The anticipation and marketing push surrounding Destiny were both nothing short of incredible before the game released. Everyone expected it to be a benchmark for shooters in terms of mechanics and story. However, after the first few days, it was clear that Destiny lacked much of the content the developers initially promised.
The game relied on making players repeat the same limited areas and missions in order to earn better gear and level progression. The main problem with Destiny was that it lacked content that is required to keep players engaged in the long run. Many hoped that The Dark Below expansion pack would address these issues and give players a reason to return to the game.
The Dark Below takes the player back to many of the same areas they explored on Earth and the Moon. Whenever an expansion hits, one expects to be thrown into completely new regions that bring out a sense of wonder and excitement when you play through them. This has been a staple of many games that have featured expansion packs in the past. It is a necessity in games that rely on random loot drops because doing the same missions in the same areas over and over again can get quite boring. A good example of an expansion done right would be Diablo III: Reaper of Souls. It introduced many new visually distinct regions, a plethora of new weapons, a new class and a new challenge mode. Even though the game relies on random loot drops and level progression, it never feels cumbersome and frustrating because you are always making progress just by playing it. Destiny is the exact opposite because desirable drops are still hard to come by and the light levels are one of the most bizarre and limiting progression systems ever implemented in a game.
Many expected The Dark Below to introduce a completely new region or planet but unfortunately the content takes you back to old areas. The expansion is filled with generic hallways, old enemies and familiar visuals. The three new missions send the player back to the dull Russian Cosmodrome and later into the depths of the Moon they have explored countless times. Many Hive assets are either the same or are slight variations of them. Nothing in the expansion except for some regions in the new raid feel unique and exciting.
The new campaign missions can be completed in less than an hour and feel repetitive and uninspired. You are introduced to some new characters along the way but their stories and dialogues are not compelling enough to leave a lasting impression. Eris Morn is as forgettable as the entities you meet in the main game. The new multiplayer maps have some interesting level design but pale in comparison to the ones found in other competitive shooters. While games like Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and Halo 5: Guardians are increasingly focusing on verticality in their map design, the new Destiny arenas seem flat in comparison which is surprising given how many of the game’s original maps had multiple layers. Lastly, the new strike mission also feels exactly the same as all the others even though it is much harder to complete.
Many players will look to retain their addictions in the form of new raid content. The Dark Below’s raid pits players against Crota, a new powerful enemy that makes the base game’s Atheon look weak. Thematically, as with many other aspects of Destiny’s first ‘expansion’, few of this new raid’s mechanics are fresh. For example, to begin the raid players still need to stand inside a circle to extend a bridge, similar to events when opening the Vault of Glass. The subsequent lamps section is challenging and a lot of fun but then it ends with another circle which you must stand in and fight hordes of enemies until another bridge forms. Players then fight gatekeepers that can only be damaged with a special sword, like the special shield needed to destroy the templar in the old raid. The final two bosses are where the raid truly shines. Ir Yût is one of the most challenging enemies ever put into a game. Crota is even harder. Team work becomes utterly paramount, as players are required to coordinate their attacks using the sword and ensure no team mates are killed. This is where The Dark Below is at its best but it might be hard for many players to spend half the cost of a new game for this sliver of amazing content that is part of an overall mediocre expansion.
The Dark Below does not have enough content to keep the majority of players hooked, even though it does introduce some new weapons, materials and armor to master. It is not the expansion everyone had come to expect. The term ‘expansion’ generally implies at least dozens of hours of gameplay. The Dark Below does not even come close.
Dedicated Destiny players can probably experience the new story, strike and raid in under five hours before the grind begins again. Apart from half of the raid, everything else in The Dark Below is disappointing. The expansion also adds no new achievements. Hopefully House of Wolves will be better when it releases next year but until then Destiny still suffers from a lack of compelling content to return to.
Asher M is a games journalist, former News Writer (Gaming) at Windows Central. They contributed 18 articles to ICXM between 2014–2015, focused on game reviews, and Xbox news: one of several bylines used by Asher Madan during his time at ICXM.