Is Destiny 2 worth it again with Warmind? The Destiny 2 DLC “Warmind” meets the expectations exactly. It is a step in the right direction, but no one should expect a miracle, says our author Schuhmann.
Right direction: The YouTuber Datto sums it up in his review of “Warmind”: The first DLC for Destiny 2, “Curse of Osiris”, was a sailboat going in the wrong direction. With “Warmind”, the boat is now turning and slowly heading in the right direction. This is not great, but solid and corresponds to what everyone expected. In this respect, “Warmind” is a DLC for the entire community:
- Those who found Bungie stupid before and had nothing good to say about Destiny 2 will still see it that way and feel confirmed – They shout “rip-off” and wish for the final death of the game.
- Those who believe in the good in Bungie and hope that Destiny 2 makes a turnaround will find enough positive signals in “Warmind” to feel confirmed in their belief that Destiny 2 is on the right track.
- And those who look at it with some distance will spend a few hours with the game, perhaps take a look on Tuesday evenings in the coming weeks, wipe their mouths, and move on relatively satisfied.
So “Warmind” is indeed the DLC that buys Bungie the time until September that they desperately need, but nothing more.
Warmind – It’s on the rise after a low point
Much better than its predecessor: Nearly two weeks after the release, the mood of the community can be interpreted as “a sober nod” towards Bungie while waiting for “more”. The “more” will come in September with Destiny 2 Comet. Here, the fate of the franchise will likely be determined.
“Warmind” is significantly stronger than its predecessor, but the DLCs have never been Destiny’s strength.
And especially “Curse of Osiris” is likely to be considered the previous low point of the franchise. Destiny has never been as weak as it was with the first DLC.
The Campaign – Dead God after 2 hours
Fast Food – tasty but not sustainable: Yet “Warmind” also shows, as the expansions before, that Destiny will likely always have a content problem. Guardians had to wait almost half a year for a new campaign. It then lasts about two hours.
Without much prelude, a campaign this short goes directly into the finale. You take down bosses of divine dimensions like Nokris or the Worm God Xol, of whom only lore geeks have heard before.
We wrote about Nokris a year ago; he was quite delicate and hidden somewhere in the lore of Destiny 1:
The battles are impressive and quite stunning for the Guardian, but you slaughter gods in five minutes during a story mission. Expert Datto wished for something like this for the raid, but then only a few Guardians would get to see it.
Datto scoffs; one defeats a Worm God with a fire stick. This refers to the special weapon “Spear”, whose charm quickly wears off. It remains the only special mechanic during the campaign worth mentioning.
Even with the strikes, one might have wished for more. While they are solid strikes, they are the recycled story missions from the campaign – only PS4 players get more. Here, too, the chronic content poverty that has plagued Destiny since 2014 is evident.
Even the rejuvenation and reinforcement by the Activision studio Vicarious Visions cannot solve the problem: The engine is simply too cumbersome to ensure the constant content supply that was promised to players.
The Surroundings in Destiny 2
At least Tess is quiet: Compared to “Curse of Osiris”, the surroundings in “Warmind” are much stronger. During “Curse of Osiris” and the start of Season 2, there was actually only one theme: Kill Tess Everis and her cash shop, now there is the new Season 3 in PvP, a revision of the exotic weapons, and Bungie is making progress in ranked PvP.
However, the PvP is still not ideal for most veterans, as it was in Destiny 1. They still get frustrated over team shots.
In any case, Bungie has shown positive signals in recent months. The last scandal is a while ago. With the revision of the exotics, time-gated quests, puzzles, and side missions, Destiny 2 is making progress, although bugs also cloud the overall picture.
Compared to “Curse of Osiris” and the catastrophic “Everforst”, the new event Escalation Protocol is receiving significantly better reviews, even though most Guardians are still mercilessly under-leveled here. It will likely take a few weeks to find out how well the event works.
Currently, Escalation Protocol is indeed as hard as has been emphasized repeatedly during a stream.
Is Destiny 2 worth it again?
They’ve already paid for it: Overall, “Warmind” is definitely recommended for people who bought the season pass. They’ve already paid for it anyway. For a few hours at a time and then a few rounds each week, the DLC is fine and recommended for fans.
However, “Warmind” is not a turning point. Those who once loved Destiny and were disappointed by Destiny 2 can skip this DLC. “Warmind” will not convert them.
A friend who has so far avoided the Destiny fever, I would still recommend buying Destiny 2 during a sale. Not as a “gigantic MMO shooter that will keep you busy for weeks”, but as a well-crafted snack for the in-between with great production values that simply brings joy as long as you approach it with the right expectations.
