I’ve been playing Destiny: Rising for the past few hours now that it’s finally out. It’s the latest iteration of this acclaimed science fiction IP from Bungie and set in an alternate universe to not ruin the established canon from the main game.
Both games are science-fiction looter-shooters, and there’s still the big white ball floating in the skies. It’s a completely fresh yet recognizable take on the franchise with some gacha elements mixed in.
As a longtime Destiny 2 veteran, I’d say Destiny: Rising manages to get a lot of things right, while also taking the franchise in some very unusual directions. Let’s talk about it.
A Newer New Light Experience
From the start, Destiny: Rising has a much smoother onboarding process than Destiny 2, which I find surprisingly funny considering that Bungie took almost 10 years to do that. Rising immediately teaches players how to navigate its many systems, from combat to weapons to the basics of its looter-shooter loop. It’s something I’ve always appreciated in NetEase titles, as they clearly know how to make strong first impressions.
That said, as a Destiny 2 veteran, nothing about my first few hours felt new. Destiny: Rising seems designed for newcomers and casual players who want to dip their toes into Destiny’s universe without fully committing. The content is structured for bite-sized play sessions, with mission quests that take minutes to complete, which is ideal for a mobile game.
The game also features a solid 20-plus hours campaign to ease players into this alternate dimension where the Fallen remain a constant nuisance. As someone invested in Destiny’s complex lore, like the origins of the Nine and the Winnower and Gardener tale, I found Rising’s story lukewarm. It exists mainly to push players toward objectives and to introduce its playable cast of characters, who are central to the game’s gacha mechanics.
A Smaller Destiny 2
Unlike Bungie’s version, Rising doesn’t feature grand set pieces and impressive sky boxes, which makes sense given its mobile game limitations, as well as being in a separate universe. Familiar faces make appearances, but they aren’t the same characters we know from the mainline games. You’ll still see the Traveler in the sky, but this isn’t the Last City. Instead, we’re in a new location called Haven with new allies and enemies. At the core, though, the formula remains the same: the Traveler grants Light, you fight off enemies like the Fallen, and you unleash flashy space-magic.
What really surprised me is that Rising doesn’t have explorable planets yet. For now, you’re stuck on Earth with no ships to take you to the stars. That means no Nessus, no Europa, and no haunted Moon. It feels limiting, but it’s likely NetEase is saving interplanetary travel for future updates. After all, this is a live-service game.
Gacha Gacha Gacha
Perhaps the biggest hook in Destiny: Rising is how it reimagines Destiny’s looter-shooter grind as a full gacha experience. As someone who has been playing video games for a long time, I wasn’t surprised. Destiny’s reliance on RNG and grind makes it a natural fit for gacha mechanics. What did surprise me, though, was that weapons cannot be pulled. Every weapon, including the iconic Exotic weapons, can be unlocked by simply playing through the game. Although I feel like the game has put much of its focus on its playable characters, rather than its massive arsenal of weapons to choose from.
The gacha system focuses entirely on characters. There are no Warlocks, Titans, or Hunters here. Instead, your roster of characters effectively replaces those classes, each with unique skills and abilities suited for different situations.
I’ll be honest, gacha systems aren’t my favorite. They often feel artificial and pay-to-win. In Rising’s case, however, there’s potential for a more balanced approach. I’ve been able to enjoy the game with just Wolf, but swapping in other characters occasionally adds variety.
I’ve only played a few hours, so I can’t speak on the endgame yet, but I suspect tanky enemies will eventually push players toward pulling stronger Lightbearers to make progress easier.
What’s Next?
I haven’t tried Strikes or endgame activities yet, but the direction Rising is heading feels clear. It’s built to be a fun, approachable adventure for casual fans of the franchise. If you’ve burned out after defeating the Witness and want something lighter and fresh, this could be a welcome change of pace.
However, I have a deep fear that this could be the final nail in the coffin for Destiny 2’s future, as Rising might dilute the discourse around its main entry with its more frequent content drops, particularly with its eclectic cast of characters and “Gooner” bait designs. Still, there is a silver lining, as Rising and Destiny 2 cater to completely different player bases.
While Rising’s gunplay is fun, I find much of the game underwhelming so far. Still, for a mobile title, this is a step above NetEase’s usual output. I honestly can’t believe we now have a live-service looter-shooter Destiny game in the palm of our hands.
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