Gone is the thrilling, adventurous, quick-paced tone presented in The Taken King. That may sound like the makings of an engaging tale, however beyond its initial handful of cinematics Rise of Iron, in many ways, reverts back to the form of storytelling Destiny utilized before TTK: basic exposition dumps when heading in and out of missions which attempt to explain why the mission at hand is so vital to the cause. Now, it’s up to the Guardians to pick up the mantle of the Iron Lords, halt the spread of SIVA infecting Earth in Old Russia, and put an end to the Fallen forces fusing themselves with SIVA to make mechanized monsters of themselves. The Iron Lords were all but wiped out fighting SIVA, halting the spread of SIVA with their sacrifice until an old foe finds the virus sealed deep within the Earth. The previously enigmatic figures known as the Iron Lords are revealed to be the true predecessors to the Guardians, the group of light-endued heroes the player has been a part of for the last two years.

Rise of Iron opens with a cinematic that sets the stage and paints the familiar face of the non-playable character, Lord Saladin, as a sympathetic hero who lost everything to a bio-mechanical virus entity known as SIVA. All said and done however, Rise of Iron isn’t as royal an addition as what came immediately before it. Where The Taken King brought a lot of new stuff to the table, Destiny’s newest expansion, titled Rise of Iron, spends most if its time ironing out a lot of the aforementioned content, making for a smooth gameplay experience with some additional experiences to keep it all engaging. Adding a 7+ hour campaign, new cooperative strike missions, new player versus player game modes, a new raid with a new Challenge mode, a new patrol area with tons of hidden secrets, as well as new weapons, gear, subclasses, and in game systems to keep the overall experience feeling fresh, The Taken King is a perfect example of high-quality downloadable content. 2015’s Destiny expansion, The Taken King, is a tough act to follow.

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