Destiny 2: Warmind Xbox One review — Quality content undermined by unfair grind

Over the past few months, Destiny ii has lost a lot of its players due to the restrictive nature of the previous "Curse of Osiris" expansion. Numerous activities were placed backside a paywall, and even beloved missions like Strikes weren't attainable to those who didn't ain the new content.

While the developer eventually addressed these concerns, it seemed like it was a little likewise late. This was increasingly obvious on Xbox 1 because the players you were matched with varied widely in skill. This wasn't the case with the prequel or base of operations game.

Story and characters

A few days ago, Destiny ii received the long-awaited "Warmind" expansion. The developer Bungie promised to "brand our favorite hobby better" past introducing new quests and other secrets. Warmind follows Ana Bray, a long-lost Guardian, as she searches for a connexion to her past. The new entrada takes you to the polar ice caps of Mars in search of Rasputin. Rasputin is the bogus intelligence (AI) that was designed to protect our solar system from external threats and is considered to be i of the almost powerful weapons e'er created.

The new campaign takes you to the polar ice caps of Mars in search of Rasputin.

Golden Age war satellites begin crashing into the ice and reveal Rasputin'south core. Unfortunately, this too seems to thaw an ancient Hive army that wants Rasputin gone. Saving the AI and working with it is the main objective in Warmind. The campaign culminates in an amazing boss fight against a titanic worm-god which is the highlight of the experience.

Equally 1000 as this adventure sounds, Bray is an unmemorable graphic symbol and doesn't alive upwardly to the standard set by Failsafe or Sagira. The entrada is very short, much less interesting than Curse of Osiris, and is disruptive. I imagine not many players volition be able to follow the banal plot which makes In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale look like a masterpiece. Luckily, acquiring the new weapons and playing other adventures keeps y'all engaged fifty-fifty though the new Strikes are recycled campaign levels.

New locations and activities

The new Mars region is expansive and filled with secrets like nodes, information devices, hidden cashes, and numerous regional chests. Those who love acquiring collectibles will relish the new map wholeheartedly. Activities like the Escalation Protocol, which pits you against waves of Hive, is also a treat to play if you prefer Horde Mode-similar gameplay.

The new Mars region is expansive and filled with secrets.

Aside from the intriguing new region, the Spire of Stars Raid Lair is Warmind'due south other redeeming characteristic. Spire of Stars has a lot of options when it comes to engaging enemies and there are many new challenging puzzles. Oddly enough, the new Raid Lair seems less difficult than the Heroic Strikes. It's a blast to feel and it'due south a shame that information technology doesn't support matchmaking yet. It was quite difficult to find high-level gamers to play with.

Multiplayer remains as stiff as ever, merely overall in that location seems to be less of a dependence on heavy weapons like rocket launchers and swords. This is definitely an improvement because now it'southward more about relying on your aiming skills than camping the armament spawn bespeak.

New bug

The main issue with Warmind seems to be the fact that experienced players are very isolated. Unless you accept a close grouping of friends who are all approaching Ability Level 380, you lot'll discover that it's hard to find people to play with. This is mostly due to the fact that the grind is too much for the average player to handle. The built-in matchmaking system for activities similar the rather-difficult Nightfall Strike takes roughly twenty minutes. Bungie'due south forums are another route if y'all don't listen sending a dozen letters hoping for a response.

The grind is too much for the average thespian to handle.

In that location are a number of other bug which seem to exist associated with the recent update. For example, melee attacks are useless in Heroic Strikes and in general seem to be less effective across the lath. Hopefully, next week'due south modifiers volition be different. Additionally, it'south still quite difficult to come beyond Exotic Engrams and the rewards for Heroic Strikes don't seem to be worth the effort. It's best to merely wait for Xûr and purchase the unique engram which guarantees an undiscovered weapon.

It doesn't even seem like you gain much experience by suffering through the Heroic Strikes likewise. In my opinion, they are absolutely unplayable correct at present. You can sense the frustration even on game chat, where many gamers quit and you lot take to cease the mission either as a team of two or on your own. Both scenarios are impossible and unfair. Bungie needs to address this problem as soon as possible because there are serious balancing concerns.

Destiny 2: Warmind Xbox 1 review final thoughts

Overall, Warmind offers a lot of new content with some fantastic weapons, only the unbearable grind and Heroic Strike problems heavily backbite from the game. The fact that the new entrada is lackluster and information technology'southward nonetheless hard to discover Exotic Engrams doesn't help either. Additionally, Bungie failed to deliver on Masterwork Exotics because but a scattering of items can exist upgraded at this time.

If y'all analyze all of the content, and consider factors that influence enjoyment like accessibility, Warmind and the latest update are simply average. There are only too many problems to ignore, and the adept sections are greatly overshadowed past the negatives, in particular, the underwhelming rewards and residual.

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Pros:

Lots of new activities.
Massive new region.
Lots of collectibles and secrets.

Cons:

Farming Exotic Engrams is frustrating.
New entrada is bland.
Heroic Strikes need balancing.

Destiny 2: Warmind went on sale for Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4 on May 8, 2022. It costs $19.99.

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