Bungie keeps on building the hype for the release of "The Taken King," the third expansion for its space-age sci-fi shooter "Destiny." Ahead of the DLC's launch, the developer rolled out a new component for the title's Crucible gameplay, dubbed as the Mayhem multiplayer mode.
As the name suggests, Mayhem is more like a fun-focused mode than serious gameplay, as developer Bungie was quoted back in August. According to design lead Lars Bakken, the Mayhem mode is more of a "party game" than a competitive multiplayer play. In addition, although he did not specifically confirm a date, Bakken said that the Mayhem mode will not last all throughout "The Taken King." Instead, the new mode will be some sort of a test stage.
Bakken said, "We're gonna put it out there, we're gonna see what people think."
In Mayhem, some rules in "Destiny" are eschewed. Melee moves and Super abilities of Guardians in the game recharge very quickly, along with replenish items like ammo and grenades. As noted industry observer Gamespot reviewed it, Mayhem usually has nothing to do with weapons as what Guardians normally do inside the game is to exhaust their Supers, hide a few seconds until abilities recharge completely, and then go at it again. In addition, most Mayhem sessions involve a lot of explosions since grenades usually replenish themselves after five seconds.
Mayhem is part of two new modes in the Crucible along with Rift with its capture-the-flag gameplay. The two new modes are available as preview content for "Destiny" players in a preview week that started Sept. 8. When "The Taken King" rolls out on Sept. 15, however, the new modes will only be available for Guardians who have purchased the third expansion.
"The Taken King" will be made available for $40, and will roll out for the PlayStation 3 and 4, and Xbox 360 and One versions of "Destiny."
