Review: Destiny 2: Shadowkeep

Destiny 2: Shadowkeep's greatest strength is what's kept Destiny 2 lore so popular all these years: the gameplay. The blend of shooting and looting remains as addictive and satisfying as ever, even if we're still firing at the same enemies we've been fighting since 2014. Bungie has done a solid job altering and perfecting the formula over the years and Shadowkeep represents the next big step in its refinement, Armor 2.0.

Bungie is now quadruple-dipping with Season Passes, loot boxes (via Engrams), direct cosmetic purchases and a Battle Pass. The Battle Pass in particular is annoying by adding an additional layer of time-consuming grind to a game that already requires a lot of grind. The scummiest part of the whole system, though, is that Bungie has built the Eververse store straight into the Director menu. Previously, monetization could be ignored entirely because it was secluded to the Eververse Store at the Tower. Now, Bungie has made sure that it follows players everywhere they go. It's sad to see such regression after Forsaken made Destiny 2's monetization feel fairer to players.


As an example, consider Destiny 2 ’s recent Season of Dawn . Fresh off the laurels of Season of Undying , Guardians had just slain an epic time-jumping Vex Mind known creatively as "The Undying Mind." However, this creature’s death caused ripples in the fabric of time, ripples that allowed the mysterious Osiris to activate a powerful machine called the Sundial. With it, Guardians were able to travel through the Corridors of Time which gave them the ability to not only meet but save their long lost hero Saint-XIV. Saving Saint eventually led to the creation of the Lighthouse, which was the basis of the long-awaited return of Trials of Osiris a season later in Season of the Wort


If it isn't hard enough taking on one faction of enemies in a strike, taking on multiple different types of enemies just feels like overkill at this point but that is exactly what players have to do in the Warden of Nothing strike. While players will mostly have to work their way through legions of Cabal to finish this strike, that doesn't mean the occasional Vex doesn't show up to ruin the mood. Add that with constantly having to avoid bullet trains at the most random of times, thus leaving players with their money's worth with this str

Since the release of Destiny 2, monetization has been a thorn in all player's sides. Though Bungie tweaked it to be fairer, players still resented the idea that Bungie was selling a $49.99 Season Pass with microtransactions on top of it all while asking players to pay up front to get the game. Anyone hoping things would get better after Bungie's split from Activision isn't going to be happy to hear what's happening in Shadowkeep.


What ensues is a weapon that essentially spreads explosive damage through the enemies it targets, which can create large chain reactions of explosions. This considerably reduces the amount of time players will require to get rid of large groups of enemies, often only requiring a kill or two before Sun Blast removes the rest. The best part is, that's it. There is no damage rotation to remember, or any alternative fire mode; just shoot and expl

Olympus Descent - This final eye on Mars is at the very southern end of the map in a network of cavernous tunnels that lead to Olympus Descent. It is resting on a rock formation at the very end of the tunn


During the latest **Halo Infinite ** reveal stream leading the Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase , a new concept was brought forth to the Halo franchise. It was made clear that Halo Infinite , unlike its predecessors, would not simply be another chapter in the story, but a platform on which all content for the foreseeable future would be bu

Sunshot is definitively the best Hand Cannon in PvE. A sole survivor of the 150 RPM archetype, the weapon has arguably the best crowd control in the game. This comes from its main trait, Sunburn , which makes the weapon's bullets deal area-of-effect damage, and its main perk, Sun Blast , which causes enemies who die by the weapon to explode, Scorching nearby targets. Enemies who gain too many stacks of Scorch also explode, and spread more Scorch around t

Any of the reload perks, be it Enlightened Action , Perpetual Motion, Rapid Hit , or Frenzy, are all great, allowing this weapon to really slide into the Submachine gun's territory in terms of how often players can keep their damage up. Paired with Destabilizing rounds, this weapon really does function like a Submachine gun, more so than Warden's Law, with a pure add-clear perk designed to spread damage around. Players who rely on Void Keywords for their build, or just want a new Void weapon, should get a good roll out of t


By far, one of the hardest aspects of The Pyramidion isn't the enemy a player will face, it is the number of enemies that if not careful can overrun a player in mere seconds that makes this strike so difficult. Add that with a barrage of enemies that can easily regenerate themselves and one will surely find themselves sweating bullets as they try to just stay afloat. This is one strike that allies and teamwork are crucial to a mission's success as there are no lone wolves in The Pyramidion. At least not ones that surv