Destiny 2: The Final Shape Review

Destiny has a special place in my heart, being a game that I’ve poured hundreds of hours into, even going as far as bringing my PS4 on an international trip so I don’t miss out on my weekly raid. Despite hopping in and out of Destiny 2 over the better half of its lifespan, it’s remained something I could always come back to whenever I felt like it.

Destiny 2’s path has been rocky, with many updates and expansions missing the mark. Community interest has waned over the years, but Guardians have remained hopeful that one day, the game will deliver an expansion that would restore its former glory.

That time is now, as The Final Shape is everything that the fanbase has wanted and even more, bringing an emotional conclusion to an epic plot point that is intense and supremely satisfying. The activities in this expansion, especially the raid, are well thought out and tick all the boxes of what activities should be.

Destiny 2: The Final Shape is utterly masterful from Bungie.

The Witness Awaits

How players approach Destiny 2 differs, with some being more heavily invested in the story beats more than others. It’s been confusing and certainly very complicated, to say the least, and with everything so steeped in lore, following things from day one is a monumental feat.

One thing that The Final Shape does is reward players who have stuck through thick and thin and offer them such a satisfying end to a 10-year story arc that makes sticking around worth it. We’re talking about MCU-level build-up here, playing the long game, ups and downs included. There are some characters who make a return, making for an emotional affair, and each of the “big” characters like Zavala get their own chance to shine.

While I won’t discuss these story beats in detail, The Final Shape basically brings players up close and personal with The Witness, the long-standing villain that everyone has been trying to topple in between bouts with the Vex, the Hive, and everyone else. Bungie has made The Witness a villain you will certainly feel strongly against, which is a testament to how well he is written and portrayed.

As a relative newcomer approaching the game again because of skipping some previous expansions, I was understandably flustered with what was going on. While the overarching plot was something I could still remember, there were tiny details lost to me throughout the campaign. Despite this, the whole experience was enjoyable and something that could potentially lead newcomers to check out past events because of how epic it all turned out to be.

The lead-up to the final encounter is intense and full of hype, providing answers to many of the question marks that players have had. It’s quite a surprise to me how Bungie has managed to do it the way they did coming from their hit-and-miss track record, but what ensues is an emotional journey that makes you root for team Guardians and leaves you optimistic for what lies ahead.

What’s new?

In Destiny 2: The Final Shape, players will head to The Pale Heart, a new destination that has become a personal favorite because of its artistic design alone. This new area offers players a unique aesthetic that ties to the horror of The Witness, filled with Instagram-worthy views that show just how much Bungie cooked with this one.

Prismatic is the heavy buzzword in The Final Shape, and it is by far one of the best feeling subclasses in the game. Prismatic basically allows Guardians to customize playstyles by combining multiple element types and even get a unique grenade that fuses multiple subclass elements together. If you’ve ever wanted to mix certain abilities from other subclasses, now you can and it is as awesome as you think it would be.

The craziness results in a power spike that ups the fun factor of the game exponentially, and it’s great to see all of the combinations being made, and when combined with all of the previous updates like Strand, Prismatic makes for such a compelling reason as to why this update is as engaging and fun as it is. The customization well runs deep, and there’s so much to see and do that really breathes life into combat.

Another perfect addition to The Final Shape is Salvation’s Edge, the newest raid. When it first launched, teams scrambled to take world’s first, and Bungie absolutely cooked here because the usual teams were stumped with how to complete it. The final moments of the competition were so intense that streamers went on to black out their screens so that other teams could not figure out the correct way of working through the raid.

Event aside, Salvation’s Edge is a mechanical masterpiece and is such a fun and also challenging raid that will require full cooperation and coordination from teams. The Taken King’s final encounter with Oryx was such a memorable moment for me in terms of mechanics and hype, and this certainly clears due to the amount of coordination and communication needed.

One other introduction that elevates the game experience is the addition of the Dread, the latest enemy faction in Destiny 2. There hasn’t been a new addition in quite a while now, but the Dread more than makes up for it with variety, a kickass design, and some inventive ways of disposing of them. While some may look like variations of past foes, there’s no question that this new faction is most welcome and comes at the perfect time that serves to revitalize the game.

Verdict: Buy it!

There’s no doubt about it – Destiny 2: The Final Shape is a resounding success for Bungie as they have seemingly done the impossible task of not only meeting but exceeding expectations for this expansion. After the hit-or-miss nature of prior updates that have placed its future in question, The Final Shape delivers an emphatic kill shot as one of, if not the best expansion of the game to date. Yes, arguably better than The Taken King.

What happens next is up for debate, and whether the future content drops can continue the momentum set by The Final Shape will determine how the game will fare over the coming months. For now, players can rest easy as The Final Shape caps off a Destiny 2 return to glory in style.

*Destiny 2: The Final Shape was reviewed on a PS5 with a review code provided by the publisher.