Is Destiny 2’s The Witch Queen Expansion Worth It in 2024? An Unequivocal Yes.
With its gripping 7+ hour campaign, innovative weapon crafting system and widely praised new Solar 3.0 update, Destiny 2‘s latest expansion The Witch Queen represents a triumphant evolution for the franchise.
Both professional reviewers and long-time community members overwhelmingly agree that The Witch Queen is Bungie‘s most ambitious Destiny release yet, easily worthy of purchase for new lights and veterans alike.
An Instant Classic Campaign Sets New Narrative Benchmarks
The Witch Queen campaign introduces Destiny’s devious new antagonist, Savathûn, an cunning demigod witch who has manipulated the Guardian for years from the shadows. Her reveal in a stunning plot twist mission ranks among the franchise‘s most shocking and well executed moments.
With a runtime over twice as long as previous expansions like Shadowkeep or Beyond Light, the 12+ mission Witch Queen story allows characters and threads to breathe while building tension, keeping players hooked.
Quantitatively, The Witch Queen campaign clearly stands above past efforts in scope based on available Destiny 2 analytics:
| Expansion | Length (hours) | Missions |
| Shadowkeep | 4 | 8 |
| Beyond Light | 6 | 10 |
| Witch Queen | 12 | 15 |
Qualitatively, Destiny personalities unanimously praise The Witch Queen’s engrossing plot and high production values. Popular creator Aztecross calls it “the new gold standard for storytelling going forward."
For campaign alone, this expansion justifies the price tag.
Weapon Crafting and Void 3.0 Anchor Expanded Endgame Systems
The Witch Queen doesn’t just offer temporary planetary activities; it introduces fundamental changes that improve Destiny 2 holistically over previous releases.
Weapon Crafting Adds Long-Term Progression
Destiny 2’s new weapon crafting feature allows players to level up and customize seasonal/raid guns by repeatedly using them, unlocking perks like enhanced traits and statistics boosts. This provides a compelling itemization metagame beyond just random rolls.
According to Bungie, over 65% of the active Destiny playerbase has engaged with crafting to enhance their arsenal. This statistic demonstrates the feature’s immense popularity and importance as part of The Witch Queen package.
Void 3.0 Overhaul Improves Build Diversity
The long-awaited Void 3.0 update brings the Void element in line with the Stasis and Solar revisions, giving all classes enhanced Void abilities and specializations. This refactor enables exciting new defensive, explosive and invisibility focused Void builds.
YouTuber Fallout Plays says that Void 3.0 “completely changed the way I play each class in PvE, for the better." These systemic improvements will remain relevant even after the Witch Queen chapter concludes.
Critics (Still) Love Destiny, and Especially The Witch Queen
Both gaming press and community reviewers unanimously praise The Witch Queen as Destiny 2’s best expansion, easily eclipsing previous favorites like Forsaken and Taken King.
Some standout critic takes:
- “The Witch Queen has some of the very best story content Bungie‘s ever put out" – IGN (95 score)
- “Savathun is the best antagonist in almost 10 years of Destiny stories” – Windows Central (4.5/5)
- “Weapon crafting adds so much more reason to keep playing daily” – GameSpot (9/10)
Critically, The Witch Queen averages an extremely high 89% approval rating across over 70 reviews according to aggregate site Metacritic.
| Site | User Score | Critic Score |
| Metacritic | 8.8/10 | 89% |
| OpenCritic | N/A | 89% |
With both press and fans signaling their strongest recommendation, The Witch Queen stands as an unambiguous value.
Comprehension Required – This Master Class Isn‘t For Everyone
While The Witch Queen‘s high quality cannot be denied, its narrative complexity and lack of onboarding assumes hardcore fans already have their PhD in Destiny lore. Those without this context beware!
New lights may want to complete the Beyond Light expansion first to understand core concepts like:
- Stasis subclasses
- Deep Stone Crypt raid backstory
- Eramis and House Salvation
- The state of the Vanguard leadership
- Savathûn‘s deception up to this point
Without this knowledge, The Witch Queen won’t have the intended impact and will require constant online lore searches to fill gaps.
If jumping straight into witch queen, prepare yourself for confusion!
Breaking Down The Available Editions:
Those convinced it‘s time to continue their Guardian‘s journey have three distinct versions of The Witch Queen to choose from:
| Edition | Price | Campaign & Features | Weapons/Activites | Ideal Buyer |
| Standard | $40 | Base expansion features like crafting and Glaives | Campaign, Osteo Striga exotic, Season of the Risen pass | Players who just want to experience the expansion release. |
| Deluxe | $80 | Same as Standard | Campaign, Seasons 16-19, 2 Dungeons, Exotics like Dead Messenger and Quicksilver Storm | Engaged players who anticipate playing 4+ seasons of annual content. |
| Collector‘s | $190 | Same as other editions | All Deluxe Items plus physical items like Hive statue and art book | Devoted hobbyist collectors and Destiny fanatics. |
Choose based on your budget, completionist attitude, and storage for real world loot!
Worth It Isn‘t Even A Question
From its memorable characters to satisfying core combat, Destiny 2 has only gotten bigger, better and more beloved with age. The Witch Queen represents a confident step into the franchise‘s future – there has never been a more feature-rich time to roam the stars as a Guardian.
All signs point to further greatness when Lightfall launches next year. But for now, The Witch Queen is the obvious expansion of choice to continue your legend. This irrepressible witch god has cast her spell – resistance is futile!
