Destiny 2: The Edge Of Fate Review – New Powers, Old Problems

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Going into Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate, Bungie had significant expectations to meet. After a challenging year which included layoffs, delays for their upcoming shooter Marathon due to player feedback during betas, and criticism over Destiny’s monetization system, the studio faced scrutiny about what they would do with their cherished franchise next. The 2024 expansion of Destiny 2, titled The Final Shape, proved to be one of the series’ most successful. It skillfully wrapped up a decade’s worth of narrative in a satisfying manner, culminating in an intense and thrilling confrontation against the most formidable villain the universe had ever known: The Witness.

After achieving such a satisfying and conclusive ending, Destiny 2 players were curious about what a new story would entail. The seasonal content following The Final Shape fell short, with significant character deaths added primarily for dramatic effect rather than adding depth to the plot. Consequently, player numbers dropped to some of the game’s lowest ever recorded. Given Bungie’s reputation for exceptional storytelling, my expectations for The Edge of Fate were low, to put it mildly. However, I need not have fretted about the narrative – it was engaging and well-crafted. From a gameplay perspective, though, there are several potential missteps.

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In simpler terms, the 14-mission campaign seems repetitive at its best. Although Bungie has overhauled the armor and equipment systems (details to follow), the most appealing features are still hidden behind Destiny 2’s signature grind. After your power level is reset, and the weapons in your Vault lose their strength, Bungie explains this move as a way to level the playing field before the new storyline. However, it feels like all those years of work and countless hours spent grinding for top-tier weapons were wasted.

In Kepler, the planet where Destiny’s story unfolds, there are numerous shortcomings. Pathways tend to be overly complex and lengthy, with minimal fast-travel options available. The color scheme is dull, consisting mainly of green, blue, yellow, and gray tones that fail to capture the breathtaking beauty seen in places like The Pale Heart or Europa.

The new abilities introduced, such as shapeshifting, teleportation, and manipulation of the environment, are thrust upon players at every turn, often becoming tiresome rather than providing fresh ways to explore the world. I anticipated vibrant new landscapes, awe-inspiring structures, and an otherworldly feel that would be strongest in Kepler, as it’s our first venture outside the Sol system. Instead, I find myself navigating familiar grates, buildings, and a monotonous rocky terrain. The vast, yellow, wart-like plants scattered everywhere are the only hint of the alien aspect, but they don’t quite meet my expectations for an exotic experience.

Essentially, The Edge of Fate doesn’t continue from where The Final Shape ended. While the ordinary seasonal content may be rather dull, it’s crucial to go through it if you aim to grasp what’s happening in the latest expansion. Contrary to Bungie’s statement, The Edge of Fate is not an ideal starting point for newcomers to Destiny 2. It’s more welcoming now than it has been in a long time, but there’s still some background knowledge needed before you can jump in. frankly speaking, I don’t want to do homework in my video games.

Should you have followed along with the story up to this point, The Edge of Fate skillfully introduces a fresh chapter brimming with secrets and challenges. You’ll encounter new adversaries, and a powerful alien entity known as ‘The Nine’, who claim responsibility for past events and are now the most fearsome beings in existence. A character named Lodi is introduced for the first time in The Edge of Fate, serving both as a reminder of past events and a signpost for those to come. Initially, the main campaign feels lackluster, with characters providing excessive exposition and mechanics like Matterspark forcing you into a small ball to navigate between areas without clear purpose. These early hours took me an entire day to complete because I found them unengaging.

Initially, I wasn’t drawn to Lodi, his past, or his discussions about Dark Matter versus The Darkness. However, as the story unfolded, I found myself captivated by his character as he grappled with confusion and internal strife. His time-travel history added an intriguing layer to his persona. Moreover, Lodi shed light on one of Destiny’s iconic characters, stirring emotions close to tears within me. Admittedly, the lore references might have puzzled new players due to lack of comprehensive explanation, but for veteran fans, they served as a delightful nod to Destiny’s rich history.

In summary, Bungie’s storytelling team continues to impress me, and I was astonished by my growing attachment to the new saga as the main campaign concluded. On a side note, completing the Legendary difficulty no longer seems worthwhile now that Bungie has discontinued the exciting chest with a guaranteed Exotic reward. Instead, focus on Brave mode and use other means for power leveling.

Among all expansions that Destiny 2 has seen so far, The Edge of Fate isn’t the poorest. However, given its role as a follow-up to the exceptional expansion, The Final Shape, from 2024, it doesn’t quite live up to its predecessor’s standards.

In Destiny, the power grind has long been a contentious issue among gamers. Eliminating this grind discouraged players from logging in regularly to finish weekly tasks for high-powered equipment locked behind these activities. However, introducing too much grind left newcomers bewildered and swamped by complexity.

The revamp of the entire gear system and the introduction of the Portal to display potential high-level gear sources have been helpful, but I’m concerned it may still be daunting for beginners. The Portal only displays a limited number of activities, forcing players to venture into the Director to find specific tasks.

On the positive side, clear labels and new systems to evaluate weapon and gear quality have been beneficial. Additionally, the introduction of armor sets, which grant bonuses when wearing multiple items from the same set, is appreciated. However, there are currently only a few bonus options available, and expanding this collection throughout the year will be essential before investing substantial time in tracking down specific armor pieces.

During the lead-up to the release of The Edge of Fate, Bungie emphasized the introduction of new location abilities, unique to Kepler. These abilities are essential for advancing through the storyline, exploring the planet, and uncovering hidden secrets. Matterspark is the ability to transform orbs, yet it’s frustrating due to a poor camera perspective. Mattermorph allows you to manipulate specific world elements to create new paths, and Relocator generates pathways around lasers or other immovable obstacles for teleportation. These abilities are sometimes utilized in enjoyable puzzle sequences but often disrupt the rhythm of combat, forcing pauses that can feel jarring. The most annoying aspect is that these nodes or objects necessary to activate the abilities can be hard to find. I found myself spending more time locating them than solving the puzzles themselves, which suggests they could benefit from added complexity. It seems as though Bungie showcases these new abilities without considering whether they should be used in this manner, which may not be the best response to criticisms suggesting that Destiny 2 primarily relies on its exceptional gunplay to succeed.

In the early days, Destiny 2 kept me engaged primarily due to its innovative enemy designs. However, recently, Bungie has been recycling or reviving old adversaries, offering only slight variations in their presentation within new narratives. Unfortunately, the enemies and bosses found on Kepler lack memorability. There’s a large Servitor guarded by numerous hostile Shanks, countless Fallen and Vex that I’ve encountered frequently before, and even the name of the final boss encounter’s opponent has slipped my mind. A few new adversaries have been introduced, such as the aggravating Corsair that strafes and launches rockets at you, along with a horde of smaller Vex enemies that dissolve into Arc-seeking projectiles upon death. Unfortunately, these foes are barely given screen time, making them forgettable. They don’t compare to the impactful introduction of adversaries like the Tormentors from 2023’s Lightfall, who have the ability to physically grab and lift players off their feet.

Once you complete the primary storyline of the game, which typically takes approximately 10 hours, a quick look at the map suggests numerous side quests available for further exploration. At first glance, it appears there’s an abundance of captivating content to delve into post-narrative. However, this initial impression might be misleading. The seemingly rich array of intriguing side quests soon reveals its true nature—a string of monotonous fetch missions where you’ll be tasked with scanning surroundings or gathering items before receiving radio messages explaining the significance of what you’ve encountered.

After the campaign concludes, one of the intriguing tasks to tackle is the six-player raid called “The Desert Perpetual.” This time, you’ll confront Maya Sundaresh’s Vex, the same adversaries you’ve been firing at relentlessly during the campaign. The Desert Perpetual offers flexibility in choosing encounters, making it Bungie’s first ever non-linear raid. Familiar mechanics are present, such as shooting enemies in a particular sequence, synchronizing jumps with your teammates, and navigating obstacles to increase a timer by depositing items. The raid features four bosses, each providing an appropriate level of challenge for skilled players. If you’re a long-time Destiny player, you might find The Desert Perpetual challenging yet fair. The Nine-related environments hint at the future of this saga, but they still utilize assets and visuals seen in the Sol system over the years. Interestingly, you aren’t required to use the new location-specific abilities that were compulsory during the campaign. Despite this, The Desert Perpetual is an enjoyable raidnot Bungie’s best, but definitely not their worstwhich seems to embody a recurring theme throughout The Edge of Fate.

As a seasoned Destiny 2 gamer, I’ve found myself facing repetitive tasks disguised as weekly, daily, or seasonal challenges. These tasks demand a “B” grade or higher in particular Portal activities, but it’s unclear if completing them advances the challenge, or if the instructions are too vague to discern what Bungie expects. With power levels reset, the Portal becomes my guide for rebuilding my strength, often suggesting endless Crucible matches or retreading 2021’s story content. The Destiny grind wheel seems to have resurfaced, and whether it’s a positive or negative depends on individual playstyles. I’ve invested over 2,500 hours in Destiny 2 on Steam alone, not counting other platforms or its predecessor, so at this point, I’m weary of repeating content that I’ve already endured countless times across various seasons. The burnout from Season of the Haunted still lingers, where my desire for a god roll Calus Mini-Tool drove me to work a full-time job’s worth of hours on the same activity each week until I finally got one. I can’t risk getting caught up in that cycle again, as my therapist has advised me against it.

In summary, The Edge of Fate isn’t the poorest expansion that Destiny 2 has seen, but it doesn’t meet expectations following the exceptional The Final Shape from 2024. It relies heavily on old resources, lacks novelty in its settings and gameplay mechanics, and the narrative seems to leave you hanging at an intriguing point. While future updates and seasonal content will likely expand upon this, for now, there’s not much exciting content to engage with, which might lead me towards another unintended break from Destiny 2.

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2025-07-25 01:10