Destiny 2: The Witch Queen Preview – Riddles Wrapped In A Mystery

It’s time for the payoff. For years, Bungie has teased the potential of Destiny’s most devious villain. Recently, this tease has grown. The Hive queen named Savathûn has infiltrated all the major storylines, insinuating herself into the events shaping the story. Now, at long last, the Witch Queen’s trap is sprung, as she co-opts humanity’s most precious resource – the Light that gives power to its Guardians – and uses that power to make deathless warriors of her own. 

With The Witch Queen, Bungie is betting big on a narrative twist that’s been in the making for a long time and using that storytelling moment to push forward new twists on the long-established gameplay model, including a dramatic move toward playstyle customization for players. On the eve of the expansion’s release, we spoke with the project’s creative director and got the scoop on what longtime players, lapsed Guardians returning to the fold, and even newcomers can expect to discover in the next few months. 

“The villain, Savathûn, the most cunning Hive foe that we’ve ever had, is front and center,” says creative director James Tsai. “And it would not be a Savathûn story if there were no trickery. She is the god of cunning.” That focus on treachery, hidden meanings, and secrets doesn’t end because Savathûn has now revealed her true identity and stepped into the light. This sounds like The Witch Queen is primarily about matching her wits against such an evil foe. “We’ve actually been talking about this as a mystery,” Tsai continues. “The player fantasy is one of being like a psychic detective this time around. You’re going into this uncertain destination, this creepy, beautifully grotesque, twisted Wonderland kind of place. What’s the mystery here? What can you trust?”

Tsai’s playspace is full of these beautiful and grotesqueries. Savathûn’s Throne World is a sprawling new area for players to explore, filled with secrets and opportunities for combat across several distinct regions. A reflection of Savathûn’s mind, the Throne World is an old Hive Realm that is being remade and blessed by the Light that Savathûn has stolen. “She has the Light, so she has this opulent, well-manicured castle. There are cool sculptures and courtyards. It’s not the typical Hive area. You also have a swampier and bayou-like area she hasn’t yet rebuilt using the Light. And then there’s this underworld section as well.” There’s even a new six-person matchmade activity called Wellspring that plays out in the Throne World, built to convey the fantasy of storming the seemingly insurmountable castle. Conceptually, the swamps, heat, and humidity represent something novel and distinct from what we’ve previously seen from the franchise.  

Bungie plans to create a memorable campaign across this new terrain. “We call it the definitively Destiny campaign,” Tsai says. “It’s about bringing some of the awesome grandeur of some of our endgame aspirational feel into the campaign itself. It’s amazing to fly through such cool environments. It takes a lot of thinking and understanding to create memorable experiences. For players, puzzles were added to the campaign. There’s a really reinvigorated focus on the campaign in this release.” 

The campaign’s renewed importance also means new ways to play. A legendary campaign version is available to players in addition the standard experience. That translates into more enemies with more significant health pools, increased modifiers on combat, and tweaks to Darkness zones that ensure players can’t trivialize encounters. You can get commensurate reward with gear bundles which help boost your Guardian’s raid readiness, increase modules and even exotic drops.

 The legendary campaign also features a new approach to fireteam size, adapting content and enemies depending on the number of Guardians in your playgroup. “Our intent is to make sure that there is no wrong way to play this,” Tsai says. “You want to play it by yourself; you’re doing it. Do you want to have fun with your friends? You’ll get the same tough experience and that same accomplishment.” 

Whether in classic or legendary difficulty, players should expect one significant challenge to remain constant – the dire threat of the Lucent Brood. While players will still face the entire coterie of Hive enemies they’ve fought for years, Savathûn’s forces are joined by new variants empowered by the Light. As Guardians for player characters, the Lucent Brood can wield supers or rise from the dead when defeated. “It really does change the sandbox experience against them,” Tsai says. “It’s not just like fighting a set of Hive with new pajamas; you have to take these abilities into consideration.”

Players can expect to confront ­newly empowered Knights glowing with Void shields like a Titan. Arc-powered Wizards unleash electric attacks. Solar-powered Acolytes are adept at using flaming knives and have solar power. These high-threat enemy enemies are dormant until they die. Then, their Ghosts will bring them back to health and life. The only way to end the threat is to close the distance between you and the Ghost. Tap your Finisher and grab them to crush the threat.

Infusing moths with Light, they will power up standard Hive foes. “So, you might fight an Acolyte who is charged with Light, and when you defeat that Acolyte, then the moth comes flying out, and it seeks to infuse its power into another one of the nearby combatants, or it comes after you and tries to detonate,” Tsai explains. The implications are clear. Lucent Brood battles require high intensity encounters and close confrontations in order to win. 

Guardians can help increase your chances of survival by using a variety of new techniques. There are many legends and uncommon versions of the glaive. The combination melee/ranged weapon has high potential to cause destruction and it can be found in both legendary and new varieties. “It’s our first new weapon archetype in the game since bows, and it’s the only first-person melee weapon we have,” Tsai says. The glaive, unlike the broad arcs of swords is focused squarely at one foe. To create a fluid combo, multiple buttons can be pressed to string together aggressive jabs. A glaive can also shoot out an energy blast at short or medium range and features a ­defensive shield that powers up as you defeat enemies. 

The new weapon crafting system allows you to create and modify many different weapons, including glaives. Complex new weapon crafting system gives Destiny players the chance to build their own weapons and customize them to fit their personal style. The first step in weapon crafting is to make a pattern. This can then be used for creating the original form of a weapon. The weapon can be used in combat to gain levels which allow you to modify its abilities, such as the ranged or handling increases, magazine attributes, or other consequential modifications. Eventually, you’ll be able to alter its core traits and perks, like Rampage or Killing Wind. You’re also gathering crafting resources, both through distinct sources out in the game world, as well as by dismantling other weapons. Optional consumable mementos even let you unlock cosmetic changes to your weapons. 

You can make all these weapons changes by using the Relic. It’s a new focus for investment in the game and personalization of your experience, and it’s treated as such – a designated place you visit that features numerous options for making a given weapon your own. “The reason we have this relic is that we wanted this to feel like a personal, sacred, and emotionally intimate moment for you and give it some importance in the universe,” Tsai says.

Play customization will be given a boost by the revision of Void subclasses, which is being done for The Witch Queen. Retrofit will be the first major reorganization Light-based subclasses to undergo this retrofit. Solar and Arc are planned for later seasons. You can get an idea of what you should expect from the launch of Darkness-based Stasis power, which allows players to reshape how they play. When applied to the Void classes, players shouldn’t expect entirely new power arrays. Instead, it’s about mixing and tweaking the existing power trees to build-craft the exact character you want. “We really feel it is a big quality of life improvement for those Light subclasses, being able to just ­optimize the way that you play,” Tsai says. 

Destiny 2 gamers have high hopes for a refreshed game that revitalizes the long-running hobby. This is after a delay that caused The Witch Queen to be moved into the new year. While the full scope of that refresh won’t be apparent until weeks into the new expansion, it’s safe to say that Bungie has a clear plan ahead for continued evolution. The Witch Queen, in fact, is not the only named expansion in the pipeline. But before that final shape can coalesce, the complete picture of Savathûn’s deceptions and trickery must come to light, and those developments have the attention of a rapt fanbase.  

For more photos of the exciting expansion, check out the gallery.

The original version of this article appeared in Game Informer Issue 343