Destiny 2 has told a variety of different stories over its four-and-a-half years of existence, ranging from western-inspired revenge tales to horror-tinged explorations of faith. With each new expansion, Bungie has refined and improved upon its storytelling systems and immersive, gameplay experiences, and The Witch Queen is arguably the best Destiny 2 has ever been.

The emphasis on story cannot be ignored, with a renewed focus on tight, narrative development that builds throughout a compelling campaign and well into the dozens of hours of endgame content. That, coupled with the wide array of combat improvements, set The Witch Queen up as the definitive version of Destiny 2.

Story

The Witch Queen is the most focused Destiny 2 has ever been on storytelling, bringing the deep lore of the universe to the forefront for the first time in the game’s history. The expansion revolves around the titular Witch Queen, Savathûn, and her newfound power to wield the Light, a cosmic force that gives the player characters their magical abilities.

How she obtained this power and what she plans to use it for are at the heart of The Witch Queen, and the campaign is steeped in a sense of mystery and suspense. Savathûn is a master of deception and illusion, and her influence is rampant throughout each story mission and the new Patrol zone, the Throne World.

She is the central character of this story, even more so than other heavily featured players like Ikora or the new Hive ghost ally, Fynch. Savathûn’s history has been known to players who spend their time reading lore entries and watching My Name Is Byf videos (hi, that’s me), but to see it play out in full cutscenes was an unexpected treat.

The revelations this campaign provides are universe-altering, as well, bringing up even more questions as we shift into a new year of seasonal storytelling. Without spoiling anything, much of what we learn in The Witch Queen will have ramifications on the Destiny 2 story for years to come. The longer I have to think about what transpired, the more excited I get about the future of the franchise.

This is, unfortunately, also my one criticism of The Witch Queen’s story: it still feels like we’re taking steps toward the real conflict. For years, Destiny 2 has either been treading narrative water or making small moves toward something bigger, and The Witch Queen doesn’t do enough to shake that up. It feels like a small piece of a larger puzzle, which doesn’t really make Savathûn feel like the larger-than-life antagonist she’d been set up to be.

Gameplay

The gameplay upgrades are plentiful in The Witch Queen, with new weapons, mechanics, activities, and abilities to make use of when taking on Savathûn’s Lucent Hive. The biggest new addition, by far, is the introduction of weapon crafting, a first for the Destiny series that harkens back to the original weapon system of the first Destiny game.

With weapon crafting, players can construct their own weapons with specific perks to create the perfect gun. Using the gun levels it up and unlocks more perks, allowing players to refine the weapon even further. It’s incredibly satisfying to craft a new weapon and start leveling it up, but actually getting to that point can be a bit laborious.

Weapon templates can only be unlocked by using weapons with Deepsight Resonance, a particular trait that doesn’t drop on every gun. Some weapon templates require players to do this multiple times, which can be frustrating when you haven’t found even a single copy of that gun yet, Deepsight Resonance or not. Hopefully, these drop rates see some kind of buff in the future.

The new weapons themselves are phenomenal, especially the new weapon archetype, the glaive. The glaive is a combination weapon that is both a bladed staff for attacking enemies close up and a powerful ranged weapon that can blast enemies from a distance. It’s an incredibly versatile tool that gets even more useful when paired with certain Seasonal mods.

The Witch Queen also brings a refresh to each character class’s Void-based subclass, bringing them in line with the customization system found in the Stasis subclass. Now, players can mix and match different aspects and fragments to build a character that feels powerful and unique. I had a blast using my Warlock to throw energy-draining black holes and hit enemies with powerful explosives that left them all weakened.

As for the enemies, while The Witch Queen might not introduce a new enemy race, it does introduce a new variation on a traditional foe. The Lucent Hive are powerful, new creatures that wield the Light against Guardians to devastating effect. It was always a thrill going up against one of these new adversaries, as they were heavily equipped to take me on even at my strongest.

Powerful Void Knights wiped me out with a single shield throw, Arc Wizards flushed me out of cover with a line of electrical blasts, and the Solar Acolytes were punishing with their Blade Barrage. Bungie’s goal to make facing the Lucent Hive feel like fighting an enemy player was an absolute success, and I am terribly excited to see how they expand on this new archetype with future releases.

Audio and Visual

Bungie has never been a developer to shy away from investing in their art teams, and The Witch Queen is no exception. The Throne World is one of the most stunning locations the company has ever created, blending mossy, overgrown swamps with a luminescent, gothic fortress. It’s hard to imagine both places existing within the same space, but the Throne World is meant to be a reflection of Savathûn’s mind.

In that regard, the environmental design team has outdone themselves. The Throne World absolutely feels like it exists within the mind of the Queen of Illusions, filled with different puzzles and misleading pathways as it is. The three main regions don’t do justice to the labyrinthine passages that take players off the beaten path and into the depths of Savathûn’s twisted psyche.

And, as always, the music and audio design are without equal. The sweeping score that backs the Throne World is both haunting and exhilarating, evoking exactly the kind of emotion I imagine Savathûn would want her guests to experience.  

The Hive have always been a rich source for delicious, environmental audio, and The Witch Queen delivers with an array of sounds that range from gentle hisses to pulsing squelches. Weapon audio also holds up when compared to previous additions with each new weapon offering a rich soundscape perfectly suited to its origin and theme.

What Could Be Better

While I do love The Witch Queen’s story, I must admit I was a little disappointed in how this campaign spent a little too much time focusing on what’s to come in the future. Savathûn was at the center of The Witch Queen’s story, but she still had to share that spotlight with another. While this expansion did offer a lot of new information, it still ended up feeling like a prelude to something bigger.

Weapon crafting could also use a bit of refining as well, at the very least just in terms of drop rates. Many weapons need Deepsight Resonance completions before they can be crafted, but finding even a normal version can be a challenge. It’s especially frustrating when a post-campaign, story quest can only be progressed by crafting all of these hard-to-find weapons.

Verdict

The Witch Queen is the strongest expansion Destiny 2 has ever received, and that’s even before the Raid comes out. With one of the best narrative journeys in franchise history, exceptional additions to the weapon and ability metagame, and an absolute load of new pursuits to chase, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is a strong declaration that the premier, live-service shooter isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is now available on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC via Steam, and Google Stadia.