One of the most anticipated features coming with Destiny 2’s Witch Queen expansion is the “Definitively Bungie Campaign.” It’s being touted as Bungie’s “Most Ambitious” campaign in a long time, going so far as even being compared to that of Halo, Doom, and BioShock. The Witch Queen has an opportunity to finally tie together Destiny’s incredible lore and gameplay with a cohesive storyline. Fans have been craving this since Destiny’s original release.
What makes it even more exciting though, is the option to play through this new campaign in the new legendary difficulty mode called, “Become Legend.”
As much as the announcement of a legendary mode would make any Halo fan excited, being implemented in Destiny raises some serious questions. Is it something you need to unlock? Do you need to grind to a specific power level? Does it require co-op partners? How are you rewarded?
Thankfully in this weeks TWAB, Bungie answered all of those questions and more!
What are the main rewards of completing missions at legendary difficulty?
- We’ve got double chest rewards offering 1-3 extra chests per mission. Each chest will give you world pool gear, XP, upgrade modules, and Glimmer.
- Legendary players will be able to earn Throne World armor and unlocks at a faster rate.
- Essentially, higher risk means higher the reward, especially when getting to the new power level soft cap in The Witch Queen.
Are there any unique rewards for completing the story on legendary difficulty?
- Completing all missions on legendary will award players with the following:
- A new emblem exclusive to those who complete the campaign at legendary difficulty.
- A Triumph required for the newest title for Throne World.
- A set of gear 20 above the soft cap at 1520 power level.
- Eight upgrade modules.
- New Witch Queen Exotic armor that typically is reserved for PED Lost Sector drops.
- Exclusive Bungie Rewards with more on that in the future.
Some players have been asking if this is a difficulty to be feared. How challenging is it?
- To set difficulty expectations, the legendary campaign is designed to be harder than a legend Nightfall, though it is easier than a solo dungeon or running a Grandmaster Nightfall.
- Enemies are more difficult and more aggressive. They also have higher damage resistance, are more of a challenge to stagger, and shields are stronger to unmatched damage types.
- The challenge of legendary also comes from switching up enemy interactions and infiltration, similar to swapping out an Elite for a boss, or having an influx of more red bar foes.
Can I over-level this content?
- Each mission caps your Power (similar to the Raid Contest mode) so that all Guardians have an even playing field to avoid feeling like every step is a grind. The mission launch screen will have a skull displaying each mission’s max effective Power.
- If you’re under-leveled, be prepared for a tough fight.
The mighty are forged in battle, but is it that way for solo players too?
- We’ve had a lot of aspirational content in the past, but Legendary gives us a chance to give solo players more equal footing with those that opt into playing with a fireteam. Enemy damage and health scales to match your fireteam, though it won’t be 1:1 – because triple the boss health isn’t fun. Even still, it will be enough to keep even a veteran trio on their ornamented toes.
- We also didn’t want to trivialize Darkness encounters compared to solo play, so you’re limited to one revive per player for each Darkness zone, and a shared timer of 40 seconds before an automatic wipe happens. We’ve said it time and time again, but you have got to stay close to your friends and be ready and able to pick them up when they fall.
Will players be able to tone things down if legendary is a bit too much for their playthrough?
- For those folks that find the difficulty of Legendary too overwhelming at first, there is an option to leave a mission and relaunch it through the classic Destiny 2 settings. Some players will want to focus more on the story than on sweat for that first run, and that’s totally fine! We want to support that. For those who want more of a challenge later, we’ve added nodes to replay any The Witch Queen campaign mission on Classic or Legendary any time – after you’ve beaten the mission once, of course.
Our Take
There is certainly a lot to look forward to with the legendary mode in the Witch Queen expansion, and everything Bungie has revealed thus far has this life-long Halo / Destiny fan chomping at the bit to dig in. For more information on Destiny 2: The Witch Queen, including our review after the game launches, stay tuned to Seasoned Gaming!
