Time played (so far): 14.5 hours
Platform: PC
Looking back on Destiny’s original release in 2014 and comparing it to what Bungie has accomplished with Destiny 2, it's almost as if we've been playing a completely different game. Over the years, through regular story content drops, quality of life revisions, and expansions, Destiny 2 has reached the pinnacle of what Bungie set out to accomplish with its looter shooter.
With Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, Bungie serves a fantastic narrative with plenty of story quests, new gear, and clever systems. The Witch Queen is Destiny 2 at its best: pure, unadulterated fun. The expansion teems with things to do, serving as a great place to jump into the series if you're looking to buy Destiny.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen price and release date
- What is it? Destiny's newest expansion, adding a new campaign, gear, and much more.
- Release date? February 22, 2022
- What can I play it on? PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, Google Stadia
- Price? $39.99 / £44.99 / $AU79.95
A Light touch
The Witch Queen pulls together story threads that Bungie has been weaving through Destiny’s narrative for years. The campaign follows the titular royal: Savathûn, a Hive God and sibling to Oryx, the Taken King, and Xivu Arath, the Hive God of War. Savathûn leads an ancient alien species with her siblings known as The Hive, who are responsible for the fall of countless civilizations under the rule of the Worm Gods.
Naturally, this isn’t great news for humanity.
Bungie doesn’t lose sight of what you’re here for, though, and each mission deepens your knowledge of different mechanics.
The Witch Queen picks up shortly after the events of Destiny 2: Beyond Light's Season of the Lost, where you discover Savathûn is raising an army to wipe out what’s left of the human race. As a proud member of Earth, it falls to you to infiltrate the Queen's Throne World and foil her plans.
There’s always been a contingent of Destiny fans who have adored Bungie’s rich lore, spending hours poring over grimoire cards and wikis to discover every secret of the game’s backstory. In The Witch Queen, that story comes to the fore in a gripping campaign. Each mission is split up into a different area of the Throne World, in which you'll learn about Savathûn and her army her plans, and even explore her memories. Bungie doesn’t lose sight of what you’re here for, though, and each mission deepens your knowledge of different mechanics. That includes learning how to fight off flying blue orb-like enemies known as Moths or Savathûn’s followers, the Lucent Hive, or using the new Deepsigt ability to scan the environments for hidden passageways.
Every mission keeps you guessing as to what will happen next, and the narrative payoffs make it worthwhile to keep moving forward. Each story thread weaves beautifully together. While there are still several unanswered questions after completing The Witch Queen's campaign, some groundbreaking revelations also occur.
Witchcraft
The new weapon crafting system is an integral part of The Witch Queen. You'll create your first Glaive, known as The Enigma, a spear-like special weapon that can both shoot projectiles and drop a shield for extra protection. You can also use it to carve through waves of enemies if you want to get up close and personal. The Glaive is the superstar of both The Witch Queen and its crafting system. Nothing quite matches the fun of utterly obliterating countless members of the Hive Thrall.
The Glaive is the superstar of both The Witch Queen and its crafting system.
While not quite as fun as the Glaive (what can be?) The Witch Queen also introduces weapons with Deepsight Resonance. You'll pick them up as random loot after felling baddies, or earn them as rewards as you progress through story missions. As you use Deepsight Resonance weapons, you'll increase its Attunement stat. When you max out a weapon’s Attunement, you unlock options to customize it.
The patterns allow you to personalize your armory, adding new perks to your weapons. Plus, it gives you something new to play for, either more crafting materials or patterns. It feels like your always moving toward something more than just random pieces of loot.
Void overhaul
Another significant overhaul in The Witch Queen is the Void subclass improvements; you can now choose from three Supers, grenades, Fragments, or Aspects for each Guardian. You'll also get to specialize in two categories as of Void 3.0, which finds Hunters receiving Weaken and Invisibility, Titans getting Overshield and Volatile, and Warlocks getting Suppression and Devour.
These tweaks make settling into Void 3.0 feel something like a metagame in itself, as you can customize your loadout and abilities to your liking. These changes pair well with the Deepsight Resonance system and crafting.
The Witch Queen is a clever expansion. While Bungie has poured new content into Destiny 2, it’s made sure there is always a clear direction for you to follow. Progression systems to plow through, unlocks at which to aim. There’s a lot of stuff in The Witch Queen, but none of it feels without purpose.
What’s still to come
You’ll have noticed this is a review in progress, rather than a scored review. That’s because Bungie has more to come. While The Witch Queen launched with a full campaign to play through, another critical part of the expansion is still to come: Vow of the Disciple.
The Witch Queen’s raid is launching on March 5. At which point players will stream into the game’s servers to race through the most formidable Destiny 2 PvE challenge Bungie can offer. After we’ve had our fill of Vow of the Disciple, we’ll return to update this review with a final score. But, if you’re on the fence at this point, be assured that The Witch Queen is one of the best expansions in Destiny’s long history.
