The second phase of the Destiny beta, scheduled to release at 10am PDT Wednesday, instead launched just after 6pm PDT Tuesday night. It was a surprising treat for players, especially those on Xbox systems. Bungie announced the re-openng on their official blog:
We know you’ve been waiting, so we busted our asses to finish our chores up early. You can download and play the Beta right now. This is a great moment for the entire Bungie Community to share in this adventure, and we couldn’t be more excited. Get in there. Break it. Tell us what you think. Share your experiences online.
Immediately, Xbox owners began having download and install problems, prompting Bungie to do some late evening troubleshooting. [Short version: Don’t try to launch the game before it’s done downloading.] There were no reports of immediate issues with the Playstation version, as there was nothing new to download or install.
That last point was a disappointment to Playstation players, as there had been rampant speculation among Internet communities about whether or not the second phase of the Destiny beta would bring additional content. Some pointed to the Destiny beta trailer, which seemed to promise more from the beta than was delivered July 17. At the very least, many players were hoping that Bungie would open up the Moon for play, as it is visible in the beta and appears to be of the appropriate play level for beta characters.
Instead, the second phase of the Destiny beta appears to be just that: a second phase of the same beta. There are scattered reports of new bugs, better loot drops, and random crashes, but nothing appears to be substantially changed or improved over the first phase.
Still, there are hidden items to search for, Crucible matches to play, and probably even more Iron Monger events to fill out the next five days. And don’t forget that Saturday, July 26 at 2pm PDT, Bungie has announced a special event (that’s really a stress test for their servers). Expect some sort of new content that day, as well as a “permanent” reward for those who participate.
