The Ultimate Form, eh? It’s fairly good, proper? All jokes apart, Future 2: The Ultimate Form is genuinely strong. And that’s coming from somebody who was deeply disenchanted with the prior Lightfall DLC and, particularly, its seasonal choices. So, has Bungie kickstarted a renaissance of Future 2?

To elucidate the place that is all coming from, it helps to concentrate on the leadup to The Ultimate Form‘s launch, and of the final historical past of Bungie’s Future 2 choices. Two issues to speak about earlier than we get to discussing the very crux of the difficulty, then. You’ll thank me later!

The Ultimate Form and the issues that helped form it

The Ultimate Form is, in some ways, an all-encompassing response to points that Future 2 had been having properly upfront of its launch. Just a few weeks forward of the growth pack’s launch, I wrote about how surprisingly relaxed the group was with what Bungie’s been doing as of late. In hindsight, it feels apparent that the gamers won’t have really been relaxed, however silently anxious about whether or not The Ultimate Form actually can be the slam dunk that Bungie wanted it to be.

Actually, the well timed launch of the free Into The Mild content material drop helped rather a lot in tiding individuals over, however it’s troublesome to overstate simply how poorly the yr of Lightfall was rolled out. Not solely was Lightfall itself relatively middling within the grand scheme of issues, however there have been various different disastrous occasions previous the discharge of Into The Mild:

There was extra, thoughts – these are simply probably the most troubling studies we caught a whiff of in time. General, although, out and in of the sport, Future 2 has gone by way of considered one of its roughest patches but, and Bungie had misplaced virtually all of the goodwill it had managed to claw again after the grand sunsetting occasion of the Past Mild DLC.

Wanting again additional nonetheless, it’s simple to overlook that The Ultimate Form was initially presupposed to be launched a yr earlier than it really got here out: the Lightfall DLC was envisioned as a stop-gap for Bungie to have extra time to get The Ultimate Form out of the door in a presentable state. This helps clarify a number of the DLC’s faults, in fact, however it additionally contextualizes the scenario Bungie discovered itself in whereas establishing The Ultimate Form.

Bear in mind: again in 2020, Bungie introduced the Past Mild, Witch Queen, and the Lightfall DLCs because the up-and-coming chapters within the Mild and Darkish saga of Future 2. The Ultimate Form DLC was revealed two full years later, because the precise grand finale. Lightfall was, within the interim, relegated to the standing of a kind-of-sort-of interlude forward of the actual deal.

One may argue, then, that the issues that took place in the course of the yr of the Lightfall DLC had been years within the making. It’s a gross oversimplification, sure, however it’s not arduous to think about the butterfly impact of separating the conclusion of the Mild and Darkish saga into two largely standalone DLCs may result in issues for Bungie down the road. Certainly, that’s exactly what occurred as we cruised alongside in direction of The Ultimate Form.

Fortunately, the crew over at Bungie turned issues round in time. Will it keep that method, although? Properly, that’s the bit I’m involved in, myself.

The historical past of Future at massive

Now that we’ve gone over the microcosm of issues that led to the discharge of The Ultimate Form, it’s time to have a look at the broader image of Future‘s historical past with Bungie.

It’s a little bit of a meme in the neighborhood by now that the franchise merely can not undergo a full DLC cycle with out having one good growth pack adopted up with one dangerous or, at finest, middling DLC. This “rule” is performed with loosely, to make certain, however you possibly can see a tough sample if you happen to have a look at the franchise’s historical past. Right here’s the timeline:

So, usually talking, on the “good” aspect of issues we’ve received The Ultimate Form, Witch Queen, Forsaken, Rise of Iron, and The Taken King. All the things else is both middling or an acquired style, in a broad sense. Two issues to bear in mind right here, then:

• Bungie has traditionally not had a strong, repeatable monitor document of constantly releasing genuinely nice Future content material
• The Ultimate Form isn’t the primary time Future has loved this stage of acclaim

Certainly, The Taken King, Rise of Iron, Forsaken, and Witch Queen – simply off the highest of my head – have all felt like the top of Future in some key methods. Most of those, then, had been adopted up on with one thing lesser and, in some methods, wholly disappointing. Is that what awaits us subsequent?

The brand new Frontiers

Right here’s the factor: I’m completely having fun with Future right now. I additionally bear in mind very vividly with the ability to say the identical factor again and again through the years, just for the sensation to fall off as Bungie fumbles issues again and again.

Personally, the final time every part felt this good was again within the Shadowkeep period, simply earlier than a humongous chunk of the sport received completely taken out of the equation with the discharge of Past Mild. Sure, I am nonetheless salty about Black Armory content material being spliced out of the sport, and sure, I most actually am nonetheless utilizing the outdated, sundown Ringing Nail I stored round for nostalgia’s sake.

My level, then, is that The Ultimate Form isn’t essentially an indication that every one is properly in Future land. We’ve been right here earlier than, again and again. And do remember the fact that even the Ligthfall DLC felt largely high-quality early on. It wasn’t till the upcoming seasons that Bungie drove house all of its issues, and one thing comparable might properly occur to The Ultimate Form, too.

Extra importantly, we’ve received exactly no concept what to anticipate out of the mysterious “Codename: Frontiers” mission that’s slated for 2025. My recommendation? Take pleasure in Future 2 for what it’s on this second in time, however preserve its historical past in thoughts. Y’know, simply in case.