The moment character creation was done, I was thrust into the world as a Guardian who had something to prove. I was dropped into the Old Russia map, a setting that I thought I had grown tired of after watching countless gameplay videos. Needless to say, I was never happier to be in Russia.

Looking around, I got to take in the massive area for myself (what of it I could see, at least). There were ruined buildings, a massive wall, rusted structures, decaying vehicles, and rolling hills. At just the right time, the skillful voice acting of Peter Dinklage (Tyrion in Game of Thrones) as my Ghost (a mechanical guide, companion, and Swiss Army Knife which every Guardian has) cut in and pointed me in the right direction.

Not too long after I was given my first objective where I encountered my first scuffle with a few Fallen enemies. I can’t say they had the smartest AI, but I frequently found myself playing more dynamically when they would duck behind rocks and take pot shots at me. The enemies in this game really force you to move from time to time.

Once I got my first taste of the combat I wanted more, and my ghost assured me there was more to be had. Boy was he right. As I crested one of the larger hills, I expected my goal to be right on the other side. That’s when it hit me just how large Old Russia was. I got to the top and found myself looking out over a massive dead airfield. There were rusted planes all over the place in various states of disrepair. Packs of enemies were also littered all about.

I fought my way through the field over the course of a few minutes and eventually got to the building where my true goal was. Once I had dealt with all of the Fallen in my path, I found myself faced with an impressively sealed door. Luckily my Ghost was handily able to unlock it while informing me a bit about the world I had just stepped foot in.

This is where I got acquainted with the second faction that I would be going toe to toe with for the rest of the alpha, the Hive. My Ghost was just as surprised as I was when, from the darkness, a large group of the zombie-esque Thralls rushed me. They’re the kind of enemies that are easily put down, but become dangerous when they swarm. My Ghost informed me that they shouldn’t have been there and I couldn’t help but agree with him as I put round after round into their infantry.

Worse still, all of this occurred in an area which was pitch black (save for the small flashlight that my Ghost provided). Although the Hive with weaponry had a telltale glow, the most horrifying thing was turning to the sudden appearance of a Thrall mid-swing.

I breathed a heavy sigh of relief after clearing the area of monstrous baddies; little did I know the battle was still far from over. As I ascended the stairs, I was informed that there was something particularly tough ahead when my Ghost yelled, “If you see anything flying in the air, you have to shoot it!” That little warning happens to be a general rule of thumb for me regardless when it comes to games.

Before I knew it, more Thralls had tried to jump me and I laid eyes on their leader that which my Ghost had warned me about, the Wizard. Only to make things worse, this was the first time I had encountered an enemy with shields. It took some time, but I eventually put the Wizard (and the rest of the Hive army with it) down. That’s where the mission ended and rest of the game began for me.

For anyone wondering, that wasn’t the last time I participated in that mission. Destiny didn’t discourage me from going back into the story mission. Quite the opposite, there were different difficulties that added modifiers to the combat. The more difficult mode resulted in my guns dealing less damage and my armor being less effective. Luckily the game offered a suggested level for the difficulties and was quite on the mark. I found the harder difficulty perfectly fitting for my character when I was at the proper level, and horrendously difficult when I was below level.

Make sure to keep up with the whole “My Time With the Destiny Alpha” series over on the hub!

Myles K Farrington is a new writer on the MONG team and a rather dapper fellow. Keep up with him over at IGN, Twitch, and Twitter as well!