I’ll start this review with a very simple warning; if you want to have any sort of social life or even see the light of day for the next few weeks, don’t buy The Taken King!
Put it this way; I was supposed to write this review a while ago but have found neither the time nor the energy to do it because of Destiny 2.0.
Quite simply, The Taken King has turned Destiny into the game that all us Year One-r’s wanted it to be from the very beginning. With an enhanced story, even more weapons, more pvp maps, and a new raid that is harder and more interesting than the previous ones, The Taken King makes Destiny an even more viable option for players old and new.
The biggest flaw with Year 1 Destiny was the lack of interesting story. You ended up reaching the end of the story campaign still not knowing what the whole point of it was, other than knowing that the mysterious Traveller had saved a small part of Earth from ‘The Darkness’, an entity even less interesting than the band.
The Taken King has changed all this. Reinvigorating the initial story campaign was an absolute must and they’ve done exactly that. While at the same time, giving us interesting nuggets of information during the new missions that relate to everything that has gone before. It was a nice touch and something very much appreciated.
The new story campaign in The Taken King also gives us something we have previously missed out on; interesting dialogue with NPCs and an engaging storyline that captivates and humours you in equal measure. Cayde-6 (voiced by the already amazing Nathan Fillion) steals the show and at various times during the story missions I found myself nearly dying at the hands of The Taken because of laughing at his wonderful sarcasm.
The Taken, if you are not aware (if not, where have you been the last few months), are members of the four enemy factions you have fought before, The Vex, The Fallen, The Cabal and The Hive ‘taken’ and brainwashed into fighting for Oryx, the father of the sword wielding wild child, Crota, who we all enjoying slaying repeatedly in the previous DLC.
A more rewarding experience…
Leveling has also been given an extensive upgrade. While grinding remains highly important, and as a looter shooter we shouldn’t expect anything less, reaching the current level cap of 40 is a much more rewarding and enjoyable process. While a general light level still remains, it is now no longer tied to your current character level, which now rises continuously based on experience alone.
The light level is still highly important, however. Based on an average of your weapon attack power and your armour defence, the light level is a good indicator of how easy or tricky you will find missions, strikes, nightfalls and even the new raid itself.
Talking of the new raid, you can expect to read my review on that in the next week or so. Unfortunately, a couple of people in my raid group have been unable to play it over the last couple of weeks, so we have held off doing the new raid until we’re all ready. Once I’ve attempted (and probably failed) the raid at the weekend, I’ll post my thoughts on it here.
More unique strikes…
There have been some great new strikes added, too. Not only have the Xbox users finally been given access to the Undying Mind (shudder) and the Psion Flayers strikes, but all players are now able to take on another three new strikes (4 for Playstation users) that add real variety and a uniqueness that has not been seen before.
By now, we’re all used to doing strikes and sitting at a certain point at the end of the mission that’s proven to quickly, safely and easily take down the final boss. The new strikes on The Taken King change all that. The Sunless Cell and the Shield Brothers strikes are the greatest example of that. At no point during the final fight can you sit in one place. You continually have to move around the arena/room and it makes it all the more rewarding and enjoyable when you finally take the boss or bosses down.
I won’t ruin too much about the SABER strike on Earth but I will say this; it features a very interesting and different section that is unlike anything else we’ve seen in Destiny. It’s not the hardest thing to do but it requires a little more thinking and ingenuity than anything else we’ve come across. Oh, and if it comes up on the Nightfall at any point – good luck; you’ll need it!!
PVP that’s even more fun
I’ve always liked the PVP modes in Destiny, but The Taken King has enhanced it tenfold. The new maps add variety and substance while the two new modes, Rift and Mayhem, are an excellent addition.
Mayhem, in particular, is now a huge favourite of mine. Like using the supers? How about being able to use them even more often?! Yep, that’s what the mayhem mode is all about! And it’s absolutely epic!
Supers? Ah yes, supers. You see, I’ve saved the best till last!
The new supers are the biggest and best addition to Destiny. The warlock, hunter and Titan all receive major boosts to their super powers, giving us even more choice and the ability to truly craft our characters around the skills we want.
The Stormcaller class enables all warlocks to turn ‘Sith lord’, blasting out bolts of lightning towards any unsuspecting NPCs or other human players. If you haven’t witnessed it for yourself, I’d advise looking it up on YouTube. You can thank me later!
I’ve always been a fan of the hunter class and the new super for them doesn’t disappoint. More defence and support based than the other two classes, the Nightstalker class enables you to fire Void arrows from your awesome looking bow. Trapping and ‘tethering’ your enemies means easier work for you and your teammates and enhanced damage output for all.
Last but not least, the Sunbreaker class for the Titans. Think ‘Flaming Thor’ and you’re about right. This super gives you the chance to throw flaming hammers at whomever you choose! Who wouldn’t enjoy that, eh?!
I’ve tried to be unbiased during this review but it’s hard when a game has given me this much enjoyment.
Personally, I would always recommend you get this DLC, as it’s added so much to the game.
In addition, if you haven’t got Destiny at all, then I would especially recommend you get this game. Even more so following the release of the Taken King DLC.
Put it this way, I don’t get a lot of time to play games nowadays but I’ve spent more time playing Destiny than I ever did playing my all time favourite game, Final Fantasy 7.
At the end of the day, there are a lot of positive and negative reviews about Destiny. But all that matters is if you think you’ll enjoy playing it alone and with friends. If you like looter shooters then get this game. If you like playing with friends but aren’t bothered about loot hauls, get this game anyway. The Destiny community is fantastic and you’ll make new friends without a shadow of a doubt.
If you’re still undecided about whether to buy it or not, take a look at twitch.tv/KingGothalion. He’s the leading streamer of Destiny on Twitch and a downright awesome guy. His streams will give you a good insight into not only the game itself but also the community.
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