Destiny 2: Beyond Light Reviews
My advice? Wait to see how the next-gen upgrade of Destiny 2 shakes out if you're either on the fence about returning, or jumping in for the first time. Come December 8, it should be a drastically different experience, as the lessened load times and sharper visuals (and performance) should help smooth over some of Destiny 2's shortcomings. It still has many.
Beyond Light has an excellent campaign and Europa is an awesome patrol zone, but the lack of new loot and the terrible Stasis balancing make the expansion difficult to recommend.
Although Europa itself is harsh and beautiful at the same time, Destiny 2: Beyond Light suffers from a litany of issues. The unnecessary back-and-forth to do missions on Europa, a weak structure for its campaign, and the sunsetted weapons with barely anything decent that replaced them all combine to lead to disappointments. Worse, although Stasis is a neat subclass to use in PvE, it doesn't seem viable for high-end content and it's extremely annoying in PvP. There's a good chance that Bungie adds more in succeeding weeks, but this has been a rough start for a once-promising expansion.
With a lengthier campaign and more questlines, “Beyond Light” offers plenty of new PvE activities and Stasis shakes up Guardians’ play styles in both PvP and PvE. Europa itself is a beautiful and elaborate map and it’s great to be able to explore the Cosmodrome again. However, the removal of a lot of the base content and the lack of new PvP content is upsetting. Although we still have some content that’s planned to be released in the future, like a new Raid, Bungie still has a lot to make up for.
Bungie has taken a step forward with this expansion. They are clearly on the right path with this stone-cold offering that ironically will warm up even the most jaded of Destiny fans.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light is a slimmer offering than fans might have hoped for thanks to its disappointing campaign, but there’s still enough intrigue beneath Europa’s surface to warrant a return to orbit. The new stasis subclasses freshen up years-old experiences and make parts of the game feel new again, even if the honeymoon feeling melts away in a few weeks.
Under normal circumstances, Beyond Light would have been a somewhat decent expansion with little new content, despite an engaging plot. However, the vaulting of much of the old content – most of which paid in hard cash by the users – represents an unforgivable sin since all the new activities and equipment of Beyond Light fail to come close to the amount of content removed. If Bungie continues to walk on this self-destructive path, it risks to irreparably compromise the future of Destiny 2.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Prepare to wield the darkness in the latest Destiny 2 Expansion, Beyond Light where you must the Fallen Kell Eramis for control over the moon of Europa. This fight will take you through some revelations about your relationship with the darkness and the horrid experiments that Clovis Bray have performed on the moon.
A stunning new world and powerful abilities await in Destiny 2: Beyond Light, but all the good is outweighed by the amount of content Bungie threw in the Destiny Content Vault, forcing future Seasons to pick up the slack.
Beyond Light oozes potential and I can't wait to see how Bungie develops the narrative it has started. But, by cutting so much legacy content out at once and failing to replace it, the endgame feels shallow and is already starting to feel a little too repetitive for my liking. Bungie also has brought some balancing issues into the game's PVP modes with the new Stasis subclasses, which need addressing sooner rather than later.
It is my sincerest of hopes that this shaky start is just an anomaly for Bungie’s new direction, but the game’s state ever since Shadowkeep also leads me to believe otherwise
Beyond Light is a great expansion that shines thanks to the introduction of the stasis, a new and fun power that promises to changes everything. If you also love the lore and want to know a lot more about the Destiny universe, this expansion is for you.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
The best part about Beyond Light is that it looks and feels like a sequel without needing to start from scratch. A new power set like this isn’t something I expected to see out of an expansion. In that way, Beyond Light answers a question that’s given me serious doubts as a fan: how much can Bungie change Destiny 2 without moving to a new game entirely? For the first time, Beyond Light feels like Destiny 2 is truly putty in Bungie’s hands, rather than a titanic ship that takes eons to turn.
Destiny 2 Beyond Light has turned the universe we know and love on its head by removing four major locations, five raids, outdated activities, and the sunsetting of weapons and gear. While the removal of content may seem negative, this is what the game needs to grow. Destiny 2 Beyond Light gives us a great story and an exciting new subclass with Stasis, and a huge new location in Europa. Bungie has made some hard choices to restructure Destiny 2 rather than restart the game completely with Destiny 3. What's on the horizon is something I truly cannot wait for, and I am excited to experience everything the game has to throw at me. While the Darkness is finally here, the future is bright for Destiny 2, and Beyond Light is only the tip of the iceberg.
...there is fun to be found here. If it were not for the sudden vacuum you feel in the absence of vaulted content there would be no question in my mind about how much I enjoy this game.
Destiny 2: Beyond Light doesn’t fix all that is wrong with the original game, but it is the first of many in the right direction.
Destiny 2 Beyond Light adds a descent campaign with a good narrative, and a lot of hours of play for the bravest players.
Review in French | Read full review
Beyond Light isn't going to change anyone's mind about Destiny 2. Either you love the weekly grind, the increasingly complex lore, and pushing your mates off a ledge in a Raid, or you don't. For those who do, there's a lot to discover and plenty to grind for with the added benefit of the reworked game engine. They, like myself, will no doubt be sinking hundreds of hours into this over the next year. A solid, well executed update to Destiny 2, with even more content on the horizon.
Less is more, and Destiny 2: Beyond Light feels like a positive first step towards a new era for the franchise. New Stasis subclasses, a compelling storyline, and a gorgeous new planet to explore make for an intriguing new direction for Bungie’s cosmic sandbox.
Beyond Light brings a fresh start of sorts for a game trying to continue the success after Forsaken and reclaim a bit of that spark lost during Shadowkeep and subsequent seasons.