Destiny: What’s New in The Taken King?

We’re only a few hours away from Destiny: The Taken King! This is more than an expansion to Bungie’s immensely popular first person shooter. Both it and the Year 2 update (which released September 8) dramatically change the game. In addition to new locations, how you collect weapons, level up and complete bounties is different. With this in mind, we have the complete list of Year 2 and Taken King changes. 

For more Destiny, visit our walkthrough and guide for The Taken King. 

Year Two Changes

Level system

• A characters Light level from year one, will become their character level in year two. 
• Experience now drives all level-ups, so everything you do in Destiny will contribute to leveling up to the new cap of 40.
• Light level is an average of your attack and defense values across all your currently equipped gear.
• Your level will be determine based on the gear in your inventory and your Vault.

Bounties

• Players now have 16 slots for storing Bounties, six more than previously available, and are trackable to allow you to easily check your bounty. progress
• You can turn in your bounties from wherever you are, you no longer have to return to the Tower. 

Quests

• Quests play an important role in Destiny year two.  
• There are guaranteed rewards specific to the quests, to give the player clear incentives for participating.

New features in the Tower, Destiny’s social space

• In the tower you can choose to show your face, or cover it with a Raid helmet you want to show off.

Factions

• Year one reputation carries forward into year two.
• All factions have been updated.  You can now accept allegiance with a faction, earning reputation and faction packages.  You can change faction allegiance on the weekly reset.    

Legendary marks

• A new currency used to purchase Legendary gear from vendors in the Tower.  

Collections

• Exotic Blueprint Collections.
• Display and provide access to any exotics that you have obtained, account wide.
• Year One favorite exotics have been upgraded.  
• Ships and Emblem collections.
• The Cryptach Will now sell Legendary engrams.

Armsday

Each week the Gunsmith provides Weapon Challenges. Completing these challenges awards reputation with him. Once you’ve ranked up you will be able to order a weapon from the City – he’s a Gunsmith after all! The inventory of Weapon Challenges and Armsday Weapon orders change each week. You will know the weapon type you’re ordering, but the perks are rolled randomly. As your rank with the Gunsmith increases, he will present you with more options to choose from when your Armsday Order arrives. 

Vault Space

• Doubled for weapons (72 slots), armor (72 slots).
• 36 slots remain for general items

The Taken King Key Features

All-New Campaign

A massive Hive Dreadnaught ship looms in the rings of Saturn. Oryx, The Taken King, has arrived in our solar system, bringing with him a corrupted army to exact revenge on the Guardians who destroyed his son Crota, and to consume our world. 

New Destinations

• Dreadnaught – Establish a beachhead on Oryx’s flagship, the Dreadnaught – a mysterious, loot-filled fortress.
• Phobos – A Cabal military installation on Mars’ moon where the campaign begins. 

New King’s Fall Raid

• Our largest and most ambitious Raid yet that launches at 10 a.m. PDT, Sept. 18.
• Unique weapons and gear await those who can conquer it’s challenges 

Powerful New Abilities

• To battle back the Darkness and Taken army, players will get access to brand news subclasses with new supers.
• Warlocks will now harness the power of an electric storm.
• Hunters will carve a bow formed from gravitational void energy.
• Titans will summon a flaming hammer that can sear their adversaries from a range or deliver a devastating melee impact.

All-new Patrol

• Patrol the Dreadnaught and discover all the secrets contained within
• Court of Oryx player initiated public events

New Strikes

• Shield Brothers – Travel deep into the heart of the Dreadnaught, within the rings of Saturn, in pursuit of a Cabal assault team. Stop it from detonating the Hive ship’s core.
• The Sunless Cell – Assault a prison deep in the heart of the Dreadnaught, within the rings of Saturn, and put an end to a Hive champion.
• Fallen S.A.B.E.R – Rush to the aid of the AI Warmind Rasputin in Old Russia on Earth as he broadcasts a plea for help across the system.
• Echo Chamber – Guardians destroyed the Nexus on Venus. Now, a powerful Vex mind seeks to sunder time and space and undo what was done.

Reprised Strikes

• Undying Mind – An ancient mind, feared by the Vex themselves, hides among the channels of the Black Garden within Venus. Find this machine and end its existence.
• Dust Palace – A new Cabal force has unleashed powerful Psion Flayers to seize control of the old Martian Warmind located in Meridian Bay on Mars. Face this new threat and secure what remains of the ancient network.
• Cerberus Vae III – Just beyond their warbase, Valus Ta’aurc, Fleet Commander of the Cabal Siege Dancers, hides in an Imperial Land Tank. Fight through his guard on Mars and stop this terror before he destroys all of Freehold. 

Additional Strike Features

• Variation – Encounters with enemies now allow for up to three different encounters with different dialogue sets to optimize each Strike play through. Ammo and stationary turrets will also change locations between matches.
• Matchmaking – Instead of pairing up by level, players now choose from different types of playlists.
• Streak Bonus: Playing consecutive Vanguard Strikes creates a streak bonus, giving extra rep and better chances for loop drops until you return to orbit. 

Three New Competitive Modes

• Rift – Team-based objective game mode where each team fights to control the Spark, and ignite it in the opposing team’s endzone, aka their “Rift.”
• Mayhem – Variant of Clash where all Super abilities and grenades recharge at an increased rate.
• Zone Control – Like Control, but where points are awarded for taking and holding control points.

Eight New Competitive Maps

• Memento – European Dead Zone, Earth
• Bannerfall – The Last City, Earth
• Crossroads – The Lost Oasis, Mars
• Vertigo – Caloris Basin, Mercury
• The Dungeons – Dreadnaught, Rings of Saturn
• Frontier – City Perimeter, Earth
• The Drifter – Foundling’s Gyre, The Reef