Destiny 2: The Final Shape Developer Gameplay Preview

Destiny 2
9 Apr 202419:44

Summary

TLDRThe video script introduces a new era in the game with the Traveler's chosen guardian becoming the Champion, empowered with unprecedented gifts. The introduction of the Prismatic subclass allows players to merge light and dark damage types, achieving a state of Transcendence. This advanced subclass offers more build crafting options and unique combinations, enabling players to create a truly personalized Guardian. New exotic class items are also presented, enabling the theft of perks from other Exotics, and the emergence of The Dread faction brings challenging new enemies to confront. The video concludes with a call to arms, encouraging players to embrace their new powers and defend humanity against looming threats.

Takeaways

  • 🛡️ The introduction of the new subclass, Prismatic, allows players to combine light and dark elements, offering a unique gameplay experience.
  • 🎨 The concept of the guardian with light and dark armor was visualized early on, symbolizing the ultimate form of a guardian.
  • 🔋 Players can fill a light meter and a dark meter with respective damage types, leading to a new level of power called Transcendence.
  • 🌟 In Transcendence, players perform unique gestures and gain a new, combined grenade that utilizes both light and dark energies.
  • 🥊 Each class has distinct benefits when in Transcendent state, such as Warlocks getting a Mystic pose and Hunters performing a Titan-like stance.
  • 💣 Transcendent players enjoy a weapon damage bonus that stacks with other bonuses and instant refunds on grenade and melee abilities.
  • 🧩 Prismatic is viewed as an advanced subclass with more build crafting options and fragment slots, providing a vast array of combinations.
  • 🔥 The art director acknowledges the potential game-breaking nature of Prismatic, but is excited about the unexpected and wild possibilities it introduces.
  • 🔗 New exotic class items enable players to steal perks from other Exotics, combining two perks into one item, enhancing the Prismatic build experience.
  • 👾 The introduction of The Dread, a new enemy faction, brings unique challenges with diverse abilities and characteristics.
  • 🚀 The culmination of the Guardian's journey is highlighted as the final shape, offering a fun and engaging experience for players.

Q & A

  • What is the central theme of the new expansion discussed in the transcript?

    -The central theme of the new expansion is the empowerment of the Guardian with new abilities that combine light and dark elements, culminating in a state of Transcendence.

  • How does the concept of 'Pismatic' relate to the Guardian's abilities?

    -Pismatic is a new sub-class that allows the Guardian to combine certain class abilities from different damage types, integrating light and dark elements to achieve a unique and powerful combat style.

  • What is the significance of the light and dark meters in the Prismatic subclass?

    -The light and dark meters track the damage dealt with corresponding damage types. Once both meters are full, the Guardian enters a state of Transcendence, gaining enhanced abilities and power.

  • What unique ability does Transcendence grant to the Guardian?

    -In the state of Transcendence, the Guardian gains a new unique grenade that combines both light and dark elements, along with other enhanced abilities specific to their class.

  • How does the new expansion encourage creative build crafting?

    -The new expansion introduces more build crafting options and potential combinations, with additional fragment slots and the ability to combine light and dark elements in unique ways, allowing players to create personalized and powerful Guardian builds.

  • What is the role of the new exotic class items in the game?

    -The new exotic class items allow players to steal perks from other Exotics and combine two perks into a single item, enhancing their builds and further customizing their Guardian's abilities.

  • What are some of the new enemy factions introduced in the expansion?

    -The new enemy factions include The Dread, featuring unique characters such as the Tormentor, subjugators, the Weaver, the attendant, and the GM, each with specialized abilities and combat styles.

  • How does the Grim, a new enemy in the game, impact gameplay?

    -The Grim, a bat-like character with a gun, introduces a new flying profile to the game. It can suppress players' abilities and slow them down, adding a new dynamic and challenge to combat.

  • What unique mechanic does the husk enemy possess?

    -The husk is a melee Bruiser with dangerous-looking blades. When killed, it releases a Guist that seeks out and targets the player, adding an extra layer of strategy to encounters.

  • How do the Weaver and the Attendant use the power of Stasis and Strand?

    -The Weaver and the Attendant, reshaped by the witness, use Stasis and Strand abilities to freeze and pull players across the battlefield, introducing new mechanics that require different approaches to combat.

  • What is the significance of Lord Shaxx's arsenal in the game's narrative?

    -Lord Shaxx has been authorized to circulate an arsenal of banned weapons from his personal collection to empower Guardians in the face of the increasing threat posed by the forces of the witness.

Outlines

00:00

🛡️ Introducing the Prismatic Guardian

The script introduces the concept of the Prismatic Guardian, a new sub-class in the game that allows players to combine light and dark abilities. The artist's vision of a guardian with both light and dark armor is highlighted as the ultimate form of guardianship. The player's role as a guardian is to master these dual energies and achieve a state of Transcendence, which grants unique abilities and bonuses. The excitement around the new possibilities for character builds and gameplay is emphasized, showcasing the potential for innovative strategies and combinations.

05:01

💥 Combining Abilities for Ultimate Power

This paragraph delves into the specifics of the Prismatic subclass, discussing how players can combine class abilities from different damage types. It explains the mechanics of the light and dark meters that fill as players deal damage, leading to the Transcendent state. The unique grenades and weapon damage bonuses that come with Transcendence are detailed, along with the potential for looped abilities. The paragraph also touches on the concept of build crafting and the vast array of combinations available to players, hinting at the game-breaking potential of these new mechanics.

10:04

🌟 The Art of War and New Exotic Class Items

The paragraph discusses the player's experience with the new Prismatic subclass, focusing on the creation of exciting and powerful builds. It describes the synergy between various abilities and the strategic use of grenades and melee attacks for maximum effect. The introduction of new exotic class items is highlighted, which allows players to steal perks from other Exotics and combine them into a single item. The paragraph emphasizes the uniqueness and visual effects of these items, as well as the fun in chasing and discovering optimal perk combinations for one's build.

15:05

👾 Facing The Dread and New Gameplay Dynamics

The paragraph introduces The Dread, a new enemy faction, and describes the unique and challenging encounters they present. It details the various new enemies, such as the Tormentor, subjugators, Weaver, attendant, and the GM, each with distinctive abilities that add a new layer of strategy to combat. The paragraph also discusses the introduction of the Grim, a flying enemy with wings, and the husk, a melee Bruiser with dangerous attacks. The new dynamics of gameplay, such as being frozen in place or pulled towards enemies, are emphasized as they create fresh challenges for players to overcome.

🚀 The Final Shape: A Decade in the Making

The final paragraph reflects on the journey of the Guardians over the past decade and the culmination of their efforts in the Final Shape. It highlights the game's progression and the introduction of powerful, banned weapons from Lord Shack's personal collection as a response to the growing threat. The paragraph concludes with a rallying call for players to embrace their new powers and face the enemies with creativity and courage, setting the stage for exciting and challenging gameplay ahead.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Guardian

In the context of the video, a Guardian is a central character or player avatar in the game, chosen by the Traveler to be its Champion. The Guardian is empowered with unique abilities and is the ultimate form of being a protector, capable of harnessing both light and dark powers. This is evident when the script mentions the Guardian's ability to combine certain class abilities from different damage types, achieving a state of Transcendence.

💡Transcendence

Transcendence is a new level of power that a Guardian can achieve in the game. It is reached when both the light and dark meters under the super bar are full. Once in this state, the Guardian gains unique abilities and bonuses, such as a new unique grenade that combines both light and dark elements. This concept represents a significant advancement in the gameplay mechanics, allowing for more dynamic and powerful combat strategies.

💡Pismatic

Pismatic is described as the new subclass in the final shape of the game, which allows players to combine certain class abilities from different damage types. This innovative mechanic enables a greater level of customization and strategy, as players can mix and match abilities in ways that were not previously possible. It represents a significant expansion of the game's combat system and player options.

💡Light and Dark

Light and dark are two fundamental elements in the game, representing different damage types and abilities that Guardians can harness. The video script emphasizes the empowerment of Guardians with these elements, allowing them to deal damage and achieve Transcendence. The interplay between light and dark is a central theme, symbolizing the balance of power and the unique capabilities of the Guardians.

💡Exotic Class Items

Exotic Class Items are special equipment in the game that provide unique perks and abilities to the Guardian. These items are designed to enhance the player's builds and combinations of light and dark powers, aiming to achieve Transcendence. They allow for stealing perks from other Exotics and combining two perks into one, offering a high level of customization and potential for powerful synergies.

💡The Dread

The Dread is a new enemy faction introduced in the game, representing a significant threat to the Guardians. This faction is linked to the witness and is characterized by unique and challenging enemies, such as the Tormentor and the subjugators. The introduction of The Dread adds a new dynamic to the game's lore and combat, providing players with fresh challenges and encounters.

💡The Witness

The Witness appears to be a powerful and antagonistic force in the game, associated with the manipulation of energies and the introduction of new challenges for the Guardians. The Witness is not a master of light and dark but is involved in their usage, creating a sense of urgency and conflict. The role of The Witness is crucial in shaping the narrative and the evolution of the game's world.

💡Bleak Watcher

The Bleak Watcher is a specific ability or item mentioned in the script, which seems to have crowd control effects, allowing the user to manipulate the battlefield by freezing enemies. It is an example of the advanced and unique abilities that Guardians have at their disposal, contributing to the strategic depth of the game's combat system.

💡Arcane Needle

Arcane Needle is an ability or item that provides the Guardian with multiple melee charges, enhancing their close combat capabilities. It is an example of the diverse and powerful abilities that Guardians can utilize, showcasing the game's focus on varied and engaging gameplay mechanics.

💡Desperate Measures

Desperate Measures refers to the authorization by Lord Shacks to circulate banned weapons from his personal collection. This indicates a heightened state of conflict and urgency within the game's narrative, where extraordinary actions are taken to counter powerful threats. It emphasizes the game's theme of struggle and resistance against overwhelming odds.

💡War

The concept of war is a recurring theme in the video, symbolizing the ongoing conflict between the Guardians and the enemies of humanity. It represents the struggle for survival and the determination of the Guardians to protect their world. The video script uses the idea of war to highlight the intensity and stakes of the battles that the Guardians face.

Highlights

The introduction of a new subclass, Prismatic, which combines light and dark elements.

Pristinic allows players to use certain class abilities from different damage types together.

The concept of Transcendence, a new level of power achieved by filling both light and dark meters.

Transcendence grants unique abilities, such as a new combined light and dark grenade.

Warlocks get a Mystic pose, Hunters a Titan stance, and Warlocks a Strand and Void weapon damage bonus during Transcendence.

The ability to loop grenades and melee attacks during Transcendence for continuous action.

Prismatic offers advanced build crafting options and more potential combinations.

The introduction of new exotic class items that allow stealing perks from other Exotics and combining them.

Exotic class items provide unique abilities and visual effects when Transcendent.

The Dread is a new enemy faction introduced, with unique members like the Tormentor, subjugators, Weaver, attendant, and husk.

The Grim, a flying bat-like enemy with a gun, is a new addition to the Dread faction.

The husk is a melee Bruiser enemy with dangerous blades and the ability to release a GU enemy upon death.

The Weaver and attendant enemies possess Strand and Stasis abilities, reshaping the combat dynamics.

The final shape represents the culmination of the Guardian's journey over the last 10 years.

Lord Shacks authorizes the use of banned weapons from his personal collection to fight the forces of the witness.

The game encourages creative strategies and the exploration of unexpected combinations.

Transcripts

00:00

[Music]

00:07

[Music]

00:15

[Music]

00:42

[Music]

00:47

[Music]

00:55

we are going into the pale heart of the

00:57

traveler and the Traveler's chosen you

01:00

you the guardian to be its Champion it's

01:02

empowering us with gifts that we've

01:04

never really had before one of the

01:05

concept artists early on created this

01:08

very evocative image of a guardian with

01:11

light armor and dark armor we're like we

01:15

really need this in the final shape this

01:17

is the ultimate form of being a guardian

01:19

to build light and darkness at the same

01:21

time we build Prismatic exactly to be

01:25

that Prismatic is the new subass in the

01:29

final shape where you can combine

01:30

certain class abilities from different

01:33

damage types together getting light and

01:35

dark and mastering it no one's done that

01:36

before like the witness is manipulating

01:39

the energies like this but the witness

01:40

is not a master of light and dark you

01:42

are the guardian is players

01:45

are in Prismatic underneath your super

01:48

bar there's a light meter and a dark

01:50

meter as you deal damage with either

01:52

light damage or dark damage it fills the

01:55

respective sides of the meter once both

01:57

sides are full you get this new level of

02:00

power that we're calling Transcendence I

02:02

love Transcendence cuz you do these cool

02:04

motions for warlocks we have this cool

02:06

like Mystic pose Hunters are going to do

02:09

this cool

02:10

like the Titan one war just

02:16

go while you're Transcendent you get a

02:19

new unique grenade that combines both

02:22

light and dark together the hunters I

02:24

get this fire Ice combo Titans Strand

02:27

and Ark for the Warlock stasis and void

02:31

together you have a weapon damage bonus

02:34

that stacks on top of other weapon

02:35

damage bonuses your grenade and melee

02:37

both instantly refunded when you cast

02:39

transcendant so you can Loop them

02:41

together one after the

02:43

other that's really exciting that is so

02:48

good we're kind of thinking about

02:50

Prismatic as this Advanced subass where

02:53

you have more build crafting options

02:56

more potential combinations more

02:58

fragments than you normally get more

03:00

fragment slots to suck at them than you

03:01

normally get that is a lot of

03:03

combinations

03:05

2,300 no I'm just

03:09

kidding I don't know I'm just the art

03:11

director I think that Prismatic feels

03:14

like you are doing combinations you

03:16

shouldn't be able to do it feels a

03:18

little gamebreaking I'm not going to lie

03:20

a little a little

03:27

bit you're going to be like oh no what

03:30

have I done I'm going to be here all

03:57

night it's not just about the Mastery of

04:01

light and dark it's not just about using

04:03

multip at the same time it's about

04:05

figuring out how they work in concert in

04:06

really interesting ways we're

04:08

transcending kind of the the bounds of

04:11

light and darkness there's all these

04:13

subclasses that really resonate with

04:15

people and now you can finally combine

04:17

those and make your own Guardian feel

04:20

very uniquely you this like really opens

04:24

up the doors for unexpected like really

04:28

wild stuff I love um being a hunter and

04:32

having gunpowder Gamble and blowing them

04:34

up and then we're like but wait wait

04:36

wait what if you could slow enemies you

04:38

could throw out you know your shurikens

04:41

and then you blow them up as well and

04:42

it's like okay I didn't think I could

04:44

ever do those two things at the same

04:45

time and you're telling me I can do as

04:47

much as I want you can throw withering

04:49

blade melee and like bounce it between a

04:50

bunch of people and get like three kills

04:53

from one melee and now your gunpowder

04:54

Gamble's like fully charged right and so

04:56

like certain interactions I think get a

04:58

lot easier just because we've sort of

05:00

made the aspects a little bit a little

05:02

bit more permissive a little bit a

05:03

little bit

05:06

looser so like when we play t I'm

05:09

probably going to be running probably

05:11

warlock with um this the lightning surge

05:15

build where you have Arcane needle for

05:17

three melee charges and then you combine

05:19

that with lightning surge you can throw

05:21

Bleak Watcher on top of that for just

05:22

like a little extra crowd control or you

05:24

can throw a devour and so you're you

05:27

know jumping in lightning surging that's

05:28

killing a bunch of you're activating

05:30

devour that gives you infinite sustain

05:33

effectively to stay in the fight as a

05:35

Titan you can just quickly start using

05:38

your Arc abilities to jolt all the

05:40

enemies around you and then kind of

05:42

finish them off with like the cool

05:44

Blades of Strand and it's so satisfying

05:47

to see how fast you move it's a very

05:50

like fun destructive build that you can

05:54

just like destroy everything around you

05:56

and it it's super fun there was this

05:58

moment for me where I was I was like

06:00

wait a minute I could send out

06:02

threadings and have a bleak Watcher it

06:05

just creates these moments of escalation

06:07

within the combat and I think that's

06:09

really exciting for me if you combine

06:11

Bleak Watcher and feed the

06:14

void you consume your grenade to throw

06:17

your Bleak Watcher out there and so it's

06:19

you know locking stuff down with stasis

06:21

doing crowd control you can clean that

06:23

stuff up pretty easily with you know an

06:24

Arcane needle melee which has three

06:26

charges those ability kills will

06:28

activate devour which G gives you more

06:30

Grenade energy every time devour

06:31

activates it lets you Loop your Bleak

06:33

Watcher and so you can have like

06:34

multiple Bleak Watchers out on the field

06:36

freezing stuff everywhere you're just

06:38

like launching your cool strand melees

06:40

out and everything's dying and it's

06:45

great embracing the challenge of like

06:48

how do we make stuff that wasn't

06:50

initially intended to like work together

06:53

in the same build like how do we twist

06:55

them and warp them and push and pull

06:57

this and that to make them work together

06:59

I'm excited about you know seeing uh all

07:02

the players like talk about their

07:04

favorite combinations I'm just looking

07:06

forward to all the the videos that

07:08

people make of their own custom builds

07:10

with their own Exotics that they're

07:12

pairing it up with to create like this

07:15

these amazing builds it feels infinite

07:17

to me uh and I'm I'm really excited

07:19

about

07:28

that

07:58

spe

08:19

in the final shape we're going to be

08:21

making these new exotic class

08:25

items these new exotic class items allow

08:27

you to steal perks from other Exotics

08:32

and combine two perks together into one

08:35

single exotic the perks that come on

08:37

them are actually random rolled one

08:40

thing that is going to be fun is to

08:41

chase these perks and then find

08:43

different combinations that work really

08:52

well these new class items are all about

08:56

Prismatic and making that feel good

09:01

so it's going to be all about enhancing

09:03

your builds and your combination of

09:05

light and darkness and achieving

09:07

Transcendence and what Transcendence

09:09

does they also look so

09:16

good with these class items we wanted

09:19

them to stand out as special they have

09:22

these two perk columns that take aspects

09:25

from other

09:28

Exotics the exotic class items are going

09:30

to you do things that other classes

09:32

consider their own but now they're yours

09:35

I managed to get for my slow them down

09:38

blow them up Hunter build a roll on the

09:40

Exotic cloak that made it so power and

09:42

melee kills caused enemies to ignite and

09:45

also I could get an extra Dodge Charge

09:47

so I could do an extra slow charge on

09:49

enemies at the same time we wanted to

09:50

feel a little

09:53

broken it definitely felt like I had two

09:55

Exotics on my cloak which is kind of the

09:58

intention we want that to feel like

10:00

you're F in the rules a

10:04

bit it just opens up the space for mix

10:07

and matching in a way that I think is

10:10

going to just be fun to see what

10:11

combinations people find and like and

10:14

what becomes the

10:20

meta they look amazing they have visual

10:25

effects that activate when you are

10:26

Transcendent it just really ties into

10:29

this overall theme but on top of that

10:32

the game play with basically stealing

10:35

exotic traits from other Exotics and

10:37

even from classes that aren't you adds

10:41

this element of spice to them and the

10:44

fact that it's random rolles you're

10:46

going to want to keep looking for the

10:48

right one for your

10:58

builds

11:36

The Dread are this new witness

11:39

[Music]

11:42

faction when you see these new

11:45

characters not only do they look unique

11:48

and new but you see like a through line

11:52

that we've been building through the

11:53

years that connects it all

11:57

together and you've seen a member of The

11:59

Dread before you might remember seeing

12:02

the Tormentor make a big appearance last

12:04

year well that was just the first

12:07

one you have like this slate of new

12:10

enemies with like the Tormentor and the

12:12

subjugators and the Weaver and the

12:14

attendant and the GM and the

12:16

husk this is like the embodiment of the

12:19

witnessing these new

12:26

enemies the Grim is probably one of my

12:28

favorite new enemies that we have in

12:31

Destiny I think it's a poster child of

12:33

the dread in some ways it's this bat

12:35

with a gun the gun bat yes

12:42

exactly it does a scream and it swoops

12:44

all around the

12:46

battlefield it's a profile we've never

12:48

seen in Destiny you are facing now the

12:51

first flying character with actual

12:55

Wings they can Screech and if that hits

12:58

you

12:59

it suppresses your abilities it also

13:01

slows you

13:03

down something that immediately appealed

13:06

to the team and made us think we have to

13:07

do this we have to make this

13:12

character the husk is this melee Bruiser

13:16

who has these incredibly dangerous

13:18

looking blades and they're going to do

13:19

these cool acrobatic

13:24

attacks they hurt they have two of these

13:26

very sharp melee weapons and they just

13:29

come charging with those things and

13:30

we'll just slice and

13:32

dice they are really dangerous

13:35

especially in groups if you manage to

13:38

kill the husk you have to be careful cuz

13:39

if you kill it the wrong way what's

13:42

inside of the husk the Guist is going to

13:43

pop out and it's going to seek you

13:46

out a GU has killed me more than I care

13:50

to admit now I'm like looking everywhere

13:53

every time I go into a fight and I'm

13:54

like is there a husk somewhere is there

13:56

a husk somewhere cuz I'm targeting that

13:58

first

14:02

the Weaver and the attendant are our

14:05

Strand and stasis sions that have been

14:08

reshaped by the witness we wanted to

14:11

show like the influence of Darkness

14:14

powers on these characters they have a

14:16

stasis ability that can shoot at you

14:17

that will freeze you they have a strand

14:19

ability that will pull you across the

14:21

battlefield the fact that you can get

14:23

suspended and Frozen in place just adds

14:25

a big new Dynamic to the

14:28

fight

14:31

the Weaver does something we've never

14:32

done before it'll shoot out this

14:35

complete powerful strand wave if that

14:39

thing hits you it's almost like a rubber

14:41

band it like pulls

14:44

back and like snaps and then pulls you

14:47

towards that

14:49

character as one character doing that to

14:51

you yeah you can handle it as soon as

14:53

there's multiple characters trying to

14:55

pull you in different directions towards

14:57

you you have to approach it in a

14:59

different

14:59

[Music]

15:04

way we're really excited about

15:06

everything that we've been doing for the

15:08

final shape it just feels like there's a

15:10

really cool through line through all of

15:13

this it's the culmination of the

15:15

Guardians Journey over the last 10 years

15:18

we wanted to deliver something that's

15:20

really like fun and exciting and

15:21

engaging for players it is amazing to

15:25

see this initial inspiration carry all

15:29

the way through to become a reality in

15:32

the final

15:40

shape we need to go keep moving

15:46

[Applause]

15:48

go the witness brought Darkness into the

15:52

traveler to turn their threat into our

15:57

annihilation

16:06

something's changed in the guardian new

16:09

power I can feel

16:23

[Music]

16:27

it

16:45

take this power

16:46

Guardian be brave in dark

16:50

places for we are the light of

16:57

Hope

17:02

[Applause]

17:08

[Music]

17:20

[Music]

17:41

[Music]

17:47

as the final shape approaches and the

17:49

forces of the witness surge at the

17:51

borders of the city Lord Shacks has been

17:54

authorized by the Vanguard to place an

17:56

arsenal of banned weapons from his

17:58

personal collection back into

18:00

circulation powerful gear for a powerful

18:03

Guardian good

18:05

[Music]

18:10

luck careful with

18:13

that weapons we want deem to

18:16

retical we now see his Desperate

18:21

Measures I know you'll use this

18:25

[Applause]

18:27

well fight

18:30

[Music]

18:32

well pushing back buys this only time

18:35

but the alternative is

18:37

Unthinkable I can't wait to see what you

18:39

do with

18:42

that

18:43

[Music]

18:45

magnificent

18:54

nice it's time

18:57

Guardian crush them

19:00

let them

19:02

come show me what you've

19:05

got so if the enemies of humanity want

19:09

war let's give them

19:12

[Applause]

19:13

[Music]

19:27

War

19:30

getting creative I love to see

19:37

[Music]

19:43

it