I never saw Crank 2: High Voltage, the sequel to one of Jason Statham’s most ludicrous action films. In the original, his character has to keep his adrenaline up by any means necessary to slow the effects of the deadly poison in his body. For the second outing in the Crank cinematic universe, he had to keep electrocuting himself to ensure that his heart kept running. And while I may not have seen it, Bungie’s designers certainly have — they cite it as an influence for the upcoming Arc 3.0 rework in Destiny 2 in a post today introducing some of the changes.
Arc 3.0 is all about mobility, holding the W key down and rushing forward while also keeping some key buffs running to help you demolish enemies like a supercharged action hero. The main mechanic introduced in the Bungie post is “amplified,” which increases both speed and agility, allowing for longer slides and quicker weapon handling. Amplified works a little differently than previous 3.0 subclass mechanics, being accessible to all Guardians without equipping any specific Aspect or Fragment. All Arc classes get the amplified buff after rapidly defeating targets with any Arc damage — including weapons — but Aspects and Fragments will also provide other ways to get the buff or advantages associated with having it.
That’s not all, though, as amplified is also the gateway to another buff called Speed Booster. Bungie explains that this works a little like Samus’s ability in Metroid games which enables her to shift into a superfast speed after running for a few seconds. In Destiny 2, sprinting for a few seconds while amplified will increase the Guardian’s speed even further, additionally providing a damage resistance buff in PvE and an even-longer slide ability. This boost to speed will persist as long as the Guardian is sprinting, even after amplified expires.
The whole point of Arc 3.0, then, seems to be getting to and from engagements as quickly as possible. Think like Jason Statham, and figure out how to get amplified, then move to the next fight, rinse and repeat. This sounds like a lot of fun for PvE, though I’m not sure exactly how it’s all going to play out in PvP, where mobility can be a game-changer. Is Arc 3.0 going to dominate the Crucible? I guess we’ll have to wait until next week to find out. For now though, I feel pretty confident in predicting that there is not going to be a mechanic in Destiny 2 where you have sex with Amy Smart on a horse racetrack to keep your amplified buff going.
