With the recent launch of Destiny 2: Light, the latest expansion to Bungie’s sci-fi action MMO, players delve into new activities, uncovering new elemental powers in the Strand, and uncovering the secrets of the star-hidden city of Neomuna Marine kingdom. The new Destiny 2 expansion also means a new raid – Destiny’s challenging co-op adventures designed for groups of six, built to test skill, problem-solving and the player’s ability to work as a team. On March 10, Guardians around the world dug into the latest – and arguably the most visually stunning – raid to date: Root of Nightmares.
To celebrate the launch of the new Lightfall raid, we recently spoke with three members of the Destiny team: Associate Designer Kailani Marrero, Staff Designer June Meyer, and Lead Designer Brian Frank to get behind-the-scenes insights into its workings (and name) some of the most enigmatic, engaging, and challenging content in all of games.
How does the Root of Nightmares raid move the story forward after the original events of Lightfall?
June Meyer: Root of Nightmares lets players investigate The Witness’s pyramids after the Lightfall campaign ends. During the raid, players can witness first-hand how Traveler’s Light transforms the landscape, giving new life and disrupting existing environments. We’ve never had a chance to see or influence this process, and the raid gives players the opportunity to transform the environment through their actions.
Kailani Marrero: It is important to ensure that the lessons that players (and Guardians) learn on Neomuna are translated into their journey during the raid. The Guardian took some time to learn to “go with the flow” – especially when it comes to getting to know Osiris and learning how to use the Strand in the campaign – and we applied that mentality to the raid encounter. . Without spoiling things for the uninitiated with the raid, the Guardians know who the threat is and they know that this entity must be destroyed. Even in the face of overwhelming odds, there is still work to be done and faith in yourself and your allies must remain true.
Q: What are some specific examples of Bungie incorporating narrative themes into puzzle-like gameplay elements in Destiny 2 raids?
Brian Frank: In the disciple’s oath [from Destiny 2: The Witch Queen], the symbols and their meanings are designed as a system from which in-game events construct claims about places and characters in our world. Against the backdrop of the Witch Queen’s theme of deception and delusion, they aim to conjure up truths, lies, or prophecies. They also help arouse illegal questions from the player when explaining and communicating them to the fire brigade to conduct the raid.
KILOMETER: Narrative themes are often the first part of the experience that add extra “boost” to a raid. Many of the mechanics are implemented first with the general narrative concept of the raid and then the narrative designer gives more context. The bone is there but then you can build on it to make it even cooler and provide context as needed.
JM: The themed goal with the mechanics of the Root of Nightmares is that only through the use of both Light and Shadow can the Guardians succeed in their fight against the Witness. The player starts the activity using only Light, and in the second encounter, both Light and Shadow are required but never combined. By the final encounter, players have learned to combine these elements in ways that really make sense.
Q: What are some of your favorite raid names from past expansions and why?
KILOMETER: I’m sure the answer will change with each person you ask! I’m totally biased and love Root of Nightmares above all of them. It took us a bit of time to come to a consensus – we had a good laugh about the accidental “drum of the drum” formula – but Root of Nightmares won out because it was too good to ignore.
This time, we wanted a name that sounded both mysterious and sinister, and this is the winner so far. Some players may have also received hidden messages in Neomuna hinting at who they might face in a boss battle and we wanted to repay that with the raid name. If you know your Destiny lore, a number of names will immediately come to mind when you think of “Nightmares.”
However, if I had to choose my top three, it would be: The Roots of Nightmare, the Disciple’s Oath, and the Last Wish [from Destiny 2: Forsaken].
JM: Deep stone catacombs [from Destiny 2: Beyond Light] will always be something special to me because of its simplicity. The name of the raid reveals everything about the operation and at the same time nothing. We know that the most important part for players is letting them know where they’re going, but we think it’s important to keep the player’s journey private. This was the first name suggested in our discussion and we didn’t bother making other choices because we knew it was the best one.
Q: What goals do the team keep in mind when naming a raid?
best friend: Our goal was to make the name feel mysterious, so that it evoked an adventure you can imagine your character embarking on, or a challenge to be endured and overcome with your fire brigade.
KILOMETER: Naming an attack means finding a combination of words that really captures the essence of the operation. They are often meant to draw the line between giving you absolutely nothing and everything at once. It’s a tough but fun challenge!
Q: Does the Bungie team still want players – new or returning to Destiny 2 – to know about how raids fit into the experience?
KILOMETER: For me, Destiny Raids is a unique experience. You see a lot of different raid experiences on MMOs, RPGs and their combinations, but for me, seeing it in FPS, was great. It’s a challenge for players willing to meet it and as a bonus you get cool stuff and more stories. Win all around.
best friend: As the ultimate co-op, Destiny Raids is designed to advance the player’s story. We set a high standard for coordination and mastery of the unique challenges for each raid. Success is worth doing, which requires depending on your fire team, when from the beginning to achieve victory seems impossible.
Q: How can Lightfall players best prepare for the Root of Nightmares raid?
best friend: If you’re up for a challenge, the Legendary Campaign is a great way to get a set of gear that will help you reach the recommended Power level for the raid. Another approach is to participate in Lightfall and Season ritual activities that help upgrade Powers.
JM: Run Neomuna operations to unlock your Strand shards, because grappling and mobility are great ways to survive each raid encounter. Also, dungeons are a good opportunity to prepare and dip your toes into more complex late-game operations without the need to gather multiple teammates together.
KILOMETER: Finding a great fire brigade is paramount to having fun in any Destiny 2 raid. If you don’t know five other players to raid with, don’t worry! You can use the “Fireteams” feature on the Destiny 2 mobile app to join an existing raid group or create your own raid team from scratch.
Destiny 2: Lightfall is available now.
