Destiny 2: Traitor Reviews So Far

Destiny has always been a “Star Wars in our house” looter shooter, and with Destiny 2: Traitors Bungie decided to lean directly into that direction with a crossover expansion. Oddly enough, the decision seems to be going well so far! Traitors doesn't fix many of Destiny 2's long-standing issues, including the fact that it's been spinning unwieldyly for over a year (reminiscent of the Marvel Universe's Endgame), but embracing Star Wars' cheesiness and over-the-top drama is at least a surprisingly good change of pace in a universe that's become quite predictable. The story is silly, to be sure, but the introduction of some new mechanics and weapon types is a welcome change, and there's an impressive density of enemies in almost every campaign that keeps the action interesting. I still have a lot of quests and looting to do before I get to my final review, but so far this expansion has brought a pretty compelling breath of fresh air to a game that otherwise I'm far less excited about than usual.

If you've read any of my previous extended reviews (of Which There yes one a lot of), then you know that I'm one of those weirdo Destiny fans who sticks to playing the game through thick and thin – so when I tell you that I'm a Star Wars fan too, it should mean something, it's such an understatement that I'm actually embarrassed to elaborate further publicly. But even with my undying love for Space Wizards, I was mortified when I learned that Destiny 2 was planning a Space Wizards crossover. To me, this is the ultimate sign that Destiny has lost its idea, has become “completely integrated into Fortnite” in a way that looks cheap and cheesy, and is a last-ditch desperate game that has been suffering a slow death for years. Yes, it turns out that’s almost all true. But when I found myself watching two lightsaber-wielding foes face off in an epic cutscene while listening to the expansion's heavy use of John Williams-esque music, I'll admit it won me over… at least a little.

Traitors really goes out of its way to incorporate every little detail from Star Wars, to an extent that might make it feel a little forced – a crutch to constantly lean on rather than any original ideas. In the first mission, for example, you find yourself trapped in a trash compactor, rescuing someone from an off-brand carbon freeze, and jumping to light speed while a brooding masked villain angrily watches as you escape his control. It's very nerve-wracking and I can either cringe or smile. But the sheer “screw it” energy at play here, as it fully embraces all the clichés and drama that Star Wars is known for, does have a certain refreshing charm to it that's at least a unique direction for Destiny 2. I've been complaining about this game feeling stale for at least five years now, so I have to give Bungie a little credit for trying something new here.

There are a lot of new mechanics that I wasn't expecting, like a shielding system for certain enemies that forces you to deal a lot of damage to them in a short period of time before you can actually damage them, AT-ST-inspired walkers with some unique attacks that I wasn't expecting, and even some new weapon types, like a battery-powered gun that fires until it overheats and needs to cool down. These aren't huge game-changers, but they're appropriate small tweaks to the sandbox and welcome additions. Of course, there's a lot that hasn't changed at all, and even though you're theoretically facing a new kind of enemy, you're still fighting the same Cabal armored warriors and scrawny Thrall monsters you've been filming for over a decade, which sometimes feels like a cheap reskin.

I'm still in the fairly early stages of my space opera journey (I haven't even made my lightsaber yet!), so I still have a lot to play with before I can say for sure where the traitors have landed. But so far, this expansion seems to be going much better than I expected… though that's partly because I had very little expectations. I'll have more to say once I finish the campaign and start delving into the endgame campaign. For light and life!