Destiny 2: Renegades

Let's not waste any time here as you know what Destiny 2 is at this point. You know what to expect from Bungie's long-running looter-shooter, and you are probably somewhat familiar with the trials and tribulations it has faced ever since the decade-long Light and Darkness Saga ended with The Final Shape expansion in the summer of 2024. So, with that being the case, let me first express something about the game that I have dedicated thousands of hours to over the past decade: we need a reset.

Before you jump to any conclusions that this means that the Star Wars-themed latest expansion (Renegades) is a trainwreck, let me dispel any confusion and simply confirm that it isn't. It has its strengths and weaknesses, for sure, but this game is now facing issues that a simple expansion cannot fix. Every time a new piece of DLC is brought out, we're expected to get excited about some new narrative threads to follow, and while this is fine, the actual gameplay structure and setup is the same time-and-time again. There's only so many Cabal, Fallen, and Vex I can shoot in the face and still feel like we're progressing in a meaningful direction, and likewise the hunt for granularly better loot is becoming fatiguing, with the countless resets and power grinds being nothing but exhausting. Again, Destiny needs to be reset. We need a new saga that actually feels new, not like we're simply turning the page to start a new chapter of a larger book, as was the case between closing the Light and Darkness Saga and beginning The Fate Saga with the disappointing The Edge of Fate expansion. Simply put, I'm tired of doing the same things over and over again. It's been a decade and I don't think it's unreasonable to want something different from this cosmic universe.

Anyway, Renegades. Before I get into the gameplay and the more immersive parts of this expansion, let's touch on the Bantha in the room; the Star Wars theme. It's on the nose and cheesy, it's perhaps a bit much at times, but it also works. I know that sounds contradictory and a tad shallow, but it's the truth. There's something effective about Destiny 2 with a Star Wars filter applied over it, as the enemies, set pieces, level design, all of it actually works in great harmony. That being said, Bungie either turned the creativity taps off with the story, or was limited by what Lucasfilm would allow, as the narrative is effectively a mash-up of elements from the films. There's a massive and destructive base in space that we must eliminate by blowing up a very specific module by zooming down a trench... There's a helmeted core enemy that is driven by hatred and speaks with a muffled and commanding voice that faces all manner of emotional turmoil like Kylo Ren... Travelling to a new area offers a cinematic perspective that feels ripped straight from the films, Spider has a desert barge that looks just like Jabba's which overlocks what is clearly meant to be a Sarlacc Pit, and the enemies have been adjusted to look like gangster syndicates or Empire Stormtroopers... Again, it kind of works in practice, but would it have benefitted from being less on-the-nose and similar? Without any question whatsoever.

As per the actual gameplay, it's also a bit conflicting for me too, as while there are interesting new elements being presented, Renegades also feels exactly like one of the smaller-scale Episodes except without the weekly development structure they offered. You get a handful of actual new missions stacked up with conversations and cutscenes with the cast of characters, and the rest is filled by taking on the new seasonal activity known as Equilibrium. There's not really much offered here that will surprise the Destiny 2 veteran, and while some might be fine with that, I'd like Bungie to take more risks and explore different ideas that don't feel so damn familiar.

The narrative is perhaps the strongest part of this expansion as a whole, with it offering a great balance between minor beats that hold your attention today and grander threads that will be explored in the years to come. The Star Wars presence here isn't so extreme that in years to come we'll look back on this expansion and feel its influence, even if there are some major points being introduced in regards to the Nine and how they fit into The Fate Saga.

Beyond this, the other promising part about Renegades is the Fire and Ice mission where you will earn your Praxic Blade (lightsaber). It's a demanding and memorable dungeon that plays with new mechanics and ideas and keeps you on your toes, ultimately rewarding you with a weapon that will stay with you for the years to come. However, as with a lot in this expansion, it's marred by another design choice. Many of the Praxic Blade cosmetic hilt options and blade colours are earned through gameplay and missions, but several are also paid options at the Eververse Store... It's nothing but disheartening when you spend time unlocking a new tool (on top of purchasing the expansion in the first place) to then find out that the cool cosmetic option you want is locked behind an £8 door. Destiny 2 is such a cosmetic and player-style-driven game at this point that these kinds of monetisation choices are actually heart-breaking.

Also, in an evident way to reduce development efforts, some of the conversations you will have with characters in-game are served up with simple written dialogue boxes, which also can be a tough pill to swallow when the game has had purely voiced dialogue for so many years - and excellent voiced dialogue at that.

It's hit-and-miss again, that's the long and short of Destiny 2: Renegades. There are parts that leave you with a massive smile across your face, be that slicing enemies to pieces with a lightsaber or first wandering into the bustling and lively cantina on Mars. There are parts of this expansion that Star Wars or not, you will appreciate, but as someone who has been playing Destiny as a franchise for over 11 years at this point, experienced this story with one character who feels like a part of me as a person now, I'm getting tired of being offered effectively the same content with a different filter over it and told that it's new. Destiny in this manner is on borrowed time, and it really breaks my heart to say that because I adore this universe that Bungie has created and every time I step back into the shoes of my Guardian it feels somewhat like coming home. The only catch now is that coming home feels like a chore, like you have to spend Christmas with the in-laws... The magic is fading and not even Star Wars can do much to save it.

Destiny 2 is still Destiny 2 though, and that means at the very centre is a well put together sci-fi shooter with gratifying and rewarding action gameplay. The base has been effective and enjoyable for years and that isn't changing whatsoever. But the change post The Final Shape to commit to shorter and more frequent "expansions" instead of larger annual content drops has been nothing but terrible for Destiny 2 from a player perspective, and I'm not sure I can take much more of this format that feels so immensely unrewarding to continue chugging through. As I just said, Destiny 2 is not the thrilling grand adventure it used to be, the game that I could spend hours and hours playing every week because it felt special and unique. It's now a repetitive chore and Renegades hasn't really done anything to correct that.