It just makes sense to give players a taste of what is to come to see if they want to take part in more of it. I have always been a proponent of Bungie implementing easier versions of raid and dungeon mechanics into the main game, and they have finally done it. Unlike every other Destiny campaign, missions involve puzzles, slightly more difficult platforming sections, and the use of buffs in combat to deal with tougher enemies. I plan to cover exotic quests, the crafting system, the missions after the campaign, and the raid at a later date, but for now let’s get into the gameplay offered in The Witch Queen’s missions.ĭestiny endgame content has always offered the best mechanics in first person PvE shooters, but those mechanics have not always been translated into the main story missions. It’s truly something special to witness, and I definitely don’t want to spoil it here.Īt this point, I have fully completed the campaign, but there is more to investigate and engage with after the main missions are done. As a fan of the lore, I thought the game was just recapping a scene for unaware players, but it turns out it was offering a huge twist that shook the foundations of my Destiny lore understanding. There was one scene in particular that left me floored. While some of the moment-to-moment writing has characters telling you to “go this place and then to that one,” the way the big picture plays out is incredible. The writing is on par with the voice acting, which is to say, excellent. Debra Wilson is frighteningly good as Savathun and even has some surprisingly soft moments that are still laced with just the right amount of Hive edge. Ikora really goes through some things part way through the story, and Mara Junot sells every last bit of it. Again, Ikora Rey, voiced by Mara Junot, and Savathun, voiced by Debra Wilson, steal the show. Hand-in-hand with the animation is the amazing voice acting by everyone involved. Ikora Rey and Savathun get the most time to shine in these scenes and the level of detail on Savathun’s skull-like face in particular is bone-chilling. Destiny 2 has never looked as beautiful or cinematic as it has in these scenes. Here, it feels like we are active participants in the investigation of how Savathun stole the light and what she plans to do.Ī large part of the credit for the success of The Witch Queen’s story has to go to the team that handles the game’s cutscenes, because they knocked it out of the park. Intrigue and internal conflict drive this story forward, making it so much more complex than campaigns of old where Guardians are essentially pointed in a direction and told to go kill things. Just like a noir film, no one is ever really one hundred percent trustworthy, and that is what the story needs.
Characters’ motivations are always hidden just out of reach, whether it is Eris Morn, Ikora Rey, or Savathun. Twists and turns abound, without the story ever feeling subversive just for the sake of it. Of all the campaigns I have played of Bungie’s (including Halo), the level of storytelling on display here is top notch. The Witch Queen’s story is unparalleled when it comes to Destiny campaigns. With all that lead-up, my main question going into The Witch Queen – in terms of story – was whether Bungie’s narrative team would stick the landing, and by all means they have. Not only that, the game did an excellent job of building her up as a truly unknown quantity. Savathun, a character previously known only to lore nerds and players who really paid attention to the in-game story, became a fully fleshed out being someone that anyone who played this past year’s seasons would know. In the past year, Bungie has used Destiny 2’s seasons to weave a story that set the stage perfectly for Savathun’s arrival in the Guardians’ world. When Destiny 2’s previous expansion was announced, Beyond Light, Bungie also announced The Witch Queen and Lightfall. It’s all very grandiose stuff, and until now it’s been hidden away in the lore of Destiny that impenetrable fortress of knowledge saved only for those who dared to either read it themselves or let a Youtuber do it for them. It’s a story of perseverance through adversity, about a family who was pushed to desperate measures to ensure their survival, and about how their choice affected them and the universe in irrevocable ways. Ever since diving deep into the lore of the Hive and learning about their origins as a weak race of aliens born on a doomed planet, I have been enamored with their story. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is the expansion I have been anticipating for years.
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