Destiny 2: Lightfall Reviews
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Lightfall was the most anticipated expansion in years for the Destiny 2 community. Bungie's publicity team knew how to sell the expansion very well. Unfortunately, those who expected quality at least equal to the Witch Queen were disappointed. The nice additions to the game's mechanics and gameplay bring a bittersweet taste to the start of Year 6 of Destiny 2. If the creative team for levels, powers and equipment is following a brilliant path, the same cannot be said for the writers.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
“Lightfall” certainly doesn’t stand up to the fantastic story of “The Witch Queen,” and Strand doesn’t quite meet expectations. But, Neomuna and its inhabitants are fascinating, and the way “Lightfall” handles some of its characters adds a lot of lore and depth to their stories.
Strand is fabulous, some of the campaign missions are truly masterful, and the game remains genuinely fun, but these can’t offset Destiny 2: Lightfall’s shortcomings. Destiny 2: Lightfall is just another filler expansion on the pathway to the final showdown.
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.
Destiny 2 is still one of the best feeling games to play, but compared to the inventive, personal story told in The Witch Queen, Lightfall is dull and totally inconsequential. What a disappointment.
A couple exciting additions like Strand don't stop Destiny 2: Lightfall from feeling like a disappointing step backwards.
Destiny 2 has been out for quite some time now and there is talk of a new title. You will be treated to a solid single player story only if you do play from the beginning however, there is so much meat on the bone of this old cow that I do think the convoluted menu systems and quests may scare away the casual gamer and overwhelm those who genuinely want to get into it. Let's see what happens down the track, but for now, I personally think that Lightfall is a run of the Mill expansion that does not do the legacy of Destiny any favours.
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 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.
Destiny 2: Lightfall is far from Destiny's worst expansion, but just as far from its best. For every step forward, there's another step back, and what you get out of it ultimately comes down to what you prioritize. It simply isn't as well rounded as The Witch Queen, but still offers many excellent gameplay additions and quality-of-life improvements that elevate the whole experience.
After The Witch Queen, Lightfall is a step back for Destiny 2, both story-wise and in terms of its gameplay mechanics.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
Destiny 2: Lightfall offers an action-packed campaign that feels more like a filler story than an essential narrative. It also presents extremely well-designed levels, enemies, and combat loops, as well as several overhauls and improvements to the game's core systems. DualShockers was provided with a copy of the game for review purposes.
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.
Is it a justified chapter in Destiny 2’s plotline? Possibly not, but it does give us a nice bridge toward The Final Shape, to which I feel is Bungie’s final goodbye to what has been an excellent online shooter for a near decade. Destiny 2 Lightfall isn’t the best expansion, but is indeed an expansion to experience if you’re deep into the series and are looking forward to its curtain call.