Destiny 2: Forsaken: A Newcomer's Review

Danny Monroy

Published on 10/5/18 - Gaming

A year after Destiny 2’s launch, its third expansion, Forsaken, is now live. Unlike the previous two expansions, Curse of Osiris and Warmind, there are many new additions to mess around with at launch, such as story missions, new strikes, and the new gambit mode. If you are a newcomer to the game, like me, it's hard to get used to the content, which is more than the last two expansions.

Since I'm new, it was a little difficult to understand and play the game. One way to counter this, is to play with a group of friends online who can guide you through the basics. Playing with friends will will accelerate your progression through the story levels and level you up quicker. If not, the game does a effective job of walking you through the mechanics of the game and story.

If this is your first time playing Destiny, Forsaken is not the best starting point. Since the release of Destiny 2, the story has progressed quite a bit, so I'd recommend making sure you've caught up if you care about the plot of the story.

SPOILER WARNING!

Campaign

The well known and lovable character, Cayde-6, voiced by the charming Nathan Fillion is integral to the story. Cayde-6 was killed off during the trailer for Destiny 2 at E3 this summer. This became the catalyst for the whole journey of Forsaken and is the most engaging story yet. The objective of the campaign is to avenge Cayde-6’s death by hunting the eight Barons, powerful boss-like enemies from the new Scorn race that aided in Cayde's murder. Throughout the story you are helped by a mob boss alien named Spider who helps you track down the barons for a price. Spider has an darker, ulterior motive that is revealed later: to take down the Red Legion.

Boss Fights

Each of the Barons are given their own style and traits for when players fight them. The Rider is vehicle-centric. So, when fighting him you will be in an open area engaging in vehicle combat. The Trickster’s level is filled with bombs that look a lot like engrams, but instead explode in your face. A few Baron missions still follow the original Destiny level structure, with minions to slow you down until you reach the boss, but altogether the campaign is interesting and rewarding because it has variety and a sense of overall cohesion.

The Scorn

The new Scorn enemies are a good addition and feel distinct to the other enemy types. They are quicker and can overwhelm you if you aren't careful. There are the Screeb, crab-like enemies that scuttle around and explode when killed, while the Ravagers charge a flaming flails to pummel you with. However, if you manage to shoot them before they get you, they'll erupt into a satisfying explosion. The new enemies are not too different from fighting other enemies, but figuring out tactics on how to fight them will be useful when you are hit with a swarm.

New Weapons and Weapon Systems

Even though I haven’t had enough time to explain much about the new weapons and gear, the new weapons system can force you to try new things. The cost of the infusion is higher than before, so if you’re trying to get ready as quick as possible for the raid, then you’ll have to give up old exotic and legendary basic gear that drops at new high power levels. The new addition to the game that stands out the most is the combat bow: it is surprisingly strong, fast, and really fun to use. It shoots accurately from long distance and can do decent rapid fire damage up close.

Gambit

The best activity of the game is the new Gambit mode. It is a largely cooperative PvE with the occasional PvP twist. The way it works is two teams are split up on to separate maps in order to race to collect and bank a certain number of motes from fallen enemies. One team member can invade the other team’s map to mess up their progress once a certain amount of motes are reached. It is a unique and creative combination game mode.

Conclusion

After many fans, including myself, and Mr. Falkinburg, were let down by the Curse of Osiris and Warmind expansions, Forsaken seems to have rekindled the Destiny fanbase and brought fresh gameplay to the franchise. Forsaken is fun and I am enjoying the ride so far.