What Now?
Now, in Bungie’s latest sandbox update they mention many good changes that are coming, but they still haven’t touched on a few of the fundamentals which have made this game a shadow of what it was and could have been. You see, Destiny was not perfect, but it had huge potential. We could all see that potential, but it seems Bungie were blind to it. So what is still missing from this game?
Bungie still seems not to be willing to change the weapons slots back to the way they were in Destiny. Yes, they are trying other “fixes,” but….just switch it back, or tell us you will start working on doing so immediately. If they don’t, I can’t ever see a situation where some weapons like snipers and shotguns become viable choices again. Perhaps it cannot be done? If so tell the players why.
They still have not mentioned giving us back the customization we used to have in our subclasses, again worried we find combinations too powerful that we make the game easy or that casual player’s will find the builds too complicated? (That’s the fun of the game) In fact players generally wanted a deeper more customisable set of options in the sequel and were instead presented with a choice between two locked down skill trees only. Additionally, there is no mention of buffing some of the less used and less viable subclass options, (Dawnblade, Sentinel, Arcstrider). On a personal note I want my defender bubble back!!
The lack of god tier weapons to chase for has not yet been addressed, meaning there is little incentive to run Raids every week. (They have recently introduced Raid mods for armor which go some ways to improving the armor chase, but these mods can only be used in the Raids themselves, which was not the case in Destiny. (However the weapons themselves are still very average)
They did mention a balancing of exotics coming, but what we really need is more exotic gear with a higher level of power i.e. something to chase for. The game needs a Gjallarhorn and it just doesn’t have one.
So whilst I do not speak for all Destiny fans, I do speak for my own group of formerly dedicated guardians. Frankly, while the changes planned are all good things which need improved, the things we are not hearing about like those listed above are the reason none of us are going to be rushing back to the game anytime soon. At this point, I am sure Bungie realizes they have made some huge mistakes with this game, but I’m not sure they fully understand what made their original game so special. If you think you have already designed the best gun you can in Fatebringer and there is no way to better it, then I’m sorry, but that shows a lack of design imagination on their part. Instead of constantly trying to control our power, Bungie needs to let us loose to have fun. I want to see another Guardian in the tower with gear so cool and powerful that me and my team run high level content until we can get it for ourselves. I want to watch videos of professional gamers, show us how easy content can be bested once you have worked hard enough to get where they are.
Destiny 2 needs to reject its casual roots and start to embrace its RPG and MMO elements. Fans have been crying out for the game to become deeper than it was even in Destiny and yet in Destiny 2, this depth has been cut by more than half.
In a game that relies on its players running the same content continually, they have given us little reasons to do so and also made it less fun as well. Whilst Bungie can start communicating better, they can start implemented features that should have been in the base game and they can promise they are listening. Until we have some sort of acknowledgment from them that the changes they started making in 2015 were the start of their downfall and making promises to revert back to the game people actually fell in love with, then for me Destiny 2 will never be an essential game. And like my other friends, I will not be purchasing the planned big expansion in September this year (The Destiny 2 equivalent of The Taken King) until they start making the kind of changes discussed here. Not only that but they will have lost at least 30 customers (probably thousands more) when they release Destiny 3. Because as a consumer the developers are simply not giving us the game we originally became fans of. I no longer have faith in the company delivering a Destiny 3 that meets my expectations and it’s likely that other players feel the same.
Ultimately, it makes me sad, there is a part of me that hopes one day Destiny can be like it was back then, but my head tells me that Bungie just don’t want to give us that game back, and the longer they dig their heels in and believe they know better, the more the players are going to move on to experiences in other games that will match their expectations.
The Division, a game which was in my opinion a poor Destiny clone is now growing in players numbers after they almost rebuilt the game from scratch and are starting to gain players looking for something Destiny 2 will no longer give them. With other rivals on the horizon like EA’s Anthem, it’s possible that while Destiny gave us something different and unique, it will be other games that will take that concept to another level, while Bungie allow Destiny to fall into mediocrity and eventual death. At this point I’m not even sure if their initial design choices will ever allow them to make the changes we fans are asking for. Everything they are doing seems like putting band aids on a cut that needs stitching. Maybe it’s because Bungie have run out of stitches or it’s because the wound is so deep it simply cannot be closed. Either way, I have to say I ‘can’ see them trying, but I also worry it’s just not going to be enough. Maybe they will get it right again by Destiny 3, but at this point no one I know is willing to give Bungie enough faith to purchase the game on day one. And if sales are poor, the entire future of the intellectual property is at risk. For me personally I’d need to see them fix this game and make promises that the next one will take all this into account before I part with any more cash.
I’m sure many players out there will be happy with these changes and willing to give Bungie the benefit of the doubt, me? I think my patience with this game may be finally starting to run out. I already own the upcoming Gods of Mars expansion due to hit in May, so I will play it and let the readers know my thoughts on how the game is progressing. But from what I can tell, the changes I am looking for personally just don’t seem to be materialising. So what is my incentive to spend another $40 come September when they release their large Year 2 expansion?
Are you a Destiny gamer, if so are you happy with the changes being discussed or like me are you looking for something more? Let us know in the usual place and share this story if you agree with our analysis.
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