Destiny: Quick FAQ

For our full, in-depth look at Destiny, make sure to check out our feature story based on our visit to Bungie!

The Traveler is a "close talker."

Who’s the developer?

• Bungie (the original creators of Halo, plus Marathon, Myth, etc.).

Who’s the publisher?

• Activision.

What genre is it?

• First-person “shared world shooter.”

What?

• A massively multiplayer online shooter, basically.

Does it require an Internet connection then?

• Yes.

Is there a subscription fee?

• No.

What platforms is it coming out for?

• Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, “future generation technology” (read: Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4).

No PC version?

• Nope. Bungie consistently referred to Destiny as a “console shooter.”

On Xbox, do I have to have Xbox Live Gold?

• Bungie wouldn’t say one way or the other, but we expect Destiny will require a Gold subscription.

Can PS3 and Xbox players all play together on the same servers?

• No.

Can PS3 and PS4 players play together? And Xbox 360 and Xbox 720 players?

• We don’t know yet. We asked, but Bungie sidestepped the question.

When is it coming out?

• Unknown. We previously assumed fall 2013 as an Xbox 360, PS3, and next-gen launch title. But Activision recently announced that it does not expect anything from Bungie in its 2013 fiscal guidance to investors.

What the heck does “shared world shooter” mean?

• Basically, it’s an MMO, but you can play the entire game solo or in small co-op groups.

Give me an example.

• You and a buddy could be fighting some bad guys on a planet, and another player could seamlessly appear, help you out, and then you could group up or all go your separate ways.

What does it remind you of?

• A bit of Planetside 2, a dash of Borderlands 2, and of course some Halo.

Are you sure?

• Nope. Bungie didn’t show any real concrete gameplay. We’re hypothesizing based off of everything they told us.

When and where is it set?

• Post-apocalyptic earth.

Oh boy. That's original...

• It’s not nuclear fallout or anything this time. Here’ humanity was pushed to the brink after a collapse and rescued by a mysterious force called the Traveler, a giant globe/moon thing that hovers over earth’s last great city and protects humans. Now we’ve rebounded enough to start exploring the galaxy again, but bad dudes are out there looking to keep us on the endangered species list.

Does this Traveler do anything else?

• Humans can “use some of the Traveler’s power,” i.e. magical abilities!

Who do I play as?

• A generic hero called a Guardian.

Are there character classes?

• At least three: Titan (big guns), Hunter (sniper rifles/stealth), and Warlock (magic).

Will there be character customization?

• Yes, loads of it. Gear, weapons, you name it.

Who are these enemies?

• We know of the four-armed insect-like dudes called the Fallen, the “space zombies,” the time-traveling robots known as the Vex, and the rhino-like Cabal.

Are there vehicles?

• Yep, plenty. The two we saw art of were the Pike (seems similar to Halo’s Ghost) and the Spider Tank).

Where are some of the places I can go?

• Every planet in our solar system: Earth, the Moon, Mars, Saturn, etc.

Name me some locations in the game.

• The Cosmodone Breach, the ruins on the edge of the European Dead Zone, the swamps of Old Chicago, the Tower, the Reef, giant obsidian pyramid ships, the Hellmouth on the Moon.

Can I get a spaceship?

• You betcha!

Do I get to actually fly it to other planets, or will interstellar travel happen via cutscenes and loading screens?

• We’re not sure yet, but Bungie hinted at actual space gameplay.

How about competitive multiplayer?

• That’s definitely in there too, though you’ll have to volunteer to do it, i.e. you won’t suddenly get shot in the back of the head by some griefer on Xbox Live.

What engine powers Destiny?

• New tech from Bungie.

Does it look cool?

• In the extremely brief glimpses we saw, yes.

Will it look nice on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 too, or only on the next-gen systems?

• We don’t know yet.

Is there an iOS companion app?

• Funny you should ask! Yes, yes there is. Apparently you can receive basic notices but also, we’re told, affect your friends’ games.

Did Paul McCartney work on the soundtrack for this game?

• Boy, are you psychic or something? Yes! But the bulk of the work was done by renowned Bungie composer Marty O’Donnell and his longtime musical writing partner Mike Salvatore.

Is the music awesome?

• Holy crap yes! O’Donnell is arguably the finest composer working in video games today, and we got to hear several samples from what he’s completed so far. It’s orchestral, it's emotional, and it’s fantastic.

Are there any screenshots of this game?

• Nope.

Really, none?

• All we have are 13 pieces of concept art.

Can I check those out?

• Sure. We break 'em all down for you right here:

Anything else cool?

• Yeah, check out Bungie's first Destiny ViDoc (i.e. video documentary):

Ryan McCaffrey heads up IGN Xbox. He used to own a DeLorean, which is weird. Follow him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan, on IGN, catch him on Podcast Unlocked, and drop-ship him Taylor Ham sandwiches from New Jersey whenever possible.