The head of Destiny 2, Luke Smith, has commented on the current state of the game. He refers to Destiny 2 as a “collection game.”
The Game Director of Destiny 2 is Luke Smith. He has already given some information to the British print magazine Edge before the release – now he reflects on the launch in the latest issue and shares his thoughts. In excerpts, the interview has become public.
Those who start Destiny 2 tend to stay: Players reach the endgame
Smith views it as a positive development, even a surprise, that so many players have reached the level cap and completed the single-player campaign of Destiny 2.
A remarkably high percentage of players, a shockingly large number, have reached the endgame of Destiny 2, says Smith. The team has every reason to be quite proud of that.
This means: If people enter the world of Destiny, they tend to stay.
But what do they do in the endgame?
However: Bungie now has to ensure that players have things to do when they have played for 80 or 90 hours:
- Are the players happy with their character?
- Are there new things they can accomplish?
- Do the players want to come back?
According to Smith, these are questions that Bungie needs to address.
Smith still likes fixed weapon perks, but…
There was much excitement in the Destiny community back then regarding Smith’s decision to forgo random perks on weapons and armor in Destiny 2. In Destiny 1, players ground the same activities to obtain the perfect version of an item, the so-called God Roll. Players were thus searching for “duplicate items. “
In Destiny 2, every item has fixed perks. This eliminates the need to search for duplicates.
Smith still believes it was the right decision to remove random rolls on weapons and gear. Smith thinks Destiny is on its way to becoming a “collection game.” This change was correct for that.
However, Smith understands that Destiny 2 has weaknesses that need to be addressed. Bungie still has ideas on how to make “duplicate items” interesting again.
Smith seemingly surprised by problems – solution is now a priority
Smith indirectly suggests that the problems with the endgame are now rather surprising and Bungie needs to rethink its approach to solve these issues.
For the team, it is currently a priority to get a handle on this issue: duplicates should have meaning again.
Smith says: When you release something, you consider what problems might arise. Sometimes you’re right, and everything goes according to plan. Sometimes you’re wrong, and other problems emerge that become more important.
We are currently assessing what work we need to do and are placing the highest priority on it.
Destiny 2 as a collection game – but everyone fills their collection quickly
Mein MMO says: When the random rolls were removed, Smith stated: He had an idea to compensate for this, but he didn’t know if this idea would make it into the game at release. Apparently, this idea didn’t make it into the game, and now we have the mess.
A collection game in which there is nothing to collect.
It is the crucial question what Bungie comes up with and how it works to “make duplicates interesting again.”
Random perks should not be the solution. The current mods are not the answer either. So what is Bungie’s idea?
Apparently, Bungie was keen to get as many players as possible to play Destiny 2 for 80 or 90 hours. They succeeded. Now the question is: What do the players have to do afterward?
More on the topic: Destiny 2 lacks what many players hate: the grind
