【2010 Archives】

Destiny: Rise of Ironis here. Do you010 Archiveswork today? School? Are you constantly pushing through "tapir" error messages or stuck in a login queue numbering in the tens of thousands?

There's only one reasonable thing you can do at this point: dance like the Iron Lords are watching.

Destiny: Rise of Ironlaunched at 5 a.m. ET and while it hasn't exactly gone without a hitch -- note the aforementioned error messages and queues -- it's here. The next time you sign into the game, all sorts of new goodies will be there.

If you're one of the many who has to deal with the life responsibilities of an average workday before signing in, we've got you covered. Below, you'll find links to all of our Rise of Ironpre-release coverage. You may not be able to play yet, but now you can pore over every word and image until those pesky responsibilities are squared away.

• 6 Destiny: Rise of Ironfacts we learned from a trip to Bungie-- We visited Bungie for a day, played through the Rise of Ironcampaign and tried some of what you can do afterward. We also chatted with some of the development leads. This is a summation of what we learned.

• Destinyisn't quite ready for esports, and it may never be -- The coming of private matches in Destinyopens the door for player-versus-player tournaments with cash rewards. That's cool, but Destiny-- while great -- really isn't designed for professional play.

• Check out the Archon's Forge-- Remember Court of Oryx, from The Taken King? Archon's Forge brings that public endgame challenge vibe to Rise of Iron. It works a little differently, but the basic idea remains: fight tough battles with friends and strangers alike.

• Here's Rise of Iron's new PvP mode, Supremacy-- If you've played any of the more recent Call of Dutygames -- specifically the multiplayer -- then you've probably come across a mode called Kill Confirmed. Supremacy is exactly the same. Kill enemies, collect their dropped crests to earn your team points. Grab crests dropped by allies to block the enemy team from scoring.

• A familiar foe returns in the first Rise of Ironmission-- You're stuck doing other stuff, which means you're not playing Destinyyet. Here's a full playthrough of the new story's first mission.

• Destiny: Rise of Ironbreathes new life into The Devil's Lair -- The very first Strike that most Destinyplayers encountered was The Devil's Lair. It's a fun mission that's been stuck in "Year 1" territory, meaning Bungie never updated it for the latest leveling game. That changes with Rise of Iron. Watch the Strike for yourself.

• There's one new Strike in Destiny: Rise of Iron-- The Wretched Eye, Rise of Iron's new Strike, sends players deep into the new Plaguelands zone, where SIVA-infected Fallen are trying to bring their corrupted power to bear on raising a Hive army. The final boss showdown introduces a new twist to Destinycombat encounters, as you'll see in this video.

• In case you hadn't heard: Destiny's Infusion mechanic isn't changing with Rise of Iron-- Infusion is what lets players keep their beloved gear level-appropriate as they blast through the endgame's Light Level climb. The feature saw some significant changes over the past year -- for the better -- and Bungie told Mashablethat those changes aren't going anywhere.

• No more PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 for Rise of Iron-- With 90 percent or more of Destiny's playerbase now on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, Bungie has finally decided to end support for the last-gen consoles. The pre-Rise of Ironversion of Destinywill still work on older hardware, but that version of the game won't benefit from ongoing updates or expansions anymore.

See you in the Plaguelands, fellow Guardians. Don't forget to bring your dancing shoes.