With The Forsaken update just a couple of weeks away, the time to complete the end-game content from the previous expansions is dwindling. Some of the old content will simply be too low level to be a challenge anymore, while other content, like armor and weapons, will be made obsolete by the new power system and RNG perks. This is a shame because if like me, you have put hundreds of hours into Destiny 2 you want to know it wasn't in vain.
So here are four things I think you should try to get done before the changeover. Some of these things will affect you in Forsaken and others will round out your Destiny 2 experience so you don't miss out on gameplay you have spent money on acquiring. Eyes up guardian and let's dive in.
Complete the Raid
The Leviathan Raid and the subsequent Raid Lairs that followed are, for me, some of the best content in Destiny 2. There is nothing quite like working with a fireteam of six to fight through a solid three or four hours of jumping puzzles, enemy waves, and huge bosses that all require expert timing and huge amounts of teamwork. In the Raids you get a real sense of camaraderie from the Fireteam you are working with, you talk all the time, some of it banter for sure, but most of the time you getting sitreps on your team's position, you are calling out gaps in the line that needs filling, you are working as a unit in a way I don't think you get from most games.
The Leviathan Raid, while being a huge part of the end-game content will most likely be completely nerfed by the new level cap in Forsaken. Looking back through Destiny history you see t happen every time, Vault of Glass, possibly the best Raid in the franchise, became so easy when they increased the power it was pointless to play it. The gear you get from the Raid also rarely scales so the rewards are no longer worth the time it takes to complete. So take some time before Forsaken arrives to put together a Fireteam and show the Emperor and his planet eating sandworm who's the real boss.
Max out your level
This seems like a no-brainer but it is pretty important. If your character isn't level 400 or very close to it the new content may be a real struggle to get through. We all want it to be a challenge of course, but hobbling yourself early on will make it tough to compete with the new race, the Scorn, and generally reduce your enjoyment of the new content.
There are a lot of ways to get to max level. If you have finished the Raids and the Raid lairs you will already be pretty close and by finishing off some of the higher level quests that I will talk about below you should be able to hit that ceiling. If you still haven't managed to get to the cap then spending the next week pushing through the Solstice of Heroes, Bungie's last hoorah for year one of Destiny 2, will help you get as close as you can. I think I will end year one with a level of around 395, and I'm okay with that.
More Everything we know about Forsaken
Complete the Whisper of the Worm quest
Many moons ago Bungie made a weapon and a quest that is still talked about to this day called The Black Spindle. A sniper rifle of awesome power and a perk that refilled the magazine with three headshots, the Spindle was a machine of destruction that few Guardians wanted to be without. The quest to get was amazing as well. Hidden in a daily challenge, the team at Bungie told no one about it, until a player found it by accident and told the world. It was one of Destiny 1 finest moments and became part of the mythos surrounding Destiny.
The Whisper of the Worm is another quest just like it. No one knew it was there, Bungie never mentioned anything about it. It was only when someone stumbled upon a yellow bar enemy that opened a portal after a blight Public Event that we knew something new had been added. What follows is some of the very best gameplay Destiny 2 as ever given me, I loved it so hard, and is another showcase of what Bungie can do when it tries a little harder than normal.
This quest is well worth doing before you move on to Forsaken because of the nature of the weapon. Whisper comes with White Nail, the same perk that the Spindle had — the one that reloads your weapon on three headshots — as well as getting Firefly when you get the masterwork. Firefly adds an explosion of solar damage if you kill an enemy with a headshot, coupled with white nail this makes the Whisper of the Worm a weapon you want in year two.
Spend some time in the Solstice of Heroes
If you are a Destiny 2 player you have no doubt been playing this for a while now, if you haven't you have until Tuesday the 28th August to get as much done as you can. The Solstice of Heroes is Bungie's end of year extravaganza, where they try to get you to complete as many year-one activities as possible. Some of the goals you will have achieved simply by playing through the game but some need to complete within the Solstice timeframe to get the points you acquire when handing in the rewards. Like previous years one of the rewards is a code to claim an exclusive T-shirt from Bungie but I haven't managed to get that this year. Turns out having a baby human in the house cuts down on the amount of seven-hour gaming sessions you can do.
The solstice does include a chance to get a level 400 armor set, the set of armor you original start the game with, but fixed up and looking tip top. To get it you will have to wear your low level, broken armor, and complete challenges while wearing it. The armor generates energy orbs based on what super energy you are using and you'll have to collect a lot of orbs to finish the quest line. There are 5 old missions called Redux that you will have to complete to help get the armor — essentially memories of an old mission changed around to make it harder and fresh — and you have to be in said armor in the levels to get the points. This is fairly maddening as it kills your level down to around 260 and every enemy becomes a killing machine at that level.
Bonus: Have some fun!
The end of another year of Destiny is something to celebrate. Each year the game evolves and brings new challenges, new mechanics, and new adventures for you and your Fireteam so enjoy the time you have spent in the game. Remember Saguira? She was awesome! Fighting the vex on Mercury? Damn, that was fun. Just enjoy the memories and remember, everything changes in year two and Forsaken is a huge update that will make Destiny 2 a new game to dive into.
Are you ready for Forsaken or do you think I have missed something on the list? let me know in the comments below.
