Bungie wanted Destiny 2’s Witch Queen campaign to feel like Star Trek and The Mandalorian

Destiny 2’s next expansion is here, and The Witch Queen is sending Guardians to Savathun’s throne world to do battle. If the idea of traveling to a new planet for an adventure reminds you of some other sci-fi series, then Bungie has succeeded.

“We wanted each mission to feel like episodes from Star Trek or The Mandalorian,” Destiny 2 designer Andrew Hopps told the PlayStation Blog in a new interview. “Each mission should be immediately memorable for its distinct themes, player journey, and unforgettable moments while still delivering the major campaign narrative arc.” That’s certainly a good goal for any game, especially one that’s been around for a few years like Destiny 2.

To achieve this, Bungie aimed for “epic” and “bombastic” moments in The Witch Queen’s missions. It also took inspiration from another Destiny 2 feature: dungeons. “Dungeons are very aspirational and are very sophisticated,” Hopps continued, “but not everybody gets to experience them. They’re very difficult, so we wanted to extract what makes those things special and bring it to a wider audience.” If you’re still looking for a greater challenge, then playing on Legendary difficulty might be the way to go.

Star Trek and Mandalorian vibes are only part of the formula for The Witch Queen and the new Season of the Risen. They’ve added a new kind of weapon perk called Origin Traits, and there are tons of contents and activities in the season pass. The latest patch notes are absolutely massive.