The Beginner's Guide to Destiny: The Taken King

Destiny is fast becoming a different game than it was just days ago. This week, Bungie released Patch 2.0, which introduced a host of new changes to the shooter's systems. And big as some of those changes are, they're merely the foundation for the transformation Bungie has planned with The Taken King expansion.

We've had extensive hands-on time with the expansion, but have sworn a vow of silence until next week. As of now, though, we've compiled all of our useful content regarding The Taken King.

Many Destiny players dropped off once the post-level 20 grind began. Others have stuck with it every week since release. The following articles, videos, tips, and insights should prepare both camps for the upcoming content and systemic changes to Bungie's formula.

New Character Leveling

During its first year, Destiny became a grind after level 20. It tasked you with increasing your Light statistic, which in turn let you progress past 20. To reach the 34 level cap after the House of Wolves expansion, players had to max out all of their higher-tier armor with its maximum light statistic. Many liked this. But more casual players, who didn't sign into Destiny on a weekly or daily basis, couldn't surmount this barrier.

But with The Taken King, that leveling system is changing, with a new level cap of 40, and a new way to look at the Light stat. Now, it's an average of your total attack and defense across your inventory. It's completely separate from your character level, and doesn't dictate how you rank up. For more on this new system, check out Bungie's explanation here, or watch the video below.

New Story

Destiny lacked much of an overarching narrative in its first year. So with The Taken King, Bungie is making an effort to reverse that trend. The expansion's cinematic trailer definitely makes an effort to characterize what were previously talking heads, and during our time with The Taken King's first mission at E3, we came away impressed. Watch the trailer below for a glimpse at what's to come in Bungie's new story missions.

New and Better Loot

Because of The Taken King's new level cap and light system, Bungie is releasing a slew of new items to help you better outfit your Guardian. Not only will there be a plethora of new weapons, armor pieces, exotic items, and bounty chains, but also two more categories to factor into your overall stats. Whereas Ghost shells and class items used to be cosmetic, they now have defense and ability attributes tied to them. These two slots, along with armor and weapons, will contribute to the new light stat mentioned above.

Also: you can permanently acquire a sword in The Taken King.

A New Economy

After Destiny's 2.0 Patch, The Tower area is now dotted with kiosks. These machines group armor shaders, ship skins, and exotic blueprints together in one slick-looking interface. But Bungie is also changing the way we upgrade weapons and armor, by combining what was previously a wide array of materials into only a few. With The Taken King, we'll only need to keep track of--and search for--a few different materials throughout our journeys. Furthermore, we can also infuse weapons with others of equal effectiveness, creating another opportunity to further augment your favorite guns.

New Subclasses

One of Bungie's first reveals to accompany The Taken King's announcement was the new character subclasses. Many veteran Destiny players have already maxed out their existing two options for each character class, so having a third will grant more options to character builds and outfitting. The links below outline the super abilities inherent with each new subclass:

The Hunter's Nightstalker subclass grants you a Void bow, which tethers enemies to an anchor, slowing and suppressing them for your teammates to finish off.

The Titan's Sunbreaker option summons a solar Hammer, which you can subsequently smash nearby enemies with, or fling at foes from a distance.

Lastly, the Warlock's Stormcaller subclass lets you hover around the battlefield, casting arc lightning from your hands for the duration.

New Crucible Modes and Maps

While many of The Taken King's improvements are geared toward Destiny's single player and cooperative facets, Bungie is also bringing more to the Crucible. The additions include two new game modes and eight new maps. The new maps and game modes, Mayhem and Rift, are all free for a week before the expansion's release--after that, though, you'll have to purchase the expansion to have access.

All of The Taken King's changes are only days away, and with them, Bungie is attempting to revamp the shooter it released last year to middling critical responses. We'll have more impressions of the upcoming expansion next week, so stay tuned to GameSpot for more Destiny news, insights, and updates.