Bungie andDestiny 2have been in crisis mode since the launch of the much-malignedDestiny 2: Lightfall. Billed as the penultimate episode before the big finale,Lightfallcame and went with a whimper, neither doing a good job at setting up The Witness as the big bad or giving players solid content outside of the introduction of Strand. The promise to clear things up during paid seasons didn’t sit well with players who paid for the expansion. On top of that, the big reveal forDestiny 2: The Final Shapewas a dud with players fighting the same enemies, using the same powers and battling in recycled areas. With pre-orders reportedly down remarkably compared toLightfallandThe Witch Queenand engagement inDestiny 2dropping, Bungie ultimately decided to delayDestiny 2: Lightfallfrom its February release to June 4. Was it the right move? It might have been.
Bungie came roaring back this past week to showcase what they’ve spent the additional months working on. In short, what they showed was impressive. Compared to the anemic initial showing, last week’s showcase featured a ton of new features and content that makeDestiny 2: The Final Shapefeel more like a proper, final expansion.
Finally, a new enemy faction
Probably the most important reveal was that of a new enemy faction. After years of neglect, the enemy sandbox is getting a refreshing new faction to battle, the Dread. Twisted by The Witness, the Dread features a roster of fierce combatants with unique abilities and play styles aimed at shaking up the way you battle. The Dread are made up of five units; the Tormentors first introduced inLightfall, the previously-revealed Subjugators and the following units:
For a game in desperate need of more variety, the introduction of the Dread is a positive development. While they’ll appear in the Traveler’s Pale Heart, it remains unknown if their presence will extend to other locations.
The sixth subclass cometh
Bungie also revealed that, in addition to the previously-announced new Light Supers for the existing subclasses,Destiny 2: The Final Shapeintroduces a sixth subclass. The Prismatic subclass isn’t a light or darkness subclass, but rather one that allows Guardians to wield the power of light and darkness at the same time.
The goal of Prismatic is to give Guardians new ways to customize their toolkit by combining the three Light subclasses with the two Darkness subclasses. Bungie promises this new subclass will provide new options for players to customize how they play. In addition, each class gets a unique grenade. Warlocks combine Stasis and Void, Titans get Strand and Arc, and Hunters mix Solar and Stasis together.
Classy Exotics
Destiny 2 The Final Shape Premier Trailer Reveals New Subclass, Faction, More
Bungie has given players the first look at what is coming in Destiny 2, The Final Shape.
There’ll be a new type of Exotic to collect whenDestiny 2: The Final Shapelaunches. For the first time sinceDestiny 1, players can acquire Exotic class items (Cloaks for Hunters, Marks for Titans, and Bonds for Warlocks). UnlikeDestiny’sbasic Exotic class items, these come with Exotic-level Perks. Perks will be randomized and take two features from existing Exotic class items to enhance your Guardian.
There’s still hope for Destiny 2: The Final Shape
Destiny 2: The Final Shapeappears to be back on track. After a disastrous initial showing, Bungie appears to be listening and buffed up the core experience. The long-awaited introduction of a new enemy faction, a sixth subclass to play around with and more Exotics to pursue are excellent additions on top of the new area, new Light-based Supers and more focused narrative. These are all positive developments, but it’s still up to Bungie to execute successfully.
Many ofDestiny 2’sprevious expansions have looked good on paper, but arguably, only a handful have delivered high-quality campaigns, activities and content. It’s easy to get trapped in the hype cycle for a newDestiny 2expansion, something thatDestiny 2: Lightfalltaught everyone. Still, there’s no denying thatDestiny 2: The Final Shapeis in a much better shape than it was a few months. It’s now up to Bungie to fully deliver when it launches this summer. That delay may have saved this expansion.
Destiny 2: The Final Shapelaunches June 4 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PS4 and Xbox One.Destiny 2: Into the Light, a free content update, is available to play now.
