Destiny Beta - What works, what doesn't, and why it's awesome

The strike team at Gaming Trend take a deep look into the Beta for Destiny. We talk about what works, what doesn't, and why it may be the best shooter yet!

[XiNarutoUzumaki]

Everything works for me so far. I also love how nice the DS4 feels when playing. It's like if it was made with Destiny in mind.

[XiSasukeUchiha]

Naruto playing Destiny with DS4 is a whole entirely different experience is not like is not on XB1, it's just feels I can destiny on PS4 then I would on my XB1!

[XiNarutoUzumaki]

Yes my ninja. I also tried the beta on Xbox One, and it plays very good too.

[bunt-custardly]

Did you two kiss and make up yet or does Sasuke still want to kill everyone?

[mayberry]

I wish more 2nd and 3rd party games utilised the DS4's speaker! It was great in resogun and killzone sf! Destiny and Watch dogs coul've really used it, imho.

[Elimin8]

I tried agreeing 100 times but couldn't we get a lot of half`baked features. i get the new gen learning curve but that seemed easy enough to implement.

[dcj0524]

Bungie was one of the Developers Sony consulted with on making the controller better suited for shooters.

So the DualShock4 was literally made along side Destiny.

[-Foxtrot]

The main thing i don't like about it is something they will never be able to fix...I keep going to pause during fights and forget its online. Even changing equipment during fights...its annoying

Surely they could add a mode where you can play through the story offline

[admiralvic]

I'm probably going to get a bunch of disagrees for this, but...

" they will never be able to fix...I keep going to pause during fights and forget its online. Even changing equipment during fights...its annoying"

This is one of those situations where you need to do some problem solving. For instance, why wouldn't you hide out in the first place? I've yet to have this problem hiding out somewhere and can't imagine this would be a problem unless you sit there and examine every stat. It just seems like an extreme fix for something you can very simply resolve yourself.

[-Foxtrot]

Cant be arsed? It dosent matter where you go in a fight, enemies will find you most of the time. Plus checking stats is a pretty much given if you need to see what gin is right for you

Not to mention previous enemies who you've killed but have quickly respawned could end up creeping up on you

So no they aren't viable solutions, they are basically "no other choice" second best tactics

[admiralvic]

"It dosent matter where you go in a fight, enemies will find you most of the time."

Depends on a lot of factors, but it's certainly possible in many locations.

"Plus checking stats is a pretty much given if you need to see what gin is right for you "

I can't speak for everyone, but how many guns do you keep on your person and how much thinking do you really need to do? Like do you sit there and need to think if fire or ice is going to help you more or sit there and debate whether or not you should use a sniper or shotgun in this situation?

If you got a lot of enemies rushing you, swap to a shotgun.
If you're fighting enemies at range (like the part before you use the ghost to disable the traps in the strike mission or during the tank part), swap to the sniper.
If enemies appear in bulk at minimum range (like during the final part of the strike mission), use the rocket.

I mean, those minor stats help, but they're not so important that you really need to "think about it" for any prolonged period of time (at least during a fight anyway).

"Not to mention previous enemies who you've killed but have quickly respawned could end up creeping up on you"

Don't stand near an enemy spawn? I've noticed that there is ample room between enemy spawn points where you can stand there and change your gear if need be.

"So no they aren't viable solutions, they are basically "no other choice" second best tactics"

Honestly, it sounds like you're making mountains out of molehills to me. I noticed / found most situations in the beta had some "breathing room" so to speak and it was / is only a problem if you spend too much time examining numbers.

[-Foxtrot]

"Honestly, it sounds like you're making mountains out of molehills to me"

No they are just my concerns, I could say your trying to find ways are hiding someones problem, not actually fixing it.

Would an offline mode for the story really hurt you so bad.

[admiralvic]

"No they are just my concerns"

If you say so.

"I could say your trying to find ways are hiding someones problem, not actually fixing it. "

If you want to argue semantics, than this is true, though this leads to the question of when does a problem go from being the users fault and becomes the developers fault. Like I don't enjoy using the charge gun (mostly because I forget you need to charge it), but is saying "Bungie should remove it because I find that gun annoying" a more valid solution than simply not using the gun and selling the ones you get?

"Would an offline mode for the story really hurt you so bad."

Ignoring the fact this is a strawman argument and has nothing to do with my point... it wouldn't, but don't you think thats an EXTREME solution to a relatively small problem? You figure, you want Bungie to implement an offline mode (effectively changing who knows how many elements in the game and adding untold development costs) simply because the game doesn't pause when you want to change equipment. Especially when, as I mentioned in my second post, the game gives you ample breathing room at times. Like take a look at the strike mission. You have several rooms / spaces between each fight, enemies come in waves during both boss fights with ample places to hide, during the ghost defend part there is like 10 - 15 seconds between enemy spawns or up to 30 if you leave things like the sharks or captain to your partners, etc. I just don't think it is that much of a concern and I imagine even if you do forget you're online, that you will eventually remember this and plan ahead.

[Knightshade]

They want to allow you to seamlessly get help from passers-by and friends, so they aren't going to make a mode for offline. My father-in-law lives in the middle of nowhere and can't get broadband, so because of that he'll not get to play at all. :(

[martinezjesus1993]

It is really annoying, specially when i just want to pause the game and text or something. I thought i was the only one. Incredible game though, its probably going to be my favorite game up there with Evolve and Unity.

[-Foxtrot]

I usually like to take small breaks

So I play a bit, pause the game, turn around to my PC, check stuff out, turn back around and continue playing

Obviously I can't do that now.....don't see why it's so hard to add an offline mode JUST for the story.

[PONTIAC08G8GT]

Borderlands is the same way if you are playing online. There is no pause, you either find a safe spot to hide or do you stat checking and whatever else at The Tower.

[no_more_heroes]

I've played this on a friend's ps4 already, but I just tried it out on my 360 since its now open to all without the beta code requirement. It looks surprisingly good on it and felt just as smooth as it did on the ps4. I still prefer to play shooters using an xbox gamepad, but I'll make an exception for Destiny, since my buddy already set up on the ps4.

When I got back to the tower though, it actually looked and felt like I was playing Mass Effect (if Shepard moved a little lighter on his feet)

[tanookisuit]

One thing I really like is the Rocket Launcher - it's just so satisfying to use.

[danowat]

After this mornings session on the strike mission, I can safely say Destiny has planted it's hooks firmly in me!!!!

Although I am a little concerned about the amount of time between the beta finishing and the final game release!!!!

[THC CELL]

Titan smash is a over kill don't like it, can't board transport coming at u all time.

[Kingoftherodeo]

no titan smash is not over kill sure it can wipe out 1 to 3 players if they are all standing around in the same spot. so most of the time a titan has to sneak up on you to use it or really rush in which most of the time gets you kill. the nova bomb is the over kill . so basically titan smash is the most predictable attack

[ChozenWoan]

I used to hate titan smash till I played Titan and realized how much work it takes to pull it off. Made me appreciate Nova Bomb since it not only gets me vertically away from my target but it also has nice range.

[DARK WITNESS]

if anything feels like overkill it's the golden gun

[Rob_Ko]

I love the game but there's something that bothers me - world seems kinda lifeles, When you first go to the Tower, you recieve a message to go and visit your class mentor, and that person doesn't say a thing, just gives you a piece of armor. I dunno maybe it's just a beta thing, but if not the NPCs feels like a vendor machines.
Also one thing, why there's no wildlife in Old Russia? (except birds)? Nature took over a long time ago, I'm pretty sure there should be lots of animals aout there.

Oh and dynamic weather would be nice. There's day/night cycle, but no rain/snow, and that would bring more life into the world.

[Volkama]

I have only started as a Titan, but the mentor (and every other NPC) definitely talks. Not sure what would stop yours talking. Are you playing in English?

I think the reason for the lack of wildlife is that areas the traveller cannot protect from the darkness are not habitable, but I don't know why. Might be obvious after playing a bit longer.

Generally speaking I find the outdoors areas quite ugly though, and the scope of the early levels is very 'gen 7'.

[DARK WITNESS]

I think that's what we get for a cross gen game..

No matter what the dev's say about taking advantage of next gen tech, there is definitely a limitation that it just seems they are unable to escape.

[Funantic1]

The music doesn't work for me. I mean what kind of music is that? It's rock music from an eighties high school geek band or something. I wish you could prone (lay down) also. Destiny won't be a game you can just turn on and play either. There's too much unnecessary navigating to get to the action. Also the enemy AI is so old gen. They were practically stepping in front of my reticle. I thought auto-assist was on. And the graphics were great during cutscenes but during actual gameplay not so much. I'll give Destiny 8 out of 10.

[DARK WITNESS]

I have enjoyed the beta loads since release and the alpha.

up until the update/maintenance they did, if you had asked me I would have said it was as close to perfect as I could hope for and it was the firt pvp that I have really enjoyed in a long while....

Since it came back on however I have been having a few issues with the pvp.

I can't quite put my finger on what it is but it just feels off a little. I seem to be dying a lot faster from some weapon types and at the same time finding it hard to get kills with some weapons. also noticed a delay sometimes from the time I get the kill shot to the time they actually die.

I was already level 8 before the update and had the highest level weapons I could find for my level. I know some guys have got their hands on legendary gear and it could be that... I don't know, it could be my connection, it's just strange it only started being an issue after the update.

I am not claiming I am the most amazing player or anything, I was having average k/d anywhere from about 1.6 to 3+ even in a really bad game with my team doing bad, I would still manage to stay postive, now I seem to go negative a lot more... it's hard to explain but it just feels like something is off.

[The Meerkat]

I've had many cases where I've killed a guy with my gun then I've died from his melee. Its as if once his melee animation starts it still counts even if he is killed in the process.

But then this is why there is a Beta.

[DARK WITNESS]

Well it's kind of nice to know it's not just me then.

I have had moments when I got a kill shot and thought cool he's dead but for that extra few split seconds they still manage to stay alive and pull of a few shots back...

The thing is when it's a guy with a shotgun in your face and you just vaporized him with the pulse cannon and you have to charge up a second shot after thinking he should be dead from the first... that split second makes all the difference.

[ChozenWoan]

Likely it's little bit of lag + more players are max level. Makes for a more even playing field until you come across those rare fireteams that actually coordinate their attacks effectively.

[DARK WITNESS]

I know what you are trying to say, but part of my point is that I was already a level 8 before the update and most of the players I came across before the update were also Level 8.

it's not like I was level8 and everyone else I was playing against was like level 4 or 5 etc.

your right it could be lag, again though this has only started after the update though and from all the days I played before.. nothing. so again I can only guess that maybe something was changed network wise that my connection just hasn't got on with.

and trust me I know the difference between getting wiped out by a team that know what they are doing and having 1v1 issues taking someone out.

[1nsaint]

the game is out in 6 weeks, i dont think there will be a lot different

[Volkama]

Really simple thing that I wont complain about too much, but I don't understand why so many menus are navigated with a targetting reticule/pointer. Those do not work well with a control pad.

[Ozmoses]

I had the alpha and have the beta - both on PS4...

I'm loving it.

I'm a warlock vanguard reception rank 3.. been playing mainly explore on the cosmodrone.

http://www.bungie.net/en/Le...

I did just notice I stopped getting vanguard marks.. I had 158 at one point after spending a previous 30 on a warlock bond I knew I couldn't wear. I just wanted to buy something super good. so I've had 188 total since day 1 of the beta

Well when I turn in spinmetal I don't collect any marks now.. just VG points/glimmer.. It might be like the crucible marks and limits you to only a 100 a week. but if that is the case it doesn't tell you anywhere like it tells you for the crucible.. so that should get straightened out.

[ExPresident]

Nice dude. The game is a blast and can't wait till it releases. If you don't have a team/clan on PS4 then hit us up, Digital Kings Gaming @ http://digitalking.enjin.co... - We've got a 14 player roster so far, and most of those have been on the team for nearly a year.

[jimbobbeers]

Enjoying the beta immensely. I do believe the fireteam size needs to be increased for strike missions, make it at least 1-4 not 1-3.

Thoroughly enjoying it, also find it very pretty, so I'm happy to see it'll only get better at full launch as I'm experiencing 900p at the moment.

[hairy]

I have very little to gripe about this beta, but, the fire extinguishers need to blow up, we need to be able to name each character we create (psn won't allow name changes, destiny could to add a bit more mmo feel to it) and the transmissions should be coming out of the ds4's, that's about all i can complain about, and they are such minor concerns, I'll survive without them if necessary

[GrimWykydtron]

"the fire extinguishers need to blow up," what ? U do know exploding extinguisher is just another hollywood/gaming BS ?

I agree on name changing thing...

[ShutUpDonny]

Just like Borderlands, it has everything I should love, but for some reason, it does't click. I will have to wait for Far Cry 4 to get a new FPS/RPG that works for me.

[gamer7804]

i just can't get excited for this one, played both versions of the beta. its just average, with so many other games coming out at the same time, i'll be taking a pass.

[ShutUpDonny]

Yep. It is average. I can't see what so amazing about Destiny.

[Harmonizer]

I got the White PS4 bundle with Destiny, but mostly just to get my hands on a white PS4. Dont have any expectations for Destiny at all. anyhow, i got a beta key and played Destiny on my PS3 yesterday(don't have a PS4 yet).

I was quite surprised if not blown away by it. Cant wait to play it now.

[That one guy 86]

Anyone feel the pvp is unbalanced? I try to run around with the scout rifle and get torn up by auto rifles. When iron banner is active I can't even get off 2 shots before I'm wrecked. I want halo 2/3 mlg style playlist. Based on real skill and not armor/weapon and abilities advantages. I guess I am just old fashioned like that.