Destiny 2: Lightfall Reviews
Thanks to its focus on the new powers, rather than progressing the story in any meaningful way, Lightfall ends up being a flat experience that leaves you wanting more. It doesn’t help that the Light vs Dark story, which has been building for the best part of a decade, is in its endgame. It also doesn’t help that the expansion has to live up to the incredible add-on that was released the year prior. There are good points to be found in Lightfall like the setting and the new Strand ability but as far as it being essential to the story, I’m not so sure.
Destiny 2 Lightfall was an important expansion for Bungie to get right. Just as faith was being rebuilt with the phenomenal Witch Queen expansion, it’s a shame they couldn’t keep the momentum going. Lightfall feels like a huge step backwards. There is some fun to be had and the changes that have been made to the core formula but it’s not enough and I feel my time with Destiny is about to come to its end unless we see some massive improvements in the coming year.
There's no doubt that Lightfall is not the best expansion, but it's far from being the worst, thankfully. If I had to formulate it, it's the arithmetic average of Beyond Light and The Witch Queen. We're used to Bungie going back and forth like a Mehter Company, which is exactly why I haven't given up hope for The Final Shape.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Destiny 2’s Lightfall expansion doesn’t make a good first impression, but beneath that Lightfall story is still a satisfying game, a game that keeps me coming back infinitely and beyond the grasp of any other title.
From bizarre difficulty balancing to a poorly written story, Lightfall has a lot of misses. However, it also makes a lot of good changes that enhance the general gameplay like with Strand subclass and the accessibility of buildcrafting. It isn't the worst Destiny 2 expansion, not even close, but it is also far from being great.
Destiny 2: Lightfall is an expansion with two opposing aspects, that can be seen as the mirror image of the previous The Witch Queen. Weak in narrative content, it shows its best in perfecting the gaming experience, understood as that set of tools to fully enjoy the potential of our guardians. The hope now is that Bungie will put an extra effort into delivering Seasons full of content and capable of keeping the attention high towards the end of a saga a bit… paracausal.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Destiny 2 Lightfall is somewhat of a mixed bag for me. While the Strand subclass is incredible, and I’ve been really enjoying actually playing the game, the story leaves a lot to be desired, and some of the new additions seem a little half-baked. The new Vow of the Disciple raid feels more like a strike due to how easy it is while exploring basic patrol zones on Neomuna feels like a death trap. If a new player asked me if this is the time to jump into Destiny 2, my honest answer would probably be no. The Guardian Ranks system is a step in the right direction, but there is still a lot of work to be done to make the game easier to get into. As a veteran player, I’ve been enjoying my time, though, and hopefully, Bungie can get things back on track in time for The Final Shape.
Lightfall feels like a step back in the grand arch of Destiny after the fantastic The Witch Queen. The content does have some neat ideas and Neomuna looks pretty great but Strand doesn't feel as game changer as it should and the story feels more like preview of what's coming during the year in different seasons but not a fully fledged campaign as the latest expansion.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Lightfall is a controversial expansion for Destiny 2. While it once again shows a highly entertaining gameplay, we are not convinced by the narrative context. The expansion lacks bite, leaving a bitter taste for being "the beginning of the end".
Review in Italian | Read full review
Destiny 2: Lightfall is disjointed in story, but pulls through with its gameplay. Something has to give with the former, as the story needs to be memorable and engaging, and this expansion simply didn’t get there in either category.
Lightfall as a whole package falls short of the standard set by The Witch Queen last year. The story is shaky and tangential, and the gameplay changes are few and far between outside of the underwhelming Strand powers. Neomuna isn’t nearly as memorable, and difficulty changes make it more challenging to engage with Destiny’s bread and butter content. Thankfully, overall quality of life improvements and the rock solid bones of the gameplay save the package as a whole. If you’re after more Destiny 2, Lightfall is certainly that, but as the most expensive expansion yet ($100 USD with the annual pass), I expected to have my hair blown back a bit more.
Destiny 2: Lightfall is overall, a great experience. The gameplay additions, the Quality of Life improvements, and the music and sound design are all best in class. The Lightfall campaign is going to be divisive for a long time to come and I think that’s okay. Its storytelling doesn’t live up to the Witch Queen’s standards, but the level design is some of Destiny’s – and Bungie’s – best. I loved the characters we met along the way, the post-campaign content, and Neomuna itself. I love Neomuna, Strand, and the new Root of Nightmares raid, But I think the best part is that I’m having just as much fun as I ever have in Destiny.
While it's certainly not a perfect expansion, Lightfall offers enough additions and changes to be worth it for new and returning players alike
In Destiny's great history of expansions, there are several examples of better deliverables. Lightfall isn't the worst of them, but it's the weakest in years.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Destiny 2: Lightfall falls short of expectations, leaving players with unanswered questions and minimal impact on the Light and Dark saga. The introduction of Neomuna and Cloud Striders has little purpose to the overarching plot. However, the powerful Strand toolset is a delightful addition, though it raises concerns about balance with weaker elements. While quality of life improvements are positive, the removal of certain content makes the game challenging for new players. Overall, Lightfall feels rushed, as if it was a flustered effort to fill a gap before the final hurrah.
This is the Destiny we have for now. And things will change over the next year, a lot of tweaks are incoming. Difficulty will probably be scaled back as the current state scares away new and casual players. The consumables economy is likely going to need to be tweaked as well, the game will evolve with the seasons, but Lightfall itself is an overall disappointing chapter in a game that remains excellent. Bungie appears to be buying time until the Final Shape next year, and we're being asked to pay for it.
A disappointing campaign, and a sandbox rework that shows promise, but feels like it's still some major balance patches away from leaving the game in a good place.
The future is still bright for Destiny 2. We just have to get there.
Between its horrible story, subpar post-campaign quests, and lackluster raid, Destiny 2's Lightfall expansion is a massive step backward for Bungie's live service shooter. There is some good here — Strand is fantastic, and most of the new gear is strong, too — but overall, Lightfall will leave most dissatisfied.
Lightfall is assuredly Destiny 2’s weakest effort at providing something new for its enormous player base. Whilst the setting is exciting to look at, there’s very little here to convince lapsed players to return and has already proven frustrating for the hardcore. If you’re brand new, don’t even bother. Perhaps it’s time tor Bungie to finally move on.