Destiny: The Dark Below Reviews
So is it worth buying the pass to get the Dark Below expansion? Absolutely. And if the second expansion (which your purchase of the pass gets you as well) is anything like this one has been, I cannot wait to see what Bungie has up their sleeve for expansion number two of Destiny. So grab the expansion pass and then suit up in your favorite gear and become a legend, because the Dark Below will put your skills to the test.
The challenge in recommending The Dark Below at this price point to anyone other than a hardcore Destiny fan (who was likely never on the fence about the purchase, anyway) is that this DLC tries to please too many masters. If you don't care about the Crucible, that new content doesn't matter. If you don't have a Raid group, Crota's End is irrelevant. And what Destiny really needs—a satisfying narrative—is still entirely absent.
An expansion that could have confirmed Destiny's greatness only leaves you feeling underwhelmed. If you want more Destiny, here's more Destiny, and it's still a lot of fun. There's more loot to collect, more weapons and armour to try out, and a handful of new strikes and activities to try with your Destiny friends. When we've played the new Raid there's a chance that it might all seem incredibly worthwhile. For now, however, the main reason to buy The Dark Below is that it gives you more reason to keep plugging away and a handful of new activities, not because it adds anything that new or substantial to the game.
Destiny: The Dark Below is a combination of all of the worst parts of the original game. It offers little value to all except the most dedicated of players and revisits the same overused locations that we've seen a dozen times.
For now, there's an easy test to judge whether or not you should pick up The Dark Below: did you play Destiny from launch all the way up until the first expansion? If so, you'll want to get it as soon as possible. If your enthusiasm has faltered over the past few months and you never really got into the first raid, you can wait or pick up the Season Pass at a later date after more incremental improvements have been made.
The Dark Below is thin on content, and it fails to expand the scope of Destiny in any meaningful way.
The Dark Below is a great reminder of what Destiny could be, but isn't. Its best content is the raid, the gunplay is smooth and playing with friends is a great time. Unfortunately, Bungie doesn't seem to have any clue how to give players a sense of progress without giving them hundreds of hours of grinding and then releasing better gear.
While there were many valid complaints levied against Destiny after its release, the developers have taken many strides in bringing the game closer to the promised game. The Dark Below is one more step in that direction.