Destiny 2: Beyond the Light - Season of the Chosen, first impressions

Destiny 2

After telling you about the release path of Destiny 2: Beyond the Light and the contents of its first season, or the Season of the Hunt, the title has entered its second phase of four, waiting for the next big autumn expansion. The Season of the Chosen has begun and after a couple of weeks we are ready to offer you some preliminary considerations, bearing in mind that the season is in its infancy (started on February 9, will end on May 11) and therefore as always we have done we will give definitive judgments at the end. But now let's dive into our first impressions of Destiny 2: Beyond the Light - Season of the Chosen.

Empress Caiatl

Destiny 2: Beyond the Light: Empress Caiatl talks to Zavala and Osiris The narrative premises, despite putting the Cabal at the center of attention, remain interesting once again. Caiatl, daughter of Calus, has always been a mysterious figure who fascinated fans of the lore of the Bungie title. The fact that she appears and that she acts as we see them do in the opening cinematics of the Season of the Chosen is certainly fascinating and the events that ensue and that lead to the activities to be carried out are well thought out.

The idea of ​​a new war scenario in which we are the elite troop ready to carry out even the most difficult tasks, and not the only saviors of the homeland, is certainly not very original, but it is certainly a variation on the theme that makes everything less heavy. The fact of seeing Saladin and Osiris involved in the front line, for example, guarantees fresh dialogues that enrich their characterization.

Destiny 2: Beyond the Light: The Raven in the H.E.L.M. The Crow, after the events of the Season of the Hunt, has then assumed a crucial importance and his actions are always well planned. Bungie plays with the fans and their awareness of who the Crow was. Awareness that drives players to keep their eyes open and ask questions. One of the aspects that we too loudly asked here (and that we asked the developers as a question in a recent interview) was precisely the greater depth of the Seasons from a narrative point of view and the greater interaction of events with the surrounding characters.

The narrative premises of the Season of the Chosen are certainly not the most amazing and full of surprise effect, but they are the most interesting (compared to other seasons) in terms of interaction and continuation in the characterization of some characters. We also emphasize, Bungie's willingness to lay the foundations for The Witch Queen, the great autumn expansion. With this in mind, the Bellevue software house has started to move its pawns on the board and if by chance you missed the first move of the white pieces, well we suggest it: i'm on the moon, it's made of cheese .

The season of grinding, but not only

Desitny 2: Beyond the Light: a close-up of the Sorcerer Osiris As for the playful component, however, the beginning of the Season of the Chosen he offered two points for discussion: one positive and one that instead makes us reflect.

As regards the positive aspect, we are finally faced with a continuation of the excellent path taken with Beyond the Light. The legendary lost sectors, the exotic and plot missions and even the seasonal activity have in fact in their scheme the right bite and level of challenge for what Destiny 2 wants to offer. The peak of excellence is obviously the new exotic mission, once again masterfully orchestrated and full of memorable ideas. Even the new hub, the H.E.L.M. it's a positive note. Sometimes offering a different location in which to manage the quests of the plot and contextualize the events (in the current situation a war table is objectively what was expected) may seem like a trifle, but in the life cycle of a game like Destiny 2 it is instead a wise and far-sighted choice.

We will not examine the Pass (by now it is an established system, it works in every game-service and also in Destiny it has now found its dimension) and the Trials of Osiris (at least until we have the whole set of weapons and armor). The latter finally show new weapons and a new set, a choice that in itself is more than positive to stimulate the players. However, we mentioned an element for reflection at the beginning of this paragraph. Well, the "sore" note of this beginning of the season is the grinding. The play system that rotates most of the weeks between the most stimulating contents has always been just that. Remodeled and readapted over the seasons for a few years now, the farming of the Season of the Chosen seemed excessive, heavier than in the past, and now loaded with a weight that the system of the artifact to be loaded carries with it.

Our impression, to date, is that although every artifact is now contextualized in the narrative of the season, there is a need, in practice, for at least one alternative to this system to be used at "alternating plates" in the seasons. We are aware that this productive effort would shift the focus from other elements that are positive to date (the greater narrative and quality of the quests for example), but the expansion of the workforce announced in these days will in the short term guarantee developers to be able to concentrate on major sets and at the same time vary some elements of the seasons. We are therefore certainly doubtful about the actual effectiveness of this grinding system, but at the same time confident for the future.

The Season of the Chosen has just begun and the content road map certainly has some cartridges to fire. As we have seen so far, the Season of the Chosen is in line with what is proposed by Beyond the Light and the Season of the Hunt, with some peaks of excellence and many positive aspects. However, some doubts remain on the actual effectiveness and future-ability of the play system at the base of the seasons (the griding and the artifact) also in view of the important season 14 (the next one) which, before the great expansion of autumn, should bring with it the news major (eg transmogrification).