Summary
Anyone following the story of Bungie and Destiny since 2014 would know that the journey to The Final Shape has not been easy.Destiny, despite being a beloved and ambitious action live service game, has shared its ups and downs for the past 10 years. However, withDestiny 2’s last expansion,The Final Shape, it’s impossible to deny that Bungie has spared no expense in crafting the ultimate finale, bringing forth an army of Guardians to celebrate everything that makes the game so adored, and shows the potential fans always knewDestiny 2could reach.
Created for the fans,The Final Shapesets a high bar for the future ofDestiny, which hopefully, isn’t going away anytime soon. Whether it’s a New Light or a veteran Guardian who has been there from day one,Destiny 2:The Final Shapewelcomes all Guardians to witness the end of the Light vs Darkness saga that started a decade ago.
The Final Shape’s central aspect is by far its most important, as Bungie needed to make the finale one to remember, where fans would be satisfied in both the journey and in its conclusion.The Final Shapeseeks to provide an exciting ending to a story that didn’t exactly know its own beginning 10 years ago. It’s not exactly a secret that past expansions haven’t lived up to the likes ofThe Taken King, orForsaken, but with everything riding onThe Final Shape, Bungie has delivered an experience above and beyond what was expected and asked for.
A Deeply Rewarding Story, Enhanced by its Characters
The Universe in Destiny 2 Has Never Felt So Alive
The campaign begins with the players’ Guardians heading into the portal carved into the Traveler by the Witness, seen last year at the climax ofLightfall. It’s felt like a long wait to reach this moment; a year of seasonal content and learning more about this universe-threatening villain has come down to this, where hope remains the fiercest ally in the dark.
The Final Shape’s story cements itself as one of Bungie’s best works to date. The Final Shape’s story is a thriving achievement in terms of writing, dialogue, and emotion. Players aren’t just tasked with walking around and scanning itemswith their Ghost. Instead, they explore the Pale Heart with urgency and anxiety, discovering further secrets and dangers from the Witness' corruption. While veteran players might be familiar with a few locations in the Pale Heart, the twisted designs make it unrecognizable and athrill to explore, especially when the mission format is always changing with new mechanics and improvised escapes, all for the goal of progressing further into the Traveler.
Joining in this goal are the characters that act as the most important forDestiny 2’s story, the Vanguard: Ikora Rey, Zavala, a mysteriously resurrected Cayde-6, and the outlier, Crow, the once-enemy now reborn as one of the game’s most important and complex Guardians. With these characters,The Final Shapereally pieces itself together, allowing them to breathe and become individuals in a grittier and more intense story which is earned from the promised end of all things.
The Final Shapeis far more serious than other expansions, and it’s nice to see the campaign treated with urgency, tension, and respect. As the campaign unfolds with each mission, so do the characters. Notable standouts come from Cayde-6, Crow, and of course, Zavala, whose performance isnow helmed by Keith Davidafter the tragic passing of Lance Reddick. For Zavala in particular, this is an important journey, as his loyalty and unquestioning love for the Traveler has been constantly tried and tested over the years we have known him. In return, he is met with nothing but grief and silence – making him the perfect victim for the Witness’ clutches. This villainous character acts as a direct threat this time around, bringing forth some of the creepiest and most intriguing aspects in all ofDestiny.
Bungie gifts fans with a celebration of 10 years that is well worth the wait.
Each character has their struggles and conflicts inThe Final Shape, which help to make it easily one ofDestiny 2’s best expansions, if not the best expansion. Nathan Fillion returns as Cayde-6, bringing a necessity for cool along with some light-hearted relief, but never in moments where they are unwarranted. Without getting into spoilers, Cayde’s story inThe Final Shapeis handled beautifully and ties in perfectly with familiar Guardians, his Fireteam, and his killer reborn, Crow. Each of these central characters inThe Final Shapeprovides an essence of humanity and emotion, culminating in an impressive narrative through performance and dialogue. Bungie gifts fans with a celebration of 10 years that is well worth the wait, especially when it comes to the new powers.
Light and Dark Harmonize to Create Unique Guardians
Prismatic Encourages Each Guardian to Be Unique
With every expansion, it should be expected that Guardians receive a few powers to dabble in, which showcase both a loyalty to the game and a mastery of its mechanics. WithThe Final Shape, Bungiegifts players Prismatic, an exciting Subclass that combines familiar elements and abilities of Light and Darkness powers, unlocking a toy box of potential for what kind of Guardians players can be. Players aren’t tied down to a vendor with Prismatic, and players are encouraged to experiment with these abilities and explore to seek out different variants of it, providing the opportunity for some of the most fun to be had inDestiny 2as Guardians focus onforging their own individual fates.
No matter how powerful or unconventional, Prismatic opens the potential to become legend. Each player has a unique flair to them in what they enjoy fromDestiny 2: not just in PvE or PvP content, but in their outfit choice, their weaponry and class, and now, more than ever, their subclass. The ability to freely pick and choose from a range of abilities and set out to unlock even more allows Guardians new and old to express themselves. Even better still, Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks, all receive another Super Ability to wield, with no tedious grind required to have fun.
The abilities acquired duringThe Final Shapemake the latest enemy faction the perfect cannon fodder, as players can test their powers on the Dread,Destiny 2’s newest faction in six years.Destiny 2’s gunplay has always been as exciting as it was addicting, andThe Final Shapecontinues to push that enjoyment thanks to these enemies, which provide greater challenge to those who seek it.The Dreadare loyal to the Witness, and their manipulation of Darkness powers makes them more fierce and cunning than the average Hive Thrall, with a greater variety as adversaries, for some can fly and suppress, whereas others can chase and slash.
Throughout the campaign and theSalvation’s Edge raid, players will face the Dread, where each encounter is as fun as it is unpredictable, as being pulled like a rubberband by Strand-wielding enemies provides plenty of chaotic action moments. On the topic of the raid, it’s worth mentioning that Salvation’s Edge continues Bungie’s tradition of tasking 6-Guardian Fireteams to take on multiple difficult encounters to put an end to finality.
The Finale is for Everyone
Players Old and New Get to Experience the Ultimate Ending
As someone who enjoys Raids but has yet to find the courage to enter into Contest mode and face the unknown, it’s been a blast to cheer on those who enter Salvation’s Edge. The mechanics seem as challenging as ever, and the atmosphere, storytelling, and fate of all things are riveting. Even just as a spectator, the importance of Salvation’s Edge feels all too real. Guardians watch with bated breath for a Fireteam to triumph for us all. Bungie truly excels at crafting memorable experiences for 6 players with their Raids, in which teamwork is essential. No matter if the Fireteam is comprised of friends or strangers, we are all Guardians, and we all deserve a place in the story.
Destiny 2can be experienced with friends, strangers, or even alone, and as such, the finale is not left to those willing to brave a Raid. Instead, all players, old and new, can enter into the finale:a 12-player activitywhere they battle the Witness alongside iconic characters and factions that players have allied themselves with over the past 10 years. Everyone is here for it, and the utter chaos of this finale is memorable, tear-jerking, and instantly replayable. Everything has been building to this moment and the building of emotion grantsan overwhelmingly triumphant and satisfying conclusion, but it also begs the question of what comes next but hope for the future.
As the universe celebrates the prevention of its extinction, there is much debate about what awaits the future ofDestinyand our Guardians. After all, the universe is a big place, and threats unknown or unresolved are bound to rear their heads sooner or later. There might be uncertainty in where the Guardians go from here, but thereis also comfort in the certainty that this is not the end, but a new beginning – one where each Guardian makes their own fate.
