With the recent launch of Destiny 2: Lightfall, the latest expansion for Bungie's sci-fi action MMO, players have dived deep into new activities, explored a new elemental power in the Strand, and discovered the secrets of Neptune's hidden city of Neomuna. Destiny 2's new expansion also means a new raid – Destiny's challenging co-op adventure designed for fireteams of six, built to test players' skills, problem solving and teamwork. On March 10th, Guardians around the world dived into the newest – and arguably most visually stunning – raid yet: 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 Design Lead Brian Frank to get a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to work on (and name) some of the most mysterious, intriguing and the most demanding content in all games.
How will the Root of Nightmares raid move the narrative forward after the opening events of Lightfall?
June Meyer: Root of Nightmares sees players investigating The Witness pyramid after the conclusion of the Lightfall campaign. In the raid, players will see firsthand how the Traveler's Light terraforms the landscape, bringing new life and disrupting the existing environment. We've never had a chance to see or influence this process, and the raid gives players the opportunity to change the environment through their actions.
Kailani Marrero: It was important to make sure that the lessons the player (and the Guardian) learned on Neomuna carried over to their journey in the raid. The Guardian spends some time learning to "go with the flow" - especially when dealing with Osiris and learning to control the Strand during the campaign - and we've taken that mentality into the raiding encounter. Without spoiling it for those who haven't experienced the raid yet, the Guardians know who the threat is and they know that entity must be taken down. Even in the face of overwhelming odds, there is work to be done, and this confidence in oneself and in one's allies should still remain true.
Q: What are some specific examples of Bungie incorporating narrative themes into the puzzle-like raid elements of Destiny 2?
Brian Frank: In Vow of the Disciple [from Destiny 2: The Witch Queen], symbols and their meanings were designed as a system from which game events would build narratives about places and characters in our world. In the context of The Witch Queen's themes of deception and illusion, they were intended to evoke truths, lies, or prophecies. They also aid in illegal stun on the part of players who must interpret them and communicate with the fire team in order to progress through the raid.
KM: Narrative themes are often the bow on top of the experience, giving the raid that extra 'oomph'. A lot of the mechanics are done ahead of time with the general narrative concept of the raid in mind and then given more context by the narrative designer. The bones are there, but then you can build on that to make it even cooler and give context where it's needed.
JM: The thematic goal with the Root of Nightmares mechanic was for the Guardians to succeed in their fight against The Witness solely through the use of both light and darkness. Players start the activity using only light, and in the second encounter, both light and dark are required, but never combined. In the last encounter, players learned how to combine these elements in a truly meaningful way.
Q: What are some of your favorite raid names from past expansions and why?
KM: I'm sure this answer will change with each person you ask! I'm totally hooked and love Root of Nightmares over all of them. It took us a while to come to a point of agreement – we had a good laugh at the unintentional “empty empty” formula – but Root of Nightmares won because it was too good to pass up.
This time we wanted a name that sounded both mysterious and ominous, and this was by far the winner. Some players may also have picked up hidden messages in Neomuna hinting at who they might face in a boss fight, and we wanted to pay it forward with the raid name. If you know your Destiny lore, certain names immediately come to mind when you think of "Nightmares."
If I had to pick my top three, they would be: Root of Nightmares, Vow of the Disciple, and Last Wish [from Destiny 2: Forsaken].
JM: The Deep Stone Crypt [from Destiny 2: Beyond Light] will always be special to me because of its simplicity. The name of the raid said everything about the activity and nothing at the same time. We knew the most important thing for players was to let them know where they were going, but we thought it was important to keep the player's journey under wraps. This was the first name suggested in our discussion and we didn't bother coming up with other options because we knew it was the best choice.
What goals does the team have in mind when naming a raid?
BF: Our goal is for the title to capture a sense of mystery, to evoke an adventure you can imagine your character going into, or a challenge you must endure and overcome with your fire team.
KM: Naming a raid means finding the combination of words that really captures the essence of the activity. They are usually meant to straddle the line between giving you absolutely nothing and everything at the same time. It's a difficult but fun challenge!
Q: What else would the Bungie team want players — new or returning to Destiny 2 — to know about how raids fit into the experience?
KM: For me, Destiny raids are such a unique experience. You'll see a lot of different raiding experiences across MMOs, RPGs, and combinations, but seeing it in an FPS is great for me. It's a challenge for players willing to take it on, and the reward is cool stuff and more story. Wins all around.
BF: As the ultimate co-op activity, Destiny raids are designed to support player stories. We've set a high bar for coordinating and mastering the challenges unique to each raid. It's very rewarding to succeed, which requires relying on your fire team, even though it may seem impossible to achieve victory at first.
Q: How can Lightfall players best prepare for the Root of Nightmares raid?
BF: If you're up for the challenge, the legendary campaign is a great way to get a set of gear that will get you right up to the recommended raid power level. Another approach would be to engage in Lightfall and seasonal ritual activities that offer Power upgrades.
JM: Run Neomuna activities to unlock your Strand shards, as anchoring and mobility are great ways to stay alive on any raid. Dungeons are also a good opportunity to prepare and dive into more complex endgame activities without needing to get as many teammates as possible.
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