--- [b]Part 1 [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/66946687/0/0/1]Click[/url][/b] --- [b]Part 2 (You Are Here)[/b] --- [b]Part 3 [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/66980993]Click[/url][/b] --- [b]Part 4 [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/66988029]Click[/url][/b] --- [b]Part 5 [url=http://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/66991185]Click[/url][/b] [b](All Classes and Platforms Used, No Fireteams other than for Strikes.)[/b] [b]Campaign Progression:[/b] [i]Tower Analysis:[/i] For the most part the tower doesn't really have the signifiance that it was intended to have in the concept art or developer videos, but it does seem to entail four things: 1. A central solar-system theatre upon which a plot-critical character known as the "Speaker" resides, overlooking the status of the conflict ([u]without any actual visual cues, or meaning to the place so as to make it feel non-static or ever-changing[/u]) with "The Darkness". The surrounding areas of this particular section are sparsely filled, but contain a few cosmetic merchants. 2. A courtyard area linking to the primary locations, upon which several merchants and a special merchant reputation and bounty system resides. These merchants contain a weapon / ammo merchant (which never seemed to have any good weapons other than commons, and yet the game indicates is the place to go to find them), a special item identifier (which should cost money to identify items based on their rank), mail and purchased content vendors, and an aesthetic area that overlooks the last bastion known as "The City". The area is designed well but relatively sparse and the feeling of being lived in or the place of great preparation for conflict is not existent here. 3. Below and behind the courtyard are two supporting areas, one of which seems to be based on the unlocking of world events likely including raids access, special pvp areas, and heroic difficulty or special mission group-strikes. Sadly, the story influence seemed to be minimal here, the flaming gong-like item at the back of the Iron event vendor was an eye sore, and the area was unnecessarily large. This area also has little activity. Reversing it, below the courtyard are three primary vanguard vendors which should be giving gear related to story-impact and progression but instead are based on exploration farming (a great degree of it it seems) and while this area appears to have battle planning, it is minutely immersive due to little change and no one truly doing anything. 4. The hangar is the final area, intended to be designed as a place for people to meet it nonetheless fails in this regard. There is very little actual ship activity to be seen or looked at, and so it doesn't truly feel like a hangar. Further, the lounge, numerous vendors geared toward PvE or PvP farming, lack of interaction or background dialog, and the relatively static and unchanging position all betray one another. In the end it is scaled largely but doesn't result in much of anything rather than going there to buy something and leaving. --- As a final analysis, the Tower seems poorly conceived for the things it wants to accomplish and I recommend it be expanded in size for social and aesthetic purposes, as well as given more of an actual important appearance and experience throughout it. The hangar actually having the launching of ships and the repairing and maintenance of them is a crucial factor that should be added. Doodads, special effects, and triggers should be added for further immersion. [i][b]Storyline > Skywatch Part 1[/b][/i] [i]Mission 2:[/i] This mission takes you out of the wall-located area and farther into the wastelands of Russia. Keeping up with the style of before, no dialog will occur nor transitional cinematics until you click on the mission yourself, at such a point you are told by your compatriot AI that a place called the Skywatch has been having activity and The Fallen have been defending it from something, possibly dangerous or critical. With your new mission you start where you left off and cross a canal and head across an area looking like rusted airplanes ([u]also not made with metal and thus not actually looking like that[/u]) upon which you'll encounter a varied amount of enemies from level 3 - 7, especially if you venture farther to the left of your main location. Eventually, trekking through them all, you'll come at last to a double facing slope that will lead you to the Skywatch. At the Skywatch you'll encounter a rapidly respawning Captain and two Fallen Vandals. Upon their defeat, they may respawn just as you are entering the area ([u]respawn mechanic is too quick here, triggered most likely by the entrance and exit of a sphere of spawn-determination; should be fixed[/u]) but you will quickly come to your instanced story area. Once in the story instance just a few rooms through the Skywatch, you'll come upon a locked door which your Ghost will open in a few moments after telling him to do so. Inside that room you will have a darkened vision of a gloomy and eerily lit staircase, which your ally will illuminate as you progress through the corridors into a large room which will be lit by eery green eyes. These are the eyes of the Hive Acolytes and a rush of Hive Thralls will attack you. Death is possible here but unlikely provided you have good pacing or are able to shoot them and melee them quickly enough. After this rush and the subsequent elimination of nearby Acolytes you'll come into another room with several more Acolytes and culminate into a room with a "Wizard". This Wizard has a shield much like the Captains, floats, and fires bolts of energy at you. Upon his defeat, which is quite easy to achieve, you'll soon be whisked back to Orbit. [i][u]Normal:[/u][/i] This difficulty mode has no difficulties outside the level range ([u]being careful not to approach the level 8 and level 9 stationed enemies on the riightmost ridge on approach to the Skywatch[/u]) though you may encounter a Stealth Vandal that might or might not give you trouble. Inside the story area, aside from the Thralls there are no issues. [i][u]Hard:[/u][/i] No differences from normal other than upgraded rank and level enemies in the story mode area. Thralls may be more deadly, acolytes are more common and shoot more frequently. Level range of enemies is 6 - 7 with "Hallowed" status. A Hive Knight ([u]a troublesome enemy with a damaging attack[/u]) MAY be present. [i][b]Storyline > Skywatch Part 2[/b][/i] [i]Mission 3: [/i] Upon return to orbit with any further indication of story, and then the subsequent selection of mission, you'll be told about The Fallen scavenging nearby machines for some purpose and to investigate the reason. You'll be directed to another area upon landing and will likewise be able to activate the stereotypical speeder bike ([u]Star Wars style[/u]) to traverse the land quickly, this time going right through a canyon opening to approach an area that used to be a seabed and is littered with rusted ships ([u]again immersion wise they don't look like that when rusted[/u]) and boats. You will go through two areas to access a data node of sorts, with enemies including captains and regular vandal troops and support drones. After accessing these two areas, avoiding the higher ranked enemies in the far ridge to the right, and the cave right below the 2nd node that houses level 18's, you will be told to return to the Skywatch as the message indicates something is transmitting from that area. Upon return to the Skywatch, you'll access the same way and go through a different path leading to a new range of level 6 - 7 enemies, with no true imbalances or improper placement of enemies surrounding you, albeit hyper fast respawn-times for the constant battle between the Hive and Fallen troops, which have no demonstrated means of continual reinforcement and is an immersion and continuity issue which could be made so much more realistic and engaging. You'll rush into an area (this area sometimes glitches and does not spawn the necessary enemies and gates are all open) that will have several low class enemies and then be swarmed by 3 - 4 Stealth Vandals that will try and melee you, this should not be a difficult segment and you'll then kill the captain at the end, progressing into a room that has a total of roughly 35 enemy spawns ([u]hardest point in the beta by far[/u]). This area is different based on the difficulty mode, with an assumed third wave added due to the higher difficulty, but a large degree of dreds and vandals will attack you as you try to hack into a device that was once guarded by Vandals digging into it. You'll eventually progress to the next wave where captains and support turrets will attack you, filled with more dregs and vandals. The next difficulty stage adds servitors and more dregs. Upon completion of this swarm-filled area, you'll be told that a Warmind ([u]no indication of when or how they were created, what they did, or what happened to the rest is given[/u]) may still be active, and then whisked away to Orbit. [i][u]Normal:[/u][/i] No issues other than Stealth Vandal rushes and two captains covering each other in the final story area. [i][u]Hard:[/u][/i] Primary issues involve upon entrance to the Story mode zone at the end, the Stealth Vandals and titled enemies that will do more damage and swarm you, the Stealth Vandal that spawns in the midst of the stairs, the 3 Stealth Vandals that charge you upon exit of the stair area, and then eventually the numerous waves and enemies you'll have to deal with, including captains dodging and weaving between the crates, and then a final wave of servitors upon your likely drained of ammunition self. ([u]This area requires balancing.[/u])