'The Witch Queen' Is An All Time High For Destiny

You may recall from some earlier posts that I'm a huge Destiny fan/apologist (depending on who you ask). I've been playing both Destiny 1 and 2 consistently since the first title launched (I have the Destiny edition PS4 and everything), and I've stuck with the series even in its worst moments ('Curse of Osiris'). Through it all, I've seen Destiny get so close to realizing its potential as a story-driven action mmo, especially with famously good expansions like 'The Taken King' and 'Forsaken' (which I actually did a piece on shortly after it was released), but with 'The Witch Queen', I think they've finally done it. As of this expansion's launch, I think I can officially call Destiny 2 the best mmo currently on the market.

With the gameplay and story already at pretty high quality following the last few seasons of content, 'Witch Queen' explodes onto the scene with a dense, story rich, visually stunning, action packed and exceptionally challenging (by Destiny standards anyway) campaign that has left me immensely excited for what Bungie still has in store for the series.

Digging deep into their always-exciting lore for this one, Bungie takes us on a journey that is so much more than just "hunt the new big bad and their subordinates", something that was overdone in previous expansions. Savathun, the titular Witch Queen, is a fully realized, very well fleshed out character in this story. She's not just "Oryx, part 2: Electric Boogaloo". In her own words, she "refuses to play second fiddle to her brother", she's "not the Taken Queen", she's a clever and conniving villain that we've been building to for years, and she's given the story weight she deserves (although I won't go into spoilers for her arc here). Instead of simply re-doing their original rage fueled Hive god villain in Oryx, Bungie elects to make Savathun a character, with real motivations, compelling dialogue, and a plot that will keep you guessing at every turn.

The story itself is a series of unexpected twists and turns as favorite characters return, familiar faces face hard truths, and the status quo for what we know of the Destiny universe is somewhat turned on its head. One cutscene in particular had me exclaiming out loud in surprise. Bungie has cleverly used what we know of the universe to subvert many of our expectations in exciting ways, leaving new paths for future stories to explore. With one of the long-looming threats to humanity now given a face (as of the end of 'Witch Queens' campaign), and questions raised about who's really on our side, Bungie is poised to shake the foundations of the story we're used to, and I can't wait to see it happen.

But all of that is secondary to an mmo, the primary question is: How is the gameplay, and I'm happen to report that there have been fairly extensive gameplay tweaks for the better. New weapon perks abound, with guns now having an extra, unique perk based on their manufacturer that allows you to experiment with different synergies, and the new weapon crafting system allows you to min/max these new synergies to best fit your play style. The new weapon type, Glaives, are a blast, which will come as no surprise to anyone who's played a Bungie game before (they know how to make fun weapons). Likewise, the new exotic weapons (massively powerful weapons with unique perks) make you feel suitably unstoppable in standard game modes, and help to balance out the difficulty of the excellent new Legendary campaign mode.

Aside from new and powerful weapons, 'Witch Queen' also introduces us to Void 3.0, the first in a series of subclass updates designed to give players more agency in the customization of their Guardian's abilities, and it feels AWESOME. The updated player abilities, and the option to tailor them to a specific playstyle, makes the Void subclass feel brand new, and exceptionally powerful. I thought my Guardian felt strong before, but these changes allow you to mix and match the best bits of every subclass and be strong in the way you find most exciting; while I personally tailored my new void class to stealth and crowd control, there are also options for massive damage output, bolstering you teams protective abilities, and self healing. If this is a preview of things to come in the following seasons, the future of class gameplay in Destiny is very bright indeed.

The visual and sound design are also setting standards not just for Destiny, but for mmo's at large. Jaw dropping visuals wait around any given corner, terrifying new enemies howl in the distance, creatures crawl around you unseen in pitch-dark caverns, and the unmistakable sound of Supers being cast by your newly Light-infused enemies strikes a proper amount of fear into you (especially on Legendary). New weapon and finisher animations have a heft to them that gives all of your actions a great "punch". Likewise, the score, which has always been strong in Destiny, isn't slacking at all here; Within minutes of booting up the campaign, I could already tell I was in for one of the best soundtracks in the series to date.

As for flaws? I really haven't had anything diminish my enjoyment just yet. Destiny is kind of at a point where Bungie has been doing this for so long, they've ironed out most of the creases in the game, and all of the added content is a blast. I will say to those who would dare: starting off the campaign at Legendary difficulty on your first go-round is rough, it's almost unforgiving at times, but damn is it enjoyable if you can manage to stick it out.

I've barely even scratched the surface of what this current expansion, and this new season, have to offer, but based on my experience with 'Witch Queen' so far, I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that this is the best Destiny has ever been, bolstered by the recent addition of the cross-system play feature and, as of this expansions launch, over one million active players. Whether you're a Destiny vet who's been looking for a reason to come back, or a curious newcomer, I can promise there's never been a better time to get a taste of Destiny, because Bungie is in top form here.

My only complaint is that this launched two days before Elden Ring.

5/5, Bungie has set the bar pretty high with this one.