sequels represent the start of a new adventure for every player, with new worlds to explore, new stories to tell, new powers to acquire, new loot to earn, and much more. This led us to a decision that would enable us to serve both the game and the player’s best interests: Destiny 1 power, possessions, and Eververse-related items and currency will not carry forward. They will, however, remain accessible to you in Destiny 1,” the studio announced.
Existing Destiny characters who have reached Level 20 in the game and completed the Black Garden story mission can be carried forward. While progress and items will stay behind, the characters will retain their class, plus the race, gender, face, hair, and marking selections that were chosen when the Guardian was first created. Additionally, Bungie is offering “honors” to reward veteran players for sticking through to the sequel.
“We believe this is the best path forward. It allows us to introduce the major advancements and improvements that all of us expect from a sequel, ensuring it will be the best game we can create, unencumbered by the past,” Bungie explained. “We’re looking forward to sharing more details with you later this year for how we will honor your legacy in the future.”
Destiny 2 will launch later in 2017 with rumors of a PC version attached. As previously covered, both Activision and Bungie plan to support the release of the sequel with a steady stream of new content to keep players engaged.
What do you think of Destiny closing out with the “Age of Triumph” and Bungie’s middle ground for character transfers? Sound off in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Bungie]