“The Witch Queen” is the latest expansion released for “Destiny 2,” and many consider it the best expansion in the franchise’s history.
While it may not have the overall significance or legacy to the series as “The Taken King” or the raw amount of content as “Forsaken,” it delivers the most polished and compelling story and expansion experience.f
The story centers around the emergence of the Lucent Brood, led by the Hive god Savathûn.
This new enemy has gained the power of the Light, something that only the player had access to at this point. What follows is an escalating investigation into these newfound powers that reveals dark truths about ancient histories.
The campaign itself is what shines in “The Witch Queen.” It is by far the most well-designed campaign in the history of “Destiny,” and the new addition of Legendary mode gives a true sense of challenge and satisfaction that has been sorely missing.
As usual, the art direction and visuals of the game are spot on and create a brilliant atmosphere.
The designers also added a new weapons crafting system to the game alongside “The Witch Queen.”
Though it is somewhat barebones currently, Bungie has stated more and more weapons will eventually find their way into this system. With this new addition, players will finally have a way to tailor weapons to their interests without relying on luck.
Void 3.0 has also shipped with “The Witch Queen,” the first of several revamps to the existing class structures. It offers incredible flexibility and diversity when it comes to creating builds and is a much-needed addition to the game’s health.
The revamps of the Arc and Solar subclasses are coming soon, and what the designers have shown is promising already.
The newest raid, The Vow of the Disciple, is also one of the best in the franchise’s history. Mechanically interesting encounters blend with incredible visuals and fascinating lore to bring players one of the most fantastic raiding experiences so far.
The final boss, Rhulk, is easily one of the most unique bosses the game has seen.
As developer Bungie has stated before, “The Witch Queen” is the first in a series of expansions that will bring the plot of the ten-year franchise to new heights.
The setup done in this expansion story-wise showcases a clear focus on what is to come. The final cutscene of the campaign gives us our first look at The Witness, the penultimate enemy players have seen so far.
While it may not top a select few other expansions, “The Witch Queen” is already in the conversation as a top-three expansion.
The incredible quality of the story and campaign is enough to carry this expansion into that discussion. Undoubtedly, “The Witch Queen” delivers a beautiful experience for “Destiny 2” and sets up for even greater things in the future.
