The Final Shape approaches. Guardians across the system will take the fight to The Witness, fight side-by-side with old friend Cayde-6, and mix up their builds with the new Prismatic subclass. Like many Destiny players, I’m starting to feel nostalgic over my journey amongst the stars, though it started more recently than most guardians.
I’d tried and failed multiple times to get into Destiny, but my guardian’s time finally arrived in the Summer of 2022. Modern Warfare II had, quite frankly, pissed me off. The launch of COD HQ was a disaster, and Infinity Ward had made many unnecessary changes to try and alter the foundations of Call of Duty into a tactical shooter with gritty realism thrown on top: sluggish movement, ultrafast TTK, the removal of the traditional mini-map, a timed perk system… the list goes on.
And so, the free access period timed around the announcement of the Lightfall expansion came at the perfect time. I downloaded everything, logged in to the Hunter I created years before (I completed a few Red War campaign missions and called it a day) and started as fresh as possible. The hardest part of Destiny – outside of Grandmaster strikes and raids – is being a new light. You get three hundred systems thrown at you without full explanations, and then you have to work out your path via any activities that interest you and external sources like YouTube and Reddit. It’s daunting, but I stayed the course.
Destiny’s teeth sank into me when I started my playthroughs of each campaign. Levelling up my guardian without worrying about all the later perils like pinnacle caps and maxing stats was an enjoyable and straightforward exercise. Buildcrafting scratches a particular itch once you’re more experienced, but the wide-eyed innocence of being a new light is something I miss; shoot, jump and shoot some more! The Witch Queen campaign was where I started paying full attention to the story, as Savathun’s design and crafty nature inspired me to dig deeper into her past and the surrounding lore.
The variety of locations, enemies and weapons made exploring all the content I had missed a dream. The Season of Plunder had a somewhat hostile reception from players who were tired of the same seasonal shtick, but as a new light, I loved it. The six-man activity Ketchcrash was a lot of fun, and the legend mode gave me a taste of higher-level endgame content. There’s nothing quite like the halcyon days of having something new to do in Destiny outside of farming seasonal and ritual activities. That’s how they get you to buy the expansions, I suppose!
Unfortunately, I don’t have the time, patience and confidence to find a consistent raid group as a solo player, so I haven’t experienced some of the best endgame content. I dipped my toe in raids with Root of Nightmares and Crota’s End (Reprised) via Destiny Sanctuary, got the weapons and armour I wanted for fashion-related reasons, and moved on. You feel free once you come to peace with the fact that you won’t unlock every weapon, piece of armour, or triumph. At this point, I’m happy to experience the seasonal story, complete the seasonal triumph and take it from there. If the dungeon is something I can hammer out solo or in LFG, that would be great! If not, it’s okay. If the raid is something I can only watch on YouTube, I’m fine with that. That said, I hope there’s an epilogue following the first raid completion, a final mission that ensures every guardian can finish the story of light and dark on their own terms.
The Final Shape looks like an incredible experience, with the story stakes at an all-time high, a new subclass that increases the power fantasy, and a beautiful new location in The Pale Heart. The Dread – a much-needed new enemy race – will keep the gameplay fresh, and I’m intrigued to see how the new seasonal format ‘Episodes’ pans out. I don’t play Destiny as much as I used to, but I have undoubtedly had a great time with it. When Bungie is on its A-game, there aren’t many studios out there that can match it.
The Final Shape concludes ten years of Destiny. For many guardians, this will be similar to how I felt when Call of Duty Zombies Aether Saga ended in Black Ops 4. It was a bittersweet moment: a beautiful ending emerged from a game hampered by developmental issues, uncertainty, and half-baked game design. But out of the ashes came Cold War Zombies, an instalment that gave me – and Zombies – a new lease of life. The Light and Dark Saga may end, but Destiny will live on. I’m excited to see it conclude and find out what comes next, no matter what role my guardian or I have in it.