Destiny enthusiasts have been waiting a long time for this latest expansion, and Bungie has rewarded that patience with an stellar installment. The Witch Queen is one of the studio’s most complex releases, both in terms of storytelling and gameplay, and that complexity is especially rewarding for longtime players. The same depth across the entire width of the expansion also means that newer or timed players may find it difficult to climb aboard. For those who grasp the full range of what’s on offer, the Sorceress Queen has both tricks up her sleeve and handles a lot.
Destiny 2’s story has been building on this conflict for some time now, and I’m impressed with how the narrative investment pays off when so many pieces fall into place. Savathûn is a devious and scheming villain, and it’s fun to have her intrigues finally come to light. But The Witch Queen’s more impressive storytelling achievement is the nuance with which it now treats its characters and plot. Previous implications of the simple dark and light duality of the universe are systematically overridden with entanglements rooted in character motivations and moral issues.
In particular, the campaign missions this time are particularly powerful. That excellence is thanks to some awe-inspiring environments and some cleverly designed battles, but it’s also enhanced by the new legendary playthrough option. Played that way, the missions will take longer and require a careful loading of strategy and approach, but with better commensurate rewards to make it worth it. I also enjoyed the new light-wielding Hive enemies and how they started fighting. As an approach to challenging enemy types, it feels more interesting than the Champion system we’ve seen in recent iterations and is also rooted in the saga. thought.
Whether fighting new enemies bearing the Ghost-Bear Hive or more familiar ones, I was particularly pleased with the balancing work done on legendary quests to make them challenging and enjoyable. whether playing solo or as a battle group. The entire campaign experience is framed as a mystery story that takes place on a spiritual backdrop of memory and hidden truths, and that narrative framework combines satisfactorily with post-campaign storytelling. satisfied.
Throne World’s new destination is one of the most visually compelling series, defined by two extremes. On one side is the edifice towering over Savathûn’s vast palace grounds – a testament to her moth-like strength and beauty. That aesthetic has given way to an extremely otherworldly swamp that feels dirty and overgrown. At both ends, there are secrets to uncover and impressive sights to see.
Weapon crafting is a particularly welcome new direction, providing Guardians with the opportunity to shape a wide variety of the latest weapons into exactly the shape they want. Doing so takes time and encourages a small leveling experience for each preferred weapon along with character development. The options to tweak and prioritize load times are fun, but it’s also a system that exacerbates the game’s inherent currency problem. This process requires so many items that even as a longtime player I find myself struggling and just randomly gaining new resources, hopefully I will eventually. get what you need. I was also frustrated by some weapons that I couldn’t craft with the system; some of my new favorite additions to the arsenal just aren’t supported by crafting.
At the heart of the new weapon crafting options is the arrival of the glaive weapon prototype; Hybrid weapons are extremely entertaining. I took a kick from its ranged one-shot explosions, blocked with a shield, and then dashed in for a high-risk melee trade. The weapon does what a new prototype should do; feels like something new that fills a niche and need I didn’t know I had.
The crafting potential from weapon crafting is further enhanced by the rework of Void’s subclasses. Now structured in the same way as the recently introduced Stasis powerhouse, the new approach to Void is incredibly flexible and powerful. Clever perks and power-ups can transform a character’s abilities. At this point, my biggest problem is that Stasis and Void are now the only way I want to play; The promised Arc and Solar remakes can’t come anytime soon, as they currently feel lackluster in comparison.
Along with the campaign, a host of special weapon missions, new multiplayer raids, and exploration missions have been launched, especially if you choose to purchase a season pass. All in all, from the new PsiOps to the recently unlocked raid story missions, the focus is in line with what we saw in last year’s content – lots of enemies, huge play space, and plenty of opportunities. Assembly for large-scale extermination. I especially enjoy the push and pull dynamics of the new Wellspring run, as each day slips between offensive and defensive variations. Like the issue of currency and resources, my biggest problem with the latest operations is that the language has evolved to be particularly unclear. “Umbral Risen Energy found using Psychogenic Intel to decode Runic Chests given after PsiOps Battlegrounds” is a catchphrase, even among lore devotees.
The culmination of all this high-level activity is a thrilling new raid. The Oath of Disciple is a deep dive into one of the mysterious pyramid ships, and it’s one of the strangest of all, filled with relics of mysterious experiments and forgotten cultures. The reliance on visuals and symbols goes far beyond what players have faced before – it’s the equivalent of learning a whole new alphabet of runes – and encounters provide a sense of accomplishment. real work when you learn vocabulary. I appreciate the technical complexity of the encounters but sometimes yearn for the vernacular and continuity annotations a little less.
The Sorcerer Queen is a particularly powerful expansion, with a particular focus on customizing the gameplay experience and rewarding longtime players’ investment in the story and system. If that’s not the most welcoming time for players to get in, that might be the price the developers at Bungie are willing to pay at this point. The eponymous storyline that opened in 2014 is slowly reaching its climax, and it’s possible that the developers are increasingly interested in building a ride for those who’ve been using the medium for a while.
