Quickies on the Couch: Destiny 2, The Witch Queen Expansion

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| March 1, 2022

My partner, Hoot, and I practice one religion these days: Destiny 2. After every Tuesday reset, we spend what time we can throughout the week checking off the Seasonal Challenges, completing some daily bounties, running Gambit matches, and more. We’re also heavy into the game’s story and subscribe to YouTuber My name is Byf who assembles the game’s lore into complete, well-produced narratives for characters and storylines. 

As you might expect, we’ve been hyped for months about the new expansion, Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, which dropped on February 22. After 4 and a half years of this game, was Bungie going to keep upping their game? Or was this expansion going to fall flat compared to its compelling predecessors?

So far, we’re enjoying it. Sure, the story isn’t as emotionally compelling as Forsaken, but I don’t think anything ever will. That said, the opening missions did hit us with a major WTF moment that left Hoot and I both traumatized (What the shit just happened? Did I really just DO that?) and intrigued (Well, that’s new. Let’s see what’s next!). As the story plays out each week and through the 2022 seasons, I have a feeling we’re going to be more than ready to see Hive Queen Savathûn join her brother Oryx in oblivion!

The gameplay is mostly what we’d expected, but with some nice additions. As per usual with Destiny, we’re seeing variations on the same old familiar enemies around every corner. But some of those enemies now have new abilities, and we’ve also got some new abilities and weapons to fight them. That’s what keeps Destiny 2 just fresh enough for people to keep going. That… and getting a fireteam of friends together to play!

Speaking of which, Hoot and I have enjoyed experiencing this new release on fireteams with my fellow Couch Soup contributors Michelle Holstine and Erika Aundawyn. Let’s see what their reactions have been so far.

Screenshot of Michelle Holstine's Warlock character in Destiny 2
Michelle’s Warlock.

Michelle is hyped for all the new stuff

It is Friday and I am sitting at my computer wanting nothing more but to go turn on my PlayStation and continue the campaign for Witch Queen that came out on Tuesday, 2/22/22. Hehe, well played, Bungie. I have only been able to dive in a couple of times so far, but let me tell you, they did the damn thing with this campaign! It has been SO FUN! There are new emotes, new weapons, new ways to FORGE weapons, new maps, new menus, new EVERYTHING!

The new “Throne World” itself is stunning and has so much to offer in what to see and do. They upped the difficulty to include a Legendary format in the first playthrough of the story. So, players who want to rage quit every 15 minutes can have that option. (It’s me, I’m “players.”) Even though it is difficult, it draws you right back in with the beauty, the puzzles, and the captivating story. Suffice it to say, I am so excited to keep playing and get through the entire campaign story to see where it takes us!

Screenshot of Erika Aundawyn's Titan from Destiny 2
Erika’s Titan.

Erika takes on the big challenges

I went into the DLC avoiding spoilers about what may be happening, even in regards to quality-of-life updates. That gave me a pleasant surprise that I didn’t need to struggle to get to Light Level 1300 (yes, I know it’s called Power now). The game bumped me to 1350 on all characters and equipment! 

Going in, I had the option to do Legendary difficulty (with the same recommended level of 1350 as Story mode), and I figured, Why not? I’ll try Legendary solo. It took me about 3 hours to get through the first part of the story, but it was worth every death! I left the story missions being nearly 1400 Light and confident in myself and my PvE talent. The story so far has been very intriguing and less linear than before. This is great for my ADHD brain: when I need a change, I can do other side missions that relate to the main mission. Really excited for what the rest of the DLC holds!

Screenshot of Stef Watson's Hunter from Destiny 2 in a pose showing off a building in Savathûn's Throne World.
Stef’s Hunter showing off some of Savathûn’s Throne World.

Stef keeps the Destiny 2 church service going

Testify! I echo 100% everything Michelle and Erika said. I’m loving the new weapon type, the glaive, though I have to get used to how it changes up my attack patterns. The new class system introduced with Stasis is now implemented for Void, too, which means I should probably stop avoiding it (my beloved Solar classes will be right around the corner). But the thing I think is going to make this expansion stand out is this new weapon-building system, which seems to be an improvement over the Black Armory from 2018. It’s going to take a while for me to wrap my head around it, but I know Hoot will pick it up quickly and share what he learns.

Destiny 2 keeps people coming back with a story that develops in small increments, week-to-week challenges, special events, and a plethora of Triumphs to achieve. I think we’ll keep powering through the end-game experience as this crazy new story unfolds!

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Have you played the new Witch Queen expansion yet? How’s your fireteam adjusting to the new stuff? Let’s break it down in the comments!

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