To say that it’s been a rough year for “Destiny 2” would be an understatement. People were ecstatic when the sequel to the hit sci-fi shooter game was announced, only to be presented with an underwhelming product compared to the original.

From its launch on Sept. 6, 2017, the game has faced criticism for its underwhelming post-game content. Such as how it handled the weapon and armor system, removing elements that were important in the original in an attempt to make it simpler. One of the key traits was randomized abilities on weapons and armor, giving you an incentive to play as you could always try to get a piece of armor or weapon that synergizes well with how you play. This led to scrutiny as the game was praised for its story and gameplay, but was blamed for having nothing to do after the main story was completed.

After people began to point out the flaws, a tracker showed “Destiny 2” players were on a mass exodus, and it was deemed somewhat of a disappointment to the community. After its first content/storyline expansion, “Curse of Osiris,” was released it didn’t change enough of the game to be a substantial boon to the  slowly declining player base. More, smaller, content releases people were excited for came and went, and players were still let down. In May, “Destiny 2” released its second expansion, “Warmind,” which was received better, but still wasn’t enough to prop up the game. This is what leads us to Sept. 6, the one year anniversary of “Destiny 2’s” launch, and also the release date of “Forsaken,” a massive expansion that changes the face of “Destiny 2,” and the characters they’ve spent years working on.

The story in “Forsaken” begins with an interplanetary prison break which leads to the death of a fan favorite character, Cayde-6. This serves as the catalyst for a mission of revenge across the asteroid belt hunting down the people who killed him and their leader, Uldren Sov. The story is rich and compelling, and longtime fans of the series will find themselves wanting to avenge their fallen comrade as much as new ones. The setting is also excellent, painting the asteroid belt, or “Reef,” as a lawless land where your status as a champion of light means nothing. This somber tone adds much to the story of the campaign and culminates in a climactic final battle.

The gameplay has been revamped, with returning mechanics from “Destiny 1” such as randomized weapon abilities and armor traits to make getting items you’ve owned before more interesting and full of potential. New abilities for each playstyle have been added, allowing you even more customization of your character. But of course, the real draw of the gameplay is the additions of new weapons, more specifically a new type of weapon: bows. Bows have been a largely requested weapon type since the game’s inception, and it’s great to finally see them in game. They feel satisfying to use, and sound amazing. There’s a new game mode too, called Gambit, featuring a mix of player-versus-player and player-versus-AI that meshes into a fun, competitive experience.

Frankly, my experience with “Forsaken” has been great. It has revitalized my interest in the game as a whole, and has provided hours of new content to comb through. This expansion is so massive that at the time of writing it has been two weeks since its release, and there’s still more great content for me to comb through. I would give this new addition to “Destiny 2” a solid 9/10. It has effectively saved the game, like a phoenix rising from the ashes to be completely reborn. “Forsaken” has given “Destiny 2” a remarkable second chance to prove itself to the community that adored the original game.

The ESRB rating of the game hasn’t changed from its teen rating, which was expected because of its nature as a sci-fi shooter. The ESRB has given it this ranking because of the blood, explosions, and guns. The base game is available for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC.