Destiny 2: Renegades Review (PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, & PC)

Destiny first launched in 2014 to massive critical acclaim and commercial success. It’s been the looter-shooter MMO that has had millions of players returning for multiple plays, racking up runtimes in the hundreds of hours. This has largely been due to the consistent, seasonal updates adding more story content to the Light and Darkness saga. A whopping ten years it took for the saga to wrap up, with around several major expansions. These were pretty deep and impactful on pushing the saga forward. They actually added new mechanics and gameplay that made it refreshing to step back into Destiny 2. 

And then came The Fate Saga, which you wouldn’t be wrong to presume that it might take yet another several years to complete. Instead of the Light and Darkness saga, we’re starting anew with a new threat called the Nine looming in the cosmic Destiny 2 universe. The saga’s Year of Prophecy officially kickstarted its run with 2024’s The Edge of Fate expansion. And now, we have Renegades. I say all of these to show you how far the game has come: a decade-long saga has already wrapped up, and now a new one is underway, claiming to shape the Destiny 2 universe in huge ways.

The problem is, the core gameplay system can only handle so much. Ultimately, gamers return to a universe, so long as the missions remain fun and interesting. But Destiny 2 has long suffered from repetitive takes on the same regurgitated enemies and mechanics. Even when it adds new content, they are iterations of what came before. At this point, it’s going to take overhauling the entire gameplay system to redeem Destiny 2. But is the new expansion at least worthy of your time? Let’s find out in our Destiny 2: Renegades review.

Star Wars Inspired

It’s simple, really. Destiny 2: Renegades takes the lore and themes of the revered Star Wars universe and adapts it into Destiny 2. Okay, probably not as simple, when you still need to retain the essence that makes these two franchises distinct. Granted, Destiny 2 has always been inspired by Star Wars, as are many sci-fi universes. From the general cosmic universe to the ships and plasma rifles. It hasn’t always been a replica, but certainly within the same spheres. So, adapting Star Wars in Destiny 2 wasn’t going to be the craziest idea. The question is, how “brand new” was Destiny 2 going to be? Destiny 2: Renegades picks up where The Edge of Fate left off. And yet, the story campaign here doesn’t make giant leaps in pushing the story forward. 

This is an expansion that feels more like a seasonal update, with its rushed story and too many similarities to Star Wars itself. Fans of the galaxy far, far away will notice lots of similar plotlines, albeit not copy-pasted to a T. Still, the Star Wars characters and environment inspirations can come off a little too forced. If these were taken away, I’m not sure how much of Destiny 2, besides what we’ve already seen before, will be left. Don’t get me wrong. There are some genuinely fun story moments, with masterpiece cinematic set pieces that take your breath away. But also lackluster and rushed bits that just don’t land or leave any significant impact. 

The Equilibrium Dungeon

In the Equilibrium is where you’ll be dungeon-crawling, off-planet. This, as Destiny 2 fans will know, is one of the strongest gameplay elements. It’s where you’ll have considerable fun defeating swarms of enemies. Jumping between the story campaign and Equilibrium, you’ll mostly be in a loop of encountering enemies in waves and building shadow energy to break shields. You’ll have three main encounters: defeating the red Cabal Apprentice, the Harrow Dredgen Apprentice boss, and the Dredgen Sere boss. It’s pretty fun. Who are we kidding? Destiny 2’s combat has always been swift and satisfying. You’ll be pretty occupied with lots to do, unlock new weapons, and immerse yourself in the stunning Star Wars-themed environments: possibly the best dungeon so far.

Pew Pew!!

Up to six weapons, from a sniper to a pulse rifle, each with unique perks. And these are made more interesting by the new heat mechanic. Rather than reload weapons, the heat mechanic makes it so your weapons overheat and needs to be cooled down to use them again. It’s relatively the same thing, except reloads can be annoying. Plus, heat-based weapons unleash more PvE damage. And their heat management system feels like a refreshing change, manually venting your weapons to speed up the cooling process. 

Perhaps the weapon that will get you most excited is the Praxic Blade, otherwise a lightsaber. Yup, the exact feeling you imagine being a Jedi is well-adapted here. That iconic humming and buzzing sound as you swing and slash through enemies. That riveting glow, that you can further customize. Even the attack types are Star Wars-like, from throwing the Praxic Blade like a boomerang to reflecting incoming bullets and lasers back at enemies.

Even the blaster is in Destiny 2: Renegades, emanating the same pew pew sounds as in Star Wars. Although ultimately, the functionalities of the new weapons are more or less the same as Destiny 2’s base weapons. Still, it does feel super badass to be firing bolts of superheated plasma at stormtroopers. And swinging your lightsaber at dual-saber bosses, with the customizations to make it your own. 

For the Loot

And then comes the Endgame content. You once again head to the Lawless Frontier to take on bounty hunting, smuggling, and extraction-based missions, aligning with the respective faction you’ve pledged your allegiance to. You aren’t confined to sticking to just one faction, though. Once you’ve earned reputation and collected your rewards, you can switch to another faction. Choosing which factions to align with matters, though, as they come with faction-specific abilities called Renegade Abilities. With Pikers, you can unlock health boosts. Tharsis Reformation can give you and your allies a dome shield that reflects incoming attacks. Meanwhile, Totality Division can summon air strikes, drop pods, or the pretty cool controllable mech. All factions have their unique perks that, besides adding exciting strategies that pay off in higher difficulties, are simply dramatic and fun. 

In the end, Lawless Frontier should be pretty much the same as it has always been in previous expansions. You’re still taking on challenging missions in the hope of acquiring rewards and loot. Only this time, your experience is coated with that unique Star Wars flair. There’s a lot of Helldivers 2 inspiration here as well. The heading to the hub area to load up Renegade Abilities. And all of these play their parts well in trying to revive Destiny 2 to the glorious MMO it once was. They do help keep missions a tad exciting, but only for a little while before they eventually become repetitive. 

Party Crasher

Destiny 2: Renegades does add an invaders feature, just because it might have felt incomplete without a PvP feature. You can essentially invade ongoing Lawless Frontier missions and rack up kills in exchange for loot. While additional gear is nice to have, the other players are often busy wading off waves of enemies to bother with you. 

I haven’t touched on Crucible maps, Gambit mode, Patrol Zone destination, or Strikes, because there aren’t any new ones. These will presumably come in future updates. What’s new is the Equilibrium raid/dungeon, Lawless Frontier mode, and story campaign. And when you take away the Star Wars themes, is there anything truly new? When missions and activities take place on existing Mars, Venus, and Europa maps?

Verdict

Because of the lack of new stuff in Destiny 2: Renegades, it makes it easily repetitive, especially for veterans who’ve stuck with the long-running looter-shooter for over a decade. Revisiting existing maps and playing through the same activities, using similar weapons, gear, and armor, is getting on fans’ nerves. And the dwindling numbers of concurrent players are showing just how much the Destiny 2 player base is trailing off. If Bungie doesn’t overhaul the system soon, they might lose the hardcore fans altogether. 

Still, it’s a fact that Destiny 2: Renegades remains a fun time, even with the repetitive activities. Even with the steadfast grinding, you just can’t deny a core gameplay system that works and works so well. And the Star Wars-themed Equilibrium and Lawless Frontier might have been a risk, but it’s one that pays off.

The question is, will players be sticking around for longer than the roughly eight hours it takes to beat the story and a few more in the endgame content? With fewer and fewer players logging in, Lawless Frontier just isn’t as fun anymore. Oh, the good old days when there used to be hundreds of thousands of concurrent players. Now, it’s down to thousands. For the next expansion, Bungie has to really step up their game, even if it’s going back to the drawing board altogether.