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Destiny 2: Forsaken Review – The long campaign

Bungie’s Destiny DLCs have always been hit and miss, and more recently have been leaning towards the latter. Destiny 2: Forsaken though is an entirely different beast, and for long-suffering Guardians offers the chance to test their mettle, along with earning some covetable loot.

It’s a more substantial chapter than previous DLCs for Destiny 2, and in some respects almost feels as large as the game did when it got released in September last year.

Forsaken is also the fourth season of Destiny 2, which means it’s even more crucial that developers Bungie get the DLC right, and retain gamers that have stuck with the iteration of the franchise over its first year.

So does it manage to do that?

More reward

One of the criticisms of Destiny 2 has been the lack of reward for gamers who’ve invested tens of hours in the title, with high-value loot extremely hard to come by, especially for those that do not regularly take part in crucible 1v1 matches or Leviathan Raids with their Fireteam.

That’s not the case in Forsaken. The loot you earn after engaging in skirmishes increases in power at a steady rate, which ultimately makes you want to take on more events and look for side missions to complete.

This in a bid to take on the harder range of enemies one will encounter on the Tangled Shores on which the majority of action for Destiny 2: Forsaken unravels.

The level cap for Guardians is 50, but if you like us have not picked up a controller in some time to play Destiny 2, the ability to rapidly progress your character’s power level is quite rewarding, particularly if you pick up weapons and gear branded with the Forsaken logo.

Earning the right

As mentioned earlier, Forsaken is larger in scale than other DLC we’ve played for Destiny 2. This is not just in terms of size, but also the length of the story.

There are more cut scenes for example akin to the style we saw for the original Red Legion campaign in Season One, with our new nemesis Uldren Sov taking up most of the focus.

Added to this are series of tasks that gamers must perform before earning the right to hunt down the killer of much-loved Guardian Cayde-6.

Taking up most of our time was a series of bounties that we needed to carry out in order to get the assistance of Spider, a Taken outlaw whose assistance we require in the Tangled Shore.

The bounties are easy enough to complete, provided you can locate the target, and taking them out is also relatively simple.

One issue we encountered though, is while trying to locate bounty targets, all of which are located in hidden loot areas of the map, one may encounter another bounty on Spider’s long list.

If you do take out one of these bounties, you cannot strike them off Spider’s list, as only the bounty you currently hold (one at a time) will count. We may be splitting hairs here, but that does not exactly seem fair, especially as a bounty for one bad guy is as good as a bounty  for another.

Some new elements 

There are a range of new elements that Bungie have introduced for Destiny 2: Forsaken, with a handful really standing out for us.

The first is a new enemy in the form of the Scorn. They’re essentially Taken that have been corrupted. They’re also a bit more aggressive in the way they engage in combat, and some of them have the ability to turn into ether and move around battles.

They’re also harder to kill than other enemy races in Destiny 2 have proved, and added to this are a slew of battle-hardened versions of other races existing within the Tangled Shore.

As such, skirmishes take a little linger than expected, more ammo will invariably be required and you can quickly be overwhelmed by melee attacks.

Another notable aspect is a new weapon in the form of a bow for the Hunter class. It works a bit like it does in recent Far Cry games, and its mechanics are quite intriguing.

It’s particularly handy in tactical situations, especially when taking on shielded enemies, with a headshot more than often doing the trick. Arrows can also be aimed at solid objects near enemy targets and explode to stun them. We would not stick with it over a pulse rifle for example, but it is a nice change of pace from the usual arsenal we’ve been employing up until now.

There’s also a new mode in the form of the Gambit. It’s essentially like the Crucible but with competing Fireteams. As such for gamers interested in more multiplayer elements to Destiny 2, the Gambit should offer them the fix required.

Final verdict

It’s tough to weigh in with a final verdict for Forsaken as there is still more on the way for the DLC, as Bungie has a big Raid scheduled for 14th September. As of writing though, there is more than enough on offer in Destiny 2: Forsaken to give gamers who have been burned by this franchise one too many times a but more hope.

A word of caution though, as it’s not an easy undertaking.

There are a number of long task-intensive missions that lie between you and the final showdown with Uldren Sov.

Those expecting the short one day plays that Curse of Osiris and Warmind offered may be pleasantly surprised by Destiny 2: Forsaken, however. It will require an investment of play time, especially if you aim to get revenge for Cayde-6, and is something well worth considering when purchasing this DLC.

Speaking of which is costs almost two-thirds that of Destiny 2 (~R608 on the PlayStation Store), but luckily there is enough on offer in Forsaken, should you be up to the task.

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