Since time immemorial, Destiny has suffered from a lack of content – players are waiting for new content. With Destiny 2 , this is different now in March 2019, says our author Schuhmann: Now the content is waiting for new players. Destiny 2 has repositioned itself.
It has been like this with Destiny 2 all along: Destiny has had fundamentally the problem since 2014 that too little content is released.
Bungie cannot produce content as quickly as players fight through the activities. The toughest guardians in Destiny play through all activities with three guardians each week: Maximum level is quickly reached, and everything is seen.
The problem was exacerbated by the fact that Destiny was “irreplaceable” for many. There were simply few games that delivered what Destiny offered. Therefore, Destiny was played by core gamers even when there was actually nothing “new” to do. While others moved on to the next game.
All along, Bungie delivered “small content” through the DLCs and updates that players quickly completed. The DLCs in 2015 included short story campaigns.
Above all, there were weapons and items that core gamers could endlessly farm in search of the God Roll.
When random rolls were removed with Destiny 2, the anger was great: Guardians simply had nothing left to do in Destiny. This got better again only with Forsaken.
But 2019 is a different situation again.
New Philosophy at Bungie
This is what has changed in Destiny: Destiny 2 has undergone a transformation with the “Annual Pass” and changed the philosophy under which new content is delivered.
The goal is clear: To give players as much to do as possible with as little work as possible, while the main team focuses on Destiny 3 or a big expansion in the future.
With new content, the entire game is no longer renewed: there is no longer an item reset. Rather, the new expansions build on and bring special activities for the most diligent players:
- The new activities are designed for players at the upper power cap and for replayability – first the forges, now Gambit Prime and the Reckoning
- this power cap can only be reached through persistent playing and achieving milestones that have been similar for a long time
So the latest content has only been live since Friday night. But Reckoning level 3 requires a power level of 680.
Not many can play the latest content yet – but for the enthusiastic fans who love Destiny, it is quite interesting: They have already farmed Gambit Prime and the milestones with three characters and are now ready for the tough stuff.
The rest of the guardians, who may be on different paths, can now let loose and then eventually return to Destiny 2.
This time, the content will be waiting for the players, instead of the other way around as before.
One can be curious how Destiny 2 will use this time, now that it is not in the public eye as much as in recent years, to come up with new concepts and ideas.
Because we do not yet know how the “new Destiny” will develop in the long term without the influence of Activision.
What is clear is that at some point, Bungie will have to try to bring all players on board. Entertaining only the core gamers will not be enough in the long run.
While it may have been the right decision for the “Annual Pass”, it is difficult to convince casual players of such a model.
For most players who only check into Destiny occasionally, the power cap now feels like an eternity away. Especially since leveling up to the new power level proves to be tedious, as you are playing old milestones.
A New World for Destiny 2
This has changed around it: Destiny is no longer as indispensable as it has been for all the previous years.
Although the new competitors differ significantly from Destiny and none delivers “the full package”, all target the Destiny player base and compete for playtime:
- In February, Apex Legends, a fast-paced battle royale shooter (only PvP), was released
- Then Anthem, an online action RPG in a science fiction setting (only PvE), launched
- Currently, The Division 2 is live as a loot shooter and is already receiving good reactions (PvE and PvP)
- and the announcement of Borderlands 3 is also coming soon
Additionally, Destiny is now 5 years old as a franchise and is no longer in the public eye as much as it was a few years ago.
Destiny 2 Fully Focuses on Core Gamers
This means for Destiny 2: The new direction of Destiny is clearly aimed at core gamers.
Not many can play the latest content yet – but for the enthusiastic fans who love Destiny, it is quite interesting: They have already farmed Gambit Prime and the milestones with three characters and are now ready for the tough stuff.
The rest of the guardians, who may be on different paths, can now let loose and then eventually return to Destiny 2.
This time, the content will be waiting for the players, instead of the other way around as before.
One can be curious how Destiny 2 will use this time, now that it is not in the public eye as much as in recent years, to come up with new concepts and ideas.
Because we do not yet know how the “new Destiny” will develop in the long term without the influence of Activision.
What is clear is that at some point, Bungie will have to try to bring all players on board. Entertaining only the core gamers will not be enough in the long run.
While it may have been the right decision for the “Annual Pass”, it is difficult to convince casual players of such a model.
