A new ViDoc shows off all the content coming in Destiny's fall expansion, Rise of Iron. Here are seven things inside Destiny's new ViDoc that may have eluded you.
Destiny: Rise of Iron's new ViDoc has debuted, containing new information—some obvious and some that require a bit of digging—about what fans can expect this fall when Destiny's Year Three officially kicks off with Rise of Iron.
The big news from the ViDoc titled "Forged in Fire", which was first shown off during a Bungie livestream from Gamescom, was the addition of private matches in Destiny as well as the new Crucible mode known as Supremacy.
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In the interest that those big stories don't bury the other reveals tucked away in the ViDoc, here is some information you may have missed.
1. Expect Cinematic Cutscenes Telling the Story of Saladin and the Iron Lords
Bungie's writing and story team said the narrative of Rise of Iron centers around Saladin as the main quest giver. As players embark on a journey in the story missions to push back the nanotech virus known as SIVA, they will learn about the Iron Lords of the past. Shown off in the ViDoc, one of those cutscenes involves learning more about Saladin and the other Iron Lords. This appears to be one of the Iron Lords (most likely Jolder) fighting SIVA, also known as Ironsbane.
2. SIVA Wasn't Always an Evil Force
SIVA has been described as something that is incredibly powerful and can be used for good or evil. Clearly, when players jump into Rise of Iron, the Fallen Devil Splicers have used it to transform themselves and the world around them into a new evil form. However, there are hints that SIVA may have actually been integral in helping in the construction of the settlements players see on planets like Venus and Mars.
3. There Are Many Armor Sets to Chase—and Ways to Make them Unique
Bungie showed off the full collections of armor known as the Iron Lord set (earned by completing certain achievements in the Rise of Iron Record Book), Iron Banner set, Trials of Osiris set, and the Wrath of the Machine raid set.
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In addition to the armor sets, Rise of Iron introduces Ornaments. These are objects that transform a players armor with extra effects. With ornaments, players can add holographic wings that emerge from Trials of Osiris gear, or even set their Iron Lords armor ablaze with fire.
The ornament system even extends to exotic weapons, allowing players to turn Hawkmoon into a black and gold hand cannon and swapping the stark white Monte Carlo for a black and red skin.
PAGE 2: Exotics, Crucible, and a Movie Influence
4. New and Refreshed Exotics are Coming
This ViDoc gives fans a glimpse of two never-before-seen exotic weapons. One is a heavy machine gun from the foundry known as Nadir (a new weapons foundry that players can probably expect in Armsday Orders at the Gunsmith) called Nemesis Star. Its unique perk is unknown. Another exotic shows up in this ViDoc is a pulse rifle that looks like a miniature red Sleeper Simulant; its name is unknown but its exotic perk is that a precision kill creates a burst of SIVA projectiles that then seek out additional enemies. Think of it as mini SIVA Wolfpack rounds á la the Gjallarhorn.
As previously reported, old favorites like Gjallarhorn and Thorn are also making a return in Rise of Iron.
5. The Crucible is Getting Three New Maps
Supremacy is the new mode, but fans will also have three new maps to play it and the other classic game modes on. The first map is called Last Exit and takes place on Venus; it provides some tight hallways and opportunities for close quarters combat. Skyline is a large, symmetrical map set atop a Martian skyscraper. Floating Gardens is also located on Venus and is a very open, outdoor map.
Those playing on PlayStation 4 will also get an exclusive map called Icarus. It is described as a mid-sized map with an outer area encircling an inner chamber.
6. The Soundtrack is Incredible
The ViDoc highlights some of the musical score that fans will be listening to as they play through Rise of Iron. In addition, a track from Rise of Iron was released as part of the new Dynamic Theme on PS4 (a pre-order bonus on that console) and the track has echoes of some of the very early musical movements from vanilla Destiny combined with an epic Gregorian chant that is sure to remind longtime Bungie fans of the classic Halo scores of Bungie's past.
7. It's Hard Not To See Mad Max: Fury Road's Influence
Between the new arena mode known as Archon's Forge and the Wrath of the Machine raid, Bungie is not really hiding the fact that it appears last year's film Mad Max: Fury Road had an influence. Rise of Iron's game director Chris Barrett even describes Archon's Forge as having a "Thunderdome, Mad Max kind of feel" to it.
And Wrath of the Machine's first boss, lovingly dubbed by Bungie as the "death zamboni" looks like a machine right out of Mad Max, a flaming behemoth with a spiked smashing ball that chases down Guardians to push them off the Cosmodrome's wall.
Rise of Iron looks to be shaping up very nicely, giving fans exactly what they want as Destiny's Year Three begins.
Destiny: Rise of Iron launches September 20 on PS4 and Xbox One.