Through the years, Bungie’s seminal live-service FPS Future 2 has acquired at least seven main items of post-launch DLC, with no less than another – The Remaining Form – attributable to come out subsequent yr, in 2024. However which of these was good? Which ones was dangerous? Why is 2023’s Lightfall sitting at an ‘Overwhelmingly Adverse’ overview score on Steam? And why did the sport lose large batches of content material within the years prior? One factor is for certain: Future 2‘s historical past is remarkably advanced and storied, and this text goals to take a look at it with a selected goal in thoughts: rating all Future 2 expansions.

As is normally the case with ranked recreation lists, this one, too, is no less than considerably subjective to some extent. That being mentioned, we did take into consideration the DLCs’ respective Metacritic scores, the vital protection offered by Destructoid reviewers – the place relevant – and the group’s personal opinions. With all that analysis in thoughts, this listing ought to resonate with newcomers and Future 2 veterans alike!

Rating all Future 2 expansions

#8: Curse of Osiris

Definitely, giant batches of this listing may be disputed attributable to variations in opinions, relying on which side of a DLC is most vital to a given participant. Future 2 veterans who jumped into the Curse of Osiris DLC on launch day will nearly definitely agree, nevertheless, that that is the worst mainline DLC the sport’s ever acquired. Infamously, its humble Raid Lair was the one shiny spot of the entire DLC, having been shipped with a brief and grindy marketing campaign and little or no in the best way of loot. It was an impressively poor displaying, with a Person Rating of 1.8/10 on Metacritic.

#7: Past Mild

The Past Mild DLC could have launched the primary Darkness energy – Stasis – and a long-anticipated journey into the notorious Deep Stone Crypt, however its largest level of competition is the sunsetting of Future 2 content material. Although the observe has now been sundown itself, the removing of a really substantial quantity of content material from the sport continues to be an enormous black mark on Future 2, and it’s the principle purpose why this specific DLC is so low on this specific totem pole. With a 4.1 Person Rating on Metacritic, it’s removed from one of the best this recreation provides.

#6: Warmind

Certainly, Past Mild‘s sunsetting is the largest purpose why it fell under 12 months 1’s Warmind DLC. Developing as a direct follow-up to the Curse of Osiris, Warmind‘s Metacritic Person Rating of three.2 could make it sound just like the DLC is kind of dangerous, but it surely wasn’t actually that terrible. It was merely mediocre and inoffensive, however comparatively higher than its predecessor. Warmind‘s Mars patrol zone and the fan-favorite Escalation Protocol exercise helped bump it a tad greater than it in any other case would’ve been.

#5: Lightfall

Understanding the excellent failure of Future 2: Lightfall isn’t any imply feat, however the vital bit to say right here is that the content material on supply is, certainly, higher than its 2.2 Metacritic Person Rating would make one imagine. Lightfall delivers the Strand Darkness subclass, a reliable new Raid, and a genuinely enjoyable and interesting marketing campaign… so long as one can disregard the DLC’s shoddier facets. Lightfall got here out after the earlier yr’s Witch Queen DLC completely smashed the gamers’ expectations, solely to observe up on it with shoddy writing and heaps of tonal whiplash. Nonetheless, its competent gameplay loop does elevate it past lots of Bungie’s older outings.

#4: thirtieth Anniversary Pack

Although one would possibly low cost the thirtieth Anniversary Pack for its lack of a traditional Future marketing campaign, Raid, and the like, this standalone piece of content material deserved a spot on this article. Notably, this smaller and cheaper DLC doesn’t take itself too severely, and it’s primarily a tongue-in-cheek reference to a few of Bungie’s hottest productions, together with Halo, Marathon, and past. Its featured dungeon and exercise are enjoyable, and it’s a stunning change of tempo in comparison with most different Future 2 content material.

#3: Shadowkeep

Contemplating the enlargement packs featured greater up on this listing, Shadowkeep does certainly pale as compared, however its 5.5 Metacritic Person Rating suggests there’s one thing compelling about it. And, certainly, there’s! Not solely does Shadowkeep have an immaculate ambiance, what with hordes of Hive prowling about, however its marketing campaign additionally has certainly one of Future 2‘s most iconic marketing campaign setpieces but. Extra so than the rest, although, Shadowkeep was a stable piece of content material with a number of standout moments, and that alone units it other than the likes of Warmind.

#2: Witch Queen

Deciding between the 2 finest Future 2 DLCs was all the time going to be a toss-up between Witch Queen and Forsaken, and all of it boils down to non-public desire. Witch Queen delivers Future‘s finest marketing campaign of all time, with a prolonged batch of missions and a delightfully tough Legendary mode for veteran gamers. Witch Queen holds a stellar 8.1 Person Rating on Metacritic, and there’s a really actual chance that it’s going to stay absolutely the pinnacle of Future 2 content material for the foreseeable future. Lightfall‘s marketing campaign does, in spite of everything, examine to that of Witch Queen, however its vibe was a complete swing and a miss for Bungie.

#1: Forsaken

We’ll be sincere right here: the Forsaken DLC isn’t really essentially higher than Witch Queen. Actually, it served up a far much less compelling marketing campaign mode, and its Metacritic Person Rating of 6.1 roughly illustrates that Bungie’s 2022 outing was, certainly, the superior product. The factor that upgrades Forsaken from the standing of a wonderful however unremarkable enlargement pack to one thing completely indispensable for Future 2 is the truth that it marked an enormous change for the sport. Keep in mind: Forsaken got here out after Curse and Warmind. Two relatively poor showpieces that Bungie adopted up on with the largest DLC in Future historical past, with two enormous patrol zones, probably the most advanced Raid the franchise’s ever had, and a wealth of different assorted content material whose solely actual draw back was that it bought faraway from the sport throughout Bungie’s sunsetting part.

Forsaken arguably saved Future 2 at a low level within the sequence historical past, and for that alone, eviscerated although it could be in its present kind, this DLC is an all-time nice.

The way forward for Future 2 feels shaky

It’s arduous to not admit that the featured listing does really feel a tad reductive within the grand scheme of issues. Although there are, definitely, many caveats to Future 2‘s live-service mannequin, Bungie has efficiently established a universe that regularly evolves and adjustments, introducing giant batches of content material each single yr that fill out every respective DLC’s roster of actions, goodies, and different assorted stuff. These giant batches of content material have, nevertheless, gotten faraway from Future 2 with every passing yr, making them largely (and sadly!) irrelevant for the typical informal participant.

At the moment, Bungie is admittedly caught between a rock and a tough place, on condition that the group hasn’t been too thrilled with Future 2: The Remaining Form. Because of launch in February of 2024, it represents the grand finale of the franchise’s decade-long Mild and Darkish saga. Ideally, it very properly ought to overtake all of the DLCs listed on this article. Delivering a memorable narrative finale must be Bungie’s main objective right here. Can the studio ship, although?

Whereas all of us wait for more information on The Remaining Form to drop, Future 2 newcomers could want to study extra concerning the recreation’s Raid content material in launch order, too.