MeinMMO author Robert didn’t want to farm the same content over and over again in Destiny 2 just to be able to join the new forge someday. He dared to return to the predecessor and fell in love with Destiny 1 all over again!
This is why I’m not playing Destiny 2 right now: With the launch of the Black Armory, I was eagerly looking forward to new content. After all, Forsaken had been live for three months.
I wanted to break free from the hamster wheel of milestones that keep giving Guardians the same tasks to level up.
Unfortunately, the new Völundr forge forced me to complete milestones before I could dive into the new content at the start of the Black Armory. For me, it felt like someone slammed the brakes hard, abruptly stopping my motivation for Destiny 2.
Do the same old stuff again? No, thanks!
A few days of despair passed, during which I just couldn’t bring myself to start Destiny 2.
One evening, I finally discovered Destiny 1 on my PS4, which I had (perhaps wisely) never deleted. “Why not?” I thought to myself and started Destiny 1 again after a long time.
This is what 16 months of Destiny abstinence feels like
Does Destiny 1 still feel good after a long time? Right after starting the game, I felt like visiting my best buddy who I hadn’t seen in years.
It feels both strange and familiar, an emotional ambivalence that accompanied me throughout the entire play session.
Character choice automatically falls on the Titan. He is my favorite class in both Destiny 1 and Destiny 2, and he is the only character I took to the then maximum light level of 400 in Destiny 1.
Old acquaintances with the weapons: The call of the character screen immediately fills me with nostalgia. Like many other Guardians, I stayed in Destiny 1 mainly because of the private Crucible matches.
Since I haven’t changed my setup for many months, many old acquaintances greeted me.
Among them is “No Land Beyond”, a sniper rifle for the kinetic slot that was my absolute favorite weapon in the Crucible. My skills with it were modest, but no other weapon could provide me with greater satisfaction.
In the special slot, I was using the Wretched, a rapidly firing pistol. Pistols are (unfortunately still) the best choice for the special slot, as Bungie has more or less eliminated special ammo from the Crucible.
For me, this change still represents the last nail in the coffin of the multiplayer mode in Destiny 1.
However, I did not return to Destiny 1 to stir things up in the Crucible, but to kick aliens in the butt. My first stop is therefore the Tower and the Vault to check my weapon arsenal for any useful equipment.
Is anyone still playing Destiny 1? Oh yes!
Big crowds at the Tower: To my great surprise, I found that the Tower was packed when I landed. Clearly, there are still players who occasionally return to Destiny 1.
I even spotted a few low-level beginners.
Full of nostalgia, I visited every vendor in the Tower (including Cayde-6), rummaged through my exotic collections, and even took on new weapon quests at the gunsmith.
Finally, I cleared out my Vault of various firearms I wanted to try again:
- The perfectly rolled No Land Beyond of the Dead Orbit, a legendary scout rifle with fireball
- A近乎perfectly rolled Imago Loop with Outlaw and Fireball, which was considered a fantastic hand cannon back then (also known as the Fakebringer)
- The exotic pulse rifle Outbreak Prime, which remains unmatched in both quest and weapon design for me even with Destiny 2
- The exotic rocket launcher Gjallarhorn (mandatory!)
- The exotic sword Taker, which is among the weapons with the highest damage output
What now? To start, I’m jumping into the heroic strike playlist, where I immediately find fellow players. It’s against a SIVA-infested variant of the Hive monstrosity in the summoning pits on the Moon.
This is why Destiny 1 feels different than Destiny 2: Equipped with the Imago Loop and the super shotgun Matador 64, I head underground on the Moon to take out a huge ogre.
The weapon handling is fantastic, just like in Destiny 2, but after some time, differences also emerge. I was able to complete nearly the entire strike with my primary weapon. In Destiny 2, I frequently resort to energy or power weapons.
This is because, in Destiny 1, enemies with yellow health bars are only slightly stronger than normal enemies with red health bars. Also, the effects of enemy shields are marginal and can be taken down with just a few shots.
For me, Destiny 1 represents a smoother gaming experience here. I rarely took my Imago Loop out of my hands.
Also, the abilities recharge significantly faster in Destiny 1, and dropped light spheres have a greater effect on the super meter.
The final battle proved to be a challenge, with hordes of enemies and the fat ogre giving us a hard time. After the death of the final boss, the treasure chest appeared, which would also do Destiny 2 some good.
With the help of skeleton keys, loot specific to the strike can be obtained from these chests—a functionality that is sorely lacking in Destiny 2 and leads to a nearly extinct strike playlist.
Additionally, the quest system with the special menu tab appeals to me much more than the flood of meaningless tasks in the sequel. I actually have an open quest line where I can play more strikes.
It’s against Omnigul, the witch, who is certainly responsible for dozens of tinnitus cases and nightmares. Omnigul is legendary, not just because of her assertive voice. A nightfall strike with her and Arc Burn was one of the toughest activities you could face in Destiny 1.
Later, the poor witch was reduced to a simple farm object to obtain one of the best pulse rifles of the time—the Malok grip.
Unfortunately, the player search did not match me with any allies, so I had to start alone. And wow, I had a lot of fun. After fifteen minutes of intense slaughter, I finally landed on the flying lady.
After I had dealt with the witch a bit, finally, two allies showed up and joined me in the final battle.
During the strike, I also noticed significant differences compared to the sequel Destiny 2. Strikes in Destiny 1 are intense, engaging, and action-packed. In Destiny 2, Guardians traverse significantly more distance while facing seemingly fewer enemies.
This artificial elongation causes strikes in Destiny 2 to take considerably longer. A fact that negatively impacts the strike playlist as well.
Are there any more moments that are missing in Destiny 2? I wasn’t even five minutes in the Tower when I was invited into a fireteam by a level 12 player. It shocked me so much that I didn’t know what to do for a moment.
In a hurry, I joined the newbie out of curiosity. The Guardian obviously needed help in the mission Containment Zone, another classic. The first encounter with the space turtles was not a design revelation, but many veterans surely remember the mission.
The heroic version was for a long time considered the go-to spot for Glimmer farming. Kill-based quests could also be completed excellently in this mission. After successfully completing the mission, the Guardian thanked me politely and went his way. An experience I haven’t had in Destiny 2 so far.
I can’t wait to revisit Destiny 1. Because whether intended or not – we are at war with the Cabal on Mars. So let’s eliminate their commander, one by one. Valus Ta’aurc.
As far as I know, he commands the Siege Dancers from an imperial land tank in Rubicon. He is well-protected, but with the right team, we can crack the defense. Then we take down the beast and reclaim the Free City.
Is it worth returning to Destiny 1? That depends on whether you have teammates in tow or not. The player base has admittedly thinned significantly, which affects matchmaking for PvE and PvP activities. However, the thought of reuniting with Atheon, Crota, or Oryx makes my Guardian heart race.
If someone wants to indulge in nostalgia again, they should definitely visit Destiny 1, it’s worth it! Maybe you will run into each other at the entrance of the Glass Chamber.
Have you also considered a trip to Destiny 1?
