Destiny has long been the “we’ve got Star Wars at home” of looter shooters, and with Destiny 2: Renegades, Bungie has leaned into that idea head-on with a crossover expansion. Surprisingly, it mostly works! Renegades doesn’t fix many of Destiny 2’s persistent issues—like its year-long stasis reminiscent of the MCU post-Endgame—but embracing the over-the-top drama and cheesiness of Star Wars injects a refreshing change of pace into an otherwise predictable universe. The story is undeniably corny and derivative, and the new grindable activity starts to feel thin before the tale concludes, yet the new mechanics, vehicles, and weapons are compelling enough, and the endgame content is worth dedicating a few hours to. If you were hoping for a transformative expansion to pull you back in, this isn’t it—but for looter shooter fans or Star Wars enthusiasts, it’s an enjoyable diversion.
For context, I’m a longtime Destiny fan who’s stuck with the game through thick and thin—and saying I’m also a Star Wars fan is a massive understatement. So when I first heard about this crossover, I was mortified. It felt like Destiny had run out of ideas, going “full Fortnite” with a cheap, last-ditch grab for attention during its slow decline. And, yes, that mostly proved true. But seeing two lightsaber-wielding foes clash in an epic cutscene, backed by John Williams-esque music, won me over… at least a little.
enegades goes all-in on Star Wars references, sometimes to the point of feeling a bit forced, leaning on nostalgia instead of fresh ideas. In the very first mission, for instance, you end up trapped in a garbage compactor, rescue someone from a carbon-freezing scenario, and make a jump to lightspeed while a masked, lightsaber-wielding villain glares at you—so on-the-nose it can make you cringe as much as smile. Yet, the expansion’s “screw it” energy, embracing all the over-the-top drama and corniness Star Wars is known for, gives Destiny 2 a refreshing new direction that’s long overdue.
Unfortunately, the Star Wars-inspired story is padded with filler to stretch out its short runtime. Between the handful of story missions, you’re sent to the new Lawless Frontier activity, which drip-feeds plot points before the next main mission progresses the narrative. Many side quests reuse the same maps as Lawless Frontier, though some include unique touches—like blowing up a sail barge clearly inspired by Jabba’s and its accompanying sarlacc pit. The expansion also introduces interesting characters, such as Aunor, a Jedi-like figure, and Dredgen Bael, a red-leather Sith Lord who adds humor and flair. The story concludes satisfyingly, even if it does little for Destiny 2’s overarching plot.
Lawless Frontier itself functions as a barebones extraction shooter. You and two teammates are dropped into one of three maps and tasked with typical Destiny-style objectives: carrying objects to drop points under fire or defending zones. Along the way, you gather loot boxes that must be extracted before time runs out or your limited revives are used up. Adding a competitive twist, rival players can invade your run solo, attempting to rack up kills and snatch some quick loot.
Renegades would be much shorter without the extra fat that weighs down the narrative.
The three maps in Renegades are a visual treat, each reimagining a familiar Destiny location with Star Wars flair. Europa now resembles icy Hoth, complete with anti-air cannons and frozen bunkers; Mars becomes Tatooine’s dune seas and canyons (though sadly without Banthas); and Venus is transformed into a swampy, forested mix inspired by Dagobah and Endor/Kashyyyk. For Star Wars fans, it’s a delight to see these worlds brought to life, though it would have been nice if the enemy variety matched the creativity of the environments—aside from the Cabal sporting Stormtrooper-esque armor, the baddies are largely the same foes longtime players have been battling for years.
For non-invading players, Lawless Frontier is initially fun but grows repetitive quickly. Killing dense waves of enemies and collecting loot is exciting at first, but after running each map and extraction scenario a few times, the encounters and secrets become predictable, leaving you repeating the same activities over and over. The frequent reuse of dialogue and one-liners only compounds the monotony. The silver lining is that the grind is rewarding—within a few hours I had earned a full set of Tier 5 armor. More variety in maps and encounters would have made progressing and hunting for better weapons feel far more engaging.
Breaking up the repetition are Renegade Abilities, a new mechanic letting you call in support powers like healing domes or explosive airstrikes. As you level up your reputation in Lawless Frontier, you unlock stronger abilities, including the ability to summon a massive AT-ST-inspired Behemoth mech capable of turning the tide of battle. These tools are fun and impactful, though limited to Lawless Frontier, which made other activities feel comparatively less exciting. Still, they hint at the potential for similar mechanics to shake up Destiny 2 more broadly—and after spending hours relying on and leveling these abilities, it’s hard to go back to playing without them.
The invading feature in Lawless Frontier is fun in small doses, but it feels out of place—almost like PvP was added just because extraction shooters are expected to have it. As the invader, it’s usually easy to score a few kills and grab some quick loot, making it an efficient way to farm gear, but it feels odd interrupting other players who are already juggling NPC enemies and objectives.
For the player being invaded, there’s little incentive to worry. Limited revives are offset with extra ones during invasions, so the stakes are minimal. Defeating an invader earns a few extra loot boxes, but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to the activity’s overall rewards. Since each match can only be invaded once, it’s common for the PvP distraction to happen right at the start, leaving the rest of the extraction largely uninterrupted.
Verdict
Surprisingly, Destiny 2: Renegades succeeds more than expected for a Star Wars crossover. It delivers a light-hearted, often corny story, a creative extraction-inspired mode, and an endgame dungeon that lives up to Destiny’s high standards. Its biggest limitation is scope: three heavily reused maps in Lawless Frontier, a short story padded with filler, and a dungeon that’s quicker to complete than usual. Still, new additions—like Praxic Blade lightsabers, Behemoth walkers, and Renegade abilities that call in airstrikes—help shake up the familiar sandbox. Overall, it’s a refreshing addition to Destiny 2, even if the experience feels a bit shallow.
