Bungie unleashed a sizeable amount of House of Wolves information on fans in the last few days, releasing the debut trailer and announcing details about the upcoming content.
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Not all of the news was met with positivity, and between that and the trailer there's a lot to pick through. Here are our thoughts on what we've learned, starting with the trailer:
Reef-based Adventure Confirmed
As speculated for a while, the next expansion will be bringing players to The Reef. The region has thus far only been a story pit stop that offers a few cutscenes--no playable areas or related content are set there. Suspicion that The Reef would be home of new content was fueled by a leak that hinted at a new social area set there, and the new trailer confirms the setting. I think this is a good move--it's an area that has always been mysterious and intriguing, but players didn't get to see much of it. The idea that the Awoken are opening its borders to Guardians in exchange for a revenge mission is fun, and there isn't a clear idea of what it will look like. This is the first time a whole new region that isn't on one of the existing planets will be opened up, which makes it an exciting addition.
The Fallen Will Be The Main Enemy
As described in the trailer, The Fallen betrayed the Awoken queen after she let them into her midst, and vengeance is in the air. The vast majority of enemies in The Reef (possibly 100 percent of them) will thus be Fallen. This was expected as well, largely because the first two Raids focused on the Vex and the Hive--the assumption was that the third would make use of the Fallen. We've since learned there won't be a Raid (more on that below), but it makes sense that the first enemies you encounter in the main game are now taking center stage.
New Game Modes And Experiences
Bungie announced that House of Wolves will contain a mode named The Prison of Elders, as well as something called The Trials of Osiris. The former is some sort of battle arena built for three players--perhaps some sort of horde mode? Nothing like that is in the game right now (though you could just argue many of the big battles are horde mode!), so why not? The Trials of Osiris are more of a mystery, but it might just be the name of the quest chain--it comes complete with its own armor set.
Unfortunately...No Raid
This is the big one, and it's admittedly pretty hard to take positively. It's the one feature fans really have been waiting for since playing through The Dark Below's content, and Bungie announcing that the expansion would not include a Raid is a big blow. A third Raid is on the way, but it won't be included here. It feels sort of inexcusable given expectations, but I will briefly play devil's advocate: Crota's End had a lot of issues, and if Bungie wants to make a well-designed Raid (particularly one that doesn't have so many bugs), more time might simply be what they need to deliver.
I would, in the end, rather have a good Raid than a mediocre one, because Crota's End is frustrating and Vault of Glass is excellent. That said, there's no doubt its absence is a downer. At least half the reason for getting better gear is to take on the Raids, and players will be without a new one for even longer.
Upgradeable Legendary Gear
While Bungie hasn't explained how the progression will work, they did show off that it will exist--Guardians will be able to increase existing Legendary gear's potency. This is simply great news, as your favorite purple weapons will be able to stay relatively relevant and useful instead of falling by the wayside. Nobody is asking for them to overpower Exotics, but having a reason to use them on the newer content is a welcome addition.
