Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
Expansion to frenetic sci-fi shooter promotes teamwork.
Destiny 2: The Witch Queen
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is a paid downloadable expansion for the online sci-fi shooter Destiny 2, available for Windows PCs, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. Players assume the role of a customizable guardian, an elite warrior working to protect a far-future Earth from myriad extra-terrestrial threats. They do this by fighting aliens, robots, and humanoids using an array of sci-fi weapons including guns, glaives, grenades, and magic-like attacks. Some enemies occasionally spurt black blood, and red marks on screen are meant to indicate when the player character is hurt. Simple themes of good and evil run through the story, with the player's character displaying grit and resolve through their heroic actions. Multiplayer modes encourage a sense of teamwork as well as friendly competition. Dialogue includes infrequent mild profanity. While combat is fairly straightforward (though often challenging), parents and players should note that many of the systems governing activities such as crafting, leveling up, and working on side missions are complex and can take quite a while to understand and master. They may require searching for help outside the game in wikis and online community forums.
Community Reviews
What’s It About?
DESTINY 2: THE WITCH QUEEN is a paid expansion that adds a new campaign and plenty of changes to game systems within Destiny 2. It brings players face to face with Sevathun, a complex and terrifying antagonist previously mentioned but never before fought in earlier Destiny campaigns. A god amongst the Hive (one of Destiny's chief antagonistic groups), Sevathun has found a way to control the Light, a power that until now has been wielded as a weapon only by Guardians, the warrior avatars controlled by players. Savathun has somehow bestowed this power upon her own soldiers, giving them not just powerful attacks but also the ability to be brought back to life via rebel ghosts -- those little floating balls that usually only accompany guardians -- that have taken up with the Hive. Beyond the new campaign, which is set in a colorful new Throne World filled with new areas to explore and tasks to complete, The Witch Queen also provides a new Legendary difficulty mode that ups mission challenges while promising greater rewards, adds a variety of new weapons and armor -- including the ability to craft a powerful, custom-designed glaive weapon using a special forge -- an epic new multiplayer raid mission dubbed The Vow of the Disciple, and a new activity called The Wellspring that has players either attacking or defending the titular area. Players can also engage in competitive and cooperative multiplayer combat.
Is It Any Good?
This may be the best expansion yet released within this franchise. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen provides an expansive series of missions that, at least for those who follow the series' often murky lore, delivers an emotional narrative. From the player's ghost, who is genuinely shocked and disturbed at the thought that some of his brethren may have sided with the Hive, to Savathun herself, whose complicated motives and objectives make her a villain players can at least appreciate, if not actually sympathize with, there's more to each quest than simply going to waypoints and shooting everything you see. Bungie has also attempted to bring added variety to campaign missions, introducing puzzles and platforming challenges between combat encounters. And while these new elements are a mixed bag -- jumping around platforms in a pitch black area by shooting time-limited light emitting spores on the wall is often more frustrating than fun -- they do, at the very least, make for a nice change of pace.
It's all built on Destiny's peerless first-person shooting mechanics. Weapons feel fantastic, and can be upgraded in all sorts of creative ways by embarking on side missions, collecting various resources, and taking the time to learn the complex but satisfying new crafting system, which allows you to customize weapon mods, stats, and shaders. The glaive, in particular, is a very compelling new weapon, capable of both melee and ranged attacks powerful enough to defeat even some of the game's tougher foes with just a few good, well-aimed strikes. But it's worth noting that while Destiny veterans are by now used to the intricate systems used to create and upgrade gear and weapons and should be able to adapt to these changes without too much trouble, players new to the series who jump in at this point are bound to be at least a little overwhelmed by the vagaries and intricacies of how everything works. Expect a long, slow learning curve. The good news, though, is that the fighting is never anything less than a blast, which should help make the learning a little less of a slog. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen is a terrific addition to the sprawling Destiny universe, adding fascinating lore, some creatively designed missions, and gratifying new weapons and armor.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about screen time. Destiny 2: The Witch Queen draws players in with its sense of community, and it can be hard to leave friends hanging when they want to keep playing, so how do you politely disengage from online parties?
What do you take away from stories in which a hero bravely stands their ground when facing an overwhelming force? Is that what courage is? Can courage be something else?
Game Details
- Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid ($39.99)
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Bungie
- Release date: February 22, 2022
- Genre: First-Person Shooter
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Robots, Space and Aliens
- ESRB rating: T for Blood, Language, Violence
- Last updated: December 1, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
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Destiny 2
Online shooter promotes social play, has violent combat.
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Halo Infinite
Exhilarating sci-fi shooter has some fun new toys.
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Horizon Forbidden West
Epic action game has a mighty female hero and timely themes.
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