Long rumored and finally unveiled last night, the third Destiny expansion is official. It's called The Taken King, and as we've mentioned before, it's the biggest add-on pack planned for Destiny.
The expansion's trailer debuted at Sony's E3 2015 press event, and it was full of eye candy. In a nice bit of continuity, it was explained that the story has Crota's father Oryx forming a dark new army with the sole purpose of hunting you down, as revenge for killing his son (back in the first DLC pack, The Dark Below). Oryx himself was glimpsed — and he was a demonic monolith of evil, if we've ever seen one — along with intriguing new locations, loads of gear and abilities, and more.
With all of the new information that's been revealed, there's a lot to cover. Let's start with that dazzling new trailer.
We learned a short while ago that new subclasses are coming for all three types of Guardians, and today Bungie has released new details about them. Each Guardian class has been one elemental power short since Destiny began, but The Taken King rectifies this.
Hunters get new Void powers that create the Nightstalker subclass, and chief among those powers is the super called Shadowshot. With Shadowshot, Hunters will launch a Void Anchor from a bow and arrow, creating a blast area that slows down anyone in its radius. Nightstalkers also get a Voidwall Grenade, which creates a wall of burning light, and the ability to throw smoke that disorients enemies. Along with the new "Shadestep" evasion move, Hunters look to become more lethal than ever.
Warlocks, arguably the weakest warriors in the game, might just be leveling the playing field with their new Arc powers, creating the Stormcaller subclass. These powerful Guardians will be able to use a super called Stormtrance to unleash blasts of lightning right out of their hands — and they'll even chain from enemy-to-enemy if powered up enough. Storm Grenades create small lightning storms around specific enemies, while Thunderstrike allows for melee hits at a greater distance. And the Perpetual Charge ability creates a power loop where grenade kills recharge melee powers and melee kills recharge grenades.
Titans will be gaining Solar powers, allowing them to function as the Sunbreaker subclass. These powerful Guardians get themselves a shiny new Hammer of Sol, a flaming hammer that would make Thor jealous for its ability to summon fire from the sky. Thermite Grenades generate a straight line made of fire that you can aim at enemies. The Sunstrike melee attack causes enemies you hit to burst into flames. A new Fire Keeper power gives the Hammer of Sol more staying power.
As expected, a packaged bundle is coming to retail shelves called Destiny: The Taken King Legendary Edition. Besides containing the core game and all three DLC packs, it comes with some nifty goodies that hardcore fans will love.
The Legendary Edition comes in a special box, inside which is a steelbook case that holds the game disc. Also inside the box are some collector's items that include a journal, which has a hollowed-out space inside where a Strange Coin replica is hiding. The journal also has notes and drawings by an in-game character named Cayde-6, who plays an important role in The Taken King. The box also comes with a weapon schematic and a small "collection of relics and artifacts," according to Bungie's ad materials.
You also get one new emote per class, early access to a new weapons pack, three new armor shaders and three exotic items that give you bonus XP points. A digital version of the Legendary Edition includes the same in-game goods, but lacks the physical extras.
PlayStation gamers — regardless of whether you purchase just the add-on or the Legendary Edition — get some nice exclusives in the form of a new Strike, an extra multiplayer map and exclusive gear.
Destiny: The Taken King arrives on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 on September 15, 2015. It will cost $39.99, or $79.99 for the Legendary Edition.
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