Destiny 2: Shadowkeep Review - Another Trip to the Moon

Destiny was first unleashed to the world in 2014, sealing a ten-year agreement between game studio Bungie and publisher Activision. In 2019, that partnership’s in its sixth year. Bungie is now self-publishing and has released Shadowkeep, Destiny 2’s second expansion. Right now is the ideal time to get the best value out of this online looter shooter, as it’s currently in its most appealing form to date.

Destiny 2 is one of the best looter shooters out there, and the new Shadowkeep expansion is only one of the minor reasons why. Compared to the fantastic Forsaken expansion, which was fueled by a fallen comrade revenge story and the mysteries to be found in the Dreaming City, Shaowkeep is a nostalgia grind with mysteries that left me stumped and wondering whether I wanted to get to the bottom of them.

That wizard came from the moon

Guardians are now sent to the Moon, a location introduced in the first game. Also returning is the Hunter Eris Morn, a well-known character missing in action since the events of Destiny 2’s base campaign. A new threat now haunts the Moon, but the overall presentation and the levels themselves felt uninspired, especially if you’re a player who recently went through the first two campaigns. This new story beat is shrouded with mystery and deep lore, and late-game progression requires a bit of grinding, halting any momentum built up on the way.

It’s weird. You go from mission to mission, and just when you feel the ending’s near, you’re tasked to complete menial objectives (ex. “do this many public objectives” or “hunt this many types of Mars’ enemies”) to progress. 

You are given a laundry list of things to do, as if blatantly designed to extend your campaign time just a little bit longer. But why? It adds no value to the player’s experience. At the very least, this serves as an early prelude to the grinding you will likely embark on in order to get the best possible combination of in-game equipment.

Aside from the solid gunplay, Destiny 2’s grinding is part of the game’s charm, but it’s an unusual choice to force a player through excessive grinding during a story campaign when the rest of the game provides a similar grind all on its own.

But the eerie atmosphere implemented in Destiny 2’s Moon was a good touch from Bungie. It’s dark and cramped, with the Hive occupying most parts of this location within a large structure called the Scarlet Keep. Lost spirits are found roaming the Moon. Some even provide Patrol missions that make you feel like you’re fulfilling a spirit’s last wish before they move on. The Moon is a great addition to the world of Destiny 2, though it may not do as much for those who’ve put time into the first game.

Destiny had the Moon as a playable space, and Shadowkeep’s version is identical in terms of its environments. The locations, caves, and even enemy spawn locations are almost the same, down to where you can pick up the resource exclusive to the Moon. It felt like I was playing the first Destiny again, going through the game’s Halloween-themed event. It’s a treat for players that haven’t played the first game, but it can come as a disappointment for long-time fans of the franchise, who’ve had prior relationships with the Moon and may feel put through the same old motions.

It’s a shame. Shadowkeep may have failed to surpass the bar set by the Forsaken expansion, but its shortcomings aren’t enough to ruin Destiny 2’s claim as one of the best online looter shooters out today, especially now with the inclusion of First Light (the game’s Free-to-Play version), as well as the overhauled armor system. 

What you wear finally matters

You can get a full grasp of the game’s combat and more in our full review of Destiny 2 here, but it’s the updates introduced with Shadowkeep that make Destiny 2 such a great place to invest your time in after a long day. The combat is left unchanged, but your customization and viable options as a guardian now have more depth. Progressing equipment feels rewarding now instead of a chore, as any activity moves you forward to your personal goals. Armor now requires you to unlock mod slots, and more mods mean more slots to use to cater your load-out to your specific playstyle. I now care about what I wear instead of just slapping on the armor with the highest Light rating, which is a big improvement. 

The variety of weapons and armor available was always staggering, and it’s even moreso now with two expansions and two content DLC packs -- Curse of Osiris and Warmind, which are now available for all players for free. Each one released their own batches of exotics and epic gear for players to collect. What’s impressive is how they kept Exotic gear unique, even after so many years. Exotics that came with the base game are still used to this day, showing a good balance that doesn’t leave past equipment obsolete. 

Keep Looking Forward, Bungie

Destiny 2 still provides a series of events and limited game modes each week to keep the players invested, and added features like Seasons, which as of this writing is on The Season of the Undying. These Seasons are Bungie’s take on the Battle Pass formula, and it comes with an equipable artifact that adds to your overall Light rating and unlocks unique season-specific mods through experience. 

PVP is still fun as always and Gambit is still a great mix of PVE and PVP combat. Shadowkeep isn’t the best expansion from Destiny 2, but it adds new ways to progress your Guardian with the Vex Offensive PVE game mode after the campaign (pretty much you + a couple of players taking down waves of enemies) and the addition of the game’s second dungeon, called the Pit of Heresy. Plus the latest raid from this expansion, Garden of Salvation, is now out and is tough and will require a well-coordinated team of 6 players to complete.

This is Bungie’s first take on releasing content on its own as a studio, and just how aggressive they will be in releasing future content is still a big mystery. It has only been a few months in, but the current state of Destiny 2 shows that it’s aimed in the right direction. Shadowkeep is a reminder that not everything can go as planned, and that this new journey for the Destiny franchise can still be a bumpy ride. 

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Destiny 2 in 2019 

Score: 9/10

Shadowkeep expansion

Score: 6/10

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Highlights

(+) The gunplay is still lovely after six years.
(+) The new armor system pictures a promising future for Destiny 2.
(+) Enough content to satisfy new and veteran players.
(-)  Shadowkeep’s story was a letdown.
(-)  Not much new gear provided by Shadowkeep.

What I’ve Played

Platform: PS4, PC

• Based on steams stats, I played 62 hours of Destiny 2.

• Played Shadowkeep campaign through the PS4 .(via cross-save)

• Hunt various Nightmare Hunts and Vex Invasions.

• Finished the Forsaken, Warmind, and Curse of Osiris campaigns.

• Reached Light rating of 930 with two Guardians.

[This review is based on a PS4 review code provided by Sony and the PC version of the game.]

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