The mood is changing in Destiny 2 . Players would like to play more Destiny 2 – but there is nothing more to do. Bungie’s employees have to deal with this.
Feeling low among the Guardians – it all started so well. By mid-September, Destiny 2 fans were on cloud nine, but now they are utterly miserable.
On cloud nine and utterly miserable – Destiny 2
We conducted two surveys at Mein MMO to gauge how fans assess Destiny 2. In the first survey, shortly after the release, 1712 readers voted and gave a rating of 7.35 out of 10. Two weeks after the release, the ratings even climbed higher.
Meanwhile, this positive mood has changed: Players have nothing more to do in Destiny 2.
It turns out that Bungie meant the statements made beforehand seriously. Destiny 2 should no longer be a time sink. They want to respect players’ time. And they have implemented it.
The players in Destiny 2 lack goals:
- Weapons no longer need to be leveled up
- there is no God Roll that would require farming the same bosses indefinitely
- the loot selection is generally low, there is no bone to chase
- even the events and ideas that Bungie has intended as content additions fizzle out without bringing anything new. The Iron Banner or the Prestige Raid in Destiny 2 – nothing serves as new material for Destiny 2 players on withdrawal
“I have 3 characters at 305 and played 160 hours – What a crappy game!”
This has led to a strangely charged atmosphere. Many players are complaining on social media about Destiny 2, starting their criticism with “I have 3 chars at 305 – I have nothing more to do.” After that, Destiny 2 is denounced as “the disappointment of the year” or “an absolute flop”.
The thrill players felt when they first played Destiny 2 has faded. And this thrill is followed by disappointment.
It seems as if some had intended to spend the rest of the year with Destiny 2 – that the title was only good for 60-160 hours is now not enough. Destiny 2 has left a void that hurts.
No one wants to hear grandiose words
This week, community manager DeeJ had to bear the consequences. He is known for his grandiloquent speech. That’s cool when things are going well. When things aren’t going well, it regularly ends in disaster.
Deej had not made an appearance for several weeks, his assistant had taken over the speaking duties – now on Thursday, DeeJ was back at the helm and apparently had something to say.
He ended the letter to the community with personal words, urging players to form friendships in Destiny 2. That would enhance the replay value in Destiny 2. That is the ultimate loot, the much more important reward.
DeeJ promises “new planet” in 2017 – No one cares, players are enraged
The Destiny 2 junkies who were looking for hints of new content in the letter to the community did not thank him for this, but instead unleashed a shitstorm. They felt mocked by his words. They want an endgame in Destiny 2 – not a friend game.
That DeeJ had slipped in half a sentence before his grandiloquent words that there would be a new destination, meaning a new planet, in 2017 – no one was interested anymore.
The subreddit for Destiny is full of toxic and angry comments this week, with balancing threads where people feel a bit ashamed of being so angry when they still liked the game just two weeks ago.
Fan ideas are basically: “Bring these things back from Destiny 1”
There are also numerous constructive ideas on how Bungie can give players “their fix,” on how to introduce an endgame into the game that maintains the thrill.
Usually, it’s about:
- Smuggling item perks back into the game
- Bringing back achievements in some form – like Grimoire points
- or letting Guardians farm faction ranks or Crucible ranks again if necessary
The fans are pleading for Bungie to give them a reasonable reason to play more Destiny 2. They want more grind in Destiny 2.
Commercialization is to blame
Fans are struggling with the lack of long-term motivation in Destiny 2 and are looking for explanatory models. A popular idea is that Bungie did not carry over long-term content from Destiny in order to deliver it through DLCs later.
Destiny 2 is a significantly more commercial product than Destiny 1:
- Destiny 1 alienated casual players with the lack of story and complicated mechanics, but offered more to those willing to engage with the game on their own.
- Destiny 2, on the other hand, takes everyone along, allowing everyone to keep up. But it disappoints players who want to delve deeper and spend a lot of time in the game.
What can we hope for?
Currently, it is clear: Bungie is actually sticking to the course they have set for Destiny 2. The game is more accessible and not a time sink. Perhaps they will also adhere to the third central promise: to provide content replenishment.
In Destiny 1, they significantly changed the formula over the course of the first year – perhaps they can do the same with Destiny 2. The 2nd DLC seems to be in the works at an independent studio for years now. For Destiny 2 players who are currently missing the kick of the first 40, 50 hours, that will be no consolation.
Bungie needs to come up with something now – the negative mood comes at a bad time. In 2 weeks, on October 24, Destiny 2 will launch on PC – such a bad atmosphere could hurt sales.
More on the topic:
Destiny, The Division: 1000 hours of gameplay and still disappointed
