Destiny 2: Beyond Lightis the latest annual expansion in massively popular looter shooter series by Bungie. The studio had a lot to prove this year since it was now developing the game entirely split from Activision, the former publisher ofDestiny. Furthermore, fans were becoming jaded by the stagnating and underwhelming nature of some of the game’s core elements. With the release now behind fans, here’s whatBeyond Lightgot right.
Beyond Lightwas preceded byShadowkeep, which really laid down the groundwork for what is to come. It was released at a time whenDestiny 2was in need of a refresh, and Bungie had to devise a plan that would methodically expand the universe without feeling convoluted or diluted. For many fans,Shadowkeepwas a prelude toBeyond Light, and not a full expansion. Regardless, it started the rebranding process of the game and acted as a buffer between the old era ofDestinyand the new.
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Beyond Light’s Campaign
The main plot points of an expansion happen mostly in the campaign. And after experiencing it, many fans were relieved to discover that Bungie still had it when it comes to story.Beyond Lighthad a campaign of good length and satisfying pace. Players weren’t thrown around the main destination haphazardly or artificially busied with menial tasks, and there were multiple high quality cutscenes to take in, while focus was kept by frequently referring to the main antagonist.
A surprising aspect of this experience was the difficulty.Beyond Lightfeatured some challenging story encounters, a rarity inDestiny,asBungie usually keeps the game’s campaigns easy sinceDestinydoesn’t have difficulty settings for story. The varied boss fights kept the combat fresh and acted as a way to slowlyfamiliarize players with Stasis.
New Beyond Light Lore
While major story beats happen during the campaign, the majority of the story can sometimes take place in the lore that bindsDestiny’s every element together.Beyond Lightdefinitely delivered on this front, continuing threads left open years ago, tying together seemingly unrelated characters and events, as well as providing long-awaited details about some fan favorite lore pieces.
Enthusiasts of the franchise had been dying to learn more about the Darkness and the Deep Stone Crypt, so for example, Bungie not only married these concepts but also lets players experience them in the form of a Raid.Exos have been a point of fascinationfor many and this expansion gave them the treatment thatForsakenhad given to the Awoken. A pleasant surprise came in the form of a redesigned lore tab which makes collecting and reading lore easier and more enjoyable.
Destiny 2 Characters
Bungie gave lots ofDestiny 2characters a moment in the spotlight this time around.Beyond Lightbrought together long forgotten figuressuch as the Exo Stranger, controversial ones such as Variks, and continued giving attention to last season’s show stealers like Eris and the Drifter. The game is also making efforts to get characters to be more interactive and lively during gameplay, and give them more agency instead of having little to no say in story developments.
Europa
Every single character inBeyond Lightis there because of Europa. The location acts as a unifying threat and opportunity, andDestinygreatly benefits when the location has this big of a role in the entire experience. Gameplay wise,Europa is expertly made, featuring novel set pieces, an immense total area, and so many secrets to discover. The fact that this zone was teased many years ago through concept art and journal entries is just icing on the cake.
Forsakenwas a hard bar to cross simply because it featured two brand new zones, not one. That being said,Beyond Lightis not a disappointment due to how ambitious Europa is. Not only does it feel bigger than any other zone, especially when counting the explorable areas that are outside the map boundaries, it is packed with challenges, pursuits, mini-games, mini-activities, weekly missions, destination-specific events, and more. It is also home to some of the game’s fewMaster and Legend Lost Sectors, a solo challenge on top of being a dedicated way of earning specific exotics.
Deep Stone Crypt Raid
It should be no surprise that Europa also featuresthe Deep Stone Crypt, a much anticipated location and Raid. Whatever the reaction may be to the twists and turns the Raid’s story and encounters took, the execution was well done. The Raid Race was exciting to watch as participants explored and solved this excursion. For example, one of the game’s longest standing villains, Clovis Bray, also made his first in-game appearance in Deep Stone Crypt. From the awe inspiring space scenes to the bombastic finale, Deep Stone Crypt will likely be one of the more memorable Raids inDestiny.
Destiny 2 Stasis
Depending on the player, Stasis might be the most noteworthy feature of the expansion or potentially the most hated, but it remains as possibly the most critical addition toDestinyof the expansion. This is the first new element to be ever added to the game, and it came with brand new and customizable subclasses alongside being featured on weapons and enemy types. This is a momentous departure from the game’s classic three element, three subclass formula and opens the way for a far richer and more ambitious RPG experience. It also goes without saying that Bungie did a really great jobmaking Stasis feel fun, fresh, and unique. Fans had been dreaming about “Dark Guardians” for many years, and Stasis finally delivered on that fantasy.
Customizable Destiny 2 Subclasses
As stated earlier, Stasis also came with new subclasses, but more importantly, customizable ones. Bungie tried to move back to theD1system and let players feel more connected to their way of play by offering methods ofpersonalizing how their Dark Guardian plays. There are game changing perks to choose from, and all of them are earned through gameplay challenges on Europa. Stasis subclasses are very potent and emphasize concepts like crowd-control which seldom appear inDestiny. They also leave an exciting precedent for future subclasses or reworks for existing ones.
Destiny 2 Weapon Perks
Weapon sunsetting surely upset many fans and it will perhaps leave a sour taste for a while. Even though the loot pool got hit particularly hard, the new weapons added have quite interesting perks. Bungie seems to be moving away from simple damage and reload related perks that blatantly increase efficiency. Instead, the focus is more towards nuanced and creative perks. This season’s weapons feature multiple loadout inspiring perks that may help create more dynamic weapon metas as time goes on. This may feel like a downgrade for those who don’t want to think about buildcrafting, but it is a good step to take ifBungie wants to introduce newer and different gunsseason after season.
Destiny 2 Armor Mods
The armor mod system got changed in a few surgical ways. Firstly, elemental affinity from weapon related mods have been lifted, giving players many more build choices. To counteract the bloat this would cause, lesser mods have had their potency increased to that of enhanced mods, and enhanced mods have thus been deprecated. This has elevated the average power of mods and freed up space in mod inventories.
Moreover, raid mods have been moved to their own slot, giving raid armor an edge over other pieces. Seasonal mod slots on armor obtained beforeBeyond Lightnow has a legacy mod slot accepting mods from the entirety of the previous year. Meanwhile, allBeyond Lightarmor, including exotics, have a new combat style mod slot that accepts some crucial build defining mods such as Warmind Celland Charged with Light mods.
Last, but certainly not least,Champion mods go on armor nowinstead of weapons, freeing up weapons' only mod slot and allowing exotic weapons to benefit from Champions effects. Previously, exotic weapons were almost a liability in certain scenarios since they couldn’t accept Champion mods, but this change has opened up many more loadout possibilities.
Customizable Ghosts
Similar to armor,Ghosts are also fully customizable now, fitted with their own mod system. Players can choose any Ghost based on how it looks, since every Ghost has the same mod slots and capabilities as of November 10. The majority of Ghost mods have already been given to players, and newly added ones drop from simply playing the game. This allows for some on the fly customization and eliminates needless debates on which Ghost to use based on functionality and form. It also means that the player technically needs only one Ghost to keep around.
