In Destiny 2, Season 13 is the time for a new Menagerie. Why the calls for it are so loud right now and why it fits perfectly.
Many Guardians hope for an activity starting on February 9 Season 13 where they can automatically find teammates and then have fun together. Guardians are already familiar with this from earlier times. Right now would be the perfect time for a new Menagerie, which is considered a prime example of seasonal content.
This is how many play Destiny 2: Many Guardians venture out solo in the MMO shooter.
- Most quests for Exotics or missions can be easily accomplished alone.
- Players who set out without a fixed fireteam or who do not want to use LFG tools will most likely not get powerful raid weapons – which is perfectly fine for many.
But the very cool, but incredibly difficult Omen mission shows again that without a full team, one quickly hits limits, even outside of endgame activities like Nightfall or Trials. The story-relevant mission is very difficult to complete solo and Falkenmond with random rolls remains inaccessible.
The calls for “more matchmaking” are now becoming clearly noticeable.
Guardians need more team action without having a team
This is what the players want: The Guardians want to be automatically matched with other players. That is, they want Destiny 2 to seek out teammates for them. This way, they are not reliant on a fully packed friends list or random encounters that need to be arranged outside the game. These “external solutions” are simply not up-to-date, according to the players.
Such posts are currently going through the roof, each gathering over 7,000 likes and over 400 comments on reddit:
- “Destiny is at its best when there is an activity for 6 Guardians with matchmaking and you just jump in and have fun” (via reddit)
- “Dear Bungie: The bug where 6-12 people landed in a strike simultaneously should not be a bug but rather a feature” (via reddit)
Especially when setting out with a team of 6 Guardians, things get intense. It’s just fun when the screen is filled with effects and there’s always a Super active. Together, you plow through massive hordes of enemies, creating a true battlefield feeling.
And this wouldn’t be something new. For a while, players regularly enjoyed large activities with matchmaking.
How long ago was that? The major precursor for this type of activity was the Menagerie from the Season of Opulence (2019). Right after, the seasonal activities Vex Offensive and Sundial followed, which are based on a similar concept but were not as popular.
Since then, Destiny 2 has moved away from this type of content, until now. Probably also because signs of fatigue slowly set in.
The seasons focus more on activities that take place in the public patrol zone. Here, players meet randomly and shoot at Taken or have contact with the mysterious pyramids. It resembles a beefed-up version of the public events that Guardians have known since 2017.
Why does this make so much sense for Season 13?
This is new: Destiny 2 is changing its course for Year 4 this current year: Instead of heavily relying on FOMO (fear of missing out), content and activities will now remain relevant longer.
The concept of being able to obtain something only within a very limited timeframe, or completely missing weapons, quests, and storylines, did not sit well with the players. The desired changes can be felt directly by the players in the next Season 13. Content from the outgoing Season 12 will still be playable after the season ends, and the special loot will still be farmable.
That’s why it fits: If an activity like the Menagerie, which automatically brings together 6 Guardians and offers massive action, were to be introduced now, it would remain in the game at least until the end of 2021.
This would also be ideal for Bungie. The significant effort of designing such an activity and providing it with loot would not be wasted after just 3 months. Each season, the loot pool could be expanded and/or a few fresh seasonal villains could find their way into the activity.
The Menagerie as a benchmark
The Menagerie could be described as a raid experience, but in a relaxed way. From Orbit, you clicked on player search and found yourself with 5 other players in a mysterious testing area. Here, you had to blast through a series of random encounters and solve puzzles.
This is what made the Menagerie so good: Each section offered a small puzzle mechanic and loads of action. In the end, a towering boss awaited you. The puzzles or mechanics were not too difficult but varied. Here’s what stood out:
- Shooting Vex skulls at crystals to make a boss vulnerable.
- Securing plates in a pitch-black basement while bombers storm in from the darkness.
- Running an obstacle course or smashing knights with their own sword.
All mechanics reminded of raids, but not all players had to participate. It was also enough to support your team with firepower. The entry barrier was very low. Once you were in sync, everything went very quickly. Even if you failed, it was not the end (in the normal version). You would just play a longer encounter to reach the final boss.
But action alone does not make Guardians happy. The loot system was also very well received. Through runes, you could customize your rewards. There was virtually a best-of of the coolest weapons from the past, as well as thematically fitting new gear.
The replay value of the Menagerie was high. Later, even a heroic variant came, which was pretty tough. Here you could put what you learned to the test.
What do you think, do we finally need more big action with automatic player search? Or do you coldly say that Destiny 2 is an MMO and you should find friends?
The beloved Umbral Engrams are also making a return: Destiny 2 brings back the loot mechanic in Season 13 that many of you liked
