Reviews and analyzes Bungie's newly released "Ash and Iron" trailer, discussing upcoming weapons, activities, features, and sharing both personal impressions and community reactions to the Destiny 2 update.

Trailer and Gameplay Impressions

• Bungie released the "Ash and Iron" major update trailer, showcasing new content set in the Plaguelands.

• Players are tasked with investigating and countering the Conductor's forces, with new assault modes hinted at.

• The trailer suggests players may be able to operate a Brig for the first time, introducing tank vs. Brig combat in the open world.

• A heavy axe weapon is shown, but it's unclear if this is a true exotic or a relic used in public events. There is speculation about its synergy with Strongholds, though Strongholds are being nerfed.

• The trailer features a new exotic rocket pulse rifle with Strand damage and an alternate firing mode, possibly burst fire. There is discussion about how powerful or unique this weapon might be.

• Hints of reworked or tiered versions of existing exotics, such as Drang and Sturm, appear. The speaker notes that Drang is an old exotic, and there may be new synergies or buffs, especially with the Sturm-Drang combo and Lucky Pants.

• New armor sets are shown, but the speaker finds the aesthetics unattractive, describing them as reskins of previous portal armor and not visually appealing.

• Dungeon layers are introduced, where encounters from dungeons like Duality, Warlord’s Ruin, and Pit will be mixed within the portal, rather than full dungeons from start to finish.

• "Warsat Heist" is introduced as a new exotic mission, with hopes that it will be substantial and rewarding.

Weapons and Gear Analysis

• Bungie’s website lists new featured kinetic and heavy exotic slot weapons as "redacted," indicating upcoming new options.

• There is speculation that some weapons shown, such as the heavy axe, may be event relics rather than true exotics, referencing past experiences like the Scythe from Season of the Haunted.

• The new exotic rocket pulse rifle is confirmed to be Strand-based, with an alternate firing mode. The speaker compares its burst fire to Mint and notes community speculation about its similarity to Sturm, but clarifies that Sturm is already in the game.

• The rocket sidearm shown is likely not Drang, but may have synergies with Sturm. There is discussion about the possibility of a new weapon with perks that work with Sturm, or a completely different weapon altogether.

• The Mida Mini Tool and other weapons are referenced in relation to recent patch notes, with buffs and changes making sense in light of the new content.

• The new gear set is criticized for its appearance, with the speaker and community finding it unappealing and not "sexy."

New Activities and Structure

• The Ash and Iron activity is described as a brand new experience, intended to bridge the gap until the December Renegades expansion.

• Bungie claims this activity will be unlike any previous Destiny activity, though the trailer suggests it may resemble public event-style gameplay rather than an extraction shooter or horde mode.

• Portal encounters will draw from multiple dungeons, with tier-based loot rewards. Encounters from dungeons like Duality, Warlord’s Ruin, and Pit will be featured within the portal, rather than full dungeons.

• The speaker expresses concern that the Plaguelands map may be reduced in size and scope, as has happened with other returning areas in Destiny. There is discussion about whether the Plaguelands will retain its original scale or be cut down due to technical reasons like ad density.

• The strategic value of the Plaguelands is questioned, with speculation that Maya may be trying to claim SIVA for herself, leading to the reclamation of the area and the introduction of new activities.

Community Reactions and Hype

• Community excitement is mixed, with many viewers expressing limited enthusiasm for the new content. Poll results show most are not highly excited, with the majority selecting "not even slight chub" or "half chub" as their level of hype.

• The speaker notes that recent weapon nerfs, including to favorites like Temporal Blast, have dampened enthusiasm.

• There is anticipation for Bungie's upcoming reveal stream, which will provide more details on both Ash and Iron and the Renegades expansion.

• The speaker expresses hope that the new content will be enough to keep players engaged until December, but remains cautious due to past experiences with returning content being scaled down.

Questions / Follow-Ups

• Will the new axe weapon be a true exotic or just a temporary relic for events?

• What unique mechanics or features will the new Ash and Iron activity introduce beyond familiar public event structures?

• Will the Plaguelands return at its original size and scope, or be reduced as seen with previous content reintroductions?

• What specific perks or synergies will the new rocket sidearm offer, and how will it interact with existing weapons like Sturm?

• How substantial and rewarding will the new exotic mission "Warsat Heist" be compared to previous exotic missions?

Key Dates / Deadlines

• Bungie's next reveal stream, covering both Ash and Iron and the Renegades expansion, is scheduled for next Tuesday.

Ash and Iron Update Impressions

chat we're gonna watch this trailer right now surprisingly bungee has dropped us an ash and iron major update trailer the conductor's forces are rampant to the plague lands we're sending you in to investigate and take action be ready for anything do the next assault warlords adding into the portal okay war sat high make every shot count that's the storm rework what stay in the fight we're almost home Okay, so I guess we could play as a Brig now. First up, hold on, let me look at this image real quick. So let me pull this up.

We have Gibbunji's website. Yesterday they disclosed adding weapons to their featured lists. Right here, featured weapon, kinetic slots, redacted, so new exotic there, heavy slots, redacted. All right, so I'm assuming that's our heavy right there, that heavy axe.

Interesting. I'm hoping that's going to work with Strongholds. I know Strongholds just got a nerf or it's getting a nerf. I mean, look, if this axe chunks, maybe this is the thing, dude.

That's a public event axe, not an exotic. Right here, heavy slot weapon redacted. That's what Bungie is adding to their featured exotic weapon list.

I'm not saying it's a guarantee. Just saying it's a possibility. You know what I mean?

I'm just saying it's a possibility. Stay in the fight. We're almost home.

All right, you know what? I'm just, I'm going to go and say this right now because I don't even want to give myself hope. It could very well just be a relic that you pick up on the, you know what I'm saying? It could very well just be that. I don't want to, I want to say it's the, an exotic here.

The copium in me wants to believe this is an exotic. and therefore justifies the stronghold nerf. But nothing can justify that nerf.

Nothing. I will say, I mean, look, I know it's a piece of the new activity or whatever. The same, y'all remember, you remember Seizing the Haunted with the Scythe? I mean, dude, the Scythe looked like it was going to be an exotic, right?

Or at least, I mean, I was like, oh my God, what? That thing is cooking. And then it was a, it was just a relic. All right, let me lower this volume right now.

So yes, we are going back to the Plaguelands. Again, this is supposed to take place after we have destroyed SIVA, of course. And instead, Maya is the one.

See all the little collars around all the cabal here? Maya is the one that's sending all these forces in. And then that right there is the other. That is the exotic. So we're getting an exotic.

Let me see how it shoots. Let me see. Let me listen to it.

We're sending you in to investigate and take action. So we're getting an exotic rocket pulse rifle. Strand.

How busted do we think this is going to be? With an alt firing mode? I mean, look, I don't know.

It just... It seems like it's got a burst fire. Like, it reminds me of Mint.

And we've been playing with Mint a bunch. It's got the... He doesn't shoot it. He just pulls out a rocket right there.

I've seen a few comments talk about like Sturm. Like this is a new exotic. That's an exotic we already have in the game, guys.

And this looks like a reworked drink. Like that just looks like a... Or maybe a new...

Yeah, maybe we're going to get like a tiered version of it. But tell you like how... little people have used this weapon that this isn't new it's not even just like um an old exotic it's like one of the oldest exotics you know what i mean i'm still not gonna use drang uh you might man you might depending on the roles depending on the roles and again sternum is getting the stern drain combos getting a buff and sternum is going to work with lucky pants so uh how do y'all feel about the aesthetic of the armor that you've seen here are they going for like is is this supposed to like resemble like plague land like the like a plague like i don't know ass i gotta say man i mean look i understand the aesthetic it looks terrible you know i mean like there's nothing about this that makes me look sexy what do we what do we i'm trying to just like draw comparisons here it's a reskin of the portal armor hmm okay all right i probably won't be rocking this look just just letting everybody know i mean it's uh it's an interesting look And again, we're getting dungeon layers.

So inside of the portal, it's not going to be an entire dungeon start to finish. It will be encounters from the dungeon within the portal. Hence why it's showing these different dungeons. So that's not menagerie.

That's actually duality. And so duality, warlords, ruin, pit, they'll take encounters from each of those and throw them inside of the portal. And then, of course, we'll have tier loot associated with it. This is, by the way, let me say Warlords is my favorite. But this right here, Warsat Heist.

New exotic mission. Okay. All right. I hope it's juicy, dude.

I hope it's juicy. Is that just saying complete and collect Call to Arms events? There it is.

There's the Mita mini tool. Now, everything that was disclosed in the patch notes makes sense. All of those changes, all those buffs and stuff, maybe not the nerfs, but the buffs, at least to the weapons themselves, make sense.

Well, we're going back to the Plaguelands, guys. I mean, look, I hope it's good. We'll see.

You know, the Plaguelands, you can operate a Brig. You'll be able to run up to the Bag of Brig. Now, tanks versus Brigs, heavy metal makes sense. You'll be able to do this out in the wild. Oh, man, just the way Brigs move. Like, there's nothing like...

It just doesn't look badass. You know what I mean? It almost looks awkward.

I'm fine with it. We'll be able to turn it on the Cabal, I suppose. But without Siva, it's not the same.

Keep in mind, we just... we destroyed SIVA right didn't we destroy SIVA I will say this is uh yeah this this is a much more tame version of the plague lands the other thing is it's like what is the strategic value of the plague lands it's literally called plague lands exactly the kind of area I would even want to hold to begin with unless Mai is trying to claim SIVA for herself that could be it that could be it and and reclaimed the Plagglands new activity. Now, remember what Bungie said about this activity.

They talked it up big, and I hope I'm not taking anything out of context, but if I remember correctly, they said this will be an activity unlike any other we have ever gotten in Destiny. It is a brand new type of activity. And what that means, I have no idea.

Like, what are we talking about? Like, not necessarily a horde mode, not gambits. We've had it.

We've had a number of like public event style activities. I have not played this. I have no idea.

I have not played this guys. What if it's an extraction shooter? Yeah, it doesn't look like that.

I'm gonna be honest. I mean, just basing off of what we're seeing here just kind of looks like kind of public event. Like, you know what I mean?

Kind of like just run in there, take a zone. I mean, it's a very, very simple that we've done in the past, but who knows? All right. Keep in mind. The importance of Ash and Iron.

This is the content that will bridge things from now until Renegades. What you're seeing here in this trailer. This is it, baby.

This is what's going to bridge the gap from now until December. I hope it's enough. Oh, yeah. And the Epic Raid. Yeah, we do have the Epic Raid.

We'll see, guys. We'll see. I think my biggest question is this. Because the Plaguelands wasn't that huge to begin with.

But every territory Bungie has brought back to us has always been like a neutered down version of itself. You know what I mean? Think about all the old areas we've had brought back to us.

It'll be like... half the original scope and size so my question is with the plague lands it's like is this going to be the same size and scope or is this too going to be cut down i think they mentioned they did it y'all remember what was it season the haunted they said they did it because of the ad density it's like they cut down the leviathan there to what its area was right didn't they say it was because of the ad density why we even have to trade for that i don't know guys i don't know we'll see man We'll see. Well, I have no idea what type of new activity.

When they say it's a new activity, I have no idea. It's going to sound crazy. I'm more hyped about Warlord's Ruin being in the portal with whatever tiered loot associated with it than probably everything else. My favorite dungeon, dude. And I don't know.

Maybe the exotic mission is really good. It is a go to dungeon. Getting some crucible weapons.

It's a good trailer. It's a good trailer. I just hope it's enough content.

to excite people. By the way, is this a completely new crossbow? Yeah. I mean, I don't know. Maybe this is the exotic.

We mentioned that there's going to be a heavy exotic. So perhaps this is the new exotic. We know we're getting an exotic heavy though.

Okay. All right. Keep in mind, Ashen Iron is free.

That gear looks like poop. Yep, it's not sexy. I don't, you know what I mean? And it's the tech set. Cross, the weapon with Sturm is a rocket sidearm.

It isn't drang. Slow it down, Cross. Yeah, it's Ark.

All right. Drangon's Sturm. Wouldn't that be a twist if Mungy ended up making like this, this, which, which keep in mind, it could, couldn't, it could be Drangon, could be a completely different weapon too. Could just be a completely different weapon. But if it could have the perk that synergizes with, with, with Sturm.

Fuck. It's a rocket sidearm. All right. All right, guys.

That's the trailer, man. I hope everybody's pumped. Everybody's excited. And then next Tuesday, we're also going to be getting the reveal stream from Bundy themselves. And that is going to show not just Ash and Iron, but also supposed to be showing us Renegades.

Puh! are you bricked? Poll results are coming in right now. Are you bricked? We have rock solid.

We have bricked. I thought it was rock solid. Okay.

Half chub, not even slight chub. All right. So leading right now, not even slight chub at 62%. Half chub though, 24%. Pretty good.

Pretty good. 23, 24%. Bricked, 8%. Rock solid, 6%. Okay.

Am I bricked? I'm waiting to the stream next week to really declare whether I'm bricked or not. I'm still coming off of yesterday's article from Bungie about all my favorite things getting nerfed, including Temporal Blast. So my sh*t's inverted.

We'll see what the TWAB has to say today. Slap that like button like your mama told you right.