Destiny: The Dark Below Summary
Eyes up Guardian!
One of the first DLCs for the sci fi shooter game, Destiny. The base game was released on September 11, 2014, and the DLC in question was released on December 9th of the same year. Sadly, as both Destniy games were merged into each other, Destiny 2 has overridden the first’s game’s storyline. And, as such, you can’t play the DLC anymore unless you go offline on Destiny 1.
…but what the hell, why not? Let’s talk about Destiny: The Dark Below.
After the events of the base game, The Dark Below sees the player taking a fight against an ancient evil from beyond the stars. With new maps, new guns, and new subclasses, there’s a slew of stuff to do! So boots on the ground Gaudrian, let’s get into it!
Destiny: The Dark Below Premise
For the base game, and to give a quick recap of the start of Destiny. The Golden Age of Humanity has ended. Once, in the past, Earth was visited by the Traveler, an interstellar being who blessed humanity with technology and powers that allowed them to take to the stars. A space-faring civilization was spread throughout the galaxy. For hundreds of years, humanity knew true peace. Then, the Darkness came, and bit by bit, that golden age was swallowed by the Darkness. The Darkness came at them with three strange and hostile forces. The Hive, the Taken, and the Scorn.
But, humanity has one last force capable of fighting back the onslaught. The Guardians. Those who were brought back to life by the Traveler’s light via the floating drones known as Ghosts. You play as the Young Wolf, a Guardian brought back to life after an undisclosed amount of time. After many adventures, which took them against the Vex, time and reality-hopping robots, the Fallen, a race consumed by the Darkness, and the Cabal, intergalactic warlords. The player and their Ghost managed to destroy the Heart of Darkness inside the Vault, one of the most heavily defended areas in the entire game.
And now, in the Dark Below, a new threat emerges. A former Guardian, Eris Morn, appears in the Tower, where the players call home. She warns them of the Hive Prince, Crota, who is worshipped as a god. One of the only survivors of a failed raid to kill him. She comes with a humble request, kill the Fist of Crota, as to slow the invasion of the Hive.
So, Guardian, with all of this in mind, I’m sure there’s one question you want to ask. And yes, there will be good loot to find, pilfer, and salvage.
Destiny: The Dark Below Main Characters
As there are a variety of characters to talk to, let’s cover the ones the player will know about, or, at least, have a greater presence in marketing. Yes, I am lazy.
- The Young Wolf. The Player Character. You are brought back from the dead in a wrecked Russian shipyard. Depending upon your entry into the game, you will get a variety of different intros. All of which take you to the Tower.
- Your Ghost. Your politely snarky companion. Your Ghost is your connection to the Traveler, and the reason you can come back from the dead.
- The Traveler. A strange being that rests above the Earth in the form of a near-pure white orb. She, if it can be called that, is the reason why Humanity still stands.
- Commander Zavala. One of the oldest Guardians, and the one who helped lay out the foundations of the City. He was voiced by the late Lance Reddick, may he rest in peace.
Who else?
- Cayde- 6. Everyone’s favorite. A Hunter who’s bored in his role as the organizer of a group of loners and outcasts. That said, he’s often the one with the plan and a means of implementing it. Without him, the entire DLC probably wouldn’t have gotten started!
- Ikora Rey. The Warlock’s patron. Calm, cold, but she’s a rock in a storm, and sometimes she brings the storm. Though she’s sometimes quite scary, she’s a Guardian at heart.
- Eris Morn. A strange and somewhat creepy Guardian, she has spent many years out in the black, and she has become changed in ways that often bend reality.
- Crota. One of the Hive’s Gods. In the past, he managed to conquer the moon and hold off a massive guardian counterattack. See, here’s the thing. His sword can steal the light from a Guardian, which they need to come back from the dead. So yeah, that’s a pretty good reason as to why they are terrified of this guy.
Destiny: The Dark Below Titles of Video Games in the Series
There are technically two, but it was merged into one so…
- Destiny
- Destiny 2.
Destiny: The Dark Below Cheat Codes
As you might expect, there are no cheat codes for Destiny: The Dark Below. As this is a multiplayer online game, having cheat codes would make the game unbalanced. Furthermore, attempting any cheats will likely see the player banned from the game entirely.
But, we can still cover some helpful tips!
- Play through the base game first. As exciting as it is to jump straight into DLC content as soon as you start a game, this is a bad idea in this case. Why? Because the DLC’s recommended level is 24, and the base game’s level cap is 20. That means the DLC content is meant for endgame-level players, with the loot to match. Thankfully though, the DLC does raise the cap to 30, so you can grind the levels out if you’re decidcated.
- Say Morning to Eris Morn. Eris Morn, as covered above, is a new face in the DLC. As such, she’s also a quest giver you should talk to to get brand-new quests. These new quests offer substantial EXP awards, and loot that can bump your power level to the next tier.
But what about the loot?
- Crublice of Loot. As expected from a DLC as big as this one, there are also new Crucible maps to check out! The Crucible, for those unaware, is the game’s PvP multiplayer, where the Guardians duke it out on various maps to earn fame, glory, and of course, loot.
- Speaking of… Loot is the second name of the game. Loot in Destiny is what determines your damage, health, ability power recharge rate, and more. While normally you can get loot just by playing the main game and going on story missions, the best gear is usually behind a wall. Thankfully, while it is a paywall, it is not a real-world money paywall. Instead, you need “Commendations,” which you can acquire by completing various ranks in the game. For example, if you rank in Vanguard, you will receive a Commendation for it, allowing you to purchase new gear.
Destiny: The Dark Below Cheat Code FAQs
Alright, with that out of the way, let’s cover a few FAQs!
- How long is Destiny: The Dark Below? If you focus solely on the main objectives? About three hours. If you want to do everything that you can? About four hours and thirty minutes.
- When did Destiny 1: The Dark Below come out? December 9th, 2014! Almost ten years ago exactly! Wow, I just made myself feel old…
- How much is Destiny 1: Dark Below? Back when it first came out, it was around USD 19.99, which was the standard DLC price at the time. Man, the more things change…
Anyway, that’s all for now folks, stay safe!
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Bungie.