Destiny 2 The Final Shape review: Made in Darkness, unmade in Light

They say it’s not the destination but the journey that matters, and the same holds true for the Light vs Darkness saga that came to its epic conclusion in Destiny 2 The Final Shape.

WIth the launch of the Shadowkeep expansion, Bungie was building up the confrontation against the Witness, the Harbinger of our fall.

After countless hours of grinding levels over the course of multiple expansions and Raids, here’s my take on Destiny 2 The Final Shape.

I’ll avoid delving into major storyline details in this review because it’s something that you need to experience for yourself. However, this review will contain some spoilers because without highlighting those, it would be difficult to convey how beautifully the developers have woven different angles into the intricate storyline details.

Destiny 2 The Final Shape’s QoL changes make the game more accessible

Prior to the launch of The Final Shape, Destiny 2 had a complex bounty system. Each playlist activity vendor offered everyone bounties, but that added additional clutter to the quest screen.

The developers abandoned that with the new expansion and replaced it with a much more accessible Pathfinder system. Now, whenever you complete a playlist activity, you’ll end up passively progressing nodes within this system.

Legendary Shards were abandoned, and Glimmer has become the primary currency for everything that you can purchase within the game.

That aside, the journey screen has received a massive overhaul as well. The page looks cleaner than before, but it still contains all the nodes that you could previously access from this screen.

Bungie has also abandoned the traditional four season a year approach and has replaced it with three acts per year. Each act will last for approximately 120 days, spanning over four months.

Gameplay changes

One of the most notable gameplay changes was the introduction of Prismatic, a new subclass system that allows you to mix and match abilities from the five subclasses that exist in the game.

The developers have also tied it in with the campaign and most of the activities that you will come across in the open world within the Pale Heart of the Traveler.

You will also come across different enemies and a brand new activity known as Overthrow. This activity is quite similar to the Altar of Sorrow that you will see on the Moon.

Even the Prismatic Aspects and Fragments that you cannot unlock through the campaign or additional missions, are locked behind some really intriguing puzzles located within the Pale Heart of the Traveler.

While the core mechanics of the game haven’t changed, gameplay does feel more fluid than before. The developers have added a plethora of new weapons, along with unsunsetting some of the older but popular ones.

The story of Destiny 2 The Final Shape is nothing but an emotional rollercoaster

Devotion – bravery – sacrifice – death, the four tenets of the Guardians is something that has been showcased in every single Destiny 2 expansion so far, but it hasn’t been as evident as it has been in The Final Shapes’ narrative.

There are eight missions that you will come across in the campaign, and slowly builds up to the epic final mission. One major decision that Bungie took with this expansion was the final mission following the conclusion of the Salvation’s Edge Raid.

While most Raids were the conclusion to the Expansions they were associated with, The Final Shape was somewhat different. The final mission was made accessible to everyone, keeping in mind that not everyone would be able to complete the Raid during the contest mode.

The story saw the rise of a new Hunter Vanguard in Crow, Zavala embracing the Darkness following the loss of Targe, and almost every sentient being rallying against one common enemy, The Witness.

Every single cutscene was meaningful, and added new bits of lore giving each character more depth than they already had. That aside, these cutscenes and voice lines also managed to showcase some of the internal conflicts that each character was experiencing.

For example, Zavala was experiencing grief to such an extent that he wanted to take on the Witness all by himself. His Ghost Targe was experiencing helplessness because he couldn’t do the one thing that his long time companion had asked him to, and that is to bring his son Hakim back to life.

The expansion also captured Cayde’s transition, from the reckless Hunter Vanguard that he was to the responsible leader who took up the reigns when Zavala and Ikora were at odds. He appointed Crow as his successor by handing him the cloak of Andal Brask, his friend and mentor.

I won’t go into the storyline too much because that’s something that you need to experience yourself rather than reading about it. If you’re yet to purchase the expansion, then go ahead and do it because it’s worth every single penny.

World design within the Pale Heart perfectly showcases the tussle between the Traveler and the Witness

Ever since the Witness made its way into the Pale Heart of the Traveler, it was trying to execute its idea of the Final Shape inside the Traveler, and everything that you see inside the Pale Heart showcases that completely.

The area is overrun by the Dread, Vex of the Sol Divisive, Scorn, and the Lucent Hive of Savathun’s Brood. As you navigate your way within the Witness’ monolith, you’ll be impressed with its sense of perfection. There’s a lot of geometric perfection that you’ll notice, especially within structures designed by the Witness.

The developers have also used a lot of body horror through oddly positioned faces and hands which makes the environment somewhat unsettling. While most would find it disturbing, it was a necessary addition because the Witness’ idea of the Final Shape is presented as unsettling.

Barring that, the scenery in general within the Pale Heart of the Traveler is mesmerizing. You’ll find remnants of Old Russia (Cosmodrome), Europa, and the Old Tower complex inside the Pale Heart.

I found myself staring at some of the sceneries for a considerable amount of time before moving ahead with the numerous activities and side-missions in the game. The scenes are such that you won’t get tired of seeing them at a stretch.

Visuals aside, the audio is a treat, and captures the overall sentiment of the campaign beautifully. From really tense moments to the ending of the entire campaign, the background score is a true masterpiece, and compliments every single moment of the storyline.

In conclusion

I’ve tried to be as objective as possible when talking about the points that I’ve mentioned above because adding my opinion to the points above would make this review longer than I would like it to be. Here’s what I truly feel about this expansion.

Destiny 2’s The Final Shape is a campaign that can be dubbed as the perfect ending. For someone who’s been playing the game for a considerable time now, this was a fitting end to the story that started almost 10 years ago.

Following the tragic loss of Lance Reddick, Keith David took up the mantle of Zavala, and he delivered a fitting performance worthy of our Commander. While I couldn’t help but replay Zavala’s lines in my head in the voice of Reddick, David delivered a fine performance as the leader of the Vanguard.

Bungie also added a few subtle touches to the narrative. If you’re playing as a Hunter, then there’s a small change in one of the conversations between Crow and Cayde-6 during one of the campaign missions.

During this mission, you’ll hear Crow say that the three best Hunters of the Vanguard are within the Pale Heart of the Traveler. For the other two classes, he says two best Hunters. Furthermore, the expansion launched on June 4, which is Keith David’s birthday, while the new Raid launched on June 7, which is Lance Reddick’s birthday. It’s these subtle touches that sets the campaign apart.

If you’re a lore enthusiast, then rest assured that the campaign will not disappoint you. In fact, the way it ends can be very overwhelming emotionally. What makes the finale stand out so much is the 12-person activity, Excision.

Zavala’s rallying speech at the very beginning can send shivers down your spine and the way you defeat the Witness is beautiful. Furthermore, the fact that Bungie designed it in a way that you can enjoy it along with your friends seals the deal perfectly because it’s something that you should experience with your friends.

I was lucky enough to be a part of a clan filled with lore nerds, so it was a pretty emotional moment for all of us, seeing and experiencing Bungie’s immaculate storytelling come to a close in such a grand way. One moment we were yelling on top of our lungs because of the chaos, and the next moment, we were silent because of the way everything came to a close.

I went through the entire campaign, the Raid, and the finale alongside my friends, and it was nothing short of a rollercoaster of emotions. The expansion ends with everything coming back into a full circle.

I won’t tell you how that happens, but it’s a moment that you will remember for days, if not months or years to come. The beauty of this campaign is such that it’ll remind you of the bonds that you’ve formed over the years. And I’m sure that if you’ve already played the finale, then you’re likely to have experienced similar emotions, just like what I experienced with my clan.

The war is finally over, and the enemy has been defeated. We’ve experienced so many struggles over the years and made uncanny allies. The storm has passed and there’s an uncanny calm, for now. No one knows what the future holds, and as the legendary Cayde-6 rightly pointed out, we Guardians make our own Destiny. So when the future does decide to come, we’ll be right here.