Roughly a year ago, Bungie flipped Destiny 2 on its head.

Not only did a new expansion launch, it was the first time players felt the effects of sunsetting. Sunsetting in this sense saw older content being removed from the game or being made useless by way of preventing infusion. This meant that older weapons and armour were no longer viable in end-game content and it understandably lead to outcry.

But, while players were searching for a machine gun, any machine gun, to use to complete bounties a narrative was unfolding within Destiny that has quite frankly blown us away.

After a year of playing, let’s look back at 2021 in the world of Destiny 2.

Season of the Crow (Spoilers for Destiny 2: Forsaken)

The story of Eramis and her fascination with the Darkness that was told during the Destiny 2: Beyond Light campaign was great but then things took a dark turn.

By way of lore posted on to its website and voice messages in-game, players learned that Osiris was hunting for Xivu Arath and managed to find the Hive god. This event set in motion the wheels of the story that would be told throughout the rest of the year.

We also encountered Uldren Sov, the man who killed Cayde-6 and became a Guardian after being influenced by Riven of a Thousand Voices.

To be clear, players hated Uldren Sov for what he did to Cayde but somehow Uldren, now Crow, became the apple of players’ eye. Whether it was the threat that Spider posed or his character development that brought about this change of opinion is unclear but we’re so glad Bungie wrote the character this way.

The content of the season was incredibly bland however with Wrathborn Hunts becoming the seasonal activity and, while rewarding, they weren’t anything really special. The weaponry offered up was just as bland but at least the seasonal armour ornaments looked cool.

Much like the rest of the seasons in Beyond Light, Season of the Hunt was more about the story with gameplay helping to keep players occupied between new episodes of the story content.

Players did get a new Exotic quest in Harbinger which offered up the Exotic Handcannon Hawkmoon as a reward. To emulate the randomness of the original weapon, Hawkmoon has a chance to drop with random rolls and it helps make Harbinger a bit more repeatable.

Season Grade:

Story: 10/10

Seasonal Activity: 5/10

Weapon Diversity: 6/10

Exotics: 2/10

Secrets: 10/10

Overall score: 33/50

Season of the enemy influx

With Crow serving as our ally we were then greeted by the Cabal and Empress Caiatl, the daughter of the Leviathan’s ruler, Calus.

The premise of this story was that Caiatl wanted humanity to join forces with the Cabal to fight the Hive and the Darkness. Unfortunately, she wanted humanity to bow to her rule as well. As you might expect Zavala was having none of that with Lance Reddick who voices Zavala even elaborating on the dialogue presented in game.

Dear @xMechanizex and @DestinyTheGame fans: This is for you. #Destiny2 pic.twitter.com/uYYKIuyI25

— Lance Reddick (@lancereddick) February 10, 2021

What followed was a battle with the Cabal to prove that we are worthy allies that culminated in a fight featuring the best of the Cabal and the best of the Guardians. During the season a plot to assassinate Zavala was uncovered and suspicions were raised that there was a spy within the Last City.

The seasonal activity here was Battlegrounds. This activity was filled to the brim with enemies and players applauded Bungie for how much fun a Strike-like activity could be. To make things even better, the weapon selection was grand with one of the weapons from the season, Threaded Needle, currently a meta option for most activities in the game.

We were also reintroduced to Calus via the Presage mission in which players could earn the Exotic Scout Rifle Dead Man’s Tale. The area this mission took place, The Glykon, was loaded with reasons to keep coming back if random rolls of Dead Man’s Tale weren’t enough. The story told in this mission culminated in the discovery of the Crown of Sorrow and the realisation that Calus was trying to use the Darkness to control the Scorn.

The Presage mission also laid the ground work for the next season, Season of the Splicer.

Story: 10/10

Seasonal Activity: 10/10

Weapon Diversity: 10/10

Exotics: 10/10

Secrets: 10/10

Overall score: 50/50

Season of the Suspicion

Destiny 2 players have encountered Misraaks or Mithrax, Kell of House Light several times in the past but Season of the Splicer put him, and the Eliksni in centre stage.

Players are accustomed to Eliksni as the Fallen enemy type and Bungie decided that it was time to show us how similar Eliksni and Humans are. Having had the Traveler abandon the Eliksni before coming to Sol, we learned that not all Fallen are our enemies and they can make for powerful allies.

Just as Bungie changed our opinion of Uldren, they changed our opinion of Saint-14.

What unfolded was a tale of xenophobia, bigotry, misinformation and racism and the effects they have on society as a whole. For the first time ever in Destiny 2 we were excited to read lore with each week scratching away the veneer of good feelings Destiny has been sowing with its story and replacing it with something far darker.

One of the Guardian’s closest allies, Osiris, was acting strangely and suspicions that he was possessed or controlled by Savathun were coming to the fore.

Just thinking back the story Bungie told during the Season of the Splicer gives us goosebumps and we haven’t even mentioned the seasonal activities.

Override was a Gambit clone in that players had to slay enemies, collect motes and deposit them in a central bank. It was fun and while not unique it was enjoyable and rewarding. Later in the season Expunge became available and with each week a new challenge was available within the Vex Network. This culminated in a fight against Quiria, a Taken Vex mind although we’re almost certain that the Vex Mind lives on.

There were no secrets to uncover this season but with so much content available this was an understandable omission.

The weaponry and armour players could earn was incredible and this season saw the return of the Vault of Glass. This has fast become our favourite Raid in the game alongside The Last Wish.

In a year of great content however, Season of the Splicer stands head and shoulders above everything. At least it did, until we were reintroduced to the Queen.

Story: 10/10

Seasonal Activity: 10/10

Weapon Diversity: 10/10

Exotics: 5/10

Secrets: 0/10

Overall score: 35/50

My friend, Savathûn

When Season of the Lost kicked off we learned that Osiris had indeed become possessed by Savathûn and she revealed herself in the opening salvo of the season.

The Hive Witch Queen expressed fears that her sister, Xivu Arath, was hunting her and turned to Queen Mara Sov of the Awoken for help. Guardians were tasked with saving Mara’s Techeuns that can help uncover the secrets Savathûn is holding close to her chest and protect the Queen from her sister’s wrath.

While Season of the Lost is still on the go, we suspect that Savathûn will betray us, because she’s the big bad in the forthcoming expansion, The Witch Queen. How that betrayal will play out is unclear but Guardians, and Mara are far too trusting of the Witch Queen for our liking.

The seasonal activity this time around is Astral Alignment and it’s as rewarding as Override was even if the weapons aren’t as exciting. While this season saw the introduction of Legendary Stasis weapons, they have failed to make a real impact considering all of the weapon archetypes released aren’t what we’d describe as meta.

The Exotic quest for Ager’s Specter is incredibly interesting however and while it was time gated, it was interesting to see how the bond between Mara and Uldren grew so strong and why it grew so strong.

With little over two months left before The Witch Queen launches, we are hopeful that there will be further developments in the story ahead of the expansion’s release.

Story: 10/10

Seasonal Activity: 10/10

Weapon Diversity: 8/10

Exotics: 5/10

Secrets: 8/10

Overall score: 41/50

The Last Word

While behind the scenes things are tumultuous at Bungie, the work that the developers and writers have done this year is deserving of praise.

Having played Destiny 2 since its release, this year has been the first time that we are not only engaged in the story, but actively discussing it with others. More than that we are seeking out lore-keepers such as Myelin and Byf to elaborate on what were are seeing unfold.

While we have learned not to expect much from seasonal activities, the slate offered up this year was perfectly serviceable. More than that, it was rewarding as well, so rewarding that we really need more Vault space, Bungie.

In terms of gameplay, things have been tricky on that side. The introduction of Stasis has been a constant headache but Bungie appears to have things under control. A litany of sandbox changes have improved how fast abilities recharge bringing much needed balance to the game and forcing players to abandon crutches they had previously used.

As we speak, Destiny is the most fun to play whether it’s participating in PvP or end-game activities. Even Trials of Osiris, the end-game PvP activity is fun which, if you asked us this time last year, seemed impossible.

What is clear to us is that thanks to a more diverse team and changes to Bungie’s management, the quality of the game and its story has improved in leaps and bounds. With Season of the Splicer it became clear that Bungie’s narrative isn’t afraid to broach tough topics and spark conversations. Long may this trend continue because Bungie is really good at mirroring what’s happening in the real world in its game.

With plans to create a series centred around Destiny, we’re incredibly excited for what the future holds.

Eyes up Guardian, the best days of Destiny truly are ahead of us and 2021 showed us just how great things can be.