First DLC for ‘Destiny 2’ less than inspiring

So, there’s this warlock. His name is Osiris, a member of the Vanguard. Apparently, his Warlock power was legendary, even among Guardians, who are basically immortal; a tougher crowd to impress, you can’t find.

So you can understand the quiet excitement that came with the chance to finally meet this legend among legends, to better grasp the lore that surrounds him, right? But, as with almost every piece of downloadable content that developer Bungie releases for its “Destiny” series — this one, “Curse of Osiris,” being the first for “Destiny 2” — you simply get a couple hours of game play, a less-than-fleshed-out plot and mostly superficial touch-ups to the game’s mechanics, and that’s it. It really shouldn’t be a surprise anymore.

When it comes right down to it, Bungie just seems to have an issue delivering worthwhile endgame content. Remember “Rise of Iron”? Wait, you mean you forgot about the 90-minute story already? At least that drop had a new raid attached to it. With “Curse,” the story is a bit longer, but it’s nearly inconsequential in the greater scheme, and the rest of the updates that came on release (or shortly thereafter) feel more like a new coat of paint rather than any actual bodywork.

The story continues

But here’s what you do get for $20 (or as part of the $35 season pass): Happening immediately after the events of the main game, “Curse” whisks us off to the planet Mercury as we try to uncover the secrets of Osiris. Since there’s little to do on the actual planet (more on that later), you jump into a quest line that involves the machine enemy Vex, time travel and one particularly enjoyable Ghost. (You know it’s not your base Nolan North-voiced bore of a Ghost because you’re actually interested in what the new one has to say. Most of the time.)

Basically, as you work up to the new level cap (25, from 20) and Power Level (335 max, from 305), you’re going to see a lot of maps and content that you’ve seen before (including the original “Destiny”). It’s not that other games don’t recycle material, it just seems so much more offensive coming from “Destiny 2” because “Curse of Osiris,” much like the series’ other DLCs, has shades of something more intriguing.

Here you have this story of warlocks and time travel and a Golden Age Mercury, in the time before the Vex changed everything. As a Warlock player myself, I was interested in learning more about my favored character class, about the backstory of mentor Ikora Rey and about the DLC’s namesake himself. However, those strands of story are mostly ignored for some platitude about saving the universe from a future timeline or something like that. I stopped caring about two hours in. (In fact, you’d be better off learning about Osiris through the Grimoire Cards from the first game, and you have to read those on the Internet.)

But, to give credit where it’s due, the new areas revealed in “Curse” are stunningly gorgeous. Again, Bungie doesn’t disappoint when it comes to its visuals, long its strongest suit. The lushness of a past Mercury was almost mesmerizing, if only because it’s weird to think of that scorched, barren planet having any type of vegetation. The design of some of the new enemies may stir up memories of previous “Halo” games, but that’s a compliment here, especially since I’m a fan of slick color palettes and sharp angles. (Bungie was behind the first several “Halo” games.)

And the previously mentioned Ghost, the one who doesn’t serve as our boring, commentary-providing sidekick (your character still doesn’t speak)? Her name is Sagira (voiced by Morena Baccarin of “Serenity”), and she’s a quirky little thing — which is awesome. Because, as I may have mentioned, our nameless Ghost is dull and spouts terrible dialogue. It’s a shame you can’t keep her around after the DLC ends.

After the story

Along with the short campaign add-on, “Curse of Osiris” also comes with a new player-versus-enemy playlist, Heroic Strikes, which are beefed-up versions of the regular Strikes (themselves basically harder story missions). However, unlike in the original “Destiny,” the Heroic Strikes don’t have any modifiers, which is a bit of a letdown since they offered variety. Still, the Heroic Strikes are tough and can be a lot of fun.

Also, a new mode in the player-versus-player Crucible allows “Curse” owners to run-and-gun on new maps.

For the most passionate player versus environment “Destiny 2” fans, “Curse” also offers a mixed bag when it comes to the Leviathan raid, the toughest PvE mission in the game (and that’s putting it lightly). Unlike previous DLCs that came with new raids altogether, “Curse” instead adds a separate encounter, called a raid lair. Named Eater of Worlds, it serves as a kind of mini-raid, one with all the challenge of the full-scale raid but not as time-consuming. It’s not the same as a new raid, but it does offer something for everyone — a new challenge for dedicated players and something a bit more finish-able for causal gamers.

Back on Mercury, players have access to a new vendor area (it’s much too small to be considered a social space like The Reef of The Farm), plus some open area in which you can complete new public events a few times before you get utterly bored.

I guess it’s also worth mentioning the Infinite Forest. Sounds cool, right? It’s not. The idea — a procedurally generated forest that no one has ever escaped from, yet you get to explore — is interesting. It quickly loses that luster when the game keeps mentioning how inescapable it is only for you to escape it multiple times in just a couple hours. And that’s not even touching on the non-story elements of the forest.

Obviously a way to add some replay value, the forest is sold as something ever-changing. That’s not what you get here. Instead, you race through the same floating track, just with some minor tweaks, as you open doors and shoot baddies on your super generic quest. If there’s anything “infinite” about it, it’s the sheer boredom after running what seems like a nearly identical track about five times in a row. There’s some potential here, depending if the developer does anything more with the forest, but it’s not here now.

Bang, bang

On the topic of weapons/gear and cosmetic items, “Curse” comes with plenty of the latter and some of the former.

While not quite as outrageous as the loot-box system of “Star Wars: Battlefront II,” which led to some of most negative gaming press I’ve ever seen, it’s not too far off here. The stuff, locked behind the real-cash paywall of the Eververse shop, is cosmetic, yes, but what really burns is that most of that kind of stuff — shaders, Sparrows, emotes — used to be obtainable without having to spend a dime in the first game. You had to work for it, but it was absolutely doable. So, my advice: Just stay away from the stuff. It’s not worth real money.

But if you are looking for a grind (it’s been known to happen, I’m told), an update after the DLC’s initial release offers you one with Masterwork weapons.

The Masterwork variation comes with three additions: a kill tracker (either all kills or just Crucible kills); the ability to create Orbs of Light, which power your Super (your strongest class ability) to both yourself and others on multi-kills; and one additional stat bonus node (such as range or stability), which can be rerolled. The weapons have a small chance of dropping each time you get a Legendary weapon or engram.

The ability to create your own Orbs, plus just more Orbs in general on the field, is fantastic considering how long it takes to charge your Super. And the option to grind out that better version of your favorite weapon should sate that grinding itch. (There’s quite a bit more to the Masterwork system, including crafting and rerolling perks, offering some much-needed late-game depth.)

In the end, “Curse of Osiris,” the first piece of paid downloadable content for “Destiny 2,” offers far too much cosmetic treatment rather than anything substantial, and that’s not even dealing with the nonsense of the loot box costing actual real money at Eververse. (Again, stay away from Eververse.) In fact, the only real major changes — the Leviathan raid lair and the Masterwork weapons — didn’t even get released on the DLC’s Day 1. It’s hard to recommend “Curse,” especially at its current price, but you need it to be able access everything the original game once offered. (Yes, owners of the original game but not the DLC are locked out of certain events, like Trials or the Nightfall, if they involve DLC maps in any particular week.) There’s still a good game here at its core, but that’s the problem: At a certain point, there’s just nothing left worth doing, a sin for a game that’s been trying to get around that problem for years.

Two “This could have used some masterworking of its own” stars out of five.