Destiny 2: The Witch Queen (Xbox ONE / Xbox Series X|S)

This part of the game universe focuses on the eponymous Witch Queen, Savathun, who is the sister of Oryx, who was the antagonist in one of the previous expansion packs for the original Destiny game. Fun fact: Savathun is ridiculously tall: she is said to be 21 feet tall. That’s four times taller than the average human!

The game is set in Savathun’s Throne World which lies within the Ascendant Realm – a glistening palace in a swampy region, which makes for deliciously atmospheric graphics.

Savathun’s backstory is skilfully woven into the overarching game narrative – she has made earlier appearances and been mentioned in other games and expansions packs, and it is now her time to shine. Savathun, along with her siblings, serves the Hive, an undead race which serves the Worm Gods.

In this game, she has managed to shed her liege to the Hive and is in the running for herself. She is served by her Lucent Brood. They are a new breed of Hive warriors who carry the power of Light. This is unusual and highly concerning, as the Hive usually tends to use Darkness. The Lucent Brood are dark blue and grey and clad in spiky armour.

You are a Guardian, battling these mysteriously very powerful creatures in a bid to thwart Savathun. The Lucent Brood have similar classes and powers to Guardians as well as their above-mentioned newly forged Light powers, all of which will terrify a sensible Guardian!

Remember at all times that Savathun lies and thrives on deceit. As one of the Guardians you must seek the truth, as well as finding out how Savathun and her Lucent Brood managed to master the Light and become so very powerful.

The Nitty Gritty

As well as known and familiar weapons, this game introduces the glaive, a new first-person melee weapon which has a lot of defensive capabilities. It also offers Guardians the chance to unleash ‘powerful melee combos, fire projectiles, and deploy a powerful energy shield’. In addition to this, your personal glaive can be customised and upgraded, as needed and desired.

In customisation, you will choose the level you want to play at, with Legendary the highest setting and most the challenging level to play. Seasonal games occur from time to time, so make sure you keep checking back for new skins, weapons and more.

The game uses powers like Slow, Freeze and Shatter to introduce an element of more intense challenge into the game, and there are three debuffs to look out for (or deploy) which are tied to Void powers: Suppress, Weaken, Volatile, and three more accompanying buffs: Overshield, Invisibility and Devour. Learn how to dodge these when deployed by villains, and how to use them when you need to, for an extra edge during gameplay.

Who’s Destiny is Who!

Savathun’s family is quite extensive…

Father: Osmium King, he is part of the Hive

Sister: Shivu Arath, and also the God of War (talk about the possibility of serious sibling rivalry here!)

Brother: Oryx who had four biological children and one adoptee (all of whom play their own part in the Destiny universe). He is also known as the Taken King

Balwur: Savathun’s daughter

Malok; her son: also called Pride of Oryx

Daughter: Dul Incaru: the Eternal Return