Destiny 2 has an increasing problem. In its current state, it is incredibly difficult for new players to understand and truly experience the world of Bungie’s live-service game. And that’s not only a damn shame, but it’s also getting worse.
Recently, I had a conversation with two “Destiny 2” newcomers. They wanted to play something different than Warframe or Borderlands. So, I told them about Destiny 2 and spontaneously invited them. Through Steam and New Light, the entry is free after all. It’s practical to try everything first.
Destiny 2 is unique in its own way: Graphically and gameplay-wise, new players find Destiny 2 brilliant. It is still a game that has a lot to offer, where many players meet every night to have fun.
- All planets and locations are diverse. There’s so much to discover.
- As a player, you are right in the middle of this experience, and that is immediately well received.
- The gunplay is excellent. Each weapon feels different and sounds different.
- Whether you’re playing solo or in a team, it is always entertaining.
So what is the problem? After a few missions and strikes, we flew to the H.E.L.M. There, for the first time, the problem of Destiny 2 knocked on the door of the newcomers: the current story misery.
All they knew from the introductory mission was: “So I am a Guardian and I was touched by the light of the Traveler. And what am I supposed to do now? And who is that weird guy over there?”
As a long-time “Destiny 2” player, you obviously know that. You might like the game, so you are also happy to help a newcomer, just like a true Guardian.
Okay, look! So this is Crow, and this is the guy who killed Cayde-6, and it’s really a big deal that he is back as a Guardian and we have to work with him again – even though we murdered him. And …
I briefly considered how I could summarize the entire captivating Forsaken story in a few sentences. But it quickly became clear to me: The emotions of this tragic DLC cannot be explained in words.
Many story elements remain unresolved or disappear
While I was thinking about which other story elements would otherwise be important to them, three things struck me.
- First, that they basically knew nothing from their introductory mission.
- Second, that everything I could tell them about Destiny 2 is also relevant.
- Third, that they probably don’t care at all, because it means nothing to them.
They would not understand from my words why “Destiny 2” veterans tried to run faster in a game because they knew exactly: Down there, Cayde-6 is fighting, and he urgently needs our backup. The rest is known by anyone who has played Forsaken.
Maybe that was also part of the reason why Crow has not yet replaced Cayde-6.
In 2022, Destiny 2 loses the coolest gunslinger forever: This part of the story from 2018 is far too important. So I pointed out that they were lucky with the timing of their entry. Forsaken is returning until February 2022. Without having spent some time with Cayde-6, his murder by Uldren Sov/Crow means much less. Just like the current story in the Season of the Hunt and the Season of the Lost.
The content vault swallows every story: How will it be in 2022, when with “The Witch Queen”, there is no more Forsaken to catch up on? Then a large part of the previous game context is simply gone. No Cayde-6, no story of the Dreaming City with its curse. No background info on Savathun or the great entity that has been confronting us since many expansions.
Relevant content goes back to Destiny 1: While long-time players have already fought against the Witch Queen in the strike “Savathun’s Song” on Titan, my two newcomers said dryly: “Yeah, she’s just okay with what she’s saying. She just wants to get rid of her worm…”.
That the “Queen of Deceit” has been manipulating us since Destiny 1, they will never find out in current Destiny 2.
Players also struggle to access the content: Anyone who wants to catch up on the story first needs the expansions, which they then have to buy. And even those who do so do not fully understand all the connections until Beyond Light again. This, after all, is based on stories that still originate from Destiny 1.
One should know Destiny lore before playing Destiny 2
In fact, there are huge gaps in the apparent story of Destiny 2 when you’re a newcomer. Bungie really tells its stories well. Through the new story approach, it even gets better. However, when you come into the game through free-to-play, you really don’t see much of that.
That’s why no newcomer can understand this: Right now, it’s very poorly possible to grasp the entire story and then understand it as well. If one starts Destiny 2 in its current state as a newcomer, one would actually have to watch the entire story progression up to the Season of the Lost beforehand, for example on YouTube. Which is a hell of a lot.
In my opinion, it is currently a much too big hurdle for newcomers.
Story is a lot of text and well hidden: Bungie hides many of the critical, funny, interesting, and significant backstories like Easter eggs. It’s not just the videos that lead players through the Destiny story. For this game, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, you have to be clear about that.
MeinMMO has also already presented the magnificent “Destiny 2” story in summary:
Only those who continually read in the lore will learn everything. It’s a huge collection of armor, ships, and sparrows plus weapons and hundreds more items.
Currently, only the community closes this gap: This obvious gap is currently only being closed by long-time Destiny fans. Clan leaders, YouTubers, veterans of Destiny 1 and 2. Essentially, all those who know the full story of Destiny are currently stepping in for Bungie. They continue the stories. But that is becoming more difficult now because it becomes more extensive the older Destiny gets.
Don’t get me wrong. I personally have no problem doing this, and I also enjoy doing it. But I don’t think new players will ever come to appreciate the storytelling of Destiny 2.
For me, it was a personal experience. Over 6,000 hours of playtime, which has captivated and enthralled me through a fantastic “Destiny 2” story up to Season 15: The reason why I still play Destiny 2.
For new players, Destiny 2 simply no longer has the same significance.
- New players do not learn who the characters are and what fates they have.
- They do not know who they are fighting against, why they are fighting, and most importantly what they are fighting for.
- All of this does not maintain their interest in Destiny 2 long enough for them to stay.
That’s why new players lose interest: At first, all of this is exciting. The mission offerings of Destiny 2 are well done, challenging, and thrilling. But once all the content has been played a few times and the hunt for a few weapons has been successful, it stops. They are not even aware that they missed the best stories of the game.
Bungie must solve the problem if it wants to convince new players
Do Bungie not care about new players? Destiny 2 and thus Bungie currently do nothing to awaken the long-term interest of new players. For this reason, new players also do not invest in Bungie’s game world. Why should they care about who Savathun or Xivu Arath is? Crow is just “a nice guy” to them.
As much as I enjoy talking about Destiny 2 with new players, I can’t explain everything, or at least not as well as a standalone player experience can. I think other players feel the same way.
The new story entry is not enough: Certainly, the changes to Destiny 2 were necessary for Bungie. One can also assert that the expansion Beyond Light was much better than the mission with which I started in Destiny 2. However, what new players can expect in the Cosmodrome is simply not enough. It feels like a waste to leave so many great stories out of a game. Just to eventually stash them away in the vault.
Find the path to your best self and walk it. Because the alternative is a lonely road. Never forget that. Otherwise, I might have to come back…
Cayde-6 – Excerpt from the lore “The Man They Called Cayde”
I would love to see new enthusiastic players. However, this also requires that Bungie makes it easier for new players to enter the story. The complete story of Destiny 2 should also be comprehensible to them afterward.
If they fail to do that, Destiny 2 will continue to lose many new players in the future, in my opinion.
Let me know how your experiences are. How is it in your clans, with your new teammates? Have you also noticed that new players find it increasingly difficult in Destiny 2? How do you think Bungie can solve this problem?
