If you’ve been playing a lot of Destiny, it’s likely you’ve come face to face with some locations that seem to indicate the presence of something cool to do or explore, but for one reason or another, that location remains blocked to your guardian. I’ve been wandering the planets for months, and it’s only made me more curious about the locations Bungie has yet to flesh out into fully fledged gameplay locations.
Recent weeks have brought a number of potential leaked details about upcoming expansions, as well as glitches that have allowed some players to explore incomplete zones, but without any clear confirmation of how old or accurate those leaks and glitches might be, I’m not assuming anything as confirmed. Instead, here are the areas that we’re most curious about which are already visible inside the game.
Kings’ Watch
Head over to the Rocketyard on Earth, and proceed to the back right corner. Several Fallen soldiers seem to be guarding a mysterious building. Blast past those protectors, and you find yourself climbing through some twisty corridors until you come to a set of locked doors. Looking like a set of mall push doors, they don’t strike anyone as the type of gates that would serve as an impediment to super-powered guardians. Nonetheless, these doors remain locked and barred.
The oddest part of this location is that upon arriving at the doors, a notification pops up that you’re entering a new zone. Kings’ Watch clearly lies beyond the doors, but it’s hard to say what might be there. Many players expect that Kings’ Watch is where we will one day encounter more Fallen soldiers that are a part of the House of Kings – one of the many splintered houses of the alien nomads. How soon will the doors to Kings’ Watch open?
As the first enemies you fight in Destiny, the Fallen sometimes feel underpowered compared to some of the other alien threats. I’m hoping Kings’ Watch one day swings its doors wide, and gives us some truly deadly new Fallen enemies to confront.
The Reef
Everyone sees this one every time they open their map, but it bears calling out, especially given recent rumors that suggest The Reef may indeed become a playable area sometime soon.
In the storyline of Destiny, you only visit the Reef a couple of times, and never in a gameplay capacity. Instead, we get cinematics in which our guardian interacts with the enigmatic Awoken Queen. However, it’s certainly odd that Bungie has The Reef selectable from the top level director menu, almost as if one day selecting that locale will bring up a map with multiple locations to visit.
I’m crossing my fingers for a new high-level zone that not only includes a new asteroid-themed backdrop, but also high-level patrols and encounters that match my guardians’ high-level abilities.
The Vex Citadel
The Vault of Glass took us deep into the bowels of Venus, but the more imposing sight has always been the Vex Citadel. Looming over the entirety of the playable area of Venus, the cyclopean architecture soars high into the sulfurous sky.
In addition, a cursory venture towards the front of the citadel sends you headlong into a couple of powerful Vex minotaurs. Beyond them, guardians can venture into a vaulted interior space called The Juncture that includes several more defenders, along with a mysteriously inactive energy lift. The lift sits directly below the towering citadel, and seems to suggest an obvious path of entry.
If the Vex Citadel doesn’t turn out to be a future Vex raid, I’ll eat my guardian’s exotic hat.
[Next Page: New social spaces for lonely guardians]
Mercury
Bungie has already established Mercury’s place in the Destiny fiction, both through mentions in the story, and through the inclusion of a PvP map. Unfortunately, we’ve yet to explore the planet outside the environs of that small competitive zone.
In the storyline, we learn that Mercury is overrun by the Vex, and that much if not all of the planet has been transformed by the mechanical race. The Burning Shrine Crucible map confirms this fact, showing a landscape twisted fully into the Vex’s preferred shapes – almost like a later evolution of what is happening on Venus.
While the backdrop of a Mercury PvE zone might not be dramatically different from other locales like Venus or The Black Garden, the potential for high-level gameplay is exciting. Perhaps humans along with all the different alien races could be fighting over Mercury’s resources and proximity to the energy-giving Sun, allowing for a massive combat zone with a never-ending flow of foes. Or maybe the heat of the sun could add additional challenge, forcing players to stay in the shadows or face shield-draining effects from the glaring sunlight. Mercury has a lot of potential for fun.
The North Tower Door
Visit the Tower during the limited-time Iron Banner or Queen’s Wrath events, and a massive door opens up a new section of the social gameplay space. Return after the event has ended, and the door stands shut. But that big door isn’t the only blocked entrance that captures our attention when visiting the Tower.
After arriving, hang a left into the North Tower where the Speaker resides, and it’s hard to miss a large circular door that has remained locked since the game launched. While we don’t expect any action gameplay hiding behind, there’s good reason to believe that something fun might be available to explore back there someday.
Why? Way back when we first spoke with Bungie about the Tower in our January 2014 cover story, the team told us that plans were afoot to include class-specific meet-up areas for Titans, Hunters, and Warlocks. The function of these potential gathering places remains to be seen, and it’s certainly possible that Bungie cut the feature in the final months before release. But it’s also possible that those class-specific areas are behind the North Tower Door, and we just need to wait for the update that slides it open a crack.
The Last City and The Traveler
It’s almost certainly wishful thinking for the time being, but two of the most central aspects of Destiny’s lore are the last city of humanity and the Traveler that floats above it. Unfortunately, as guardians, we’re always stuck up at the top of the Tower, without the chance to interact with those below. It would add a lot to Bungie’s goal of feeling like a legend if we had a chance to run around with the people we’re protecting down in the city. Have the civilians comment specifically on recent tasks you’ve undertaken, helping players to feel invested in their tasks. Open up additional social activities within the city that further detail Destiny’s lore – an aspect of Destiny that thus far is mostly available only in the grimoire cards outside of the game.
Meanwhile, the Traveler that hangs above the city is a mystery as well. While we know some things about the Traveler’s drive to help humanity, there are many aspects of the powerful creature that remain unknown. As the launch game’s story concludes, we’re left to believe that the Traveler can begin to slowly revive. In a future expansion or sequel, I’d love the opportunity to interact directly with the Traveler, and gain additional powers and abilities through interactions with the mysterious being.
Whether through a trip into the city or a chance to directly visit and interact with the Traveler, Bungie has an opportunity to offer us increased understanding of the breadth of the Destiny fiction.
What other locales in Destiny are you curious about? Share your thoughts in the comments below.