The most exciting thing by far is the fact that all the Raids are back. Updated Raids matching appropriately the light level of Guardians and its fair because it’s not even the max light level of 400, it’s 390. This ensures that more people will get to experience the Raids, instead of just the top tier level players. Besides having free reign on all Raids and smashing in some old baddies' faces, the updated Raids come with something even more worthwhile: the coolest armor to ever come out of Destiny. While I haven’t been the biggest fan of some of the armor choices made by Bungie, whoever thought of this totally revamped package of all armor was a genius. Seeing the new Raid armor was enough to sell me on Age of Triumph — Vault of Glass aside. It just looks so space-magic, and isn’t that what it’s all about?

While Destiny might not be your standard MMO because it’s also a shooter, it's nonetheless doing something similar to the likes of the original FFXIV. Destiny is raising itself to the ground and just like a flower that finds a way to bud up through the ashes, just maybe Destiny 2 will deliver on things its parent game couldn’t. By the likes of the new trailer , as flames consume the Last City and the Towers burn with it, it gives cause to rise up and begin the fight anew. This is a time for Guardians new-and-old to band together and join in what is sure to continue a name of legacy, even if Destiny didn’t quite get everything right. Before any of that can begin, Destiny is turning it on and by far this is the best time to give it the send off it deserves.

It wants to be a sci-fi epic, but also a dedicated "fan’s game." It wants to welcome in new players, but old systems built in are great for pushing them away. It wants so much, and it can’t focus on what. This can most prominently be seen in the new Raid-lair coming out. Destiny as a series has gained a reputation for world-first completions of its raid, something to be seen as a race. What happens then to those who casually play that might want in on the action? It pushes them away, like everything else in Destiny 2. Why would anyone want to try their hand at the end-game content when it’s advertised as something for the best of the best.

Destiny’s sequel still has a stunning lack of features, of new things to do in and with its content. Where’s the variety of Crucible modes? Where are the custom lobbies? Where is Horde mode and strike scoring? What about customizable difficulty and gameplay modifiers? Why don’t we have any in-game systems we can use to challenge ourselves and our friends? If incentive is necessary, why not offer emblems for running strikes, story missions or even raids with certain modifiers turned on? How about a system to share or feature custom-made challenges and offer a small sum of Silver for popularity? Additional raids, strikes and explorable spaces are nice, but they don’t solve the problem. Features, things to do with that content, do solve the problem and Destiny 2 Armor Guide 2 currently doesn’t even offer as many as its predecessor.

Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls were easily two of my favorite games to have hit the last generation of consoles, so when From Software announced a "direct" sequel, my anticipation was palpable. Somehow, From Software is able to create some of the most grueling, most depressing worlds out there, while at the same time urges us to venture forth. While there are some hitbox issues that can add to the frustration, the bosses, environments and enemies are all well throughout, along with an incredibly intriguing hidden storyline that ties directly into the past game. It’s almost as if the developers deliberately set up scenarios to screw over players, but we took it and enjoy every minute of it.

Destiny 2 did a 180 degree turn with how the loot pool dolled out those sweet, sweet items. Where in Destiny it could feel like pulling teeth just to find an exotic, Destiny 2 was happy to shower Guardians in them with its new reward structure. Like everything else in Destiny 2 though, it couldn’t help but have a slight fault, those exotics every Guardian wants just aren’t… exotic. Exotic items in Destiny had a feel about them because they behaved in a way that was reminiscent of some of the quirkier items to come out of video games ( the Cerebral Bore ). They weren’t supposed to be godly, but some of the perks had just enough of a twist to make them feel unique. Only one exotic comes to mind in Destiny 2 that shines in this regard, a new grenade launcher titled "The Colony" that was part of the expansion. The other exotics with Curse of Osiris do look to be pushing in the right direction, but like everything else in Destiny 2, only time will tell with how people feel about these new armaments when preforming.

OK, yes, loot has not been talked about and isn’t that what Cayde-6 made a firm point of mentioning at the end of the trailer? Well, seeing as we already know the outcome of what happens to said "loot," it might not seem to matter — wrong. Just like everything else, loot is in full-swing. It might as well be raining guns and armor from the skies because the loot is real and it’s good. Aside from the sweet Raid armor mentioned above, the drop rates on loot have all been set to maximum. I’m talking exotics, I’m talking legendries and everything in between. My guardian has never looked rawer. I’m a space wizard and I’m here to party. All this loot also means that catching up has never been easier for those who might have fallen behind coming back to Destiny. Getting to 400 light level should take no time at all and again, Destiny 2 isn’t out until September, so there is plenty to do until then.