Expect dungeon mechanics and horrific landscapes in Destiny 2: The Final Shape's new strike

A new Destiny 2 expansion typically brings with it a strike (or a few) and The Final Shape is looking to be no different. Our behind-the-scenes look at Destiny 2: The Final Shape continued with a hands-off playthrough of a strike, which takes place roughly halfway through the campaign.

Bungie very sparingly set the scene for this strike. On the way to the Witness, the player’s path forward is blocked and it looks like a potential way around has been discovered by Zavala, who urges you onward.

The environment here is markedly different to what we saw during the first campaign mission. Green grass and lovely nature has been replaced with dark browns and drab tunnels of rock and Hive chitin. So it should come as no surprise that test lead Tyler Hillis was set upon by waves of Lucent Hive as he pushed through this twisting landscape.

Our memories coming to life around us is a point the developers talked about during the campaign mission preview and this effect is seen during the strike. The Traveler is literally drawing upon our memories of a Taken-infected Ahamkara to generate these landscapes. But this creation of reality is also being altered by the Witness as it looks to enact its final shape.

Large segments of the world are sliced into perfect stillness. Chunks of reality are organized and locked together. This strange segmenting of the earth and mashing together of memories gives Bungie an opportunity to create unique platforming sections. One part of the strike had Hillis traversing a corridor by jumping onto giant hands protruding from the walls like a scene out of Roman Polanski’s Repulsion.

The mechanics on show in this strike are dungeon-light. In order to progress past a Tormentor boss, Hillis had to retrieve Taken Essence from side rooms and bring them back to a central location. The route back had an Indiana Jones-style ceiling of lava crushing down or rising up from the floor with obstacles to jump over and slide under, adding a bit of tension to the encounter.

As is the case with strikes, the boss dips away before Hillis can finish the job. After a bit more platforming and dialogue, the environment takes another dramatic shift as Hillis enters what looks like a Witness-themed town. A veiled statue stands beneath a huge pyramid structure while date palms and lush vegetation gives the village a Hanging Gardens of Babylon feel.

But the serenity is swiftly shattered as Taken swarm in, Grim flock down from the ceiling, and lava begins rising from the streets. Hillis does what he can to quell in attackers, popping Transcendence to eke out a bit more damage. Bungie notes that it’s possible to build into the duration of Transcendence, though it looked as if kills while the effect is active added a small bit to the timer.

The fight increases in intensity as a Subjugator enters the fray. It appears as though these will be a common occurrence throughout the campaign, similar to how Bungie has used Tormentors.

Though we weren’t able to see the entire conclusion of the strike, the final room looked to be a cavern with a giant Ahamkara skull set into the rear wall. Like earlier in the strike, Hillis had to retrieve Taken Essences from side rooms and carry them back to the main room via hallways with lava walls pushing inward.

During this last fight in the strike, and throughout the whole thing, Hillis has been utilizing a Prismatic Hunter to the best of his abilities. Solar throwing knives were scorching foes while Duskfield grenades locked down combatants. By netting kills, he was charging up Gunpowder Gamble, throwing it at strong foes, popping Transcendence, and tossing in the super-grenade that comes with it.

The new Arcstrider Super was on full display too. This thing is lightning fast, letting players teleport to wherever they throw their knife. Upon arriving at the place, the Hunter spins around, dealing massive damage to nearby targets. You will need to be careful when using this skill, though, as the teleport knife can be thrown off the map, which during this preview saw Hillis land on some lava before expertly teleporting back into the safe area.

With the tight corridors, swarms of enemies, and some dungeon-like mechanics, this strike looks like it’ll be a tough addition to the Grandmaster Nightfall line-up whenever it gets added into rotation. Head over to our Destiny 2 page for our ongoing coverage of The Final Shape and everything else you need to know about Bungie’s incredibly popular title.

This preview is based on a remote, hands-off demonstration by the developers. The content was a work-in-progress and subject to change. Destiny 2: The Final Shape is available on June 4, 2024.

Bill Lavoy and Sam Chandler

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Bill and Sam are the two Shacknews writers who handle the bulk of the Destiny 2 content. As a Hunter and Warlock main respectively, they can cover a great deal of ground with whatever is happening in Destiny 2 today. What they don't know they can find out thanks to their all-star lineup of Destiny 2 friends.