In Destiny 2 continuous changes have been taking place for a few years now. Bungie is increasingly relying on creative talents, also from the community, and therefore brings new accents into the game with each season. Many things have already changed positively in the last 5 years. But there are still some areas that Bungie has neglected too much until now.
Those who have remained loyal to Destiny 2 over the years may have already noticed the changes. Bungie has engaged more creative minds over many seasons, who have significantly influenced the game. And this has not only happened since the studio was bought by Sony.
- Destiny 2 has made the way of earning things more interesting.
- It has also ensured that the storytelling in the game has changed significantly.
- And it brought fresh air into dusty parts of the game, such as the ability classes.
Paul Tassi from Forbes believes that it is worthwhile for several reasons to pause and take a look at where the game stood in 2018 and where it is now in 2022. Especially how far it has come with the changes.
This is what has happened in Destiny 2 so far
Bungie organizes the different areas of Destiny 2 into purpose-driven teams.
- For example, there is a narrative team dedicated solely to the story.
- A sandbox team deals with the variety of abilities and possibilities of your Guardians in the game.
- And increasingly often, creative minds from the community also find their place at Bungie, setting strikingly cool accents.
Items are becoming cooler and more creative
Especially creative impulses are more often seen in the game. In the past seasons, not only special shaders but also really cool armor designs have found their way back into the game.
Bungie is exploring new textures, glows, patterns, and many other interesting concepts that have been well received by players so far.
Many of these are initially inconspicuous at first glance and therefore do not reveal their secret immediately. But all are quite unique, and more of them are coming.
- With the RGB shader “Photo Finish”, Guardians could equip a cool Razer RGB look in May 2022 just like their gaming PC.
- In Season 17, the new ornament sets were the highlight for the Guardians, because they became a glowing fortress of fire and steel.
- And in Season 18, the creepy shader “Scarlet Glow” from the Crucible at Rank 10 brings the red glow of your Guardian’s heart with bloody horror design to action.
Additionally, there are vehicles, such as the exotic Sparrow by Ben Platnick for the “Oryx’s Vow” raid called “Light Fuge”. It features a rotating exhaust tail.
All of these are ideas and creations that are increasingly designed by new talents, bringing fresh air into the game.
New locations are more visually appealing
Looking back at past seasons, it also becomes clear that the new locations in Destiny 2 have become better.
- Savathun’s Throne World made a delicate start.
- Then came the completely new environment design for the “Oryx’s Vow” raid.
- The dungeon “Duality” also impressed with fresh visuals and a new bell mechanic.
- In Season 18, Guardians are seen on huge Fallen pirate ships.
- And old locations continue to evolve, either by changing to fit the story or becoming new destinations during the seasons. Like currently the new cocktail bar of Spider in the Eliksni Quarter.
A look at Lightfall confirms this trend. The new city Neomuna seems to be the most ambitious project in Destiny 2 so far in terms of visuals.
The narrative has changed significantly
The narratives of Destiny 2 have also changed significantly within the framework of the seasonal stories.
The so-called Narrative Team is dedicated solely to the story of Destiny 2 and its connections. Since Season of the Hunt (Season 12), a change has been noticeable, as Bungie began to continue the story of Uldren Sov alias Crow.
- The storylines are more interesting than ever, with characters that are more fully developed.
- While there are still lore books to read, players now also receive multiple voice lines in the game, which Destiny 2 increasingly uses as a means to tell stories better. Especially for Guardians who do not want to look into the lore books.
- The last highlight was Season 17, when again a sad moment of one of the strongest characters in the game left many Guardians speechless.
However, Bungie does not only encourage players to reflect on personal approaches. The space shooter also does not shy away from interesting scientific parallels.
For example, while Beyond Light was about dark entropy, Witch Queen revolved around the paracausality defined by Destiny.
For the story of Lightfall, it is also rumored that Bungie may be hinting at string theory with the new ability “Strand.” However, this is currently just a speculation of the players.
PvP and Gambit remain a construction site
While significant changes are noticed in some areas of PvE, which most players are quite satisfied with, Bungie has not had such a good touch with PvP and Gambit.
- There is a lack of fresh air both in the Crucible and in Gambit.
- The returned Rift mode did not really convince players, nor did the new map that Bungie introduced with it.
- The next mode “Outbreak” was received better, but overall seemed a bit too ability-overloaded.
- And those who enjoy playing Gambit must settle for 4 maps and live with the fact that particles often glitch under the map.
Accordingly, Paul Tassi sees the most work likely in this department for Bungie.
The developer is still struggling with balancing for matchmaking as well as for weapons and abilities. Many things are still being tested. They are also testing a quit protection so that players do not simply leave a match out of frustration or other reasons.
Player wishes for PvP are not actually that big. Many players simply wish for a PvP mode that completely does without abilities and where they have to rely solely on their good gunplay. Or that Gambit could once again get some more variety by bringing back old Gambit maps.
The hope is therefore that Bungie can still catch up in these areas so that Guardians do not lose the fun of a good PvP match or Gambit, alongside the entertaining story part.
What do you think of this brief retrospective? Have you also noticed these changes positively? Or do you think it is still too little overall? Feel free to leave a comment with your opinion for the Destiny community.
Within the community, there are actually two parties whose understanding of Destiny 2 fundamentally differs:
