Plenty of controversy surrounded Destiny 2 over the past years, and many returning or new players have pondered the question – is the game worth trying out in 2023? Let’s look at the pros and cons of the game in its current iteration to find arguments in favor or against it.

Launch of the Lightfall 

First reviews and players’ impressions of the Lightfall expansions were mixed, leaning towards negative scores. Looking at the Steam page today and seeing negative reviews, does it say a lot right off the bat? Well, yes and no. It certainly shows many frustrations of the player base that results in the review bomb dropped on the game. Even the Mostly Positive rated Witch Queen expansion, arguably one of the best times to play Destiny 2, was caught in the crossfire, receiving nothing but negative reviews.

Looking back at the history of previous expansions, such as Beyond Light and Shadowkeep, having mixed reviews is not exactly a new thing for Destiny. But there is always something positive, and the game is still running, meaning there is more to it than meets the eye.

The expansion storyline was heavily criticized as blank and incomplete, leaving players with more questions than before the campaign. The Strand questline had taken a lot of «screentime» from the main story instead of being introduced as a side activity or part of the seasonal content. The remainder of the story is left for seasons to explore, disappointing many players who bought the game and expected a full-fledged narrative for their money without relying on the Annual Pass next to the increased prices of the Season Pass.

Expansion Content

Where the game lacks in the narrative department, it compensates with captivating gameplay features, such as a new mobility-focused Strand Subclass, a brand new Root of Nightmares Raid, and Neomuna Region. Exploring these new additions will take you on a grand adventure you won’t regret. If you need a group to attend the raid, check out the D2LFG or Destiny2LFG LFG discords and find a fireteam to join for this fascinating group content.

Seasonal Content

Season of the Defiance and Season of the Deep shifted the winds for the better – we are getting more insights and revelations on the remaining questions. Well-crafted chapters of the seasonal storyline bring us closer to the resolution in Final Shape. New activities such as the «Deep Dive» or «Ghosts Of The Deep» dungeon offer unique and refreshing experiences with a new underwater theme never explored in Destiny, introducing a new type of rogue-like gameplay with increasing difficulty and some old familiar faces like Oryx the Taken King himself. 

The newly introduced Exotic Missions are great, as usual – one thing that Bungie seems to make the best is this unique activity that you’ll be able to experience anew shortly – I will elaborate on that upcoming update in a moment.

Best of Destiny – Armor Sets and Weapons

One thing that the game always excels at is the design of the Guardians’ equipment, and new seasonal rewards won’t disappoint either. The aesthetics and gameplay for the Weapons remain the main attraction, with no alternatives for the gunplay that Destiny offers among all First-Person shooters. I can log in to Destiny just to shoot some enemies for a while and enjoy the weapons – it’s truly addictive!

Gearing Up and Quality of Life Changes

For the first time since implementing the seasonal model in Destiny, Season 21 launched without increasing the Pinnacle Cap. While it is good news for those who’ve reached it earlier, the change made things a bit more complicated for the new and returning players. With the pinnacle rewards removed from the Core Playlists, there are fewer sources of the pinnacle upgrades, and most remain locked behind group end-game content. So, reaching the Pinnacle Cap these days may take a while – Bungie has stated that they are playing around with the Power settings, and the goal for the near future is to move away from the necessity of the Power Cap for the Endgame activities.

Optimally, players must complete all remaining sources of Pinnacle loot – Raids and Dungeons included. Confident players can use the D2LFG and Destiny2LFG LFG channels and do their best to run endgame activities or ask for help from professional Destiny players. Just make sure to run the background check and choose the team with the necessary experience – try navigating proven service providers like Kingboost.net, where you can quickly verify service reviews.

The Gear underwent some changes and was made less complicated by removing the Element Type, which needlessly restricted you from using non-matching armor mods. 

The Mod system also received a complete overhaul – every player has access to the mods right away, gone the days of sniping the perfect mod for your build from the Vendor. Fewer restrictions and more opportunities for Buildcrafting!

Once you’ve made a perfect build for the Raid, or the Nightfall, you don’t have to rely on third-party services to Save the Loadout anymore – the Lightfall expansion has finally enabled this much anticipated in-game feature to the delight of the entire community.

The Crafting changed for the better – unnecessary elements are no longer part of the crafting cost equation, and the confusing red borders from all kinds of weapons you could not craft are now gone for good. The new Deepsight Harmonizer rare material can turn eligible for crafting weapons into the Red Border version to help you quickly finish the pattern’s progression. I suggest you save them and use them on the items that are hard to farm, like the Austringer from the Season of the Haunted. 

What to Expect in the Future

The development team shared a few insights on the plans for the game back in February – let’s get a quick summary of the large blog post.

Long Overdue Fireteam Finder

Six years later from the launch of Destiny 2, the team is almost ready to improve the MMO aspect of the game and finally announced the in-game Fireteam Finder, which Destiny players should expect by the end of this year. All these years, we’ve had to rely only on third-party LFG tools to find fire teams for end-game activities such as raids. And, we will have to, for a little longer, but the news is excellent!

Return of the Old Exotic Missions 

Exotic Missions are some of the most amazing content in Destiny 2, and newer players never had the chance to experience the iconic missions before they were Vaulted. While the players can expect such memorable secret missions as Zero Hour and The Whisper to show up on the rotation later down the road, we know that Presage, Vox Obscura, and Seraph’s Shield will be available for the replay as early as Season 22.

The Cosmic Saga Continues

Everything is leading to the grand resolution of the ten years of storytelling. With the first chapter written back in 2014, we are moving toward the Final Shape in 2024. Will you walk this way and be a part of the epic conclusion, or will you watch from afar? The choice is yours.

Verdict

Despite the kinda-flopped launch, the game managed to stand its ground and recover. Some significant Quality of Life upgrades have been implemented, although much work remains to be done. As I mentioned, don’t let the lackluster main storyline discourage you from trying out the fun parts of the core gameplay that Destiny is famous and loved for. Play around with the new subclass, explore the new horizons of the buildcrafting, or enjoy the scenery.

You are not wrong if you are a new player and the game feels overwhelming with the poor job done with the onboarding. But the second-best Destiny side comes into play – community. I’ve never had a similar experience with any other game, with so many players ready to help the New Lights integrate into the Guardians’ ranks, explore the universe, and learn even the most difficult parts of the game. I’ve learned every game in the raid with the unbelievably patient and chill Sherpas that will teach you how to complete encounters no matter how long it will take. Such an attitude inspires you to be better as a person, which not many game communities can offer in such quantity. 

If you want to have fun in the Lightfall – there are plenty of opportunities. It’s up to you to take them or wait a little longer and see where it goes.

– Also, there will be a ton of loot!