One of the challenges of maintaining a huge AAA online shooter like Bungie's Destiny is keeping players engaged enough to keep coming back for more, even as new games continue to be released as potential distractions. Since its original release in 2014, Destiny has since seen a substantial amount of DLC become available for players, including The Dark Below, House of Wolves and The Taken King. Last month it was revealed that there was a new expansion on the way, titled Rise of Iron.
In the lead-up to E3 there has been plenty of gaming news emerging - including the first trailer for Injustice 2 and a wealth of new gameplay footage from Deus Ex: Mankind Divided - and now the season has brought a little something for Destiny fans in the form of a trailer for Rise of Iron, which confirms a September release date and reveals the return of fan-favorite rocket launcher the Gjallarhorn - with a new twist.
The trailer opens with Lord Saladin Forge (who runs the Iron Banner Crucible challenge), armed with a flaming axe and a pack of wolves, inviting the player to join him as he ventures into the Plaguelands. The new story mission will delve into the history of the Iron Lords, ancient fighters who played a key role in the Battle of the Six Fronts and the building of the Last City's walls. Hopefully Rise of Iron will offer plenty for both fans of Destiny's lore, and fans of the game's combat. Check out some concept art and screenshots below.
Meanwhile, the Gjallarhorn is "back in black" as the Iron Gjallarhorn (a new version that players can forge from the armor of fallen heroes), and is only available as a pre-order bonus for Rise of Iron, which looks to be perhaps the biggest expansion for Destiny so far. In addition to the new story campaign, the trailer and the subsequent discussion on Twitch promised plenty of extra content, including new weapons and armor. Here's a quick rundown of what to expect:
New places: The Plaguelands, Felwinter Peak and The Wall.
Co-op: New six-player Raid, new & updated Strikes, and new patrols and public events.
Crucible: New maps, a new mode and new features.
Enemies: A mutated faction of the Fallen, Devil Splicers, who are augmented by the technological plague SIVA. Also, there's what looks like a new mechanical boss (see the screenshot above).
Those who don't pre-order can still get the regular version of the Gjallarhorn by completing the in-game quest. That's not too much of a hurdle, of course; Destiny players will no doubt be eager to explore the new content as soon as they get their hands on it anyway. The expansion pack is available at a suggested retail price of $29.99, and PlayStation gamers will also have access to timed exclusive content.
Destiny is available on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Rise of Iron will release on September 20th, 2016, for PS4 and Xbox One only.