Destiny 2: Forsaken Reviews

Bungie has once again brought their game back from the brink - but is it enough to entice players to return that have been burned twice before?

Forsaken looks and feels like the Destiny 2 we all wanted at launch. It now has to stand the test of time, but the first few weeks of the game are a solid indication that Bungie has learned from their mistakes, and are on a path to perfecting what the game should be. Good story, great core mechanics, a satisfying and rewarding grind, and a really exemplary unique game mode mark Forsaken as one of the best expansions in the life of the series. If you were holding out or looking for the moment to dive into Destiny 2, this is it.

Bungie has done an excellent job in, not just creating enough content for the game’s fourth season and start of the second year, but in reviving a game that stuttered after its initial launch. Whether you’re glued to PvE or PvP, Forsaken caters for both players even with its fun and unique new Gambit mode and range of bounties across all current and previously introduced areas. The one problem I’ve found is that while the content is great, it can be a bit too grindy on the road to the Raid level requirement. That being said, we all wanted more content and got just that. If you’re unsure about this game, don’t be: Forsaken is the best that Destiny 2 has ever been.

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Destiny 2: Forsaken is a personal story of vengeance. When your Guardian and Cayde-6 get a distress call to help deal with a riot in the Prison of Elders, an intergalactic penitentiary housing the worst of the Fallen, Red Legion, Hive and the new enemy type, The Scorn.

The franchise has been a standard bearer for the concept of “games as a service” – titles that offer regularly refreshed challenges and updated content in order to keep people playing regularly (and paying regularly) for a long period of time – and at times developer Bungie and publisher Activision have struggled to find the right balance.

Destiny 2: Forsaken is Destiny at its best. Many of the systems that players loved from the original have returned, and many features from Destiny 2 have been refined. If Bungie continues to produce expansions like this then Destiny will certainly last for ten years as promised.

Destiny 2’s new expansion, Forsaken, turns the game into something that people can play as much as they want without running out of things to do. If anything, its tantalizing new pursuits, designed to satisfy the appetites of the series’ most voracious players, may be too life-consuming.

We’re now in the third week of Destiny 2: Forsaken. The hardest Raid in Destiny’s history is out. The Iron Banner Crucible event has returned. And things keep evolving. Where players expected answers, more questions and mysteries keep rising in their place in the best of ways. We’re three weeks in and I am deeply invested in a way that I haven’t been since early in Destiny 1′s life. My clan is active again and loving every moment of hunting for powerful gear and solving the mysteries that Bungie throws at us. The studio embraced the longtime fans that want more content, deeper content. For better, worse, and everything in between, the hobby is back with Destiny 2: Forsaken.

With Destiny 2: Forsaken, I keep coming back to the old aphorism,"A rising tide lifts all boats." This update not only has improved Destiny 2 for those buying the expansion, but also for all players, regardless of the version they own. Playing on an account without Forsaken I was able to acquire gear from the new expansion, and the new daily and weekly challenges were also available on the account meaning the incentivisation loop that keeps you playing is there for all players. Thus far, Bungie has delivered on all fronts and even admitted its mistakes with the launch and first year of Destiny 2. Now it’s not only brought back what made me love the first Destiny when it was at its best, but also added a ton of requests that fans – myself included – have wanted for years.

Ongoing games must constantly rediscover themselves to remain relevant. Destiny 2: Forsaken is a robust adventure characterized by darker themes, character-driven storytelling, and a set of thoughtfully imagined missions, enemies, and locations. But it’s also a reinvention of the franchise’s core systems and goals. Catering chiefly to dedicated players, Forsaken’s lengthy grind, complex upgrade systems, and focus on the endgame loop doesn’t invite easy engagement from newcomers. Accessibility may have taken a hit, but the resulting depth provides replayability and richness, and makes the franchise stronger than it has been in years. The expansion draws on many of the previous iterations’ best traits and melds them into a day-to-day experience that is hard to walk away from.

Forsaken is by far the best expansion Bungie has released to date. It offers some great storytelling, fun new subclasses, and weapons, reworks some existing systems to make content more accessible and has even progressed in making the whole experience fun. Despite still trying to find the sweet spot with endgame grinding, Destiny 2 Forsaken is worth the purchase price and offers fans of the series a satisfying experience from start to finish.

Forsaken does more than expand Destiny 2: it rewrites it for the better.

Aside from some launch issues, Destiny 2: Forsaken is everything that it needs to be and more. The content is engaging, progression is slow, steady and rewarding. Mission structure is novel, even if some of the morals of the story can fall flat. With the Dreaming City as amazing and dynamic as it currently is, I couldn’t be more excited for the new Strike and the Last Wish Raid.

Destiny 2: Forsaken is shooting and looting at it's best. Taking down Uldren and conquering the Dreaming City is an absolute blast. And with the changes and additions to the sandbox, there are more ways to be a badass than we've ever seen before. Destiny is back, baby. And this time it's in it for the long haul.

Destiny 2 Forsaken is a step in the right direction for the title but under delivers in the story department. If you like Destiny 2, then this expansion is for you.

Forsaken is what Destiny 2 should've been at launch, featuring a new PvP mode, a serious story filled with intrigue, and fairly compelling characters. While this is the best that Destiny has ever been, improvements can still be made