Destiny 2: The Final Shape Review – An End To A New Beginning

In the landscape of multiplayer looter-shooter games, one I always wanted to play was Destiny 2. However, I was a bit afraid of getting into it. I postponed my time to become a Guardian and saw how expansions, seasons, and updates brimming with content passed before my eyes. But then, one of my friends convinced me to join him for Destiny 2: The Final Shape, and I can’t tell you how much I regretted ignoring this game for over a decade. The Final Shape is, in every sense of the term, a perfect conclusion to an epic journey that, despite its 10-year-old narrative, never drove away new players such as myself.

If you haven’t noticed, I’m approaching this with the good old “new-player goggles.” As I mentioned, I always found getting into Destiny 2 a bit scary, but with The Final Shape, the showdown reached Avengers: Endgame levels, and I had to be part of that. So, I created my Hunter, gobbled 10 years of lore in a few days, and prepared for the final showdown. In truth, I was nervous the expansion would be overwhelming. But it wasn’t. As soon as I stepped into the Pale Heart, I was invested. Invested in its story, its characters, and most importantly, the fantastic additions to an already smooth gameplay.

A Guardian’s Journey

For those afraid of not understanding anything that is about to go down in Destiny 2: The Final Shape, don’t be. The game gives you a great recap of everything that has happened up until this final confrontation. Yes, it won’t give you that emotional investment, but it’ll explain why The Witness is such a huge threat. Still, if you think you need a bit more of a refresher or context, the Timeline Reflection quests are great to paint a somewhat full picture of what’s going on. After that, you’re more than ready to embark on this journey that’ll take you inside the Pale Heart.

At first, I felt the pacing of some quests was a bit off. You start your first mission by finding the missing members of the Vanguard for the final showdown. However, each new quest raises the stakes and touches upon very specific topics that veterans and newcomers will find shocking. Zavala’s quest, for example, is one of the most emotional ones in The Final Shape, which in turn leads to many jaw-dropping moments and superb character development in the span of a few hours. This storytelling magic is something that’s only capable thanks to how well-written each character is.

Beyond the main narrative, Destiny 2: The Final Shape doesn’t put a full stop on its overarching story beats. After finishing the seven memorable campaign missions, there are many more quests to tackle. Some of them already hint at where this game is going, and that’s fantastic. Seeing Cayde-6 take the spotlight again while also passing the torch was my absolute favorite mission of all the expansion. Learning about Savathûn’s new plans is already making me theorize about what she is planning later. While this might be the conclusion for many, it is also a new beginning for everyone, and I was extremely glad to have been part of that.

One Brings Shadow, One Brings Light

While I admit the story is an already strong selling point for anyone who wants to start playing Destiny 2, let’s face it: its gameplay gets better with each expansion. A year ago, I heard most of my friends saying, “Lightfall is peak Destiny 2.” Now I hear them say, “The Final Shape is peak Destiny 2,” and as a newcomer, I can see why. The addition of the Prismatic subclass and its mechanics are some of the most engaging systems I’ve seen in any multiplayer game. It isn’t confusing at all for those picking up a Guardian’s mantle for the first time.

The Prismatic subclass has you balancing Light and Dark skills to reach perfect harmony and unleash chaos. This is a great mechanic because it pushes you to use all your arsenal and even make some creative builds. I’m not an expert, but I always had my Light-oriented grenade and my Dark-oriented melee to balance things out, which encouraged me to learn how to use each ability properly. Furthermore, each campaign mission pushes you to use every new ability as much as possible. In terms of gameplay, every mission is played as an extended and intricate tutorial to learn your new subclass and prepare you for the final bout.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape took extreme care to bring engaging mechanics to each fight. All of them feature a superb design in every fight. You have quests that task you with memorizing symbols, eliminating enemies in order, or even reflecting projectiles with an unholy melee weapon. And yet, what I loved the most was how most missions rely on this Light and Dark balance. In some, you need to hit an orb of darkness to shield yourself from it. In others, you must use a Light-infused shield to defeat specific foes. It is like watching a dichotomy get along with its two contrasting ideas perfectly.

Beyond all these additions, the more live-service type of content is amazing as well. As someone who usually struggles with season passes or progression systems, I find the new Pathfinder mechanics amazing. You pick a node you want to unlock, do the objectives, and keep unlocking nodes until you get rewards. Plus, most activities in the expansion are extremely solo-friendly, and as someone who’s finding his footing for the first time, I found that extremely comforting.

A Surreal Yet Enthralling Experience

While I’m sure many might miss the neon theme of Lightfall, Destiny 2: The Final Shape takes some of the most memorable zones of the series and brings a surreal take on them. Take the Cosmodrome, for example. How many of us grabbed our first weapon there? Now, we see it under a new style full of strange creatures and weirdness all over the place. But in a sense, it is amazing. It’s like going on a full circle and watching Bungie give its player base some needed fan service packed with nostalgia but somehow keeping it fresh. It is a marvel from start to finish.

In terms of sound design, everything is a masterclass. The biggest talking point will be Keith David taking Zavala’s mantle, but let me tell you, he nails the role perfectly. Beyond that, the soundtrack is terrific. Each track that accompanies you through the campaign, from the entrance to the Pale Heart to the final fight against The Witness, is amazing. Still, the real winner is the ever-useful 3D audio that helps a lot in those tight fights where you need to know where enemies are coming from.

As someone who finally joined the fray in Destiny 2: The Final Shape, I can admit I found a new place to call home. While I regret not being there for the journey, you know how the saying goes: when one door closes, another one opens. Bungie’s epic conclusion to this saga only brings new opportunities for all Guardians. While the story might suffer from pacing issues in its first couple of missions, The Final Shape is a perfect send-off to a 10-year-old narrative and a promising welcome to a new adventure.

This section was written by a Destiny 2 veteran.

I wanted to add to Julio’s thoughts here; Destiny as a whole, from the very first alpha up to now, has really evolved and delivered a finale worthy of the massive investment from long-time veterans like myself.

Destiny 2 is easily my most played game of all time, thousands of hours ahead of anything resembling a competitor, and not all of those hours were spent in the gleeful bliss of alien-blasting mayhem and deep lore the series is known for. Much of that time was spent complaining about the game as much as enjoying it. blue drops, light level grind, clunky UI, and a lack of in-game loadouts or matchmaking for tough content. If you loved Destiny and played it for any length, everything it was missing was just as apparent as the incredible gunplay and superb art direction.

It frustrated me at times; sometimes I hated it, but no matter how bad it got, something was there and kept me and my pals around. Eventually, things started to slowly shift. Fireteam finder, favorited Shaders, in-game load-outs, and a clear, pointed narrative direction with some exciting seasonal content to bridge it together. It took quite some time, but it was clear that Destiny 2 had found a rhythm and was barreling towards a make-or-break moment. The end of the long-running Light and Dark saga. I’m happy to say that they absolutely nailed the landing, and ending this story was a feeling of catharsis I haven’t personally felt in my long time gaming.

The future is now in front of Destiny, and despite it lasting for ten years, it’s never felt like a better time to jump in and see what’s next for the best live service game in existence.