Destiny 2’s exotic buffs are more than enough to bring players to Warmind

Destiny 2’s Warmind expansion has only been out for a few hours, but in our initial time spent with it, it’s already better than the game’s first expansion, Curse of Osiris. This is almost entirely thanks to the host of new exotic changes brought to Destiny 2. Sure, the intro missions are interesting and have great combat encounters, but the real fun comes from playing with guns that finally live up to their exotic designation.

Destiny 2 launched with fairly mediocre exotic weapons, and Curse of Osiris added several more to the pot. Warmind breaks all of them, turning them into the machines of death that we’ve always hoped they could be.

Last night, before Warmind even launched, I pulled every exotic I could hold into my inventory so I could try them out come patch time. From the moment my Guardian’s feet touched the sandy surface of Mars, I was rolling with an exciting “new” gun.

First was Skyburner’s Oath. Then Hard Light, Crimson, Graviton Lance, Tractor Cannon ... the list goes on and on. Each pull of the trigger resulted in an amusing burst of carnage or a subtle “ooh.” The new Frozen Hive were decimated in waves by my updated exotics, each new weapon properly feeling like it should have always been there.

Bungie, Vicarious Visions/Activision

We need more time with Warmind before we can truly speak to the modes and missions present, but having new content to try out while plowing through all of creation is more than enough to keep me going. But the best part about this exotic update is that it’s free. If you don’t have the expansion pass, or Warmind, you can try these weapons out on Destiny 2 content you already have access to.

The feel of the original Destiny is back in a way that we haven’t seen since Destiny 2 launched. The guns feel overpowered and the difficulty comes from the sheer number of enemies and the captains they bring with them. But as a Guardian, I never felt weak against my enemy. It never feels as though your bullets are anything short of flaming rockets hurtling through space (in some cases, they actually are).

Destiny was good, especially toward the end, because it felt like two extremely powerful forces pushing against each other: you and your enemies. Destiny 2’s story revolved around taking player’s power away from them, but it came with what felt like a weakness in Guardian ability in the end game. Instead of feeling the clash, it felt like we were climbing a wall.

Season three’s exotic weapon update fixes that problem. Guardians don’t feel weak anymore. Our enemies aren’t a blockade as much as they are an equal force for us to tackle. The playing has been leveled now that our arsenal is up to date. The Guardians are back, and they’re bringing heaps of golden engrams with them.

Destiny 2: Warmind is out now for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One.