Game Review – Destiny 2: Warmind

We’ve Woken The Hive. Again.

May 8th marked the release of Destiny 2’s second expansion Warmind. Three weeks and one Iron Banner later I can honestly say I’m both slightly let down and mildly pleased.

The new story campaign is centered around our old friend Rasputin and the worm god Xol. Once again, we’re dealing with the Warmind and the Hive. At this point though, can we really expect Bungie to NOT simply re-hash old content? It seems like it’s too much to ask for something new. Lord knows we wanted it with the Osiris DLC and came up empty-handed.

This latest expansion isn’t all disappointment though. The less-than-2-hour campaign is accompanied by enough changes within the game to make Warmind a worthwhile play-though.

Old Milestones

Once you’ve blazed your way through the new story line, you’ll be introduced to a couple new weapon quests. Quests for BRAND NEW guns, not re-skins of old models. Anyone remember theA?Sleeper Simulant? They’ve brought that back as well.

There’s a soft cap at 345 light – 5 points below the recommended 350 level for Heroic Strikes. Destiny 2 has reversed the difficulty standards of what we used to expect. Nightfalls now seem like a breeze at a measly 270 light.

Player progression has slowed down immensely with the Warmind DLC. Now that the number of ways to get “powerful drops” has been severely reduced, the 385 light cap seems like far off goal. A goal we may actually have to work for this time. Is this a bad thing? Not in my opinion. Instead of practically being handed loot – i.e. when Destiny 2 first dropped – we may have to grind for what we want. Shocker, I know.

Now that the Milestones are a little more rewarding and little harder to get, I’m finding myself much more interested in getting them.

New Improvements

Ironically, the best additions in this expansion have nothing to do with the actual Warmind. Even without purchasing the new DLC, players have full access to a new lineup of exotic weapons, expanded vault space, a customizable emote wheel and all the re-tooled Heroic Strikes.

Valor and Glory ranks now give dedicated PvP players a more rewarding payoff for their time spent. Being able to Prestige your rank in Crucible is something Destiny should have incorporated from the beginning, no matter how Call-of-Duty-esque it may seem.

Last but not least – Private Matches have arrived. (Insert wild applause) And they are perhaps the best new improvement of all. Ever since the release of D2, we’ve wondered when Bungie would incorporate this D1 mechanic into their game. Better late than never I guess. Having custom games will solidify Destiny 2’s place in the gaming community, at least in the competitive FPS genre. Look out Head Hunters – this one’s for you.

Conclusion

All of these new updates and additions leave me with mixed feelings about Warmind. Is it better than the previous Osiris update? Without a doubt. Is is strange that the best game improvements are completely separate from the actual expansion? Umm, very much so.

While I feel like Destiny 2 is decidedly better than it was a two months ago, I just don’t know if it’s enough. Is there anything Bungie can do to win back all the fans that gave up last September? Only time will tell. For now, this DLC definitely feels like a place holder – something to occupy us and buy more time. All I can say is, hurry up Bungie. We’ve been more than patient.