Strand is actually so good and so enjoyable to make use of, it kind of makes the older subclasses really feel a bit missing by comparability. Even in case you swap out the Grapple for one of many different two grenade choices—one spawns little creatures referred to as threadlings, my infants, and the opposite is a crowd-control possibility that catches enemies in a glowy inexperienced internet—you’re nonetheless going to be having such an excellent time you would possibly overlook the opposite lessons even exist for some time. Granted that’s kind of been the case for any new subclass Future 2 has launched up to now, however this one feels totally different, since you’re not simply given a couple of tweaked mechanics, you’re given a number of brand-new mechanics and a brand new solution to traverse the worlds of Future 2.
Cloudy With a Likelihood of Darkness
Let’s speak about Rohan and Nimbus, the Cloudstriders, the protectors of Neomuna. There are at all times two of them, and so they solely dwell for 10 years, a consequence of the heavy nano-augmentation they bear once they volunteer to turn out to be Cloudstriders. We spend essentially the most time with Nimbus, the youthful counterpart to grim and grizzled Rohan, and each minute of it’s a blast.
Future 2 has no scarcity of grizzled, stoic males and haunted, traumatized ladies. Nimbus is a breath of contemporary air, as a result of they’re none of these items. They’re vivid, bubbly, and nonbinary. They’re endearing and enthusiastic, with a way of youthful (and delightfully immature) humor that we simply don’t get sufficient of in Future 2. Voiced by sequence newcomer Marin Miller, Nimbus is the beating coronary heart of the Lightfall marketing campaign.
Too typically we solely get the narrowest slices of story improvement for Future 2’s supporting forged. However that’s one of many issues Lightfall excels at. We get plenty of time with Nimbus. Over the course of the marketing campaign, we begin to understand that Nimbus’ exuberance isn’t just a few protection mechanism or immaturity. It’s a alternative.
Within the face of cosmic horrors, Nimbus protects that youthful enthusiasm from the simple cynicism that comes with grief and loss. They’ve 10 years to dwell, and so they’re going to dwell each final one to the fullest. It’s a nuanced and compassionate efficiency, and even when issues get extra critical and grounded within the post-campaign story, it is nonetheless refreshing. I can’t wait to see extra Nimbus within the seasons to come back.
A Few Unfastened Ends
Regardless of every little thing I cherished about Lightfall, ending up the marketing campaign felt like a aid. By the top, it felt like I’d performed the identical missions a couple of instances over. Go shield the factor, get to the factor earlier than the unhealthy man. Essentially the most attention-grabbing components of Lightfall are sadly not the issues we spend essentially the most time exploring.
What is the Veil (past a justification to ship us to Neptune?) How did Neomuna get there? What is the take care of Strand? What does the Witness really need? Spending time with Nimbus and exploring the brand new Strand powers was tremendous enjoyable, however each time I completed a mission I felt myself trying off on the horizon the place the actual battle was taking place, wishing I used to be there as an alternative.
Fortunately, after you end the marketing campaign in Lightfall you do get to go take part in that larger battle, and that is what the Season of Defiance is constructed round. Queen Mara of the Area Elves (oops, I imply the Awoken) wants your assist to free prisoners from the (in all probability well-manicured) arms of the Witness, and these missions are a blast. They’re thrilling, difficult, type of spooky. Superior. It is like in case you needed to play by the Dreaming Metropolis earlier than you ever touched the storyline for Forsaken. Regardless of how good the Season of Defiance and Lightfall tales are, there’s an urgency hole between them which makes for some awkward pacing.
