Ding Dong the Witch is Dead. The Witch of the North is Dead!

Choices Choices... heh...

...as if there was any doubt. Also It's the title of this post. You cheated at the quantum level by reading the outcome!

I choose Warlock, surprising no one in the know - cutscene occurs - then the in engine cutscene bada bing bada...

Boom. Did the bubble shield work? How did they even survive the drop?

I was going to do a comparison, but Ikora did that work already. Where does she find the time!

Ban Space-Rhinos living privileges. Take picture of Banners.

Tower. Military. Plaza. ...if only it was pizza. (Random?)

We will meet again. Of that I have no doubt.

Unneeded words.

What exotic did I get? (I said to myself, unaware that its hard coded in the beta)

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It's at this point where the pictures will get fewer, and the videos far greater in number.
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"Code 77? Of course it is." Why is this the only room we see with a fire suppression system?

So that's the new super eh? Well... maybe I need to play with it a few more times before it gets fun. Figure out the nuances.

I come upon the ship. "I expected it to be bigger".

Alright. THIS HERE. My logic at the time was this; If it's in the rarest ammo slot, then it should act as if it was worth being in that slot. What I got was... well. It feels like it should still be in special... IF WE STILL HAD THAT SLOT.

ಠ_ಠ

I don't understand!! All I want is proof it's worth being in the rarest ammo slot at all. Otherwise - I have other options. Spoilers: I loved the shotgun. Had no issue with it. Why would I choose THIS WEAPON? The Fusion Rifle. If I have access to something that does everything better at basically the same range? BUNGIE WHY HAVE YOU DESTROYED ALL THE THINGS I WUV!!! D:

...and so on and so forth... Oh! and we need...

s/ R.I.P -Fusion Rifle 2014 - 2017 /s

Yea. Speaking of Bungie destroying all the things I wuv, look what I tried to do below...

The Result?

Nothing. Nada. Hi Zero! Zip. Not working in the beta. Not being able to turn off H.U.D? Well then I'll just capture more videos I said. It will be the same amount of work regardless I said. *SIGH* SO MUCH UPLOADING! Anyway... So I just go on take a few more screens.

The Towers Shadow

I wonder what is going on over there.

Is it just me or is that star thing getting bigger?

Something iFound by chance in my urge to explore. It was hard to Spotify, but once I found it I knew all I had left for this musical Easter Egg was left in Pandoras box. I'll hear it sing again... someday. *Shed Single Tear* /scene

This next bit stopped me in my tracks, as you can see. I never before considered this, and I found myself excited - one of the FEW times. This implies SO MUCH STORY. I just hope it delivers.

I step out into a another clearing and take another picture... the one you see below here

... But then... something caches my eye...

"Oh my goodness! Is this a public space!" :D

So it is. You can watch the ensuing battle nested below.

1 - Yep! *Mayhem Ensues*

2 - Maybe they think he's Cade? Some ...how? Seriously though, this is kind of funny. QUICK! GET IN MY BUBBLE - and the rockets are only going for his bubble. THE SYSTEM WORKS!

3 - Do what Warlocks do best; make the enemy wish they studied you. Oh... that's good. +1 ego. :P

4 - After it's all said and done, we'll do it again with our void pants on.

5 - Beta Dawnblade may be lackluster alone, but in a tandem group? I admit it. Feels good man. Feels good.

It's during this time when I notice; Hey! I'm shooting things in the air alot! Have I always been able to do this? So I check into the load out and find what you see below

Also... I note...

...the ONE THING I'm looking forward to with this class right now.

I really like they are working on telling the player - Hey THIS IS HAPPENING! There is still some work to be done though.

Then I see it. Veegies Ball! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Speaking of a VOID (in my heart) - VOID! Because after playing around and Suping up a few times I figure I might as well do the same thing with the void class. Wasn't planning on it, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity for free super energy and an endless hoard to use it on. Good times. Can we have this in the FULL GAME Bungie? Do we? It's great Super Practice. So yea. The void playlist is below. If you don't watch the first clip then at the very least WATCH THE SECOND CLIP. Hint Hint - Things go BOOM!!! At least void bomb is still good for something in tight groupings.

1 - To walk into the Void Path, is to not to.

2 - Uh. Boom. Duh!

One last look before we move forward.

*KA-Chnk* *KA-Chnk* *KA-Chnk* - OFF THE TOWER!

Are they... trying to invade the other side of the wall too?

Remember in the beginning when I basically talked about one main topic. Watch me work on figuring my load out choices. Trying to figure out what feels good, what's worth using and what is not. You can tell what side of the ship you are on by the direction the rain is moving. It's the little details.

What is it with Bungie and ship engines anyway?

I will say this much. I am intrigued about the story.

Mystery IMAGE!

After that, I being a PvE person, I played the Strike. By play I of course mean as Bungie INTENDED!...right... so I went exploring because DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM MAN! DOWN WITH THE MAN...uh... MAN! HEY GUYS THIS GUY IS TAKING ROY OFF THE GRID-you-get-the-point.

1 - Strike? What Strike? Nothing much here. Just shooting a Servitor and taking in a moment. First Fresh Eyes.

2 - Do Vex Dream of Electric Cows?

3 - The being my first time on the strike ever, I don't know that there should be Cabal in this area.

4 - Had to happen eventually.

5 - Learn 'em Cabal some manners with lead. ...er... whatever we use.

6 - If it had worked, it would had not have been a dumb idea. Probably.

7 - All we need now are some cookies to remember this moment.

After all this I had to get up, and do stuff. So - ON TO WAVE TWO!

If you can't take the heat, get out of the furnace.

So after stepping away from my Xbox for a bit to do life stuff, I come back and do some more Destiny 2 Beta stuff. Just mess around and figure out how things work.

1 - Just as it says on the tin. Some of you might get a kick out of this clip. Having played this strike a number of times now, I'm aware of the game play mechanic that causes this. I didn't here, and I pay for it.

2 - My First Use of the Void Bomb on a Boss. Needless to say, I'm unimpressed.

3 - My First Destiny 2 Beta PvP Game. For those of you somehow not in this know, I don't play PvP. I'm very much a PvE player, so you can bet I was playing PvP as if it was PvE. What could possibly go wrong?

4 - My First Destiny 2 Beta "Countdown" Bomb Defuse PvP Game. Spoilers: This game runs downhill the entire way. Also note my "rift" use. It will be important later on.

5 - Second half of Destiny 2 Beta "Countdown" Bomb Defuse PvP Game. Did I say hill? At this point I might as well of said mountain. What is the DEAL with my rift not working?

6 - Just like it says on the tin. Everything still feels really awkward. I shoot and there's no... Oomf! I mean yeah, the health is dropping, it's just unsatisfying to do. Also - here is where I really trip up with my rift, as it still hasn't occurred to me what is going on. It still hasn't occurred to me that when I was playing around with my load out settings (not shown) before hand I switched to the rift that gives a Damage Buff. I then switched to Dawnblade and switched to Healing Rift. So when I switched back to void, in my head I was still thinking it was a Healing Rift. Yes - even though it wasn't healing and there is a buff verbiage telling me that it is an "empowering rift". I just got here - to me empowering means the same thing as healing. Why? Say it with me Devs - because - the - player - is - stupid. Really? No. But put a controller in a persons hand and you can WATCH the IQ points drop. This is why it's so important that the game communicates "HEY THIS IS HAPPENING", because we don't have all out sense to guide us - just sight mostly. To that end, I need to admit something. Ya'll - 85 percent of the time text comes on the screen telling me it's a buff or nerf, I have no idea what it is actually doing. It's usually easier to figure out with the nerfs instead of the buffs through. This is why this image from the first wave is so important. I see the Buff and my Gun is glowing. As an extra bonus, it's not some fancy verbiage, it's "Kill Clip". To me this means extra damage. If it is - GREAT! Thank you BUNGIE! If not well, at least it's some progress.

So here is my suggestion for the rift. It needs some particle/shader effect that implies healing or damage buff as need be. This has TWO benefits! One - makes it harder for the player to be dumb in this instance. In theory. Two - Makes sure that OTHER players know what they are running in to. I have had a moment in a strike, and this was captured, where I was low on heath as a hunter and in the middle of this slightly open area was a rift. I needed a boost to my health. I've been jumping around trying to stay alive, and I, seeing the rift stopped jumping for a second or two. Yes you guessed it! It wasn't a healing rift, but an empowering one. I'm now in the "open" with low health, and the weapon buff isn't going to help me. I'm dropped. Had I known - I wouldn't have stopped jumping around. There was only one way for me to find out, and I payed for it with my guardians blood. Or... whatever it is. The Arcstrider after being revived was pretty cool through.

As for whether or not I LIKE the warlock rift power. Um - well. Let's leave that for the end of this post.

7 & 8 - IT'S DA PIKE!

9 - MORE PIKE! Also - Dawnblade. I mean - get that it isn't meant for this sort of range NOW, but - Dawnblade.

10 - I'm still not sure what did it. My heath was regen'n. I've broken the fall with my jump ability. Did the burn damage mix with the minimized fall damage? Also - TRIPLE KILL!

11 - Nothing really to say here. Enjoy.

12 - So just as I said in #6, SHOW WHAT IS HAPPENING! In this clip, I haven't realized that this Grenade Charge uses my Super Charge. We see yellow for gain, why not red for drain?

13 & 14 - Nothing really to say here. Enjoy.

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And that concludes may DAY ONE play which was focused on my OG Destiny Main - WARLOCKS! Thus here are in full my thoughts on how WARLOCKS are in the Destiny 2 Beta. This conclusion comes from ALL the experiences of the week, not just from what you see here from the first day. Since this is focused on WARLOCKS I might as well put my thoughts on the class overall here too.

Thus to the brass tacks:

Bungie...

щ(ﾟДﾟщ) WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO MY FAVORITE CLASS!
(ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻

With that said - is it just me, or is every person who MAINS a certain character saying the same thing, but not about the others for the most part? Is that me? Meh. Anyway - where was I - Oh right. School shootings. The absolute murder of the warlock class et al. I know my usage of such a thing is in horrible taste, and if anyone found that description too far I apologize deeply, but that is also the point of its use. I'm not sure how else to imply the strength of my distaste, without saying something distasteful. Even then I feel there is no excuse, and I'm doing it anyway. Because I'm a monster obviously. Rawr.

First let's start with the Jump. Bungie has made my favorite jump into my least favorite, and dare I say made it into the worst jump. TO those of you whom have foolishly been saying this about the Warlocks jump in Destiny - congratulations! For the Beta - you got your wish. The jump bothered me so much, that I loosely scienced to figure out what in the world was going on. The action and method appeared the same but it felt SO different. What changed? While yes - it does feel like I'm jumping through molasses, but as far as I can tell actually, the overall speed is the same more or less. As far as I can tell what changed is the immediate start and how we fall down, not go up.

See for yourself.

You see how much more hang we have in Destiny 2 Beta then OG Destiny?

(I also tested this on VOID too, and the results were the same. No issue with Blink either.)

In Destiny we have this nice gentle predictable parabola, where in Destiny 2 there is SO MUCH HANG. It reminds me a bit of Titan skating, but FAR slower. It's as if they made Angel of Light and did the inverse! Where instead of aiming your weapon while in the air to then hold you in place for a short time, its everything EXCEPT when you Aim! Unless you have the perk on Dawnblade, called Winged Sun in the "Attunement of Sky" section. It allows a Warlock to engage weapons or grenades while in mid-glide without the penalty of gravities wrath. Then there is at least a purpose, and it seems well made for that ONE purpose. It just feels silly. I understand in my guess WHY Bungie did it, as Bungie seems to be pushing for Warlock aerial supremacy to add verticality to the Destiny Gameplay. That's my guess. At the same time, I DON'T UNDERSTAND! How do I describe this Disaster with words? For a sake of a perk, Bungie has made the whole aerial mobility as a Warlock harder, and some already find it pretty difficult for Destiny One! Bungie made my Warlocks ass into a Blimp. OH THE HUMANITY! Slow, but hangs in the air, only to crash and burn. I don't honestly believe that Bungie altered the jump for a lone perk, but it sure seems like it right now.

How to improve it?

Well. The jump needs more Kick. Like I'm being launched from a trebuchet or ballista first, THEN add the continually elevated amount of air friction. I need the ability to get out of dodge, not stay a target. Make the hang action triggerable, say when I'm in the air - switch rift with the hang. I can't use rift while in the air anyway so it's a free control slot in that moment. That way - I CAN MOVE, but also move slowly vertical if need be. It just makes more sense! In fact, stacked with Icarus Dash from Dawnblade, I could really be able to move in the air as needed. It's a lovely symbiosis. Too bad this idea is not going to be implemented, because time, and no one from Bungie is going to read this anyway. I'm ON TO YOU INTERNET!

Then there is the Warlock Ability. Now look. I get it. Titans had the most Armor, they get to make a Wall. Titan. Hunters have the most Agility, they get to Dodge. Hunter. Warlocks have the most Recovery, which means we regain lost health faster. Thus we have the ability make a temporary zone that increases the recovery of health to the point of an over shield or a damage buff to ourselves and any other friendly player. I get it. My current main issue with it, other than the "Tell me what it does" problem I mention in this section at #6, is that it in its current iteration is a death trap. Not only does it take too long to activate but as it is in the Beta, it's basically a bug bait and zapper, but for guardians. Again - ignoring the communication issue, when someone drops a rift we all want to get into it, because we want that buff. Yet - WE CAN'T MOVE, or else we lose the buff. Why even buff at all? It's too risky. Meanwhile everything is honing in on you standing like an idiot in this one spot. I don't care how much cover is nearby, it's always a lousy situation to be in. With the Heath, there seems to be a tendency to just stand there hoping you can juggernaut the moment, and with the damage buff - ha ha. More like HEY SHOOT ME I CAN'T MOVE! Plus it doesn't tell you when it stops, so your just standing in the open like an idiot.

How to improve it?

Make it act like the titan bubble sans the bubble. If you touch it you get the buff for a few seconds. OR! Make it so that the WARLOCK casts an aura around them self that does the effect. The time would be of course shorter then it is now, but at least I and my friendlies can MOVE, and the buff would no longer be redundant.

With that said we get to the main course - The Supers. TO which - a caveat. I know we only got our hands on one version out of a known two. "Attunement of Chaos" and "Attunement of Sky". That said, as a reminder, I'm going to speak of this as if that was it, simply because it makes it easier for me to speak about it.

So where do I start.

Let's start with the Void Super Nova Bomb .

It's not satisfying. It's DEFINITELY a SUPER, but it's so - underwhelming. The sound and animation doesn't match what I see for one. It looks like I'm about to bat out a fast ball, only to have this thing blob towards my foe. Of course my first reaction to this was - "What the hell was that?" - and rightly so as I was expecting a good 'ol nova arc. With time through, I can see its usefulness. This is a very close quarters styled indoor super. It's still wicked unsatisfying to cast, but shoot - it's still Nova Bomb. You get a group of foes and its rewarding, period. Warlock want like to make BIG boom. It's a very environmentally situational super, that needs ALOT of tweaking to feel right.

It's...almost like I'm playing an old build beta - or something. This situational nature of my super is also why I HEAVILY DISLIKE this whole "SLOT OF 4"... "Play this way or Play this way"... Thing!... I for-mentioned at the very beginning of this post as a whole. I REALLY like Chaos Accelerant! It's really cool, and feels powerful. I mean there are a few things that could be tweaked, such as yet again telling the player what this charging up is changing/doing and so forth, but it's overall pretty cool. It's defiantly a Warlock thing to overcharge grenades - because Power. Yet - I'll "never" be able to use it because of the aptly named Cataclysm.

"Nova Bomb travels slowly and seeks enemies. Detonations shatter into smaller seeker projectiles. Fire your weapon at the Nova Bomb to detonate it early".

Well if I'm in a big open space where Cataclysm might not be the best selection, which I'm Obviously TOTALLY SURE won't be a big thing for Destiny 2 (/s), well then sorry buddy. No Bloom, Entropic Pull, and Chaos Accelerant for you!

Ha ha! No. That's just Bullshit.

ALSO! Before I switch to the Solar Super; Fire your weapon at the Nova Bomb to detonate it early? Seriously? I mean - it's interesting. It's defiantly an... interesting game play choice. But. If I'm casting my Super - I'm not going to waste time and SHOOT AT IT. My concern is the thing or things trying to drop me. Have me "cast" my super again to detonate it. There. Done. Next.

Dawnblade.

...

Oh boy... we lost the ability to self revive... FOR THIS!?! Holy shit. THAT experiment apparently backfired. Heh. Backfired. Heh heh.

Where do I start! You know what. I need time to figure out what to say here. Scroll past the random meaningless images I found off the interwebs, and watch some of the below video and by the time you are done I'll be ready.

I know I know. Hawk Girl is so OP. She also is A Total Certified Badass! It's... kind of like how a Super should be. Right? Just... things to keep in mind as we move forward here. We are talking about a so called "SUPER" after all.

SO where were we. Oh! Right. The "SUPER" of Dawnblade. It's called Daybreak.

"Weave Solar Light into blades and smite your foes from the skies.

It is just me or does from the skies seem to imply you are shooting things out of the sky? Yet if it was "from the sky" it would denote YOU doing the flying. I don't know. Words and my head. Anyway... so let me get this straight.

We can fly, well not actually... flies like Astronauts in a spacewalk can "fly". It's falling - but with style. While in our super we get a flaming sword of light. With it we cast huge swaths of flame towards our foes! Well that does sound like a cool super. How much fun is it? It's BOOOOOOOOORING! I don't know HOW YOU DID IT Bungie, but somehow you made a super that is WORSE than may least favorite super - Golden gun - with the catch being Daybreak is not only disgustingly inaccurate but makes you into a giant target both in and after you use the so called Super.

I quite honestly don't understand how this got past the testing phase. Sounds really cool on paper, but hell - does this super SUCK! And it's on my favorite class of OG Destiny. FUCK! At least I could ignore Goldengun, as it's on my least favorite class of OG Destiny. Hint Hint for those of you who have read these posts in its entirety up to this point. Hint hint of the incoming next post about my day with the Destiny 2 Beta Hunter.

So what could Bungie do to make it worth casting?

For starters can I get an over-shield after my super stops? Or better yet - give me a variant of that front facing shield Titans had that lasts during the super and a few seconds after the super is done. Something that helps me survive CASTING the darn thing. Second - well, guess. We have a flipping flambéing sword of light and wings - LETS BIRD OF PRAY THESE FOOLS! You say smite? Bitch - I want to REAP! I want to get Biblical all up in here, and make it good.

What you got here in the Beta? It's a joke. Plan and simple. ...and it's a dam shame there is likely not enough time to change it.

Looking forward to Phoenix Dive through.

In all - This to me was the Destiny 2 Beta Warlock. I don't know what else to say, other to end with saying how deeply disappointed I am that my favorite class as is, in game play, my least favorite of the three.

Ow.

Shit.

Geez. Gamers eh. Am I right! :P Heh heh heh.

Let go your conscious self and act on instinct.

Spoilers: Golden gun is still awful. Ho!-LY!-SHIT! ARCSTRIDER!

So on this day I took the Hunter out for a spin. I also get savvier with my recording on the Xbox and use the "Start Recording" function instead of the "Grab X Min or Seconds" function. This in turn apparently allows me to record up to ten minutes at a time. Did not know this! I haven't really gone into detail with my thoughts on the guns yet, but real quick I have to say I really enjoy the SMG in my playthrough, and I think it shows. You can see I'm haveing fun. It's odd really as I was never a fan of the fast firing assault rifles. Something something inverse something! Also technically the Arcstrider super is called "Arc Staff", but I think you will know what I mean all the same. Anyway, let's get on with it.

1 - Mission Start! There if you want to see it... hurry up and get to the next one!!!!

2 - So here is where I get my first hit of that sweet sweet Arcstrider action. Where I - and I quote - scream in response:

"Ho!-LY!-SHIT! ARCSTRIDER! Ho!-LY!-SHIT! I'm a freek'n Electric Jedi!"

Ya'll. I'm in love. Watch this clip. Do it. Do it now. Watch a man fall in love. To me - this is everything a super should be. I'm no longer playing the game to shoot things, or what-have-you. I'm shooting things so I can get my light meter up so I can DO THAT AGAIN! Ah-LORDY! I DO de-clare, I think I'm coming down with a case of the vapors!-My!(/◕ヮ◕)/

Shit. It's... so GOOD! You can see I'm having fun. What else can you ask for? Bungie, babycakes - make it last! HAHAHA! Ok. ok. WoOOoooo. I'm pulling back now. I'm sorry if I scared you lot, yet... no I am not. Mmm. MMM mmm mmm. (≧∇≦)/

The Hunter in the beta, at least that I had was a female. So. This works.

3 - Sniper feels weak, again - it's in the rarest ammo slot so it needs to prove its worth. I learn one of the limits of Arcstrider -er- "Arc Staff " Also is it just me or is the room I fight in at the end of this clip super cinematic looking. Good job Bungie.

4 - This is the finisher to the last clip, concluding the cutscene where we meet Gary.

5 - My first time playing Nesses Strike as a Hunter. I also decide, what the hey - might as well give Gunslinger a shot. Heh heh. Shot. Can confirm that throwing knives are still fun - but, and I don't know why, not as satisfying. I don't know why. They even EXPLODE, which is something I've wanted them to do but never mentioned I think intill now. Maybe it's the sound? I don't know. It is still fun at least, especially with the dodge back and forth. Also the knife icon looks like an icaruss shoe to me, not a knife in flame. Finally notice this - I start out playing as my Hunter Character. Starting at this point you get to watch my game play style and choices change as things happen

6 - My first tests with golden gun. For fun - Guess what I think each time I use it. There are also a few instances in here where I dodge but still get hurt, which is slightly annoying but I can deal with it.

7 - How would do you like your Hunter? Neat? On the Rocks? With a Twist? Don't forget the Chaser!

8 - *Sigh* This Sucks! Bah. AGAIN!

9 - This clip starts a bit later from the same game the last clip ends on. I really wish the ammo would float closer to the platform. I'm a MAN with a PLAN! Does it work? Yes. As I had hoped? ... Well.

10 - This clip starts much later from the same game the last clip ends on. Also - the Vex fluid makes grenades useless. Shout out to BkLyN IKE for not quitting and seeing this sucker through. Bungie - we need more checkpoints on this Strike. This SUCKED! Even if it was two man team on the three man strike.

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11 - I'm still playing PvP as if it was PvE. Is that why I find that dodging doesn't work?

12 - Ok. So. This clip. Yea. I really wanted to try Arcstrider in multiplayer, that was my number one goal. I also miss judged the total amount needed to win a game. There for. Well. This.

13 - I finally get to Arcstride in Multiplayer.

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14 - Every wonder what the inside of those pods looked like?

15 - Crikey! Look at 'im go. What a beawty!

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I actually have one more Video/Group of Videos to show (plus some random stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else). But first - since in essence this concludes may DAY TWO play which was focused on my least favorite OG Destiny Class - HUNTERS. Thus here are in full my thoughts on how HUNTERS are in the Destiny 2 Beta. This conclusion comes from ALL the experiences of the week, not just from what you see here from the first day. Since this is focused on HUNTERS I might as well put my thoughts on the class overall here too. Thus to the brass tacks. I should note, that even though I have kept away from others thoughts on the beta, in concern of my own thoughts to be mixed, I have inadvertently heard that there are some that feel the Hunters are less powerful then they... apparently... are in Destiny. I never felt this way, as long as I was an Arcstrider; which was most of the time (and surprising no one). If anything it's the WARLOCKS that have had their power decreased! Shoot - there's that pattern again. Weird.

I have no issue about the Hunter Jump.

I have no pressing issues about the Hunter Ability, in fact - its currently my favorite ability of the bunch. Even through I've had some cases where I used it and it seemed I got hurt anyway, it - for some reason, doesn't really bother me. I mean - it would be nice if I got a larger damage reduction or distance through. BACKFLIPS OFF THA WALLLLLLL! :P

Since most my time was on Arcstrider, I'm going to whisper some old gripes with golden gun which still exist, then move on to speak abit the only elemental build that matters currently to me as far as Hunters go.

As I mentioned inadvertently on the side with the thoughts on Warlocks, Golden Gun is Boring. It's boring in presentation. It's boring in implementation. It's boring to use. I don't feel super using it. It's a total joke. Yea it does damage, but BIG WUP. It's a SUPER. BE A SUPER. DUH!

How? If I don't get to change the super out right, then how 'bout put that Gold-bit-O-light into the gun you wield in that moment. There's a good chance that if you are using a gun of some type, it's because you enjoy that game play that gun provides. So to have a moment where you buff "WHATEVER". It doesn't just have to be damage. In fact that could be a perk - one super increases your rate of fire and auto reload, another adds increased health and "hidden hand" to your gun. Let the light guide you!... and so forth. Then? You mow for the time that gun type (or sword!) has. You literately super buff your weapon. It might not be all that flashy, but at least it would be more fun than the joke golden gun has been and still is. Alright - so now that I've pissed off the golden gun enthusiasts (I'm not worried), let's talk about Arcstrider. I love this super. I think I've made that fairly clear. My thoughts here is simply of me thinking up what would make this super even better. Basically - it's a wish list. Alright, so did any one read that pre-beta story I made? Don't worry if you didn't, I'm bringing one of the points to the here and now in this post.

• Long Range Supers - Void Walker (Nova Bomb), Sunbreaker (Hammer of Sol), Gunslinger (Golden Gun)
  
• Short Range Supers - Stormcaller (Stormtrance), Striker (Fist of Havoc), Bladedancer (Arc Blade)
  
• Unitary Supers - Sunsinger (Radiance), Defender (Ward of Dawn), Nightstalker (Shadowshot)

Alright. So these are the supers of OG Destiny. Two distance ranges, plus a super that has the added bonus of helping the team. I'm also presuming in this case we use what I've been calling "the set of four" for the super set up is still sadly a thing. It's probably pretty obvious where I'm going with this, but here we go anyway. So the super "Arc Staff" is a short range super. Having a set of perks that help it with long range would be pretty dope so I could use it on Bosses without getting smashed into a paste, or... you know. They fly. Best part about this is we've already seen it. The exotic sword Bolt Caster has a distance ability would be perfect for a ranged Arcstrider. And Unitary function? YOU SHALL NOT PASS VIA Mass paralysis. You slam your staff in the ground creating zones that act like a bubble, sans the defensive, with Saint 14. Greatly Increased speed, for decreased range and damage output. That's the idea from the top of my head any way. The idea would be to give your team - or yourself - some breathing room if you are being overwhelmed and can't kill them all. Something that would be doable in ever the Arcstrider acrobatic fashion.

To which, I believe I have one more (or so) thing to show before this part is concluded.

I made it in Upload Studio. Enjoy!

Included in the group is also my first vers. of the montage, plus the clips I used.

This was quite the task to make. Upload Studio is not exactly a power editing tool, and there is no saving so it's not like I can make a play blast to check all the edits, which of course is what happened. Once you press that render button that is it. All said through - I think this came out really well considering. So much so, plus I really do miss being able to edit stuff, I made some other stuff. Oh - and yes. The explosion at the end is necessary. I find it really funny. Just FYI.

I leave you with some random clips and this post is up. On to the next one.

If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.

So before I called it a day on my second day filled primarily with Hunter Arcstrider action, I took a peek at the Titan Class. Instead of hand towels ya'll got loin cloths! Why? Because you need to hide yer TITANS!

1 - Start off as a Titan. Get Situated. Meet Sweet Business. Learn the limits of Rally Shield. Learn limits of "auto-pop out" with said Shield.

2 - You can call me captain

3 - HU...er. TITAN SMASH!

4 Still working on using the Sentinel Shield. Love the Shotgun. Cabal on the other end less so.

5 I'm done testing weapons, now I start getting picky. Sweet Business isn't as sweet as I hoped. Hate the Scout Rifle. Not a big fan of the elemental Hand Cannon (Minuet-42). I settle with what I have. Got to get the job done.

6 - Ending Cut scene

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1 - Still working on my clinch control. I punch things. I shoot things.

2 - I punch things some more. I realize - see *click* - that there is a weak spot at the center of the cabal shields. You still lose ammo if you switch weapons.

3 - Tweaking the Rocket Launcher. In fact, lots of tweaking of things. Punch things. Shoot things. Knee things. Things. SO MANY THINGS.

4 - Start at The Anchor. Range Testing. Try playing around with how weapons fire to see if it improve how they feel. TITAN SMASH! Stick the landing.

5 - I SMASH! more things. I watch someone take the fall. Drill fun! Meet the Boss. SMASH! Boss friends. Yes - I am going to get that ammo.

6 - Spoilers: Boss Dies. OR DOES IT!

7 - VOID/SENTINAL MONTAGE!

8 - Well - how odd! There is no number 8? Well - how odd! I look down I see dropped ammo. I get teleported in, ammo is gone. Also sound glitch.

And that Concludes may DAY TWO-ish/Three play which was focused on Titans. I've had an odd sort of thing with Titans. They are fun to play, as they definitely have their moments. I just... I don't really feel a draw to the class. This was the case in Destiny, and it seems so here in the Beta as well. That said, here are in full my thoughts on how TITANS are in the Destiny 2 Beta. This conclusion comes from ALL the experiences of the week, not just from what you see here from the mixed days. Since this is focused on Titans I might as well put my thoughts on the class overall here too. Thus to the brass tacks: A solid effort.

I have no issue with the Titan Jump. Well - other than no more skating. BUNGIE HATES FUN!!!

I have two small issues with the Titan Ability. It's in part the same issue as the rift, but for only the Rally Barricade. I've had moments where I was using it, it disappeared and I didn't realize it, and now I'm standing in the open with no cover to speak off. That sucks. Two, the perk for instant reload has this - stop and start thing. When the perk triggers it stops my shooting, I bob down, then back up. I still haven't let go of the trigger, but now my gun isn't shooting. I have to press it again to start shooting and the cycle reports. Very annoying.

Then the supers. I like the retooled roaming Fist of Havoc, but it feels a bit short to me, or maybe I'm too slow? True for both Supers actually. Unless you are right in the middle of the mix, it feels like a waste. Compare that to Arcstrider, -(have I mentioned I really like that super?)- whose movement between foes is part of the super. I can get in get out, and GO towards my next opponent like a terror.

Then there is the Sentinel Shield. I'm really quite mixed about this Super. The potential is obvious. It's a winner, it's just not there yet. It feels clumsy to me. Again, unless you are right in the middle of the mix, it feels like a waste. Plus - Only one or two throws per Super? LAAAAME. This super has alot of moves, but it doesn't feel gelled yet. They are each their own thing, but it doesn't feel complementary in the time we have to use the shield. As a result it has an air of awkwardness to it. Clumsily smashing of things. I hope the full games tweaked numbers feel better then the beta version.

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Before the day ended I also sneaked in some Warlock play. I said to myself. No! I said. It was all a dream!

Result?: *SIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGHHHH* -_-

That said, in retrospect, some of these are right funny - especially the first one. That way I can hide how depressing it is. YAY! ^_^

I recommend a look, as they are all rather quick clips. They will add context to what I have said already about Warlocks in the main Warlock post. The titles basically say it all.

For the last one (clip #6) - So I absorb my light, but I cancel my use. Whoops! Too bad. That light is lost.

Did I use this yet? I DID?

Well I'll mix it up then.

Let's end with some happy thoughts. Here is some breathtakingly beautiful footage of a humming bird in slow motion.

Wasn't that nice. Alright - on to the next post.

So now that I've sampled everything, now I'm just playing to work in a groove. In the coming clips both here and later, you can see how much more comfortable I am in my play. My choices are freer and more precise per the situation. I'm doing what I can to play the game and in-vision what the vanilla release will be like, best I can. I'm also being quite silly. From this point on, I'm changing the format structure a bit. These below clips are self explanatory, and there is nothing I really want to point out. No more link numbers. I've done what I could to make it obvious what the clip you are about to look at is about, whatever it may be. It should imply to you what I saw and weather I found it interesting, or if it is a critique. The montage I have in this batch, with the Titan Fist-of-Havok, is...well. How do I put this? TO THE EXTREME! I... MIGHT! have... have overdone it a bit in my try. It's a interesting watch all the same. Also done in Upload Studio, so it's not like I had perfect control of my frames. All the same...Enjoy. I'll see you in the next one.

E-I. E-I. Oh! - pretty.

Pictures - > Booya! (I didn't make an account, I closed my browser by accident, and there are errors that I can't fix - OH IT HURTS!)

Video! (Down Below-a)

Well THIS was an adventure. So first I try the direct approach. I get attacked by olives. I try joining you lot! I get olived. It's now been an half an hour of the total planned hour. Frustrated I go for broke and I just shut down my xbox and cold boot. I then go straight into my friend list and join anyone who I could find in progress. I found Zero and Squid, so I joined Zero and started up the beta. BOOM! Hot Dog! I'm in business! Third time really has been the charm.

I gathered as much footage as I could muster. Admittedly an obscene amount, but - much like someone taking pictures of an area for source photos, I wanted to gather as much as I could to make sure by sheer probability alone I covered everything. I think I did. If you watch all the clips you will get to see how The Farm looks in all the day and night cycles. Slowly but surely, one by one, people leave the social space in till I become the only one there. Just me and nature - well this little nugget of it any way. That starts around the end of "THE FARM 13 | Destiny 2 Beta" from that point on. Enjoy it - because by all likely hood you will never see the farm like this ever again. If you don't want to watch all of this, or be serenaded by the tranquil sounds - just want to see the social space, then you want to watch "THE FARM 14 | Alone | Destiny 2 Beta", and be done with it. If you want to see the how the social game works in the beta, you want "THE FARM 15 | HOW TO PLAY | Destiny 2 Beta".

I was in there for about - four and a half to five hours. Part of which was just me minding my own business enjoying the ambiance.

All I have to say about it are two things

Chairs: Is it really so hard Bungie to make animations and what not where we get to just immerse ourselves in the world? It's a small thing - but it really helps. Come On! I yapped about this in the LAST beta. It doesn't just have to be sitting in chairs either, it could be hanging of the wires or the edge of a building swinging a leg or two slowly, trying to capture a frog in the lake or a firefly/lightning bug at night, sitting by the fire feeding our ghost a marshmallow that then evaporates or whatever. Just adding to the social space to make it feel, well... social. Relaxed. I mean you sure got the look and feel of it down, sound too!

Which segways nicely into my second talking point; How much I am looking forward to seeing the European Dead Zone. I really hope we have a deep forested area to play in. I'm not sure why, perhaps it's old memorys, but I find myself very attracted, I want to use the word "kinship", to the look of the space the farm has. If it is any indication of how the European Dead Zone will look and even perhaps play - That's exciting.

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I did play a game or two, one of which where I got stuck in the process and had to return to orbit. With that said, the day was pretty much done.

So long and thanks for all the olives!

Seven. Of course it's seven.

Spoilers: I didn't realize it at the time in my aloof zest, but I greatly overwhelmed the team by pouring on the grenades. It spawned way more AI then I considered, and we were very much overwhelmed. If only... there was a second slot that had weapons that could help me in that scenario. It was a tactical error on my part. So when people started leaving I did too. I was running out of time anyway, as there was less the a half hour left.

I wanted to test something first, then see how I would do in one last PvP Game. Here is how I did.

"When ever you want to try this again; I'll be here. With my bombs."

Yes Sir!

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Anything Else?

Yep! GUNS! I've found a an article that both has and gives resources on the Beta Content. You can see it here : vg247

I have nothing really to say about the armor, other than I miss the ability to push our class abilities faster. Now it's Resilience, Mobility, Recovery connected to armor instead of the super. Mixed thoughts, but nothing I can really say about it right now. I just wish it wasn't so arbitrary. What does 6 resilience mean? How much is that?

As for the guns, well... I do have a few things to say. I present the below list in order of my enjoyment in using them. If there is a gun not here, I either I did not enjoy using it, or it never dropped for me (such as the Linear Fusion Rifle).

Infer from my range of praise for these weapons, as criticism for the others. As I write this I'm running out of time.

• Better Devils - Hand Cannon - "Angels can't help you here"

This weapon felt amazing to use. The only thing that could had made it better was that it was made by Tex Mechanica, and thus have some of that spinny-reload action. When you shot it, it sounded as it acted. Aiming was great, popping off head shots again and again. Lots of fun.

• The Showrunner - Submachine Gun - "Once you have one, you'll wonder how you ever did without."

Very tight. Playful. Like a swarm of bees with party hats. ... heh. Is it just me or would that be great flavor text? This weapon felt amazing to use.

• Sunshot (Exotic) - Hand Cannon - "Can't outrun the Sunrise"

If it makes things blow up, I probably like it. I'm a simple man I guess. Felt good to use.

• Acantha-D - Grenade Launcher - "Your piercing Light knows no limits; your searcher's heart, no bounds."

An interesting weapon. I would like a-bit more variety in controlling the explosions. These were impact based, but I would like to see timer based and detonable charges too. Feels a bit on the weak side, either because the range of the explosives is small, or I'm not just "feeling" the impact of the weapons power.

• Riskrunner (Exotic) - Submachine Gun - "Charge your soul and let the electrons sing."

It's good. Odd weapon. You need to get hurt by electric based means for it to do it's exotic stuff. Considering that, I really didn't feel a pay off. If I need to get hurt by a something for the weapon to really shine, it better out right GLOW in the payback, if you get my meaning.

• Retrofuturist - Shotgun - "They were so optimistic about us."

A Shotgun in the rarest ammo slot. What would a Heavy shotgun be like anyway? I guess if you took a ship cannon, and filled it with minié balls, or in a true historical sense some grape shot, that would be a sort of heavy shot gun. I digress. This shotgun bit hard, and packed punch - aka - a shotgun. Whatever I pointed it at and shot, it took a chunk in the process. What else can you ask for? I'm not sure if there is anything else to say really.

• Morrigan-D - Rocket Launcher - "Your domain is the battlefield. Its ways are your ways."

This weapon in presentation was fun. But in use? Felt weak to me. Way too much work up for too little payoff.

• Red Mamba-3MG - Submachine Gun - "My venom is swift"

Really wild in the shot. I did what I could to make use of it, but well - venom is precise in its intent. This weapon much less so.

• Nightshade - Pulse Rifle - "Three Drops is all it takes"

I want to like this, which is why it is on this list, but I don't. As I write this I don't know why. Honestly not very helpful. My wild guess is for comparative reasons.

Yet again - anyone see a pattern here?

To reiterate, if it isn't here then it didn't drop for me, or I didn't like the weapon. A lot of these weapons that we had off the starting pad for each class felt terrible to use to me. Either too loose, tickling the opponent instead of shooting, had too much lag time, or just fought me in the task. I was surprised how many weapons felt horrible to use for me in the beta. I live and breathe Scout Rifles in Destiny, Pulse Rifles too after their buff. Here in the beta, frankly, they just feel lackluster. Just gross. Yet - pistols or fast firing assault rifles? Bleh. Don't touch them in Destiny, yet here in the Beta, just look at my list.

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I also still think what I said in my Destiny Year One review/vent. You know... that tome of disappointment where I snapped in two. I guess if it had to happen it's a good thing it did on something so overall - harmless.

Anyway - I still think Bungie hates PvE. YES YES - whoa - I know. Destiny 2 is apparently gorged the brim with PvE awesomeness. Which is great! Content in videogames. It's a good thing! ... usually. As far as I can tell, all if not most of the changes to which I have dedicated some words of discontent are due to PvP. I happily accept I may be wrong in that, provided I am wrong in the heart if the idea. Otherwise, Bungie REALLY REALLY hates PvE. All said, just as I have said before, I can't shake the feeling that Bungie hates PvE. With this system, where PvE and PvP weapons are made to be one, off the gunplay and the supers, something has to give. What does that mean? It means it sucks to be a PvE player. There is a blatant moral to all this too. A classic really, sadly. Try to make everyone happy, and more often than not no one will be. So in turn PvE gets the hit, likely because PvP trends more popular now a days.

I wonder; Who could be cause for that PvP popularity Bungie? :P

Sucks for me though.

Am I getting Destiny 2?

Well just as I feared, I'm more mixed now then I was before the beta. I preordered for the Beta, not the game. As stupid as "preorder for a beta" is, I knew I needed all the time I could get. As mentioned I was hoping to play Destiny 2 out of the gate, but I don't know if I will. As much as I enjoyed Arcstrider, one build in one class is not enough to push for a whole game, plus the years of play implied. How the Warlock feels was a big hit, and ... I don't know.

I mentioned that in retrospect "reviewing" something that isn't finished is a bit of a fools gambit, as technically these things are still in motion. In chess, a fools gambit (through that is not the official term) is a checkmate in the fewest possible number of moves from the start of the game. It's a quick loss usually because the other player isn't paying attention, and they start by opening up a straight avenue to the king to checkmate. Well I'm trying to make a decision here, but I don't know where some of the pieces lie now, and are completely unaware of other pieces that exist on the board. I will be watching the coming Bungie updates carefully.

I expect at some point if I don't play at launch, I will take the plunge at some point and go for it... maybe. For reasons I cannot say, I expect in the future of my time, my ability to play will be less then I had for Destiny. If I play Destiny 2 I expect my progress to be a slow crawl, and I'll miss a lot of events; even with help from those willing to give the time. It's part of the reason I haven't completed most the record books and such, as I don't have time. No fancy shirt for me. It has me ask, can I do this? Ya'll ever hear the saying: Don't make a girl a promise if you can't keep it? Well, in the same vein, don't buy into a living world if you can't "live" in it. I have things to do. Things to make. Things that require my time to be spent in action instead of leisure, even if it does trend to be a mix of both.

Perhaps I'll be able to show it to you lot at some point?

So - that stays my hand too. Even if I do get it, will I even be able to play? That's a question I have to answer myself, of course.

Goodness me, I really do know how to open the flood gates in thought don't I? Sheesh. I couldn't talk for - like - ever, and here I am pouring out thoughts by the metric ton. The en mass of my thoughts on all things Destiny 2 Beta. I hope you found its content interesting, entertaining, and insightful. Apologies for the strong words and thought points. Thank you for your time, especially if you read all this. And who knows, perhaps I will...

... see ya starside. - Oh! I presume, but I think it a safe presumption. You are welcome. I was happy to do it...

...and now... we wait.

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