Destiny: Rising has officially been announced and it’s being developed and published entirely by NetEase Games, the same studio that initially did most of the development work on Diablo Immortal for Blizzard. While the game is coming from NetEase, Bungie did have a hand in guiding NetEase in its development. “For the past few years, NetEase has been working hard. It has been our honor to support them in building a high-quality and authentic Destiny experience, and on a brand-new platform,” said Tritia Medrano, Lead Producer at Bungie.
Bungie also states that Destiny: Rising stays true to the core tenets and identity of Destiny. It will, however, be its own thing. This is not Destiny 2 for mobile. The game actually takes place in an alternate timeline in the post-Dark Age era. The setting is after The Collapse, but before The Last City and before Guardians or The Vanguard. Despite these differences, much of what players have come to know and love of the Destiny universe will be at the heart of Destiny: Rising. In addition to some new and unexplored elements that players have only heard whispers of in the lore.
For example, there will still be ghosts raising people from the dead and turning them into Lightbearers. Destiny: Rising will also explore more of the Iron Lords and introduce some of the franchise’s warlords, it seems. Destiny: Rising will also likely include some familiar faces. That being said, there are many new and unique characters too. NetEase says that every playable character is a fleshed-out person with a depth of personality. These characters will have their own tenets and pursuits, and it is “definitely not your conventional hero type,” the studio says.
Destiny: Rising will include both PvE and PvP content with new stories
Since this game is set in an alternate timeline, most if not all of the stories in the game will be new. NetEase says it wanted to do more than just tell a story about epic adventures, but also the side stories that, as an adventurer, you might learn and hear about on the streets. This sounds a lot like players will have plenty of side quests to dig into as they explore the game world.
Destiny: Rising will also include many of the same game types as Destiny and Destiny 2. Including strikes, missions, and 6-player PvE activities. There will also be new gameplay modes that the Destiny franchise has not seen before. NetEase says that these modes will “allow players to fully immerse themselves in this unique science fiction fantasy.” NetEase doesn’t say anything about raids or dungeons, but it seems unlikely that those won’t be included. Even if they’re not in the game right away.
It’s also important to note that the game is still in development. Players will get a chance to check out the game soon, though. NetEase is holding the first Destiny: Rising closed alpha test on November 1, and you can pre-register for the game and have a chance to take part in that test.
There are tons of new weapons, including a new rarity and weapon type
Destiny has always been largely about loot. Armor, of course, but mostly the weapons. Destiny: Rising will include a ton of new weapons, including new and familiar Exotics. NetEase is also introducing a new weapon rarity called Mythic weapons, though I have to wonder if these will be locked behind some sort of microtransaction, as this has been the case with other F2P games in the past like Call of Duty: Mobile. There will also be a new weapon type included – the crossbow.
Additionally, it seems like characters will be able to unlock and experience new supers and abilities that aren’t in Destiny 2 or Destiny 1. For example, in the trailers NetEase released alongside its announcement, you can see one of the warlocks pull out a void-based scythe and start hacking away at enemies. Destiny: Rising will also feature both first-person and third-person gameplay, though we expect the majority of gameplay to be first-person just like the main game.
You can check out both the announcement trailer and the developer deep-dive below.
