Destiny players on Sony consoles already have a number of exclusive weapons and missions not to be found in the Xbox versions of the game, and those exclusives are going to continue to mount on Dec. 9 with the release of the game's first expansion.
If you are playing Destiny on the PS3 or PS4, perhaps the biggest chunk of exclusive new content coming your way in "The Dark Below" expansion is a new strike. This new, three-person dungeon will have players returning to the Black Garden to defeat an ancient Vex Machine, as detailed on the official PlayStation blog.
PlayStation Destiny players will also have access to an exclusive new exotic weapon, "The Fourth Horsemen." This powerful shotgun has four barrels, a fast fire-rate and some potent upgrades. One upgrade, "Return to Sender," puts additional bullets in the weapon after each kill, while the other allows the final round in each magazine to deal extra damage.
The PlayStation exclusive content will remain that way until at least the fall of 2015. That's a long time to wait for Xbox players, but there is plenty of non-exclusive content coming in "The Dark Below" to keep Destiny fans on any platform happy. A new strike "The Will of Crota," takes players back to the Cosmodrome to battle the Hive, and a new six-person raid titled "Crota's End" will have players descending into the depths of the moon to defeat an ancient god. The expansion will also feature new weapons, armor, story missions and multiplayer maps. It will also raise the game's "light" level to 32, allowing players to progress even further in their defense of Earth.
Bungie is prepping players for the expansion by introducing some big changes to the game. Nearly every existing exotic weapon in Destiny has been tweaked in preparation for the expansion. Exotic weapons and armor also no longer require ascendant materials to upgrade. Instead, they will require "Exotic Shards" that can be purchased using strange coins or obtained by dismantling unwanted exotic gear. Ascendant materials are still needed for upgraded legendary gear, however.
"The Dark Below" is available for $19.99 as a standalone expansion, or for $34.99 as part of the season pass. The season pass includes Destiny's upcoming second expansion, "House of Wolves," and is slated for release early next year.
