Bungie is responding to major criticisms of Destiny 2 with central changes. But are masterpieces and armor ornaments enough to replace the hunt for God Rolls and the maximum Grimoire points from Destiny 1?
Many find Destiny 2 too boring by now. But why is that?
Players have recognized the problem with Destiny 2 for months, and Bungie knows it now as well: Players are given too few reasons, too few excuses to play Destiny 2. In Destiny 1, dedicated players had some reasons to log in. But most of these reasons have been removed without replacement. Now players are missing something to really sink their teeth into.
Destiny 1 had mountains to climb because they were there
But what did players actually do in Destiny 1 to spend so much time in the game? What did they do in Destiny after all missions were completed and all exotics collected?
Dedicated players had mainly three goals in Destiny 1:
- They wanted to collect all Grimoire cards to have the maximum Grimoire value. Those who could show high values were considered Destiny veterans. To achieve those points, one had to accomplish some insane feats – 100 wins in Rumble, reaching the Lighthouse, winning 100 Doubles, completing 250 VIP kills – that was the hard stuff. And none of that provided any real advantage. They were mountains to climb because they were there.
- With the hunt for God Rolls, Guardians spent their time looking for weapons with just a few more percent performance.
- Then there was PvP and the hunt for “Flawless” in the Trials.
The Flawless in the Trials still exists – we’ll leave the difficulties with that aside, Destiny 2’s team shot PvP is a different topic. But the other two things are no longer available: Both will now return to Destiny 2 in a somewhat diluted version.
For the next two weeks, there will be free updates every Tuesday to give dedicated players something to do, those who have found Destiny 2 too boring. Let’s look at the measures Bungie is taking to respond to the criticism.
The Strange: Xur even more generous?
When one takes a look at the list of changes Bungie is planning for Destiny 2, one may scratch their head in surprise at one point:
Xur is supposed to be even more generous with Exotics starting December 15 than he already is. The Three of Coins are coming back, and every week there will be an Exotic that is still missing via Engram as a bonus.
These are changes many veterans wished were the opposite. Players actually prefer “fewer Exotics and for them to feel more powerful, like special weapons.”
But that boat has probably sailed, and Bungie can continue distributing the remaining exotic items as if they were dairy products about to expire and need to be given to the Guardians.
The Half Compromise: Power Enhancement through Masterworks
Bungie is making a half-step towards critics who have missed God Rolls. Those were the strongest configurations of legendary weapons in Destiny 1.
Masterwork weapons are coming to Destiny 2 on December 12. They are like the little siblings of the God Rolls from the past – but probably almost without “Rolls.” Only small value improvements from a narrow pool of bonuses are to be expected, and they can be re-rolled again.
The focus of Masterworks is that they count kills and generate orbs. Furthermore, they should be easier to obtain if you complete heavy activities.
The question is whether the Masterworks will really provide long-term motivation. As they are described, it sounds rather like dedicated players will quickly level up the Masterwork weapons they frequently use. Long-term motivation is questionable here.
Cosmetics as Motivation: Armor Ornaments
More interesting is a change that has somewhat gone under the radar: Armor ornaments will arrive in Destiny 2 on December 5.
These armor ornaments are basically a replacement for the “Grimoire cards” of the past. They are supposed to give players a lot to do and will then reward them with a purely cosmetic enhancement. Players will be able to give certain armor sets a special look if they achieve elaborate successes beforehand.
As a preview for the Iron Banner set, the condition to acquire these ornaments was already seen: 25 wins in Iron Banner. That’s not 100 wins in Rumble, but it’s a start.
In this form, there will likely also be “evergreen” achievements for the other 8 sets, which Guardians can nibble on for weeks and months if they want to. There will also be a set and armor ornaments for the new “Raid Lair.”
The interesting thing is: Destiny 2 will probably receive new goals with each season. So every quarter, 9 new achievements for Guardians to chase.
If these are “difficult achievements” – especially in the raid, it would certainly be interesting for players.
The nice thing here is: Bungie is once again tying cosmetics to the actual game and not to the cash shop Eververse. A step in the right direction after the fuss about one-time shaders.
Changes show that Bungie has understood, but will the Guardians accept it?
The question is whether armor ornaments together with the “Masterwork weapons” will really be enough to keep players engaged. It is definitely a step in the right direction.
Especially since Bungie has understood what players care about: They don’t necessarily need to entice with “stronger loot”; sometimes it’s enough to just give players mountains they can climb. As long as something quantifiable comes out of it.
The crucial question of the coming weeks is whether these cosmetic goals will be enough for all Destiny 2 players. You can share your opinion with us in the comments.
You can read more changes to Destiny 2 here:
These are the 5 most important ideas meant to improve Destiny 2
