Initial release date: June 4, 2024
Mode: Multiplayer video game
License: proprietary license
Composers: Paul McCartney, Michael Salvatori, Skye Lewin, Josh Mosser, Michael Sechrist, Pieter Schlosser
Developer: Bungie Inc.
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and Series S, Microsoft Windows
Publisher: Bungie Inc.
Destiny 2: The Final Shape is a huge event in the Destiny universe. As a result, GamingTrend assigned its two most avid Destiny 2 fans the task of covering as much area as possible and providing a variety of opinions on this massive expansion. Similar to our Destiny 2: Lightfall review from last year, Nicholas Aguilera and Noah Rigsby collaborated to review Destiny 2: The Final Shape.
When I downloaded the pre-release alpha build of Destiny that arrived with my pre-order copy almost ten years ago, I had no idea what a profound experience I was about to have. Back then, if I had told myself I was in for nine years, eight months, and 26 days of excitement and disappointment, exhilaration and deflation, good and bad stories, I might have reconsidered committing to Bungie’s next innovative franchise. Despite this, it is only after finishing Destiny 2: The Final Shape that I can say with certainty how glad I am that I stuck with this series for so long. The Final Shape is an undeniably soaring, victorious, and melancholy conclusion to one of the most interesting and distinct shooters ever created.
The Final Shape concludes Destiny’s ten-year Light and Darkness Saga. Though the Destiny franchise has not ended as a result of this narrative, it represents the end of an era for one of gaming’s most risky ventures. Aside from classic MMOs such as World of Warcraft and EverQuest, no firm had ever seriously attempted to create and run a live service game. When Bungie unveiled the first Destiny and claimed they had at least a 10-year plot planned for the game, most people, including myself, were skeptical. Back then, it appeared impossible to keep players interested for such an extended period of time; the number of games that accomplished this feat can still be counted on two hands today. But here we are, at the end of this long road, and whether you love or dislike Destiny, everyone can agree that Bungie proved the doubters wrong.
Following the narratively disappointing Lightfall expansion in 2023, Destiny 2’s overarching story need a home run. The plot begins up where Season of the Wish’s final mission left off: Crow has unlocked the Traveler’s entrance in preparation for the arrival of a small number of Vanguard Lightbearers. Within minutes, Zavala (now voiced by the extremely gifted Keith David following Lance Reddick’s terrible death), Ikora, and you, The Guardian, arrive in The Pale Heart to meet Crow and a Traveler-resurrected, light-filled Cayde-6. The core Vanguard must work together to clear the path to The Witness’s monolith, preventing them from petrifying the universe into their horrible Final Shape.
Bungie completely delivered on the story of The Final Shape. Without going into spoiler zone, I can confidently say that things are coming to an end here. Major plots are resolved, many concerns are answered, and there is a significant emotional payoff. I’m not afraid to say that I shed a few tears at the end. Whereas Lightfall’s story was perhaps the weakest aspect of the expansion, The Final Shape’s story is practically its main selling point. Hardcore, casual, and even lapsed Destiny 2 players should play this campaign because it is simply that fantastic.
The story takes place entirely within The Pale Heart of the Traveler, a whole new location located within the god-like Traveler. The first part of the area is reminiscent of the Garden of Eden, with stunning flowing waterfalls, expansive green plains, towering arching trees, and breathtaking picturesque views. Memories of The Guardian’s travels over the last decade can be found throughout the environment. The Pale Heart is populated by giant Ghost shells, streets from The Last City, remnants of the EDZ and Cosmodrome, and even the Tower from the original Destiny, which serve as the majority of the activity/combat areas. The journey from the entrance to the Witness’ monolith is also completely linear, with just a few open spots for public events, patrolling, and sparrow riding.
However, when one travels further, the environment gets increasingly corrupt and twisted. Whereas the entry to the Traveler looks like heaven, the road to the monolith appears to be hell. Pyramid architecture, strange, crystallized things and creatures, and a multitude of twisted hands litter the decaying environment as one moves away from the entryway. In fact, these environmental contrasts draw many parallels to The Divine Comedy, indicating that Dante’s Inferno was a primary source of inspiration for this extension. The Vanguard is looking for redemption in the face of overwhelming odds, and they must confront layers of evil beyond conception to fulfill their mission. The Witness acts as a Satan-like opponent, taunting The Guardian and the Vanguard (particularly Zavala) along their trip by bringing up old fights, misdeeds, and traumas in an attempt to stymie their progress or incite treachery. Cayde-6, on the other hand, serves as a spiritual guide across The Pale Heart, imparting advice and encouraging courage in the same way that Virgil did.
Cayde is the narrative’s glue, and his personality has grown since Destiny’s Red War era. Despite cracking jokes, he is plainly aware of the gravity of the situation. He is the ideal sherpa for such a pivotal narrative in the Destiny universe, and I’m thrilled to get to spend more time with him. Nathan Fillion also resumed his role as the former Hunter Vanguard, which is a bonus.
I still believe that you “just had to be there” to really enjoy The Final Shape’s plot and settings. I would not advocate that new gamers go into Destiny 2 with this addition; they will be too lost. With over ten years of plot, characters, events, and mythology to keep up with, as well as game system updates, an ever-expanding loot market, and outright missing stuff from Destiny 2’s early years via the Destiny stuff Vault (DCV), it’s simply not a good idea to start playing Destiny 2 right now. Though it is disappointing that this expansion is limited to current and returning players, I believe it is reasonable for a franchise as legendary as Destiny to expect people to come into the last chapter with some prior knowledge.
The campaign objectives are quite pleasant this time around, with some of the most intriguing mission design since The Witch Queen. Each mission is primarily story-driven and introduces a mechanism that will stick with you for the majority of the level, such as the Light/Darkness motes from the Prophecy dungeon or the Aegis shield from the Vault of Glass. Though these are repeated mechanics, they give an additional depth to existing game missions. There are undoubtedly more bosses this time around, with some boss fights moving directly into others with no respite. The campaign also advances at a dizzying pace, with almost no downtime between missions. This makes the primary mission feel more urgent, as if you’re racing against the clock to stop the witness. And, as always, Legendary difficulty is the best way to experience the campaign. It is no different here than the last two times we’ve had Legendary campaigns: a pleasant challenge with plenty of difficult battles and great rewards.
The new subclass, Prismatic, is unquestionably the biggest selling feature of The Final Shape. In its most basic form, Prismatic is a curated combination of the three current Light and two existing Darkness subclasses. As a Titan, would you like to employ a void Shield Throw with an arc Pulse Grenade? Go ahead. Healing Grenade with a Needlestorm super as a Warlock? Be my guest. As a hunter, how about a golden gun with a withering blade? Nobody is stopping you. Bungie is truly allowing players to go crazy with this new subclass. There are limitations, such as Titans being unable to use a super like Burning Maul due to the overpowering nature of some combinations.
Did I mention that Prismatic also has a new super meter-type ability? Each class can become Transcendent by dealing enough damage with Light, Darkness, or Kinetic abilities and weapons. When Transcendent, abilities recharge faster, incoming damage is partially decreased, and you have access to a Transcendent Grenade. These unique bombs combine Light and Darkness effects for catastrophic results, such as Suspend and Chain Lightning at once. Transcendence is not as powerful as a super, but it gets close. It’s been termed “diet super” by the community, which is an appropriate description.
Speaking of supers, three new ones were released with this expansion. The campaign unlocks an arc Hunter super, a solar Warlock super, and a void Titan super, all of which are quite fun to use. Each one has a distinct purpose that sets them apart from the other supers in the game, and they are all highly powerful. Twilight Arsenal, the Titan super, has been my go-to for Prismatic because it is the game’s second and far better ranged Titan super. I honestly hope we receive more supers like these in the future, because these new ones are incredible.
Like all Destiny 2 expansions, The Final Shape began with a raid. The latest raid is called Salvation’s Edge, and while I have not played through it personally, it has proven to be a difficult effort for players that are ready for the challenge. This raid appears to be incredibly puzzle-heavy, requiring players to think on their feet more than before.
After the World’s First fireteam finished Salvation’s Edge, a 12-player activity became available, a first in the Destiny series. This action, Excision, is my favorite piece of Destiny content thus far. It serves as the conclusion to the Light and Darkness Saga, and what an ending it is. To avoid spoilers, I won’t disclose anything else about the assignment; just bring Kleenex.
The final major addition to The Final Shape is the introduction of the Dread, a (largely) new enemy faction, the first in Destiny 2 since Forsaken in 2018. The Dread are the Witness’s personal army, formed out of hatred to inflict devastation on The Pale Heart and the armies of Light. These guys are a true horror to fight against. Each enemy type (there are six in all, including the previously included Tormentors) introduces something new to fight. You’ll have your hands full with the explosive worms that emerge from the Husks after they die, the disorienting howls of the flying Grims, and the stasis and strand powers utilized by the Attendants and Weavers. As if this expansion wasn’t already bringing new life to the Destiny formula, the inclusion of the Dread is one of the best things to happen to Destiny in a long time.
The Final Shape added a plethora of new exotic weapons and armor to Destiny 2, as well as exotic class items capable of utilizing traits from two existing exotics, extremely capable legendary weapons and armor that can feel exotic themselves, a new public event, side missions, and much more. There is also one new Strike, which is really distinct due to the treasure-hunter/explorer concept it leans into, but I miss the days of numerous Strikes every expansion. If I had one criticism with The Final Shape, it would be the lack of at least one additional Strike.
One week following the expansion, the new Episode, Echoes, debuted as a substitute for the previous seasonal model. However, I will address this in a future piece.
After ten years, Destiny feels new again. This is unquestionably the best expansion in the Destiny franchise, and for good reason. A breathtaking new environment, a familiar but completely new subclass, amazing new gear, and a breath-taking main plot make this one of the most unforgettable first-person shooter experiences available today. I’m grateful for Destiny 2 for a variety of reasons, but the most important is that the series will not be ending anytime soon.
Destiny 2 has and will continue to hold a special place in my heart. I’ve made lasting friends, created wonderful memories, and embarked on an epic adventure full of highs and lows. Bungie was entrusted with not just producing a powerful and meaningful finale to their 10-year epic, but also with using The Final Shape as a springboard for whatever comes next, whether it’s episodic content or the next major arc. To say the team was successful would be an understatement, as Bungie’s latest expansion contains everything that makes Destiny distinct and remarkable.
Nicholas discussed all of the fantastic new additions and content that appeared in The Final Shape. The delays and resources granted to the team are felt, as nothing in this expansion missed its mark. Everything, from the narrative to the raid to the sandbox, exceeded my expectations. The emotional connection we have with these characters, this planet, and everything in between shines through, as I burst into tears at several points when everything we’ve been striving for finally happened.
I’ve been playing Destiny for a long time, as have many others, and it’s inspiring to see Bungie deliver on a “make or break” addition. While The Final Shape is a fitting conclusion to this storied narrative, I’m glad the team believes there are more stories to tell and adventures to be enjoyed. To face the future as it comes!
Review Overview
Gameplay – 90%
Controls – 92%
Aesthetics – 93%
Content – 88%
Accessibility – 85%
Value – 90%
Overall Rating – 90%
OUTSTANDING!
Summary: Destiny 2 is back, babies. The Final Shape’s thrilling and heartbreaking main story quest, beautiful and twisted new destination, terrible new enemy group, and profusion of outrageously powerful gear cement it as the new pinnacle of the Destiny experience.