In Destiny 2 there was trouble with the experience point system in Season 14. A tool tip promised players extra EXP, but there were fewer experience points than in the previous season. Bungie now admits in a dev blog: The system is so complex that they lost track of it themselves.
That was the accusation: With the start of Season 14 in Destiny 2, accusations from fans against Destiny 2 surfaced:
- Destiny 2 promised to provide “extra many experience points” for the seasonal challenges. The game communicated this separately in a tool tip.
- In fact, the number of experience points was reduced by 40-60% compared to the previous season – the Guardians calculated this themselves.
- Players found this unfair and demanded an explanation. They felt like Bungie was lying to them.
MeinMMO reported extensively on the XP issue in Destiny 2 on May 14.
Secret “bug fix” was the problem
This is what Bungie says now: In a blog post, the developers of Destiny 2 now admit (via bungie.net):
We know that XP in Destiny can be confusing – sometimes it goes to the point where we overlook things ourselves.
Bungie, Dev Blog
What was the problem?
In Season 13, there was a problem where players could carry over XP bonuses from the Season Pass of Season 12 into the new season. These bonuses should have been reset.
As a result, Destiny players received way too much XP in Season 13. However, Bungie neither fixed this bug nor addressed it at all. They only corrected the error in Season 14 without mentioning it in the patch notes.
In the patch notes for Season 14 on May 11, they promised this “extra many XP” in the game. They actually intended to convey with the renaming to “extra many XP” that players should preferably do the seasonal challenges for EXP instead of other activities or bounties.
However, Bungie did not communicate this thought clearly, leaving it open what exactly was meant by “extra many EXP”.
Bungie apologizes for the confusion. People should now earn the “right XP” like they did with Season 12 in Season 14. They will now look at the data and the feedback and then really inform the players if they will change anything for Season 15.
What’s behind it: The issue with the seasonal experience is not a huge deal for most players, but it shows that Bungie still has communication deficits with players after 7 years and has difficulty clearly communicating what changes they are making in the game.
This is a lesson Bungie is learning for the umpteenth time: When they change something in the game, they should communicate that to the players as accurately as possible to avoid misunderstandings. Especially when it comes to sensitive topics, such as weapon balance, cash shop items, or experience points, communication is important.
Here, Bungie missed 3 or 4 chances to explain to the fans why they are changing something in the game. Overall, the impression arose: Bungie says we get more XP, but in reality, they are giving us less.
Bungie has a fluctuating communication pattern with players: What’s really happening in the team rarely comes to light:
- Although at times they had long blog posts from Luke Smith on how they imagine the vision of “Destiny”.
- In the area of “We say in the patch notes what we actually do”, there is still apparently room for improvement even in 2021.
Another communication problem with Destiny 2 is discussed here:
For 10 months, Destiny 2 staunchly defended a hated idea – now quietly rowing back
