Let's Talk About Warmind

Let's get the obvious out of the way. First off, Ana Bray is very much alive, obviously a lady of deadly skill, and isn't going to die at the end of the story since she's the new Vendor.

I'll leave the lore to the masters and the sandbox to the warriors, they understand their fields far better than I ever will and the market is already oversaturated less than 48 hours later. I highly suggest taking a look at Matt aka @myelingames over on Twitter if you want in-depth transcriptions of the new armory flavor texts, those are quite interesting reads.

This article though is for those that are simply wanting to know about the gameplay to come and I'll break it up from a Casual and a Hardcore perspective. There's no speculation, no theorizing here, only what I picked up out of the reveal stream as a player just like you.

Mars

The polar ice caps of Mars are melting which is uncovering the time capsule of Clovis Bray, specifically the facility that is the birthplace of Rasputin. Frozen Hive are emerging from ships embedded in the ice with a rather ominous shadow that looks much like an overfed Hive worm which we first saw on Titan.

The area is completely different from the Mars we've already explored back in original Destiny with the only connection being the railways, having a surface of 30% ice and 70% sand which will be interesting to see when playing. Although we're already used to a day and night cycle it seems it's much more prominent on Mars which makes me question why other than aesthetics, night time always seemed like a merely muted sun but it looks darker on Mars. There's also been mention of hidden lore and more discoverables, Deej himself saying something about "things hidden under the bridges" so keep your eyes open.

From a quick analysis of the opening moments into the gameplay it looks like the Mars patrol area will be bigger than Titan but smaller than Io. But, that's just in the spread out area. In the one area they showed there's more than three "layers" so to speak where a player can go. Since this area is where the Escalation Protocol is I can only believe there will be more "layers" inside the facility itself.

What does it mean for:

-Casuals: The new area is going to feel almost neverending with all the things you can do, especially if you only put in 1-2 hours a couple days a week. The story itself should be enthralling enough to want you to come back until it's all done especially since so little was given away in the trailer and the stream.

-Hardcores: You may find everything in a few days or it may take months, but if you like searching out the minute details this will definitely be the map to do it on. I expect to be able to finish the story on drop day but there is plenty to do afterwards that should keep you engaged.

Escalation Protocol

While I wouldn't say this is an "all new" activity it will definitely work differently from anything else we've experienced so far. I would liken the new addition to a cross between Archon Forge and Court of Oryx, but without the annoying requirement of having keys or coins.

Escalation Protocol is a public event that can be started at any time by anyone and consists of seven rounds, with the final one having a unique boss that drops specific loot. Each boss will have a unique mechanic and there's a total of five that will rotate every week. This is the only activity that the Rasputin themed armor drops so there is definitely grinding involved.

One thing I did pick up one was the floating Crystals that pop up although I'm not sure what their particular trigger is. The Crystals can only be damaged if you're standing in the green Hive rune circles, if they're not taken down they dampen the signal of the protocol tower which will end the activity.

There's also mention of Armory Codes which unlocks special weaponry like the Valkyrie which is a Spear that can be used in a melee style but also thrown across the map. Think of it like a specialty weapon much like the Axe in Rise of Iron. Not much was said on this other than we "might need [it] somewhere in the future". I will say it does look pretty freakin' fun. Oh and Sword of Crota is back, which you'll need for the Knights.

It was also mentioned that the game wasn't hard enough in the Summit and other forms of feedback and even though there wasn't much room to make changes for Warmind some unmentioned part was changed. Keep in mind that this whole activity is in a public space so the Cabal can interfere as well as high valued targets, while each Hive wave gets increasingly harder.

Just one run with Escalation Protocol, if going all the way up to the boss, can take up to half an hour. The waves themselves are not only on the surface but up top on the bridge too, and around the cliff faces. Movement, spatial awareness, and precision is heavily involved in the chaos that is this activity. It won't take as long once we leave max cap again, learn all the mechanics, and come to predict the spawns and such.

What does it mean for:

-Casuals: You will be able to get 1 to 2 runs in if you only play a couple hours here and there. This isn't a bad thing, you'll have plenty of grind waiting for you whenever you're ready. I highly suggest taking in a fireteam if you're wanting to hit the higher waves and get a completion or two.

-Hardcores: This is the grind you asked for. There is no guarantee of drops, no promise that the final boss will drop what you want, or if you can get them to show up at all. This is your new activity to master, attempt speedruns, and have those epic moments.

Crucible

New Crucible rankings such as Valor for Quickplay and Glory for Competitive will be the new thing to strive for if you're a PvP addict like myself.

Valor levels up with completed matches with no loss penalties, to show the time of commitment. This reflects across Quickplay and all rotating lists like Iron Banner, Mayhem, and Rumble.

Glory is for the Competitive playlist only, wins make your level go up, loss makes it go down, as does leaving early. If you ever wanted bragging rights this is the place to get it.

Also, keep in mind that the Redrix's Claymore pulse rifle is Season 3 only, so if you want it you have to get it. Anyone that has one has definitely earned it, especially if they have the ornament to go with it.

What it means for:

-Casuals: This will be a fun way to do some comparing between friends but don't expect to get anywhere near having Redrix's Claymore.

-Hardcores: Go get that pulse rifle, the perks alone are worth chasing after. This the ranked playlists that have been asked for and they definitely deliver. If Trials was never your thing this is the new way to show your prowess.

Other Stuff

The emote wheel and exotic weapon buffs will be available to everyone regardless of DLC ownership.

That's all I'm going to talk about as far as content goes. I know people have spotted a named Hive in a new strike, a music box under a bridge, and a few other things. But, I'm not going to talk about these things because there are those out there who want to find out on their own and I refuse to be another spoiler. There's already plenty of people talking about it elsewhere if you want to see it out.

First Impressions

So what do I think of Warmind?

From a casual's perspective it seems daunting with the new level of grind and the heightened standard of difficulty, so I suggest beefing up your friends list.

From a hardcore's perspective this is the grind and difficulty that's been asked for by a majority of the playerbase. If you run out of things to do inside of a month that's your own fault for min-maxing instead of naturally grinding.

From a non-biased article writer's perspective this is a step in the right direction for those that still play. It may bring some players back but it may or may not make them stay, but Bungie has already stated Warmind was practically set in stone so set your sights on September if Warmind isn't good enough.

From my personal perspective... LET'S GO!