Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris Review – A Wasted Opportunity for the Sci-Fi Saga

If you're a hardcore Destiny player then you've probably got used to Bungie releasing a handful of DLCs after each major title in the saga. The first expansion for Destiny 2 is called Curse of Osiris and, ironically, puts a curse on the series.

I was pretty excited after I finished Destiny 2 and hoped Bungie will continue the story from where we left off in the next expansion. Unfortunately, Curse of Osiris shows the developer has taken another route, one that will certainly not make fans of the series happy.

And it's not just the story that's almost dull, but there's not enough content to justify the existence of Curse of Osiris as an expansion. Besides the Raid Lair activity, a few multiplayer changes and the slightly more interesting new Adventures, everything else is a mixed bag to say the least.

Story

Since Curse of Osiris doesn't bring any new enemy races, Bungie has decided the Vex should be at the center of its first Destiny 2 expansion. Moreover, Curse of Osiris tells a completely different story that doesn't seem to connect to anything that we've played in the main game.

You'll be spending most of the time in a Vex advanced simulation program on the tiny planet Mercury. The new zone is called Infinite Forest and looks absolutely breathtaking. Because you have proven your worth in the campaign against the Cabal, you are now charged with discovering the whereabouts of a rebel Guardian who goes by the name of Osiris.

Curse of Osiris requires 200 light level

After causing some unrest among the other Guardians in the Tower, Osiris disappears without a trace. It turns out that he discovered a Vex threat and decided to investigate without the help of any of the other Guardians.

The Infinite Forest, while beautifully built graphics-wise, it's basically a corridor shooter where you have to defeat enemies and open a door to move on to the next level. It's a confined zone that feels artificial when it comes to level design.

Infinite Forest landscapes are gorgeous

On top of that, you'll be finishing the campaign story in about 3 or 4 hours, depending on how good you are at shooters. If you're really good, you'll probably complete it in around two hours, which is really bad even for an expansion.

The three new Adventures that come with the expansion are somewhat the nice surprise of Curse of Osiris. They can be completed on Heroic mode as well and offer pretty good loot. Also, they play like mini-scenarios that can take up to 45 minutes to finish if your light level is not high enough.

New exotics and ornaments

Finally, along with the new Adventures comes a new NPC – Brother Vance. Once you complete these Adventures you get to complete new scenarios called Lost Prophecies, which will reward you with really powerful weapons, but the requirements to get the new weaponry is really convoluted.

Gameplay

Curse of the Osiris doesn't present any challenges and doesn't offer any improvements gameplay-wise. It adds a new level 25 cap, but by the time you finish the story, you should reach the new cap. I can't say the same thing about the new light (power) cap, which is now 335, but completing heroic events and strikes will get you close to the new cap.

Speaking of which, the new two strikes that come with Curse of Osiris, A Garden World and Tree of Probabilities look better than the main campaign and introduces a few additional gameplay mechanics that actually improve the game.

Play Video

However, I believe the bosses at the end are a bit too easy even for low-geared characters. Obviously, the Heroic mode is more challenging, but you won't have the feeling that you worked hard on downing those bosses.

To access the new Raid Lair, a new section of the vanilla Leviathan raid, you'll have to grind your way to light level 300. Unlike the previous raid, the new one has been designed to take less time to complete, but Bungie added some puzzles which makes it more interesting. In fact, the Raid Lair almost makes up for the rest of the expansion's fails.

Multiplayer

Two new maps have been added if PvP is your favorite activity in Destiny 2 (three if you play on PlayStation 4): Pacifica and Radiant Cliffs. Unlike the vanilla Crucible, these maps are played on platforms and doesn't require you to stay with your fireteam to be successful. Overall, they're more fun to play, but they're not enough to significantly improved PvP in Destiny 2.

If you like playing PvP, the new maps seem to favor close range weapons, so equip that beastly hand cannon or shotgun and unleash them on your enemies. Obviously, if you suck on PvP, they won't help you get better.

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion