Is Destiny 2‘s The Witch Queen Expansion Worth It in 2026?

As a Destiny 2 player since the beta, I‘ve eagerly awaited the The Witch Queen expansion. With a new Throne World destination, weapon crafting, overhauled Void classes, and an epic campaign culminating in the Vow of the Disciple raid, it‘s shaping up to be one of the most game-changing releases in Destiny history.

But is The Witch Queen actually worth the $40 USD price tag in 2022? In this detailed guide, I‘ll give you an expert Guardian‘s perspective on all the new content and whether you should buy-in based on your engagement with Destiny 2.

Does the Campaign Itself Make The Witch Queen Worth Buying?

Destiny expansions live or die based on the strength of their campaigns. The Witch Queen‘s 8-10 hour campaign against Savathun and her Lucent Hive is widely considered one of Destiny‘s best, if not the best.

The memorable missions feature cooler-than-ever powers like the ability to wield Hive magic. Cinematic set-pieces put you in the midst of massive battles between Savathun‘s forces and besieged Cabal. And the story builds to an epic climax that long-time players will find immensely satisfying.

As a veteran Guardian, this campaign hooked me from start to finish in a way Destiny‘s story content rarely does. The Witch Queen campaign alone is worth the price for the sheer spectacle. But there‘s far more here than just a campaign.

Legendary Campaign Offers a Worthwhile Solo Challenge

Aside from the standard version, The Witch Queen also introduces a Legendary difficulty campaign designed to be tackled solo. This challenging mode locks your loadout and offers no checkpoints. But it provides greatly improved rewards, making replaying much more worthwhile.

Based on my experience, I‘d only recommend the Legendary difficulty for experienced players at 1530 power or higher. You‘ll want champion mods unlocked for your best builds. The demanding fights force you to think strategically with limited tools. Completing Legendary campaign gives an exclusive emblem, new armor, and a major sense of accomplishment – easily worth the effort for dedicated players seeking a challenge.

Throne World: A Mysterious New Destination to Uncover

The Witch Queen adds an entirely new destination to the game – Savathun‘s haunting Throne World. Like the Dreaming City before it, it‘s got secrets galore awaiting players who take time to uncover them. Tracking down Ascendant Chests with treasure maps has become my new endgame obsession.

While not as densely packed with activities as older destinations, the Throne World features some gorgeous alien vistas and truly dark, creepy zones to explore like the Quagmire. I especially enjoy the Altar of Reflection puzzles which take some brain power to solve. For dedicated players, exploring the Throne World over weeks adds real value.

Vow of the Disciple: Arguably Destiny‘s Most Creative Raid Ever

No Destiny expansion is complete without a new six-player raid. The Witch Queen‘s Vow of the Disciple raid in the ancient Pyramid ship may be Bungie‘s most ambitious and creative yet. The puzzles and boss fights feel distinctly different with challenges no other raid has thrown at players before.

Based on completion statistics from RaidReport, over 277,000 players have already cleared the Vow of the Disciple raid as of March 16, 2022. The World‘s First race saw many teams overcome the challenges in just over 5 hours. Reactions from the Destiny community praise the Vow of the Disciple as an instant classic. It‘s easily worth the price of admission alone for raiders.

Weapon Crafting Adds Meaningful Progression for Your Favorites

The new weapon crafting system brings a huge change to Destiny‘s loot hunt. Now you can acquire patterns to craft certain weapons like the Peacebond sidearm or Father‘s Sins auto rifle. Investing resources to level up a crafted weapon unlocks enhanced traits and permanent access to specific perk combinations.

Having total control over a weapon‘s rolls gives me a renewed reason to chase crafting materials and complete vendor bounties. I can create my perfect PVP Palindrome hand cannon or PVE Ogma PR6 pulse rifle. We‘ll only see more craftable weapons added over the seasons too. For players addicted to "buildcrafting," weapon crafting brings near endless replayability.

Void 3.0 Reworks Builds and Combat in Thrilling Ways

All three Void subclasses got rebuilt from the ground up in The Witch Queen through the new Aspect and Fragment system. This shakes up ability synergies and playstyles in really exciting ways. I can freely combine tools across Solar, Arc, and Void based on my preferred mode of play.

My Hunter build using Stylish Executioner, Trapper‘s Ambush, and Vanishing Step Aspects makes me invisible almost constantly, recharging my grenade whenever I assassinate targets from the shadows. The Void 3.0 changes make me feel like I‘m experiencing a whole new game built around space magic. This customization alone makes The Witch Queen a must-buy.

Exotic Weapons Like Parasite and Osteo Striga Refresh the Loot Pool

While The Witch Queen doesn‘t drown us in Exotics like Forsaken did years ago, the few we do get are game-changers. The gluttonous Parasite grenade launcher gets stronger as you stack damage buffs. The Osteo Striga SMG spews toxic projectiles that track targets. And picking up Void wells instantly reloads the powerful new Grand Overture machine gun.

Chasing these exciting new Exotics through Lost Sectors, solo dungeons, and campaign replay gives all types of players fresh goals. Scoring that first drop of an Osteo Striga from a Legendary campaign mission gave me a rush noloot cave ever could!

Who Is The Witch Queen For? Evaluating the Value

Given everything The Witch Queen expansion adds to Destiny 2, is it worth buying in 2022? Here‘s a quick rundown of what players will get the most value from this DLC:

• For hardcore raiders and PVP sweats, The Witch Queen is an easy buy for the Vow of the Disciple raid race and renewed Trials of Osiris meta.

• For solo players, the Legendary campaign and craftable weapon grind will give you hours of challenging gameplay.

• For lore nerds, the reveals around Savathun and the Witness will make you foam at the mouth as Destiny‘s wild cosmic story advances.

• For casual players or newcomers, you may want to save your money until you experience more free content and subclasses.

As a longtime Destiny fanatic, The Witch Queen hits every mark for me. The campaign, crafting, raid, weapon balancing, and Void 3.0 changes make this a must-own expansion. Is it better than Taken King or Forsaken? That‘s debatable. But it‘s absolutely worth the $40 asking price in 2022 for players who live and breathe Destiny.

Let me know if you have any other questions! I‘m happy to give you my two Strange Coins on why I believe The Witch Queen is one of Destiny 2‘s best expansions yet. Eyes up, Guardian!