Bungie unveiled a lot of information at the Destiny 2 reveal event, but none seems broader than the new worlds confirmed as both part of player exploration, and the core story. The new worlds are Io, Titan, and Nessus, though we’re also seeing a return to Earth, but we’ll be in a different area due to the impact of the Red Legion destroying the Tower. One thing you have to note about these worlds is that there will be no more returning to Orbit in order to switch between them. In Destiny 2 you are able to open the System Map and travel to which ever planet you’d like regardless of where you are.
All of the worlds in Destiny 2 will have better and more interesting gameplay thanks to the map that players can use to reveal Timed Events, secret loot caches, and collectibles. Hidden Sectors will now be found around each area, holding a large boss who guards a pile of loot that you definitely want to get your hands on. NPCs will also be dotted around the worlds offering you side missions and treasure maps, helping you discover the world around you and really feel like you’re seeing every inch of it.
Let’s take a look at these new worlds in some more detail.
Earth – European deadzone
The European Deadzone will take the place of Old Russia on earth. Now players will not only patrol this new, much greener and more lush, area, but it looks like Guardians will be able to seamlessly transition between the patrol area and the new social space there. That’s right, the Vanguard has relocated to the European Deadzone, at least that’s what it looks like from the gameplay videos. This area is twice as large as any in Destiny at the moment, though it is probably the only one that will be given the nature of the combination of hostile and friendly environments here.
The social space that Guardians will now be calling home looks like little more than a shanty town. My theory is that as players progress through the campaign they will see this town grow as more people flock too it from the now destroyed last city. As it grows new missions and NPCs will probably become available, which should create the feeling of the world growing organically around you. The story of Destiny 2 has Guardians travelling around the system collecting members of the Vanguard from where they’ve scattered themselves to. Bringing this group together once again will be how Guardians win the fight against the Red Legion.
Io
This first new planet is one of Jupiter’s moons, the fourth-largest. With over 400 active volcanoes it is the most geologically active body in the solar system, and that makes for one hot world when you’re travelling around its surface. In the lore of the game, this is the last place the Traveller’s Light touched before the Collapse, and the freshness of the Light here has made it a holy place for many Guardians. Warlocks regard Io as a holy place the most, travelling there to observe the powers of the traveller and bask in its power.
If there was anywhere Guardians can hope to recover even a small semblance of their powers in the known galaxy, it’s on Io. The Traveller’s power is probably at its most powerful here, which is why Ikora of the Vanguard has travelled here and will have some quests for Guardians when they travel to see her.
Titan
Titan is a cold and watery world where scientists currently believe there could be life in extremophile form. The seas however are not made of water, they’re made of methane, and are terribly cold.The atmosphere on Titan is thick, and therefore an ecosystem here could be possible, especially if the Traveller has had any kind of influence over it.
Here Guardians will join up with Zavalla, who is currently gathering his strength in and around some of the Golden Age platforms that were built on the land on Titan. These platforms will be interesting to explore, not just because of their many levels, but also the fact that they are slowly falling into the sea.
Nessus
Nessus is the only world Guardians will explore that is outside of Earth’s solar system. This planet is strange and unstable, and has been completely overtaken by the Vex. Here huge Vex machines mine and convert the landscape for some unknown purpose. If Nessus is anything like Venus and the Vault of Glass, it will be filled with time holes and great and powerful enemies that lie locked away in some sort of prison, waiting to be unleashed by the Vex. Here Guardians will follow Cayde-6 on his adventures, no doubt as he attempts to regain his power and avoid being brought back into the desk job he has with the Vanguard.
