Bungie reveals extensive Destiny Beta content

Destiny beta on Playstation 3 and Playstation 4.

The Destiny beta kicks off on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 this weekend.

Ahead of the launch, Bungie has gone into some detail as to what players can expect.

Speaking with Eurogamer, Bungie community manager David Dague said those who participated in the alpha will also discover new content.

"In many ways it is the beginning of your Destiny adventure," said Dague. "It has more of the story to experience. We've got more of the Crucible to experience. And obviously there is the exploration of Old Russia."

"We're expanding on the portions of the story. We're giving you more opportunity for leveling up and earning promotion. We started you very much on your adventure in progress in the alpha. With the beta we're starting you from square one, so you can really understand what it's like to take your first steps in the boots of a Guardian."

As an example of the kind of feedback Bungie elicited from the alpha, and the kind of feedback it hopes to source from the beta, Dague pointed to the Galahad-C assault rifle.

"If you spent any time in the Crucible you probably saw a lot of people carrying a venerable and highly-coveted assault rifle called the Galahad-C. I can tell you Sir Galahad has gone under the microscope because it was the only logical choice. It was the first and last word of weaponry at the Crucible," said Dague.

"These are the sorts of theories we're able to prove in something like the alpha. We were able to take that weapon and say, we want people to enjoy using this weapon but we don't want it to be the only way to win. Those are the sorts of things we look for, if there's anything that sticks out like a sore thumb on the gunsmith's rack. That is one notable change we admitted to having made, eliciting official comment from our sandbox designer Josh Hamrick."

When asked whether beta players will be able to carry over their progress to the live game come September, Dague stressed that the beta is a test.

"It's extremely unknown as to what the outcome will be. So, it's certainly not a promise or an announcement that we're making at this time. It all depends on what we learn and how things shake out. So, we're certainly not telling players they can carry their progress over, but we haven't made any announcements either way."

"Every time somebody plays this game we learn more about how we can balance the experience between the different classes of Guardians. We learn about weapons that stand out too much in the sandbox. We learn about how we can refine the sandbox so if there is an explosive, exciting place for players to explore, everyone has an equal shot at victory, and there are many different decisions a player can make to embrace different types of power. Things like the alpha and things like the beta are wonderful opportunities for us to identify those things and act upon them."

The Destiny beta will begin at 5am on July 18 for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 owners, go offline on July 22 and 23, open for all platforms at 5am on July 24, and finish at 6:59pm on July 28.

Destiny is set for release September 9.

- Gameplanet