Destiny made a great progress way since it began in 2022. With multiple problems that needed ironing out together with a coherent story, quality of life improvements, end game content, plus much more, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen has finally reached the summit from the franchise’s original scope. With as good of the story as you can get from the live service game, several new game-changing additions, and merely about the best feeling first-person shooter game on the planet right now, The Witch Queen is the best Destiny 2 has have you been.
In this review, I’ll avoid commenting on the core of Destiny 2, but instead, attempt to focus solely on The Witch Queen expansion. In summary Destiny 2 briefly, it is a visual and mechanical masterpiece. Unlike other games that focus on something, Destiny 2 chooses to get it done all. If you are searching for PvP mayhem, you can stay with Crucible. If you are searching for any solid story mixed with open-world side quests, the campaign and Vanguard missions have your back. Destiny 2 has something for each player, which is all extremely fun. Now, with that established, how does The Witch Queen expansion improve upon the tried-and-true Destiny 2 formula?
Table of Contents
- The Hunt for The fact is Addicting (The Campaign and Throne World)
- Be alert, Guardian (The Legendary Mode)
- Attuned towards the Light (The Crafting, Glaive, and Deepsight Resonance Weapons)
- Void 3.0 is the Super for me personally (The Void 3.0 Subclass)
The Search for The fact is Addicting
The first major addition that Destiny 2: The Witch Queen brings is a brand-new campaign occur the new map known as the Throne World. Don’t be turned off if this is the first Destiny 2 expansion or you haven’t played in a while. Speaking like a returning Destiny 2 fan that has missed multiple expansions and hasn’t played in many years, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen does a great job of catching you up on the storyline fairly at the start of the campaign.
The story of Destiny 2: The Witch Queen centers around Savathun, a Hive God that's been lurking about within the shadows of past expansions’ stories. Without spoiling an excessive amount of, The Witch Queen campaign sees you infiltrating Savathun’s Throne World, discovering the reality through her memories, and eventually taking her down. While there are several unanswered questions at the conclusion, that's to become expected from a live service game, and the overall plot and pacing from the Witch Queen campaign is enjoyable.
The missions themselves within the Witch Queen campaign are different and fun. Each one of these goes to a different part of the Throne World where you learn new things, whether that be a new mechanic or story beat. For instance, early on, you will learn using Deepsight to reveal platforms or passageways which were hidden from view. At the end of most missions is really a unique boss battle that keeps things fresh. The settings are gorgeous, the musical accompaniment is amazing, plus some of the moments within the missions are really unforgettable.
Be alert, Guardian
Another new addition that The Witch Queen brings to the table is the Legendary difficulty for campaign missions. Like their original Halo games, Bungie has offered players the choice to play and/or replay the campaign on the harder difficulty called Legendary. This new difficulty will truly test out your mettle but probably reward you with more and better loot which makes the campaign missions that rather more fun to revisit solo or having a couple of friends.
What isn’t fun is when crushingly hard it is to accomplish sometimes. Although the difficulty does scale with each participant in your Fireteam, completing the campaign on Legendary for your try could be soul-crushing. Don’t misunderstand me, the Legendary difficulty continues to be loads of fun, however when it is too challenging, returning to the Classic difficulty seems like Bungie is serving toddlers. It could be a player issue in which I should have leveled up a little prior to trying to best the Legendary difficulty of each mission on my small very first time around, but just be warned.
Attuned towards the Light
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen introduces weapon crafting in to the game the very first time. Early on within the campaign, the sport walks you through weapon shaping as you create The Enigma, your first Glaive which is a new weapon within the Witch Queen. It is surprising that weapon crafting hasn’t come sooner to Destiny 2 as weapon modification, specifically for Exotic weapons, is Destiny 2 end game bread and butter. The crafting product is an ideal fit in Destiny 2.
The Glaive is really a spear-like weapon that, along with hacking and slashing, can deploy a shield and shoot projectiles. It's awesome. Unlike the Sword, the Glaive keeps the player in the first person and is a Special weapon. The Glaive is a great weapon that works very well in many circumstances. After chopping down hordes of Hive Thrall, you are able to spin around and shoot the Acolytes behind you. This new weapon is another excellent new accessory for Destiny 2.
Lastly, there are Deepsight Resonance weapons. These special types of weapons will end up available beginning with “The Investigation” quest and can fundamentally alter the way you play. Working with the crafting system, Deepsight Resonance weapons are random weapons picked up from enemies or rewarded from missions. They have a special type of progression called Attunement which fills with use. Oftentimes, completing a Deepsight Resonance weapon’s Attunement will unlock that weapon pattern for crafting, but when Attuned these weapons will invariably reward players with materials needed for crafting. Due to this new addition, you will find yourself constantly using new guns which, consequently, switches your playstyle, further making adventuring through Destiny 2 feel meaningful, productive, and entertaining.
Void 3.0 is the Subclass for Me
The Void subclass got a makeover in Destiny 2: The Witch Queen. Nothing too crazy changed about the Void subclass, however you are able to choose from three Supers, multiple grenades, Aspects, and Fragments. Also, each Guardian class specializes in a couple of six categories with Void 3.0: Titans get Overshield and Volatile, Hunters get Invisibility and Weaken, and Warlocks get Devour and Suppression.
All of these extra customizations and class-specific changes make Void 3.0 incredibly flexible and fun. Switching up the way your abilities work with how you want to play is satisfying. But there are some downsides to the new subclass. First, since both Solar and also the Arc subclasses didn’t get the 3.0 treatment, the Void subclass is in a league of their own with regards to customization and playability. Second, once you discover your preferred Super, grenade, Aspects, and Fragments, there isn't any reason to alter them. It might have been smart to announce the Void, Solar, and Arc 3.0 rollout schedule at the outset of Season 16 or release the 3.0 update for all of them with The Witch Queen, but for now there is no info on assuming Solar or Arc will get their 3.0 spotlight.
The Verdict
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is the next chapter within an already exhilarating game, an instalment that by itself reiterates and expands around the existing excellence of the core game. Having a thrilling new campaign, a thrilling new weapon, the addition of crafting and its effect on the weapon economy, as well as an upgraded subclass, The Witch Queen is Destiny at its all-time best.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen can be obtained now on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One, Google Stadia, and PC.
