With the recent release of Destiny 2: LightfallIn Bungie’s latest expansion to its sci-fi action MMO, players are immersed in new activities, exploring the Strand’s new elemental powers, and discovering the secrets of Neptune’s hidden city of Neomna. A new Destiny 2 expansion also means new raids. It’s a challenging co-op adventure in Destiny designed for a six-player fireteam built to test a player’s skills, problem-solving, and ability to work as a team. On March 10th, Guardians around the world delved into the latest and arguably the most visually stunning Raid, Route of Nightmares.
To celebrate the launch of Lightfall’s new raid, we recently sat down with three members of the Destiny team: Associate Designer Kailani Marrero, Staff Designer June Meyer, and Design Lead Brian Frank for a behind-the-scenes look at the work. We got an insight into (name some of the most mysterious, intriguing and challenging content in all of gaming.
How does the Route of Nightmare raid progress the story following the initial events of Lightfall?
June Meyer: In Root of Nightmares, players are investigating The Witness’ pyramid after the Lightfall campaign ends. In raids, players can see first-hand how the Traveler’s light shapes terrain, brings new life, and disrupts existing environments. I have never had the opportunity to see or influence this process. Raids give players the opportunity to change the environment through their actions.
Kailani Marrero: It was important to ensure that the lessons players (and Guardians) learned in Neomna were reflected in their raid journey. Guardians spend their time learning to “go with the flow,” especially when coming to terms with Osiris and learning how to use the strands during the campaign. Without spoiling things for those who haven’t experienced the raid yet, the Guardians know who the threat is and that this entity must be eliminated. Even in the face of sex, there is work to be done. Confidence in yourself and your peers should still remain true.
Q: What specific examples of Bungie’s use of narrative themes in Destiny 2 raid puzzle-like gameplay elements?
Brian Frank: disciple’s oath [from Destiny 2: The Witch Queen], symbols and their meanings, was designed as a system in which gameplay events build statements about places in the world and characters. Within the context of the Witch Queen’s theme of deception and illusion, they were intended to evoke truths, lies, or prophecies. Encourages illicit wonder from players to the point of having to tell the team.
KM: The theme of the story often becomes the bow in addition to the experience, which adds a special “vitality” to the raid. A lot of the mechanics were done upfront with the general narrative concept of the raid in mind, and then given more context by the narrative designers. make it even cooler and provide context if needed.
JM: The goal of the Root of Nightmare mechanics theme was to allow the Guardians to successfully fight the Witnesses only by using both Light and Darkness. Players start the activity using only light, and the second encounter requires both light and dark, but never in combination. By the final encounter, players have learned how to combine these elements in truly meaningful ways.
Q: What is your favorite raid name from past expansions and why?
KM: I’m sure the answer will vary depending on who you ask! I’m totally biased and love Root of Nightmares more than all of them. It took some time to come to an agreement.
This time, I wanted a name that sounded mysterious and ominous, and this one was by far the winner. and wanted to pay it off with a raid name. If you know Destiny lore, when you think of “nightmare,” a certain name immediately comes to mind.
The top 3 are “Nightmare Root”, “Disciple’s Oath” and “Last Wish”. [from Destiny 2: Forsaken].
JM: deep stone crypto [from Destiny 2: Beyond Light] It will always be special to me because of its simplicity. The name of the raid revealed everything about the activity, but nothing at the same time. We knew that the most important thing for the player was to let them know where they were going, but we thought it was important to keep the player’s journey private. This was the first name suggested in our discussion, and we knew it was the best choice, so we didn’t come up with any other options.
Q: What goals does the team have in mind when naming raids?
BF: Our goal is for names to capture a sense of mysticism, to conjure up adventures you can imagine your characters embarking on, or challenges to endure and overcome together with your fireteam.
KM: Naming your raid means finding a combination of words that really captures the essence of the activity. They are usually meant to tread the line between giving you nothing at all and giving you everything at once.
Q: What else does the Bungie team want players (new or returning to Destiny 2) to know about how Raids fit into the experience?
KM: Destiny raids are a very unique experience for me. I see different raid experiences in MMOs, RPGs, and combinations, but seeing it in an FPS is pretty cool to me. It’s a challenge for players who try it, and rewards them with cool stuff and stories. Win here and there.
BF: As co-op activities at their finest, Destiny Raids are designed to nurture your story. We have set a high bar for tailoring and mastering the challenges unique to each raid. It’s very rewarding to succeed, and while achieving victory may seem impossible at first, you have to rely on your fireteam.
Q: How should Lightfall players prepare to participate in the Route of Nightmare raid?
BF: If you’re up for the challenge, the Legendary Campaign is a great way to earn gear sets that match the Raid’s recommended power level. Another approach is to engage in lightfall and seasonal ritual activities that provide power upgrades.
JM: Perform Neomna activities to unlock Strand Fragments. Dungeons are also a good opportunity to get ready and step into more complex endgame activities without having to gather a lot of teammates.
KM: Finding a good fireteam is paramount to enjoying a Destiny 2 raid. If you don’t know his 5 other players in the raid, don’t worry!Use the Fireteam feature in the Destiny 2 mobile app to join an existing raid group or create your own raid Groups can be created from scratch.
Destiny 2: Lightfall is now available.
