Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris Review (Xbox One)

Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris is a great addition to the core game, but small in scope. Read on.

The Curse of Osiris offers players new enemies to battle, new zones to explore, and a look behind one of the franchise’s most mysterious characters, the warlock Osiris. However, there’s a lot of recycling going on, from expeditions that take you down environments you’ve already exhausted and taking on mobs and gobs of enemies you’ve already faced. Let’s be clear – the new stuff – from the “retro” Vex, the concept/story behind the expansion, masterwork weapons, and a sweet new raid experience (small and compact as it is), all works well and is a great addition to the core game. But for players chomping at the bit for more and more content after being perhaps a bit let down at the offerings in the base game, this is a bite size snack that won’t put a dent in that appetite.

The planet Mercury doesn’t have a lot to explore once you punch out the associated story content. Discovering the fate of Osiris and spending some quality time with his Ghost is fun and you get to take on a few interesting challenges on the way, the Infinite Forest with its semi-random properties and the incredibly tiny lighthouse lose their charm quickly. It’s good stuff, it’s just over real fast. Not surprising for a game that’s more focused on daily activities and tasks, but it still feels a bit rushed.

With the expansion comes critical game updates. Masterwork weapons give us something cool to chase after instead of getting the exact same weapon over and over, and getting one that fits your playstyle is extremely satisfying – the gear grind is back, and it feels like it’s a big step forward toward achieving a more consistent endgame that has players coming back every day, every night, every week for new powerful options for their kit. Destiny 2 isn’t quite there yet in this respect, but this is some reassurance that someday, whether it’s in a content update or another expansion, that an interesting and fair loot treadmill can provide the appropriate carrot on a stick to keep players consistent.

Heroic adventures fall into the mix of endgame activities players can engage in, and they are a much needed boon toward the endgame. Much like masterwork weapons work for gear, these are sort of a promise of future potential and a taste of (hopefully) more to come.

Curse of Osiris is a solid addition to Destiny 2. While it doesn’t fix persistent endgame issues, it does provide a framework and a structure to tackle those problems in the future, along with throwing the player-base a few juicy bones along the way. If you’re already playing Destiny 2 and enjoying it, Osiris is an obvious pickup.

Score: 8.5 out of 10

Reviewed for  Xbox One