Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate

Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate is a solid, entertaining, and intriguing debut for the Fate Saga, answering many questions but leaving many more to be explored later.

With how much has changed in Destiny, it's hard to see the forest through the trees. Everything I thought I knew, from what was good to what to focus on, has been overhauled. This was initially jarring, but the longer I spend with it, the more I come to like it. Much like the start of a new show, you can tell there is something more; however, you're only left with more questions. While this explanation is small, the universe it opens is vast.

The Edge of Fate accomplishes its unenviable task and lays down some solid foundations. In the process, it also taps into some aspects of the Guardian experience that have long been ignored, and brings back some of that retro-futuristic aesthetic that made the first game so curious—an encouraging omen as the game embarks into this new territory. Let’s just hope we all get to Bungie’s destination in one piece and see what fruit it bears.

Building on the saga's excellent conclusion in The Final Shape, Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate serves as both a mediocre epilogue and a promising but uncertain reboot. Ultimately, it's less interesting in its own right, both in terms of narrative and the sloppy use of the few new mechanics introduced.

Destiny is a fiction and gameplay I deeply love, and I’d be delighted to continue to invest time in its characters and adventures. But the bloat of currencies and systems on display at this point is a major turn-off, and The Edge of Fate’s new additions and changes don’t make me feel compelled to play more. I’ll continue to cheer for the game to grow and expand, and I believe there’s some strong potential to this new saga focused on issues of freedom and pre-determinism. But the current thrust of this expansion just isn’t working.

Destiny 2: Destiny's Edge isn't exactly what fans expected from the debut of what was previously called Frontiers. All the enthusiasm and desire to experiment that emerged when it was announced has unfortunately been lost on this expansion, which introduces weak mechanics and adds very little replayable, albeit valuable, content. We truly hope that fan feedback can somehow help the Seattle team straighten out the situation and catch up with upcoming expansions or, perhaps, with the update coming in September that will introduce a new activity on Earth. In the meantime, we can only say we're minimally satisfied and, above all, concerned about the game's future.

The Edge of Fate is the most whelming Destiny 2 expansion of all time. There are additions, sure, but there aren’t any real innovations that deepen the D2 experience the way The Final Shape, or even Lightfall, did. Unless you like turning into a little ball and rolling around, of course.

Edge of Fate is a timid start to a new chapter that takes us back to the early days of the game: a few flashes of brilliance for a lot of things that have yet to be worked on.

Destiny 2’s decline has been a long time coming, and The Edge of Fate only speeds it along. A dull epilogue paired with frustrating mechanics does little to justify its existence. The real improvements came from the free updates, not the expansion itself, not that it saves that much, anyway.

Writing this review exhausted me. I was hoping a new saga of Destiny 2 might get me excited for what’s next. Instead, I’m tired. The skill to make cool stuff still exists at Bungie, but it’s being catastrophically misused. Design and mechanical changes need to be more thoroughly considered, and the entire player base needs to be brought along for the ride. If Bungie leadership is reading this part: please. Give your people the time, space, and freedom to create something incredible. They have the capacity, and they need your support. This franchise can find its footing again, but Bungie needs to get out of its own way to do so.

Probably the most disappointing thing about The Edge of Fate is how skimpy it is on new content. With just a campaign, location and raid, The Edge of Fate is the worst value proposition of any piece of Destiny content since Destiny: The Dark Below. Ushering in a new era, the next Destiny release needed to be bold, hook players and continue to show that Bungie can release quality products each go-around. A Destiny 3 might have been able to do all that. As an expansion, Destiny 2: The Edge of Fate doesn’t accomplish any of that outside of introducing an intriguing concept. This is one fate the Destiny franchise might not be able to escape from.