【Netherlands】

Destiny 2's big expansion Warmindhas landed and Netherlandsso far it looks like it's bringing experiences to the table that the game has needed since its less-than-exciting launch in 2017.

As critics have had the chance to play through Warmindand explore the new content on Mars, collect new weapons, and fight through a new horde-style event, they're sharing their thoughts on the second expansion for Destiny 2and how it builds out the game.

Mashable's own Adam Rosenberg said the free updates that arrived alongside Warmindare good additions to the game. Meanwhile, the portion that players need to pay for is a step in the right direction for Destiny 2but isn't actually a whole lot of game.

Read on to see what the critics think so far of Destiny 2: Warmind.

Better than the last expansion

Ryan Gilliam, Polygon:

Destiny 2’s Warmindexpansion 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.

Hayden Dingman, PC World:

If you’re just looking for a reason to play more Destiny 2, Warmindisn’t the worst proposition. The new Martian patrol area is the highlight. Not only is it significantly larger than the miniscule Mercury map from Curse of Osiris, but Bungie’s also jammed it fullof stuff. Mars is dense with multiple public events, adventures, and the usual—but also honest-to-goodness secrets. For the first time in Destiny 2, corridors don’t all dead-end into nothingness.

Subpar story

Adam Rosenberg, Mashable:

The campaign, short though it is, provides an entertaining few hours of Destiny 2spectacle, so long as you don't think too hard about the story. In typical Destinyfashion, it veers all over the place and seems to be written around introducing new elements of play rather than delivering a coherent narrative.

Paul Tassi, Forbes:

The storytelling is incrediblyrushed in Warmind. Xol, the big bad Hive God worm, and Rasputin, the two major players of this DLC both have no more than a few lines in a single scene each. Your Guardian, as ever, still stands there mute during cutscenes looking like a doofus as Ghost talks for you during conversations with Zavala and Ana Bray. Try as I might, I had very little idea what was actually going on in this storyline.

Not enough new stuff

Paul Tassi, Forbes:

As ever, there are hard limits to how much truly feels new. There are no new subclasses here. No new enemy types, other than Hive snipers and Knights with ice shields, and we’re still fighting the same old Cabal and Taken as well. Armor is still cosmetic and does almost nothing. The new weapons that have dropped are almost all reskins of old ones, and the only weapons that trulyfeel new are reworked exotics like Graviton Lance and Skyburner’s Oath (which are awesome, incidentally, and one of the best parts of gameplay now).

Chris Carter, Destructoid:

Once again Bungie has re-skinned an existing enemy instead of giving us a new one, as the Hive are now...sub-zero-fied. You'll also do battle with the remnants of the Red Legion (read: more Cabal) because...they're shoved in too. To paint a picture, the first miniboss you fight is another Ogre that acts just like Ogres have for the past four years, and one of the last minibosses you fight is...also an Ogre.

A step in the right direction

Kirk Hamilton, Kotaku:

Warmindis disappointing in a lot of obvious ways, yet it already seems evident that it will be far more rewarding for dedicated players over the long term than its predecessor. The best improvements are separate from the content of the expansion, and indicate that Bungie is indeed taking negative player feedback to heart and attempting to overhaul and improve their game. Destiny 2is better now than it was last week, and while it’s still got a lot of the same old problems, the ways in which it has improved indicate a promising trajectory.

Destin Legarie, IGN:

Warmindleft me feeling mixed. It’s hard to be overly excited about, but alongside the Season 3 update it has made a lot of positive changes and hints at how Bungie plans to handle its sandbox making exotics exciting to use, compelling story pieces and vendors who are more than a glorifies slot machine.

There is still content to come with Warmindin the form of a new raid lair on Friday. Following Warmindthere is another expansion expected to release in the fall, which will likely be the largest addition to Destiny 2.

You can buy Destiny 2 here.