The Dreadnaught has returned. The fabled Hive ship and Throne World to Oryx himself is as soon as once more a menace to humanity. It’s beneath the shadow of this ominous return that Guardians will start their adventures when Future 2: Heresy, the sport’s third Episode and closing epilogue of the Gentle and Darkness Saga, launches on February 4. At the moment, the Future crew hosted a livestream that includes an in-depth take a look at what gamers can anticipate from Heresy, together with unique interviews with builders and stay gameplay from the Episode.
At the moment we’re overlaying a number of the highlights of Heresy that had been featured in immediately’s present. For much more, take a look at the livestream recap right here.
A menacing return
Orbiting the planet Saturn amidst its huge rings, the Dreadnaught by no means actually left the lore of Future, serving each as an ominous reminder of Guardians’ earlier battle with Oryx in The Taken King growth and, later, as a staging floor for the forces of Xivu Arath. With Heresy, the Hive ship will as soon as once more return to the forefront.
“What’s important concerning the Dreadnaught’s return for Heresy is that it’s going to be altering, and we’re going to be combating by it in methods we’ve but to expertise,” mentioned Future 2 Narrative Architect Nikko Stevens. “The Dreadnaught has reawakened for the primary time in nearly a decade, spurring the Vanguard and Guardians throughout the system to take discover. We lastly get to see what has change into of the Dreadnaught years after Oryx was felled and its halls had been left to corrode, and not using a Navigator.”
Into The Nether
Throughout Heresy, Guardians take the combat into the Dreadnaught itself in a brand new exercise often called The Nether. With an action-packed mixture of exploration, fight, in addition to gameplay modifiers and escalating issue (to not point out some glorious rewards), The Nether guarantees to maintain gamers on their toes every time they board.
“There’s a fixed surge of Taken forces and corruptive energy spilling from the Dreadnaught in Heresy,” mentioned Stevens. “The outpouring of corruption is like an acerbic present that pushes again in opposition to Guardian forces making an attempt to board the Dreadnaught. That is the place The Nether is available in.”
With a mix of space patrols, a number of bubbles filled with difficult enemies, every culminating in heroic boss fights, and all set within the haunted corridors of a metamorphosed Dreadnaught, The Nether exercise will discover Guardians besieging the sprawling ship to disable its weaponry and forestall the Taken corruption from spreading. With classes discovered from earlier rogue-lite experiments in Future 2 resembling The Coil from Season of the Want and Deep Dives from Season of the Deep, Guardians may also look ahead to a continually diverse expertise. For instance, after finishing a bubble, the Energy degree of enemies improve. As well as, the exercise introduces a brand new twist to the fight system within the type of boons that straight have an effect on gameplay.
Three sorts of boons will probably be accessible for gamers to gather: minor, main, and corrupted. Minor boons provide boosts to statistical data and can stack upon assortment. Main boons are acquired by finishing a bubble, and although they gained’t stack, they provide gameplay-altering advantages resembling increase Static Cost stacks by sprinting, in the end permitting you to unleash a robust thunderbolt by firing your weapon. Corrupted boons additionally provide a big gameplay increase, but additionally a draw back as nicely. For instance, one corrupted boon will increase the injury completed to targets whereas additionally rising injury taken from sources.
“We’ve additionally experimented with participant modifiers, with elevated well being swimming pools, no regenerating of well being, low ammo drops and revive tokens, and a modification on therapeutic within the sandbox over the course of play,” mentioned Future 2 Senior Designer Ryan Harris, including that construct crafting is a key to success within the Nether exercise. “Gamers ought to look to construct their loadouts geared for survivability as the sport mode modifiers improve well being swimming pools of gamers considerably whereas additionally stopping all well being regen.”
Alongside the brand new narrative twists in addition to new gear and updates, immediately’s livestream additionally launched the newly introduced collaboration between Bungie and Lucasfilm Video games to convey Star Wars-inspired gear and equipment to Future 2. Obtainable with the launch of Heresy are three new armor ornaments (one per Guardian class), every impressed by the troopers of the Galactic Empire, along with plenty of Star Wars-inspired equipment.
With three Acts coming this Episode, Heresy nonetheless has loads of enjoyable left within the coming months, with new actions, superb gear to gather, and far more. Heresy can be simply the beginning of an excellent 2025 for Future 2, so be looking out for extra!
Future 2: Heresy launches on February 4.
