The Final Shape Briefly Reignited a Fire

It has now been one year since the once-anticipated release of Destiny 2‘s Final Shape expansion. As the conclusion to the ten-year Light and Darkness Saga, there was once a lot riding on The Final Shape, especially as Destiny 2 took an increasingly steep nosedive into the abyss with a live-service model that just wasn’t living up to its potential. Fortunately, The Final Shape helped rekindle that fire before it burned out, albeit just for a brief moment.

Now widely regarded as one of the best expansions in Destiny history and a standout example of quality DLC, The Final Shape had a positive impact on the game’s players and its legacy just a year ago. For a fairly short period, there was a glimmer of hope that Destiny 2 would soar to greater heights after experiencing a number of setbacks through its repetitive and worn-out seasonal model. Regardless of where the game eventually went, however, The Final Shape still proved that redemption is always possible with Destiny 2.

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One Year Ago, The Final Shape Gave Destiny a Brief Moment of Clarity

A Campaign That Finally Delivered

The highlight of Destiny 2‘s Final Shape expansion was, without a doubt, its campaign. Rather than merely continuing the ongoing Light and Darkness Saga, The Final Shape concluded it, and it concluded it with an explosive, tear-filled story that the decade-long narrative deserved. Through excellently paced missions, cinematic storytelling, and heartwarming reunions, Bungie managed to capture what made Destiny matter in the first place: this growing sense of wonder, loss, and victory that is earned rather than bought. The stakes were personal, the dialogue landed, and the set pieces finally felt like they had weight. For many players, The Final Shape’s campaign rivaled and even dethroned The Taken King.

What Worked, and Why It Mattered

A major part of The Final Shape’s impact, interestingly, came from its ability to restrain itself. It wasn’t overloaded with systems or complex mechanics. Instead, it focused on flow, giving players big, memorable moments rather than a bunch of little distractions. When Cayde-6 returned, it wasn’t just a cheap trick. When Zavala broke down, it wasn’t for show. With The Final Shape, Destiny 2 delivered a concentrated story experience that reminded players why they ever believed the narrative could go somewhere in the first place.

The story wasn’t the only thing that worked either, as The Final Shape had a lot going for it in terms of gameplay as well. One of the biggest new additions was the Prismatic subclass, which let players mix and match abilities from both Light and Darkness. For the first time, players could pull off OP combinations like a Void grenade with a Strand melee or a Solar super alongside a Stasis ability. The new subclass category also arrived alongside new Supers for each class. Finally, the new Pale Heart location introduced with the expansion is arguably one of the best Destiny 2 locations to date, with a world that continuously evolved and had plenty of secrets for players to discover.

The Live-Service Weight Still Lingers

Even with its stellar campaign and ambitious endeavors, the live-service weight of Destiny 2‘s model lingered on. As Destiny 2 moved from its seasonal model to its Episodic structure, it proved true something that many fans were afraid of: that Episodes were just glorified seasons. It didn’t take long, then, for the fire reignited by The Final Shape to fizzle out, as Destiny 2‘s ongoing fans were treated to more of the same with a different label. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for Bungie to respond, with an outspoken desire to redeem the game that had burned players a few too many times.

Now, as Destiny 2 enters into its next major saga, the Fate Saga, things are beginning to look brighter again. There is no telling where the upcoming Edge of Fate expansion will take the beloved MMO, and whether promises made will actually be fulfilled as they were in The Final Shape. Perhaps The Edge of Fate could pick up where The Final Shape left off and pour some lighter fluid on what’s left of the fire inside Destiny 2‘s most dedicated players. Time will tell.

Destiny 2

Released

August 28, 2017

ESRB

T For TEEN for Blood, Language, and Violence

Engine

Tiger Engine