Maps

Bannerfall

This map should be recognizable to most Destiny players since it’s set on a Tower that’s similar to the one players congregate on in-between missions. This tower, however, is set on the other side of the city and has long been abandoned. Bannerfall is a good mid-sized map well-suited to matches of Control, and its symmetry works well for Rift matches. A large open courtyard evokes the memory of the actual Guardian Tower, while an angled back alley offers a sneaky path to victory.

Bungie’s Take: “At one time there was a fourth faction that held court in this tower along with the beginnings of the New Monarchy faction. You can see that in the banners on each side of the map. On one side you have the familiar New Monarchy logo, but on the other you have this unfamiliar logo that is still tattered and torn from when this faction used to exist.”

A very cool and distinct aesthetic, away from the rusted browns and reds of Mars and Earth. It’s a clean layout, with what looks like a lot of open sightlines through alcoves. I would expect Guardians who are able to seek out the rooms where the action is, but still maintain situational awareness, to thrive. We got to see a little peek of Shadestep, as an enterprising Nightstalker uses it to get a backstab on someone who closed the distance. If you’re invincible throughout the roll, it could be very useful. Otherwise, the animation appears to be pretty lengthy.

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Frontier

This is another map set far out on the city perimeter of Earth. The location is a transfer/relay station, shuttling supplies to other perimeter stations such as the Twilight Gap map from the original release of Destiny. Frontier is a semi-symmetric map built around a train yard. A train track cuts through the middle of the map and runs across a bridge, which is a central landmark for the map and a bottleneck for combat. Frontier features a lot of good sniper sightlines, and has a good mix of open and closed spaces for firefights. It’s also a showcase Rift map.

Bungie’s Take: “One of the landmarks on the map is a little gondola platform, which is actually the same gondola you see in Twilight Gap. The idea is that these two maps are connected to each other. In the skybox, you can actually see that little outpost up in the mountains.”

Resembles Twilight Gap, and understandably so as it’s set in a similar location. I enjoy that the map seems more open, with towering trees, remnants of snow, and a colorful sky to add some appeal. There’s a nice change of pace available for those who tire of being caught out in the open in the more claustrophobic abandoned trainyard section, especially on the bridge. Watch out for being bottenecked by an opponent with a Super, and you’ll do well here.

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Crossroads

This Vex structure on Mars is one of only two maps featuring teleporters. Crossroads is overgrown with the giant vegetation that formed on Mars in the wake of the traveler’s arrival. This map is a really good showcase for Mayhem matches, since it allows players to launch themselves into the air and teleport away while their special attacks quickly recharge. The main body of the map is separated from a smaller island reachable by launchers. Fights here tend to be chaotic.

Bungie’s Take: “It’s an interesting mix of that familiar Vex architecture that leans a little bit more towards metallic instead of crumbled stone, and there are giant rotted-out tree stumps that provide some good cover. It’s almost two maps, because there is an entire chunk that functions as its main body where the teams spawn, and then there is a separate island that is a gnarled mass of trees and roots set way off to the side. They’re connected via launchers that catapult you across the map as well as three sets of teleporters.”

It may very well feature the first example of the color green on Mars — a much maligned planet in Vanilla Destiny for its drab and uninteresting layout. The pools of water and twisting vines around knotted trees give it a somewhat mystical Oasis feel. The man cannons, from the halcyon Halo days, look like they’re going to be an absolute blast, especially for modes like Mayhem. Patience is clearly going to be the deciding factor for objective gameplay here. If you’re objectively-minded, they’ll have to come to you eventually, and you’ll be waiting.

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Sector 618

Clumsy Guardians could easily find themselves falling to their death while crossing Sector 618’s various floating platforms. Expect a lot of leaping and platforming. Sector 618 features a square layout that has two bridges crossing a central chasm, and is the new PlayStation 4 exclusive map. The map is set inside the Cosmodrome wall, so it should feel familiar to anyone who recalls Destiny’s early story mission that has players facing off against an advancing tide of Fallen slipping through the darkness.

Bungie’s Take: “The core footprint of the map is the square created by the bridges. We wanted players to take advantage of all the movement opportunities with the platforms. You have these two bridges, but on either side you have these multistage jump routes where you can platform up to the high bridge and then jump along the side to get the drop on another player. We wanted to give players a lot of different ways to move through space in interesting ways.”

This one looks like a tight quarters shotgun-fest at a glance. If you can blink between platforms, you’ll get the jump on anyone who isn’t keeping an eye on all of the levels from which assault is possible. Of course, if that person is setting a trap themselves, then expect to be in a sudden strafe-fight. I can imagine some surprise Supers coming from Guardians who peek their head out from behind cover after a while.

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Ghost Ship

This is the first crucible map set in the Reef. The Ghost Ship is actually a Fallen ship that fell after a Hive attack. The smallest map in The Taken King, Ghost Ship features a symmetric layout, however, one side of the ship has been torn open by a Hive attack and various debris floats through one side of the ship, which helps give players a sense of where they are. Ghost Ship shines in the smaller matches with fewer people.

Bungie’s Take: “Ghost Ship features some low gravity effects, so dead Guardians and other objects will slowly float away. One of my favorite things in this map is when someone is running through one of the tiny little vent connections and they get killed by another player and ragdoll out into the hall. It tells a little story all by itself.”

My first impression was that of Midship from Halo 2. It’s apparently the smallest map from TTK, so expect CQB to be the prevailing meta. I’m glad Shot Package and Rangefinder are being nerf’d, but I still expect Shotguns and Fusion Rifles to be the first choice for weaponry here — with perhaps the newly buffed Auto Rifles having a chance to shine. They idea of low gravity sounds really cool, but it’s too bad it only applies to already dead guardians and the ambient debris. Still, it will undoubtedly be pretty satisfying to drop someone and see them float off into space.

As for the footage, it looks like we may have a new Exotic shotgun from Tex Mechanica with considerable Range, and the gauntlets the Hunter is wearing look Exotic as well.

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Exile

This Hive prison cell sits inside one of Oryx’s ships that orbits Saturn. Players will recognize the architecture and detail work from Oryx’s Dreadnaught. Exile is a little bit longer and narrower than most Crucible maps, and is strong for both Control and Clash mode. The lower level adds a vertical element to combat, while a complicated maze of corridors leads to some violent conflicts as you take corners.

Bungie’s Take: “There are three main lanes through the map. There is the bridge side that takes you out past a window that shows you Saturn and some of the other ships in Oryx’s fleet. Down the middle of the map is a ramp that takes you through a circular room with a crystal in it. In that room is a dropdown, which allows you to enter a lower catacomb level.”

Probably the most interesting map from a lore standpoint, Exile is a prison cell inside an orbiting ship belonging to none other than Oryx himself. The multi-channeled combat lanes will probably see a lot of combat, but it’s the Catacombs that I want to have a chance to travel. For objective modes, the idea of sneaking in behind enemy lines from below really appeals to me. Of course, with permament Radar, that might just be a pipe dream…

The Jade Rabbit Scout Rifle doesn’t look half bad either: 11 in the magazine with a perk that appears to give it a chance to refill after a precision hit.

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Memento

This map returns players to the European Dead Zone that was first shown off in the Widow’s Court map released with the House of Wolves’ DLC. The core of the map is an overgrown street tucked in-between two larger buildings, all set within a roughly triangular shape. In the middle is a larger courtyard that is angled down and provides some sight line blocking. This is another good Control/Clash map, but it’s moderate size means it also plays well in smaller team modes.

Bungie’s Take: “Memento is much more vertical than Widow’s Court. There is one building in Widow’s Court that has an elevation shift, but Memento has a couple of significant elevation shifts where you can get some really strong high ground advantages.”

It’s back to the European Dead Zone, which we first got to experience in Widow’s Court. This map has a ton of vertical space to work with, and I can see a Scout Rifle being a perfect choice, especially with the slated changes to all weapon archetypes with 2.0. Hunkering down in one of the bombed out buildings could be a viable camp strategy, but just watch out for anyone coming from below. I want that Omolon Scout Rifle – a very satisfying sound effect for its fast pulses.

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Vertigo

In Vertigo, Guardians take another trip back to Mercury to fight on a Vex structure high in the sky above the yellow planet. At one time, a Cabal expedition force began exploring this structure, but the group mysteriously vanished and hasn’t been seen since. The odd Cabal “bolted-on” architecture adds some variety to both sides of this symmetrical map.

Bungie’s Take: “One of the key features of the map is a one-way teleporter that spits players out on a really powerful platform on the other side of the map. That platform gives you great coverage of both ends of the map and really opens up some interesting gameplay moments. Vertigo’s one central control room is really crucial and gives you fast access to anywhere on the map.”

A very slick design on a planet we haven’t gotten to see much of. I enjoy the juxtaposition of sun and shadow, as positioning correctly shields you from the brilliant light illuminating the planet. The inclusion of a Vex teleporter is a very fascinating design decision, instantly warping you to a platform in which you have a great view of the map — but are utterly exposed yourself. It’s apparently symmetrical, which makes me think Bungie has it in mind for Trials inclusion down the rode. Good, I’m sick of Burning Shrine anyway!