Destiny 2: Beyond Light

 Xbox Series X
User Score
6.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 42 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 42
  3. Negative: 15 out of 42

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  1. nrogers17
    Nov 18, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Yes, this will be a long review. Also, IHE, if you see this, put it in the video.

    If you play destiny 2 a lot, you know that Activision split from the destiny franchise, so this is one of the first expansions made entirely by Bungie. Going in with expectations that were set by Bungie themselves. Before it released, they said it would not be as big as forsaken, but bigger than Shadowkeep. Going in with that expectation, I was pleasantly surprised at the new expansion. Let’s go over the story.

    Just like most expansions, they heavily rely on you knowing the lore to know what is going on and who the bad guys are. Because I played and know that, I was able to keep up with the story. You start on Europa, which we will go over later, after hearing a distress call from Variks, an old character that had an unseen, but we’ll known role in Forsaken. You go rescue him for Eramis and is hinted that they were once friends and that the darkness has corrupted Eramis. Later, you have to kill her lieutenants. If that sounds similar to forsaken, the you are correct. However, unlike forsaken, the fights were fun. Why? Because they are challenging. When I did it solo, it took me a long time to get to the final damage phase where it lets you be almost infinitely supercharged with stars until you defeat the boss. One fight had me for an hour, trying at the boss fight until I figured out how to win. Eventually, you find out where Eramis is and kill her. The boss is not that hard, but has a really good feel to it and leads to the endgame. The endgame in this expansion has been the best for the destiny franchise in my opinion. After the campaign, you permanently unlock your stasis subclass. Then, you can get an extra story quest where a dark priestess tries to resurrect Eramis, or you can do the other quests of unlocking aspects of your stasis abilities, giving them upgrade and bonuses. So now we have gone over the story, let’s go over the core activities. Crucible has the perfect weapon sandbox. It feels the most balanced it has been so far, with the exception of the stasis abilities. Although really good, they are not game breaking and will only freeze you a couple times a match unless you get unlucky. Gambit, has now been mad e not one game mode instead of 2. It has aspects of both modes, making it something that the gambit tryhards will like, because, let’s be honest. Most everyone that plays destiny hates gambit. Finally, strikes. Although a lot were removed, I feel like most of the good strikes are still I the game, and have not changed much. Now, let’s talk about Europa. It is hands down, the best planet ever to be in the destiny universe, including the dreadnaught. It has 3 cycles of weather that will constantly change and will affect you when you play. It is truly a next generation destination. Finally, the elephant in the room, sunsetting. Many people are mad that a lot of the planets and activities are gone and most of their weapons cannot be upgraded past a certain point. However, I think it is good for the game. It allows Bungie to make new content instead of having to update old planets and frees a lot of space for them to do more things. They do not have to worry about tuning things as much now, because they can leave it in for longer and know that it will even and inevitably be sunset. This allows them to make more weapons and items that are really good so players can have more fun. Regarding the destinations, that frees a lot of space on my Xbox console. Destiny 2 is a big game, and this frees up a lot of space so I can play more games (even though I won’t want to). Not only that, but the destinations that are gone will come back. Bungie said that they wanted it make improvements and cycle them back in so you will still be able to experience it, even a better version of it. Overall, Destiny 2 has improved a lot with Beyond Light. I was not able to talk about the quality of life changes, even really good things inside crucible and gambit that protect you when you join mid game or someone leaves your team. Beyond Light has been one of the best expansions of Destiny 2, and I hope it will only go up from here.    … Expand
  2. shadic3158
    Nov 14, 2020
    10
    I’ve been with Destiny for all of its lifespan and I’m planning on being with it for the rest. The new powers of stasis is a blast to use and the new destination Europa is has a beautiful scenery and aspect. I understand why some things were vaulted yet I don’t understand the backlash of lack of content. It’s only been a few days so they don’t have a reason to complain. I ALSO understandI’ve been with Destiny for all of its lifespan and I’m planning on being with it for the rest. The new powers of stasis is a blast to use and the new destination Europa is has a beautiful scenery and aspect. I understand why some things were vaulted yet I don’t understand the backlash of lack of content. It’s only been a few days so they don’t have a reason to complain. I ALSO understand that they haven’t had the most resources from home due to Covid-19 yet they still made more content than Shadowkeep. The game is still fun and it always has been my go-to FPS. This release I feel has been a good step in the right direction and it gives me hope to see Bungie return as a leading game developer.… Expand
  3. TheRedSpy
    Nov 19, 2020
    10
    Its crazy to me how many people are blatantly lying and giving this DLC a 1/10. The issues that many people have are with the changes made to the base game, not this DLC in itself. The base game (which is free might I add) has indeed gone through negative changes in my opinion, but those negative reviews of the base game shouldn't be tacked onto the new DLC. So I wont be saying much on theIts crazy to me how many people are blatantly lying and giving this DLC a 1/10. The issues that many people have are with the changes made to the base game, not this DLC in itself. The base game (which is free might I add) has indeed gone through negative changes in my opinion, but those negative reviews of the base game shouldn't be tacked onto the new DLC. So I wont be saying much on the base game, you can find someone else to do that for you. That being said let me clear up a few lies you may have heard and why this DLC is generally fantastic. 1 lie I've seen going around is that the DLC is not 60$, it is 40$, or 10$ if you just want the new Seasons Activities, weapons etc.

    The Story - The story is actually fantastic, I would say its just under Forsaken on quality Many people are saying that the story is way too hard. I don't know what kind of Game Journalist playing skills these people must have (and believe me I'm no pro, just a casual guy) but I played through the entire thing in 6 hours while being below light by 10. I took my time, and didn't really rush through it, just tried to have fun. The story captivates you all the way through, not requiring you to know any deep lore to like it.

    Subclasses - Stasis is the newest damage type and subclass in Destiny's arsenal. Its incredibly accessible, and customizable. Very impressive and adds to the power fantasy of the game. that being said, they can be extremely annoying in PVP. And I mean INCREDIBLY annoying. However Bungie has already demonstrated that they tune things within a week of hearing community feedback.

    Gameplay - The Gameplay is always great. The Gunplay is always a 10/10, and the new weapons feel absolutely amazing. Furthermore Europa (the new destination) is incredible. Its a truly next gen-location. With dynamic weather and beautiful skyboxes and graphics. Really a fantastic location. Furthermore the quick bug fixes, and sandbox tuning that Bungie has been able to do with the size reduction of the game have been very noticeable.    … Expand
  4. Madnesswhooves
    Dec 2, 2020
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Juste beautiful, a lot of good stuff I really love it, I don't know why people hate this game… Expand
  5. Lohshun
    Dec 8, 2020
    9
    Beyond Light is a fantastic expansion that has kept me entertained every day for weeks following the launch.

    The campaign itself, while somewhat concise, is well-written, and delivers some satisfying peeks into a new layer of the Destiny universe. Stasis is a blast and, PVP balance aside (which I don't find troubling personally), is incredibly fun to play and represent some of the    Beyond Light is a fantastic expansion that has kept me entertained every day for weeks following the launch.

    The campaign itself, while somewhat concise, is well-written, and delivers some satisfying peeks into a new layer of the Destiny universe.

    Stasis is a blast and, PVP balance aside (which I don't find troubling personally), is incredibly fun to play and represent some of the best class design we've seen in Destiny. New subclass progression systems introduced here seem really promising should they be taken to the light subclasses!

    Deep Stone Crypt is fun, but not quite as challenging as I'd hoped. Some very memorable moments though.

    On the topic of guns- this expansion has definitely failed to fill the newly-created void following sunsetting, but I'm hopeful that we'll see improvements in the coming months. A few extra armor sets were definitely missed.

    Overall, I'd recommend this expansion to anybody looking for more gun grind, new toys to play with and new lore to sink your teeth into. If the negatives others have shared are a red flag to you, please pass on this one and take your salt with you ;)    … Expand
  6. Foxtrot117
    May 10, 2021
    9
    Easily my second favorite expansion, second only to Forsaken. Campaign is fantastic, and has an interesting story that the urgency is only increased if you're up to date on lore. Great parallels if you know anything about the game at all.

    The loot is fine. The raid loot is the best the game has ever had, with each weapon filling a role previously unfulfilled or being best in class. The    Easily my second favorite expansion, second only to Forsaken. Campaign is fantastic, and has an interesting story that the urgency is only increased if you're up to date on lore. Great parallels if you know anything about the game at all.

    The loot is fine. The raid loot is the best the game has ever had, with each weapon filling a role previously unfulfilled or being best in class. The Europa weapons are fine. The raid is by far my favorite in all of Destiny, with an amazing soundtrack and great visuals.    … Expand
  7. Trevaskisschar
    Aug 6, 2021
    8
    Good expansion and story mission design is top notch the raid is amazing and the soundtrack is unmatched but stasis completely ruined PvP for a long time

Awards & Rankings

15
#15 Best Xbox Series X Game of 2020
12
#12 Most Discussed Xbox Series X Game of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 7 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
  1. CD-Action
    Jun 9, 2021
    75
    Jupiter’s icy moon of Europa failed to make a good first impression on me, but the longer I played, the more I enjoyed the new map. I do not miss Mars or Mercury anymore. Returning players may not be happy about Bungie getting rid of some content and making a substantial part of old gear obsolete, but I understand the need to do some cleaning up before evolving the game. At its core Destiny 2 remains the same thing you loved (or hated) and its shooting mechanics are still among the best you can experience. [01/2021, p.78]
  2. Jeuxvideo.com
    Dec 17, 2020
    75
    In the end, we are very happy with the experience, but it is less striking than that of Bastion des Ombres or Renegades.
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  3. Power Unlimited
    Nov 29, 2020
    65
    Are you crazy about Destiny lore and do you think Destiny 2 is fine as it is? Then Beyond Light will suit you just fine! However, if you're expecting some substantial changes from Bungie by now and aren't exactly excited to get back into the grind, you might want to focus on the next-gen version and wait for Destiny 2 to release its December update.
    Read full review
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