Bungie invited MeinMMO editor Dariusz to play the upcoming expansion of Destiny 2, The Final Shape, in advance to get an impression of the upcoming content. He was allowed to test, among other things, the campaign, the new subclass, the strike, and new exotics. You can find out about his impressions here.
Bungie left a good impression on me with “The Final Shape.” However, one aspect caught my eye that hardcore Destiny players might criticize.
But let’s start at the beginning. What exactly convinced me? The short version:
- The campaign – in two respects
- the new subclass
- fun new exotics
- a legendary auto rifle that has a very special ability
Most of the time, he plays Destiny 2 solo or in a duo, rarely participating in raids and the really tough endgame content. He enjoys the story and tests new builds recommended by the right experts. He loves to unleash in cooperative battles, but he is not a fan of the endless grind for God rolls.
The campaign surprises with the story and gameplay (spoiler-free)
The campaign of The Final Shape made a positive impression on me in two ways. On one hand, the story is worthy of concluding a saga. On the other hand, through the campaign, I was able to experience a part of Destiny that had remained hidden from me until now.
The cutscenes and dialogues illustrate how serious the situation is in the fight against the Witness. We feel that the overall situation deeply affects the characters involved. The situation is tense, and this is reflected in the actions of the individual characters. I have never delved into the lore of Destiny in detail, yet I was convinced by the atmosphere and the drama of the story.
Over the campaign looms the Witness, the mysterious entity that threatens the lives of the Guardians. Accordingly, you have to solve little puzzles throughout the campaign, as known from various raids. This turns the campaign into a kind of mini-raid.
I often play Destiny solo, and my builds don’t feature God rolls. Raids have always been something I thought I would only experience in videos. I lack both teammates and skill. The campaign of The Final Shape now allowed me to play something that feels like a light, solo-playable version of a raid.
Something like the new subclass has been missing for me in Destiny so far
With the new subclass “Prismatic,” you can combine different skills from the already existing subclasses. For example, during my playtest, I combined the Solar ultimate “Dusk Blade” and the Solar melee attack “Incinerator Snap” with the Stasis grenade “Cold Snap.”
This way, completely new combinations and builds can be designed. Of course, not all combinations are super sensible, but just experimenting is a lot of fun.
If you also don’t grind any endgame content but really just want to relax and play the campaign or run a few strikes, then you can now simply play your favorite abilities and combine them more freely than ever before.
The freedom to simply play a Stasis grenade with a Solar melee has been missing for me in Destiny so far.
Exotics that are fun and have potential
There are exotics that are good, there are exotics that are fun, and there are exotics that fall into both categories. How good the individual exotics of The Final Shape will ultimately be, I can’t say right now. However, the exotics I played were fun for me.
On one hand, there is the new exotic helmet for the Warlock, which turns the healing grenade into a kind of turret that heals you and your allies repeatedly for a few seconds. I enjoy playing a healer in many games and find it very interesting that the helmet now provides me with a new opportunity.
On the other hand, there is of course the new armor of the Titan, which rains rockets down on your enemies. As I am a fan of Helldivers 2, I really enjoy being able to spread guided democracy in Destiny 2 as well. Additionally, the damage output of the rocket barrage seems to be really high. I didn’t measure any exact numbers, but I did see health bars melt.
There is also the new auto rifle, the Khvostov. Every seventh shot from the Khvostov ricochets off hit enemies and becomes a ricochet. This ricochet not only bounces off once but jumps between multiple enemies. For me, the weapon felt really good for both add-clearing and in PvP. Additionally, it handles like a very simple assault rifle. The shooter nerd in me is a fan.
An auto rifle that is unmatched
With The Final Shape, there is a new auto rifle called “No Hesitation,” with which you can heal your teammates – and the healing is really good. I like the weapon much better than Lumina, the exotic hand cannon that can also heal.
The auto rifle heals by shooting from the hip at your teammates. You don’t need to collect any orbs or reload to heal. You just have to shoot and can empty whole magazines into your friends. Additionally, the rifle is not completely useless for fighting enemies – although there are definitely much better weapons. It helps that the bullets are directed at enemies like a smart gun in Cyberpunk 2077.
Overall, I liked the feel of the MP and believe that it is a good addition to the game.
I also tested the weapon in PvP and healed a teammate with it after he won a gunfight. This way, he was able to jump right into the next fight and put pressure on the remaining enemies. I was not in a position to support him with additional firepower in that gunfight. The view of the enemy was blocked. However, I was able to see and heal him.
Bungie provides new fodder for an old criticism
I had fun with The Final Shape. While I don’t believe it is a hundred percent recommendation to buy, anyone who is interested in a new Destiny expansion certainly won’t go wrong with a purchase.
However, The Final Shape gives the biggest Destiny critics new fodder, as an old criticism remains relevant: Bungie recycles content.
The most interesting new feature of the expansion, the new Prismatic Subclass, allows you to combine old, already existing abilities. I think the idea is great, but it is quite possible that some players will criticize this.
The same goes for the raid mechanics that take place in the campaign or the healing submachine gun, which is building upon the idea behind Lumina.
Conclusion: Recycling is not a bad thing
The Final Shape is a successful expansion, and although I only play Destiny 2 every few months, testing the new content has made me look forward to the release.
I believe that recycling content is not necessarily bad – provided the recycled content is well executed. Anyone who does not want to play the expansion because some of it is already familiar from previous expansions has probably just fundamentally lost interest in Destiny 2.
I also will not fall into an endless grind with The Final Shape, but for a few hours of gameplay, I’m definitely entertained by the add-on. I had fun during the playtest and am looking forward to experiencing the campaign in full and testing what cool builds are possible with the new subclass and the new exotics.
The release of The Final Shape is approaching rapidly, on June 4, 2024, it will be here. But before you dive into the expansion, you should take care of a few things to be ideally prepared. MeinMMO author Christos tells you what you need to do: 7 things in Destiny 2 you should take care of before the release of “The Final Shape”
