REVIEW: Destiny: Rise of Iron

Destiny: Rise of Iron has to be the shortest expansion ever. I don’t think I’ve ever completed any add-on this quickly before. What’s more shocking is how it’s supplemented with filler quests after the story ends where you have to repeat certain Strikes and roam other regions over and over again. I didn’t count but Rise of Iron only contains about four or five main missions it seems. The rest are weapon quests, arena combat scenarios and additions to multiplayer. However, many gamers out there care about the story because that has been the biggest grip people have with the game. Enemies are recycled and aside from glowing cables which signify the new enemy faction, nothing has changed. I haven’t played Destiny since the last expansion hit and was shocked as to how little content Rise of Iron offered players. Had the plot been mind-blowing despite its length, I wouldn’t have felt so underwhelmed. Don’t get me wrong, Destiny: Rise of Iron isn’t a terrible game, it’s just average and leaves you feeling indifferent throughout the experience. This is because due to its story the game trails off rather than ending on a high note.

Whenever you play an action title, you should be hooked by the plot. Rise of Iron fails to do that because despite the phenomenal voice acting, the story is very basic. You have to stop a new threat which defeated the Iron Lords, the people who protected humanity before the Guardians emerged. They were wiped out because they underestimated their opponent and you have to succeed where they failed. This involves exploring the same locations you’ve been to countless times on Earth but they’re covered with snow this time around basically. You shoot some enemies and at the end have to use a melee weapon to defeat the boss. I wish I could tell you more about the story because even if I wrote another sentence it would reveal everything. There was no suspense or any other sensation. You know from the beginning what’s going on and reach that destination rather quickly. I was able to complete the story portions of the expansion in two hours at a leisurely pace. After the story ended I went back to make sure I hadn’t missed anything because I couldn’t believe it was this short, even repeated some Strikes but no, that was it.

Where the game fails miserably is when it wants you to care about the characters and feel emotion. It tries to tell the story of a bond between a group of colleagues but you just don’t care about it one bit. Maybe it’s because not enough exposition is given regarding the relationship between the Iron Lords. Maybe it’s the fact that the quests don’t feel epic enough. Maybe it’s a mixture of them both. Additionally, the main threat feels much less severe than a boss like Oryx. I don’t see how the Raid can change that because Rise of Iron doesn’t contain an overall feeling or dread for the future of humanity. Developers need to focus on the story they tell more like The Witcher 3 add-ons did.

The gameplay is the same but it’s much easier to acquire better gear now due to generous drop rates and improvements with the Cryptarch system. The new armor is also gorgeous and if you’re addicted to loot, you’ll love the additions when it comes to weapons and other items. I’m a massive fan of Activision’s Diablo franchise and played Diablo 3 for thousands of hours, yes, thousands over the course of many years. Destiny adds more ways to acquire loot because you can find skeleton keys to unlock special chests are the end of Strikes. Destiny: Rise of Iron is designed to keep the player coming back for more, even though the story and characters aren’t the main reason you would do that. For people addicted to this repeating cycle, like me, this is definitely worth your time because upgrading has never been better.

Destiny: Rise of Iron also feels like it takes more shortcuts in the graphical department. Throughout my playthrough of the reskinned areas, I noticed a lot of low-resolution textures. Considering that this is supposedly the last expansion before Destiny 2, I feel a little more care and optimization should’ve gone into the experience.

Speaking of optimization, I don’t know about other platforms but on Xbox One the game also suffers from a lot of frame rate issues. Titles like ReCore survive such problems because they feature auto-aim so it’s easy to shoot. However, a first-person shooter like Destiny which requires precise aiming needs to have a solid frame rate or else you can’t even align shots properly. I didn’t encounter such issues before the expansion so I’m not sure what happened now. The new areas are noticeably choppy on a normal Xbox One which isn’t part of the unpredictable Preview program. Bungie needs to address these issues because it seems like they’re limited to the Xbox One version as of now.

Summary

Overall, Destiny: Rise of Iron is an average experience due to its story. I tried to care about it considering it’s the last chapter in a good game but it disappoints. It feels like a major step back from The Taken King. It’s somewhat hilarious how Bungie said that Rise of Iron continues the tradition of great storytelling started with its predecessor but that’s not true at all. The expansion is shorter and much less interesting even though it offers a lot of standard quests after the main missions end. In The Taken King there was mystery and the story of a villain motivated by revenge was captivating. This expansion has none of that. It makes you feel indifferent about everything and its only redeeming quality is the way it addicts you better loot though clever endgame content. I would recommend picking it up when it’s on sale if you’re an avid Destiny player. Those hoping that the expansion would tie off events in a proper way will be disappointed because the story is an unnecessary tangent for the main game. I hope the developers offer more twists and turns in the sequel because the history of The Traveler needs to be explained to a greater degree. People want to love Destiny but significant changes in the storytelling department are required.

Please note that there are quests, ships and maps which are exclusive to PlayStation 4 until late 2017. All of these elements won’t be available in the Xbox One version until months from now, maybe more. The exclusivity deal was extended according to numerous media outlets. The expansion also adds another Raid which launches on Friday.

Additional Information

It’s not really a surprise that when Destiny initially launched, it was lacking when it came to story elements. The plot felt basic and it seemed like Bungie wanted to tell a much different and mature story than what was presented to the audience. However, where the game did succeed was the satisfying loot. While initially the drops were sparse and the Cryptarch was the most annoying entity on the planet, Bungie eventually listened to their fans and addressed all of these concerns. With the Rise of Iron expansion, leveling up your character and finding excellent gear is a trivial matter and the game is better off for it. However, these changes make a real difference when it comes to the content outside of the expansion because defeating already in-game Raid bosses and other Strike champions has become easier as well as more rewarding. As stated in our review of Rise of Iron, the game adds skeleton keys which can be used to open chests at the end of Strikes. The chests reveal amazing finds and it’s a sure-fire way to become stronger and gain additional light levels.

There are also special quests which open up after the short Rise of Iron campaign ends. They include finding special items like the preorder bonus Iron Gjallarhorn rocket launcher or the powerful Khvostov exotic weapons. These quests require a lot of backtracking and are similar to the ones which were found in The Taken King. You can acquire weapons by completing certain tasks set forth by the leaders or other officers. If you loved them, you’ll love these but if you found them tedious, hope that you get lucky through one of the chests or guaranteed drops.

Another major edition which doesn’t really help you with Rise of Iron content is Archon’s Forge. It’s basically an arena scenario with Nightfall elements in it. Remember that Minecraft user-created map which features a waiting area where you had to use a diamond or other precious material to enter again once you died? Archon’s Forge is exactly the same. When you’re playing the missions, Hive Wizards—now know by a different name—will drop Splicer Keys. This is the currency here. You need Splicer Keys to return to combat so be sure to stock up on many of them. Luckily this can be done rather easily right now by replaying the mission which opens up after Rise of Iron ends. Farm the Hive Wizards over and over again and they’ll drop so many keys you’ll need a bigger storage container.

As mentioned above, Archon’s Forge is basically a modified version of other arenas and you’re given set objectives to complete. It’s a nice variation from what we’ve experienced before but it’s nothing revolutionary. Elements from past modes can clearly been seen here. However, what is it good for is to gain light levels. You get great gear and can level up quickly. For those that don’t know, when you level up you gain Motes of Light which can be consumed to upgrade your gear. This increases your light level and makes you more resistant to enemies. The best part is that the Archon’s Forge battles are quick so you can play them again and again.

I learned this the hard way but remember to stock up on the Splicer Keys. If you aren’t able to get back into the heat of combat, you won’t get any rewards and your teammates will likely die. Expect a lot of angry Xbox Live messages if you aren’t able to contribute.

Before I discuss what makes Destiny so addictive, let me mention some other changes that Rise of Iron brings. A new multiplayer mode called Supremacy has been added which is a free-for-all arena that requires you to pick up fallen crests. Whoever picks up the most wins. I was able to win many rounds in this mode because I waited for two Guardians to go at each other and when they were weak I would kill them both and pick up their crests. However, I was more devious than that. If there’s a fallen crest that hasn’t been picked up, you can see it on the map. Players tend to flock to it so you can set up ambush situations. I usually picked up one crest and waited for an unsuspecting chap to walk on by and I would eliminate them. It involves a lot of strategy and it’s a great way to gain Legendary Marks, the old currency required to buy gear from the leaders or merchants.

New maps have also been added if you’re looking for variety. However, I feel that many of these maps aren’t as complex and interesting as they could be. Many feel like they’re forcing you in a closed environment with narrow passages where shotguns reign supreme. This can be frustrating if you don’t like using them like me but remember to keep one handy when you’re playing the Rise of Iron Crucible content because it makes winning much easier. Usually the people who led in these matches were the one who carried shotguns.

Destiny is addictive because I think it’s in our nature to just be better. Gamers value perfection and attaining that highest level is part out our character. Finding better items is rewarding no matter what game you play and I bet many of you keep on the lookout for that upgrade no matter whether it be Destiny or BioShock: Infinite. Where Destiny failed initially was that it made upgrading too cumbersome and many people gave up, however, after all these years, the game has finally perfected its rewards model and while the Rise of Iron expansion might disappoint due to its story, Destiny: The Collection, the full game available now, shines.