Bungie has promised exciting ideas to keep players of Destiny 2 engaged even without random weapon rolls. Why Destiny 2 still does not reach the long-term motivation of its predecessor, you can find out here.
How much time have you spent on Destiny 1? According to the website Wasted Time on Destiny, I have accumulated a remarkable 1403 hours. As I approach the 100-hour mark in Destiny 2, I have asked myself why Destiny 2 feels so fundamentally different in terms of long-term motivation compared to its predecessor.
Because essentially, I have seen everything in Destiny 2. I have participated in the Trials of the Nine, played the Leviathan raid, and mastered every adventure and every lost sector on each planet. Admittedly, Destiny 1 offered significantly less content at launch than Destiny 2. And yet, Destiny 1 kept me engaged for much longer.
The Weapons – Only God Rolls Left
Bungie has removed random perks from weapons. The intention behind this is quite understandable. Bungie wants to be able to adjust individual weapons more easily if they turn out to be too strong or too weak.
The main problem: Bungie has removed thousands of firearms from the game by eliminating random weapon rolls. Thousands of weapon combinations that are no longer possible. It is only now becoming evident how few – especially usable – weapons there really are.
In Destiny 1, even an average weapon could shine with a God roll. Guardians tried multiple combinations and rolls for this reason alone. In Destiny 2, there is a selection of about 10-15 weapons that are very well suited for both PvE and PvP content.
Since most of these weapons are also easy to obtain, there is no incentive to play or try other weapons. The best scout rifle MIDA Multi-Tool is available after a quest, while the second-best scout rifle Midnight without a Name is even gifted to you by Commander Zavala.
The psychological effect cannot be neglected. When Omnigul finally dropped a Grip of Malok in Destiny 1, the excitement was great. “Is the weapon rolled with balance compensation? What sight is on it? And please no reduced range.” In Destiny 2, it looks like this: “Yep, another Better Devil.”
The excitement around Destiny’s biggest aspect – the loot – has faded. As understandable as Bungie’s approach is, it is detrimental to the long-term motivation of players.
The Exotic Gear – Like in a Clearance Sale
Can you still remember your first exotic piece of gear in Destiny 1? And do you remember how you got it? I was the first to hold the Icebreaker back then. At that time, I received one or a maximum of two exotic items per week.
Quite different is Destiny 2, here exotic weapons and armors are thrown at me even during the campaign. I have now gotten a large portion of the exotic weapons and all the exotic armor for my Titan.
Was there too little opportunity to earn exotic gear at the start of Destiny 1? Yes, this was only possible if the Cryptarch was generous and converted a legendary engram (which were also very rare) into an exotic. With a lot of luck, you might have snagged an exotic in the Glass Chamber.
The possibilities to earn exotic gear were strictly limited – this approach kept players engaged. Many exotic armors and weapons were worth earning. In Destiny 2, exotic engrams are found significantly more often. And that in every content! Why should I play strikes or the raid when I get exotic engrams from public events that take only 2-3 minutes?
Xur
Xur symbolizes the transformation that Bungie has undergone for Destiny 2. In the early days of Destiny 1, Xur posed extremely high hurdles for acquiring his goods. The currency at the time, “Strange Coins”, was hard to come by, which lent a certain exclusivity to his offers.
Xur often had exciting items on Fridays that I couldn’t afford. The thrill of collecting enough strange coins by Sunday to give them to Xur for his noodles sometimes kept me farming for hours.
In Destiny 2, Xur requires legendary shards. These are obtained by dismantling legendary and exotic gear. And already at his first appearance (which was also shown on the map), it was clear that I would always be able to afford everything Xur has to offer. Because legendary shards are far too easy and plentiful to acquire.
If it is no longer necessary to farm items or currencies for the supposedly best gear in the game, a large piece of long-term motivation is lost here. Not least because Bungie has restricted Xur’s offerings – and thus the possibilities to invest the currency.
Is Destiny 2 Becoming a Fashion Showcase?
A significant aspect of Destiny is the aesthetics. One might say that the eye is also part of the shoot. In times of missing weapon rolls, many players believe that the endgame of Destiny 2 is simply about which Guardian looks the best.
Because changing armor in Destiny 2 actually only has an aesthetic effect. The classes dictate which status value will be the highest. A Hunter will never have top recovery – that’s not what Hunter armor provides. Should the endgame really be limited to which shader I put on my armor? Well, there would be one advantage – shaders have to be farmed in Destiny 2.
Summary: Bungie has made Destiny 2 more beginner-friendly than its predecessor. So far, so good. However, this comes with what I see as significant losses in long-term motivation. No more hunt for the perfect weapon roll, no more search for strange coins, or the excitement of having received a rare exotic armor piece.
In the end, Bungie will have to explain itself to the hardcore players – the players who remained loyal to the predecessor when there was a months-long content drought. By that time, the casuals will already be playing a completely different game.
What do you think? Do you believe that Destiny 2 will keep you engaged for a long time? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!
