Some ofDestiny 2’s most notable content have, historically, been the game’s various raids. However, theWitch Queenexpansion may be the first time that Bungie is attempting to extend its trademark gameplay mechanics to the basic campaign content. According to Bungie, this ties in with its efforts to make this new campaign more similar toDoomorHalo.
Bungie’sDestiny 2game director, Joe Blackburn, has gone on record saying that theWitch Queencampaign will attempt to bridge the “canyon” between a baselineDestinycampaign and fully-fledged raid content. To that end, players should expect a more involved and mechanically challenging experience as they progress through theWitch Queenstory.
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Though Blackburn wasn’t interested in spoiling anything about theWitch Queenraid, which takes place in a broken-down Darkness pyramid, he did explain that Bungie’s goal is to make the players' transition from campaign content to hardcore raiding significantly easier. The fact thatWitch Queenis launching with a legendary campaignonly underlines this further. Raids are, in most cases, a continuation of the campaign narrative, and it’s Bungie’s goal to make them more inviting to a greater number of people.
Blackburn’s interview suggests that theWitch Queencampaign will wrap up satisfyingly enough, but that the raid will inevitably continue moving the narrative forward. The fact that four entirely new Void 3.0 abilities are still unrevealed, and will only end up getting unlocked after theworld’s firstWitch Queenraid completion, suggests that players should expect at least a few major story beats. Perhaps even something along the lines of Dreaming City Curse, which was kick-started following the first successful Last Wish playthrough, back whenForsakencame out.
WhileBeyond Lightdid a lot of things right, the DLC’s campaign mode was simple and straightforward, there was a massive gameplay gap between the campaign and its Deep Stone Crypt raid. Bungie now seems to be attempting to create a better onboarding process for players that are interested in raiding, but who may have been intimidated by them seeming impenetrable from the perspective of casual play. Succeeding in doing so would be a big deal not only for Bungie but also for theDestinycommunity at large.
Withover a millionWitch Queenpre-orders, Bungie has got a massive audience at hand that’s hoping to get a “definitivelyDestinycampaign” that has been promised. Though it remains to be seen whether Bungie can deliver a campaign experience to match the likes ofHaloandDoomat this time, it’s a reasonably safe assumption that the raid, at least, will be an impressive experience for players that end up playing it.
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