Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris review (Xbox One)

Destiny 2’s first DLC expansion has arrived in the form of Curse of Osiris. Ben Griffin blasted through it as fast as possible to see whether it’s worth buying.

When you reach 305 light in Destiny 2, you can tell Bungie wanted a less grind-heavy and more accessible end-game. Random loot is still the staple, but a simplification of the whole system and removing the need to finish the raid for the ‘phattest’ loot made reaching the digital zenith much less arduous.

Yet the amount of content was flagging and useful progress really only required logging in every now and then to finish the weekly challenges. Many once loyal Guardians were getting bored and playing other games, making the arrival of Curse of Osiris rather important.

This is especially true when you consider Bungie has managed to upset the community and, on the surface, a lack of depth in Curse of Osiris will only add flames to the raging fire going on in the official Bungie forums and in the comments section of most major gaming websites.

Admittedly, I’m still playing Destiny 2 and there are some positives to be found in Curse of Osiris. Nothing groundbreaking, but enough to provide a much needed shot of longevity. So what is new and should you spend money on it?

Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris ─ What is the story like?

Fuse the plot line of the Matrix with Destiny and you are pretty close to what is going on in Destiny 2. Basically, the Vex is making a deadly, world-destroying simulation thing (we lost interest) and you have to stop it, with the help of legendary Guardian Osiris and his sassy ghost providing some mild comedy in Cayde-6’s noticeable absence.

We will spare you any spoilers, not that there are many because the back of a crisp packet would provide you with more character development and depth than Bungie has, but at least you have some sort of narrative pushing you along.

Around three or so hours in, the final battle takes place and you get to see one of Destiny 2‘s more interesting battles, certainly one of the most visually exciting (much like the Infinite Forest where a lot of the expansion takes place). Yet it feels annoyingly familiar, too.

Annoyingly familiar is a fair description for the whole DLC shebang, in fact. The usual run around with a glowing orb, defeat multiple waves of enemies and shoot the boss in the face challenges are present to the point that you could easily accuse Bungie of being unoriginal. Or, perhaps, putting profit above its playerbase.

Die-hard fans will enjoy seeing more of Ikora and Osiris, but neither really adds that much to the story. Destiny 2 never grabs you in the same way as the original Halo games and, in turn, I never really care about what happens to the characters. Except Cayde-6 and his one-liners, that is.

Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris ─ What else is new?

Up until now, a Guardian with decent weapons and armour will have reached the new level limit of 25 and be pushing past the 305 light level (the new maximum is 335), with Destiny 2 providing only a moderate challenge at best. Even the new Heroic Strike option, which is fun, will be plain sailing for a decent solo player.

The Heroic versions of the Curse of Osiris ‘adventure’ missions are a different story. So far, we have seen the annoying ‘momentum’ effect usually seen in a Nightfall that requires you to run to regenerate your shield. Combined with unusually strong enemies and suddenly being a solo player becomes difficult, especially when the boss can easily tank your weapons until he buggers off in a spaceship (the mission is still completable, mind you). A modicum of difficulty adds a level of reward that starts missing once your Guardian becomes a force to be reckoned with.

Wandering around Mercury provides new content, although the inability to use your Sparrow – of which new funky designs have been added – is a subtle indication that it is a much smaller area than its counterparts. Still, the aforementioned adventure missions you get after the main campaign are enjoyable and the desire to acquire new loot has been enhanced.

Perhaps the best bit of Curse of Osiris 2 is the new weaponry and armour, the latter of which looks particularly decent in the case of Warlocks, who typically look like they are a member of an old royal family or out on the streets begging. One of the three new weapons you can choose between upon completion of a certain mission, meanwhile, is especially powerful.

PvP fans would be wise to either jump in right now or avoid Destiny 2 like the plague, depending on whether they have access to the Prometheus Lens exotic weapon. Acting as Destiny 2’s trace rifle and therefore sister to Coldheart, this weapon is absurdly overpowered, thanks to a ridiculously fast time to kill. Expect the nerf hammer to drop soon, but not before immense crying from those without it. Us included.

Other new weapons seem powerful, too, although at least one of the rocket launchers is fairly similar to its standard Destiny 2 counterpart and the reduction in sidearm power (sorry, Last Hope fans) means some of the new additions are less useful. There is also at least one new ship, which never really serve any purpose other than looking awesome, as well as some new shaders for your guns and armour. But some you will need to buy from Eververse for real money, which seems like a cop-out.

The ability to buy purple engrams is another sensible and useful addition, as is the ability to buy a kinetic weapon mod instead of dismantling purple mods for the correct bits and then hoping for a lucky roll (1 in 7 chance). Small changes such as this really help Destiny 2 be less of a chore and suggest, to a point, that Bungie has been listening to its fans.

Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris ─ Should I buy it, then?

The allure of Destiny 2 is yet to pass me by and Curse of Osiris has reignited a little of the involvement that was starting to dwindle. If you still love the game, the download is a no-brainer, especially as some content is now locked behind the DLC. Players bored of the grind will, however, find the repition too familiar.

Some sort of apology (preferably free and usable) from Bungie would go a long way in getting the community back on side. But in all honesty, I’d rather the focus was on adding more variety to the gameplay. Sparrow racing, super hard challenges, customisable PvP battles, ranking ─ the potential is there and there are enough willing Guardians who are willing to be patient.

Until then, Destiny 2 remains a very beautiful, if slightly repititive first-person shooter with an extremely gratifying system of play made marginally more interesting by Curse of Osiris.