In 'The Taken King,' Bungie had a well-received hit on their hands. That said, it wasn't long until they hit a roadblock: a content crisis. People were running out of things to do. With the 'April Update' not coming until, well, April, Bungie was forced to get creative.
And so, a new holiday was born: Crimson Days.
Crimson Days is a Valentines-Day themed event, with a spiced-up, unique playlist: Crimson Doubles. It's only ever been playable once, in the Taken King's autumn years, but it was well liked and positively received. It was to our shock, then, that it did not return in 'Rise of Iron.'
Bungie heralds 2018 with a new Crimson Days event; an event which salvaged a bored playerbase in 2016, and they hope can do the same in the present. I hope it can, and the fanbase should make an attempt to put some amount of hope, if not faith, in it.
So, with Crimson Days returning on February 13th, what is Bungie giving us?
Burning Shrine 2.0
A Destiny 1 favored map, Burning Shrine, was always a top candidate for being remade since Shores of Time, similarly loved, was given the same treatment as Distant Shore. Here, Bungie gives us 'The Burnout,' a remake of Burning Shrine, set in a futuristic Vex timeline.
Destiny 2's Crucible is fairly good, but lacks the variety or diversity for memorable play. Adding new maps is always a welcome addition. I look forward to playing on the map.
New Rewards
New gear and rewards, too, are being prepared for Guardians who play during the event. If you've missed the recent leak that YouTubers and journalists have publicized, here's what you should expect:
You can expect new shaders, ornaments, sparrows, ghosts and spawn animations. And, of course, emotes. All will drop from 'Crimson Engrams,' but--wait, drop the pitchforks lads--these are only earnable through gameplay. That's right, no microtransactions.
Even better, Bungie took the criticism to heart. Players complained that Bungie had put effort into gear for the Silver story, but had yet to produce a single new item as rewards for actual in-game activities; even game journalists covered the outrage, because the situation was patently ridiculous.
So, Bungie has created new rewards, entirely specific to certain end-game activities.
-Finish 5 Crimson Days matches to earn the Fire of the Crimson Days Emblem and Tirastrella Ghost Shell
-The 'Undeterred' Exotic Sparrow has a chance to drop after Crimson Doubles matches.
-The Raid and Raid Lair will both drop the 'Dieselpunk' Exotic Ornament for the Wardiff Coil upon full completion.
-The Nightfall Strike will drop a Flaunting Dance emote.
So, is there a catch? Kind of, but not really. Eververse has found a new niche, and its one where players actually might welcome the store. While Crimson Engrams can only be earned in-game, and cannot be bought with real money, individual items can be purchased with bright dust. That's right, not Silver. Buying individual items has always been requested, and putting it behind Bright Dust -a far less prohibitive resource- is a good step forward.
So, Crimson Days will kick off next Tuesday at reset. Grab yourself a partner and waltz through the brand new map and kill everyone you see.