Destiny 2’s next flagship expansion,Beyond Light, is on the horizon, and Bungie isramping up the hype with Stasis subclass news. While what fans have seen so far surely looks exciting, it is worth remembering that a lot hinges on this expansion and whether Bungie can deliver anotherForsaken-level home run.
After the summer of 2018,Destiny 2saw a huge spike in player numbers with the launch ofForsaken. For many, it is fair to say thatForsakenwas everything they wanted or the game needed.Destinyhas recently gone through tumultuous times, and another expansion like 2018’s hit might be needed to unite and bolster the playerbase.
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The launch ofBeyond Lighthas to be strong because Bungie has plans tousher in a new age ofDestinystarting this fall, and if it cannot start out strong, it might be hard to pick up momentum later. While last year also rejuvenated the playerbase withShadowkeep, this jump was largely helped by the move to Steam andNew Light, which made the game free. This year, there is no such shift, which means all the work falls on the shoulders ofBeyond Light.
And the situation isn’t helped by its launch schedule either.Beyond Lightwill be going up against major candidates such asAssassin’s Creed ValhallaandCyberpunk 2077, not to mention the console launches and the craze of the holiday season. Furthermore,Beyond Light’s asking price, especially in the deluxe editions, is comparable to that of a AAA game. In reality,Beyond Lightis essentially an add-on because players can progress through their pursuits and power leveling system just fine without the expansion.
Competition aside,Beyond Light’s true benchmark isForsakenbecause it is the only expansion that delivered fully original and expansive zones. Player standards have inevitably been raised, andShadowkeepdidn’t quite meet thema year ago. Europa is yet another never-before-seen zone, but it is unknown whether it can become the “endgame destination” that the Dreaming City was.
Moreover, Bungie will need to prove itself with this upcoming release since it hasn’t had outside help in development for the first time since the inception ofDestiny. As far as we know,Beyond Lighthas been developed solely by Bungie, which is commendable as is. If the studio can show that it can push Forsaken-quality experiences on its own, the future of the franchise will look much brighter.
But, unfortunately forBeyond Light, it also has to make up for the huge loss of content with the introduction ofthe Destiny Content Vault. Somehow, this expansion will need to make the removal of 4 destinations sting less and provide a fulfilling start to a trilogy of expansions, stretching out to 2022.
It isn’t all doom and gloom asBeyond Lightalso had many surprises up its sleeve such as the return of the Exo Stranger and thehighly anticipated Darkness subclasses. Fans are looking forward to it for the most part, and hopefully aDestiny 2will begin a strong year 4.
Destiny 2: Beyond Lightis available on November 10 for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
