Destiny 2's Warmind Expansion Brings In A New Horde-Style Public Event

During Bungie's reveal livestream for the Warmind expansion for Destiny 2, the developers showed what players can expect for the Guardians' return trip to the planet Mars. With a long-hidden threat recently unearthed under Mars' ice caps, the Guardians will team up with Ana Bray and the long-lost AI Rasputin to prevent the spread of the lost faction of Hive. Featuring a new story and area to explore in the Hellas Basin, players will gather new weapons, Exotics, and take on new bosses in the Warmind expansion--which launches during Destiny 2's Season 3 event.

In addition to new activities and locales to explore, the new expansion also comes with a new community event that will unlock after finishing the main story. Called Escalation Protocols, these unique world events will trigger a new horde mode-style mission that players can take part in solo or in a group. Unlike other world events and missions on other planets, these new Mars set events aren't on world-timers and can be activated at anytime. Completing these events will garner new items and gear specific to the Escalation Protocols. While you have to finish the main story on your own to trigger them, you can still join in on other players fighting through their own event.

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Upon activating the Escalation Protocol event, Rasputin triggers a beacon to attract nearby Hive Set across 7 waves, with each getting more challenging, boss Hive will eventually come into the fray, forcing players to take out the enemy before the timer ends. During these missions, the Guardians will have to take out increasingly difficult waves of Hive within the area. Over the course of the event, a new offensive weapon known as The Valkyrie--a spear that works as both a melee and a long-range attack--and the return of the Hive sword from Destiny 1 will occasionally drop, allowing you to clear through mobs quicker. Once you reach wave 7 of the event, players will encounter one of five new bosses exclusive to the DLC as the capper to the public activity.

During the livestream, the developers stated that they wanted to create new events for players, while also having more challenges--which they admit was a common complaint from players. While this may seem a bit similar to past community events, the developers stated that the Escalation Protocols' focus on increasing the difficulty and frequency of Hive will create more hectic and dynamic encounters with the Hive.

Launching on May 8 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One, the Warmind expansion for Destiny 2 will be the next major dose of content for the online shooter. In addition to the expansion, Season 3 updates will be released that include new emotes, upgrades and changes to existing Exotics, new Crucible events, and new quality of life improvements to the game. Stick with GameSpot for more updates in the coming weeks for Destiny 2 and the launch of the new expansion.