Destiny has had a strange ride. Before launch, the game was riding on an unbelievable wave of hype — only for said wave to crash at release.

Following a somewhat rocky launch, the game slowly built up steam leading into its first major DLC, only to lose it shortly thereafter. Destiny's second DLC expansion brought a lot of people back, and The Taken King — which Bungie touted as "Destiny 2.0" — revitalized the community like few expansions ever had.

Sadly, things have quieted down since The Taken King's release: Bungie has tried to keep its community going with smaller timed updates, but over the past few months, Destiny's player base has continued to shrink. With the death of the last-gen versions looming, many were wondering if Bungie could ever reignite that Destiny spark again.

While it may be too early to tell one way or another, Bungie is definitely doing its best to get the community excited for Rise of Iron. Earlier today, the developer hosted a live reveal of the new gameplay mechanics and environments that are set to make their debut in the next expansion — though, in the end, one could argue that the team didn't actually show all that much.

Taking place in a section of the newly-reworked Cosmodrome, the reveal was largely an environmental showcase. Players have trekked through Old Russia countless times, and Bungie clearly wants the winterized version to feel like something new — and at least from a visual standpoint, it's succeeded.

The gentle snowfall and stark white landscapes are a far cry from the washed-out brown desert that fans are used to. It's peaceful, yet desolate — the Cosmodrome is still in shambles, but there's an air of calm that wasn't there before.

At least until players stumble across the new Fallen: dubbed the "Devil Splicers," these new foes are taking the Cosmodrome apart piece-by-piece. Something is literally cutting its way through the ruins, and while Bungie still hasn't revealed what that something is, its presence is felt throughout the area.

Less impressive are the new enemies themselves: the Fallen may have a new look and a few new attacks, but they're nowhere near as radical a redesign as the Taken. Players will still fight Fallen Vandals, Shanks and Servitors — and from what the live stream showed, fighting the Fallen is still largely the same as it always has been.

In terms of story, Bungie only gave hints as to what was happening in the Cosmodrome. The Fallen, after years of scrounging and struggling to survive, are building something with pieces of the wall — and it's up to the Guardians to find out what's going on.

On top of that, there's also a mysterious new threat called the SIVA: part-techno-organic virus, part-sentient computer, SIVA is corrupting and absorbing parts of the environment all across the Cosmodrome. Not only that, but the Devil Splicers are "upgrading" themselves with pieces of the machine, giving them new abilities in the process.

... and that's about it. There was no mention of Lord Saladin's role in SIVA's containment, nor was there any word on how the Guardians would be pulled into the conflict. It's understandable that Bungie wants to keep a lid on spoilers (especially given the number of leaks that Rise of Iron has already suffered through), but a more tangible hook for players to latch onto would be nice.

Otherwise, Bungie showcased a new Sparrow and promised to reveal more about the new Crucible modes at Gamescom. If it feels like the live stream was light on important info ... well, that's because it was.

Destiny is a game in desperate need of new content, or something to get fans excited about jumping back in — and to be frank, showing off an old environment with a new coat of paint isn't really the best way to do that. Granted, that's not to say that the new Cosmodrome looks bad, or that Rise of Iron won't be worth playing ... it's just that Destiny needs more than that. The Plaugelands sound like they could be some of the best environments in the entire game — why not show them off, even if it's just a tease? What about a story teaser, or a glimpse at a new boss?

At this point, there's really no telling if Rise of Iron will be the expansion that the community is hoping for. Bungie is promising a lot of big changes — but until fans actually get to see them, the development team will be fighting an uphill battle.

Rise of Iron is due out on Sept. 20, while Bungie's next live stream reveal will air during Gamescom in August.

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