Destiny 2’s New Exotic Mission Doesn’t Hold a Candle to Presage

While Destiny 2 has given players plenty of exciting exotic quests over the years, Presage is widely considered one of the best the game has ever had. Introduced in 2021’s Season of the Chosen, Presage forsakes the common linear design of previous exotic missions to encourage a greater sense of discovery and exploration through its generous use of intricate puzzles, hidden passages, and mysterious clues relating to the quest’s overarching story. Now, with Season of the Wish comes a brand-new exotic mission that rewards Destiny 2 players with the Wish-Keeper exotic bow upon completion.

Starcrossed is the latest exotic quest to be added to Destiny 2, and while it has proven to be one of the more challenging missions the game has offered, it pales in comparison to Presage in its story and atmosphere, exploration opportunities, puzzle mechanics, and battles. Unfortunately for Starcrossed, Season of the Chosen’s Presage mission set a new standard for Destiny 2‘s exotic quests back in 2021 that very few have come close to achieving since, which is precisely what justifies any comparisons made to it.

Starcrossed Doesn’t Quite Measure Up to Presage

Presage’s Foreboding Atmosphere Casts a Dark Shadow Over Starcrossed

One of Presage’s more notable features is its masterful atmospheric design. In what is quite possibly the closest thing to a horror experience that Destiny 2 will ever get (aside from Lightfall’s terrifying Tormentors), players navigate the dimly lit corridors of the Glykon Volatus, an Egregore-infested Cabal vessel that has become host to an army of Corrupted Scorn being led by a powerful Scorn Ravager known as the Locus of Communion. The atmosphere is chilling, to say the least, as only flickering lights illuminate the halls and the echoes of deceased companions are regularly heard throughout the mission.

Starcrossed takes players back to the Black Garden, where a lush environment awaits their platforming skills and battle prowess. While it certainly makes for gorgeous visuals, there is very little to speak of in terms of atmosphere here. The wind gently sweeps through the trees and songbirds fill the air with beautiful melodies in certain areas, which can both provide a pleasant escape from the danger at hand. However, the environment fails to establish that same sense of mystery and urgency that Presage so easily created, and instead mostly relies on regularly restricted respawns and rather brief time limits to fuel the player’s progress and engagement.

Starcrossed Gives Players Little Reason to Venture off the Beaten Path

Presage is easily one of the best exotic missions in terms of exploration, as players can find plenty of secrets scattered throughout the Glykon’s corridors. In fact, new clues were added during each of the quest’s first three weeks after being released, making it originally worth revisiting for more than just a new roll on the Dead Man’s Tale exotic scout rifle awarded upon conclusion of the mission. Presage’s puzzle mechanics also encourage exploration, as players are often required to come up with creative ways to move from one room to the next — one mechanic being the use of a temporary buff provided by fluorescent spores that allow access to otherwise inaccessible areas.

Starcrossed is one of Destiny 2‘s most linear exotic quests to date, giving players almost no reason to explore the Black Garden beyond the clear road laid out in front of them. It’s unfortunate, especially considering the potential that a sprawling environment such as the Black Garden holds for exploration. Players are required to “venture off”, in a sense, but the requirement factor of those ventures makes it less about exploration and more about progress. It is also during those sidestepping journeys that the quest’s puzzle mechanics are fulfilled, which become rather repetitive throughout the entirety of the mission.

Starcrossed’s Stale Battles Fall Short of Presage’s Unique Mechanics

Presage excels in its combat, as it hesitates to simply feed players stronger enemies with all too familiar mechanics. Presage’s final boss fight with the Locus of Communion, for instance, isn’t just a run-of-the-mill fight with a Scorn Ravager. The battle’s three phases require players to deal damage to the boss, clear the room of enemies, trigger a couple of switches, move down to the bottom floor to deal more damage to the boss, and then rinse and repeat until he’s defeated. Rather than simply being a bullet sponge, the Locus of Communion comes across as a dungeon boss more than anything else, thus adding to player engagement.

Aside from the massive number of rank-and-file enemies found in Starcrossed, its biggest battles are with enhanced Taken “Obdurate” Phalanxes who are immune to the player’s attacks without a certain buff, and a Vex Hydra final boss in a room that requires players to maintain that buff at all times. Apart from the Phalanxes’ base immunity and large health pool, there is nothing different about them in terms of mechanics. Players will spend their time avoiding the Phalanxes’ shield blasts as they would with a normal Phalanx, and the Hydra final boss is no different from a typical Hydra either. There’s undoubtedly a missed opportunity here for innovative boss mechanics, especially in comparison to the depth of Presage’s battles.

Overall, while Starcrossed is certainly not the worst exotic mission in Destiny 2, it’s still a far cry from Presage. Thankfully, Presage was never vaulted, so players can enjoy it on a regular rotation via the Legends tab on the Director. However, they will still want to give Starcrossed a try in Season of the Wish to add the unique Wish-Keeper bow to their arsenal. Hopefully, the Destiny community will see new exotic missions added to Destiny 2 that rival Presage, but until they come, these exciting quests nonetheless add a level of engagement that the game’s usual activities can’t always achieve.

Destiny 2

Released

August 28, 2017

Multiplayer

Online Multiplayer , Online Co-Op

Engine

Tiger Engine

ESRB

T For TEEN for Blood, Language, and Violence

Expansions

Destiny 2: Forsaken , Destiny 2: Shadowkeep , Destiny 2: Beyond Light , Destiny 2: The Witch Queen , Destiny 2: Lightfall

How Long To Beat

100+

Metascore

85

Platforms That Support Crossplay

PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

Number of Players

1-6 (Co-Op)

PS Plus Availability

Extra & Premium