Bungie is making the transition from Destiny to Destiny 2 as player-unfriendly as possible, believes our author Schuhmann. But hardly anyone is currently angry about that.
Politicians make the most unpopular decisions during the soccer World Cup. As the article “Distraction Maneuver” in Deutschlandfunk describes, during the summer fairytale of 2006, the VAT was raised from 16% to 19%. During the World Cup in South Africa in 2010, the contribution rate for health insurance was increased from 14.9% to 15.5%.
What would have sparked weeks of debates and angry protests in the country went unnoticed amidst the general football fever. We can be glad that the World Cup only takes place every four years.
In a similar way, Bungie. While players rejoice over reports about Destiny 2, Bungie disconnects the current game “Destiny” and makes one unpopular decision after another.
It’s as if there’s an internal competition running: What outrageous act can we commit without upsetting the players?
Here everything remains as it is!
Let’s start small, with a “mini-outrage” and then escalate to the biggest.
Many players are currently struggling with the “meta” in Destiny.
Again and again, you hear that the “current meta is the worst of all time.”
Players are dissatisfied with the balance in the Crucible. The current difficulties:
- There are too few relevant weapons.
- Pistols and grenades dominate.
- The issue of special ammo has been a fundamental problem for Destiny 1 for months and years, which is currently being bridged with a temporary solution, until the problem is properly solved with Destiny 2.
Politely put: The current meta does not suit everyone’s taste.
Previous metas were more popular, as players were only bothered over time that they became dull. But the current meta has few fans.
Players complain about balancing. Although this state is nothing new and there are always issues with balancing, the worst part of the current balance is: It will never change again.
Because Bungie has decided not to touch the balance in Destiny 1 anymore. This means Destiny 1 will continue with a balance that hardly anyone really likes.
Bungie informed the players casually in a This Week at Bungie: We are currently super focused on Destiny 2. We won’t do anything with Destiny 1 anymore.
Osiris is being discontinued – The end of Destiny 1 is thus sealed
However, the bad balancing isn’t that bad, because soon there will be no reason left to play Destiny 1.
In August, the Trials of Osiris and the Iron Banner will end. These PvP modes are the only reason many still play Destiny at all. They are now set to disappear.
Bungie doesn’t provide a real justification for this decision. It seems that they want to give the mode “a break” so that everyone looks forward to its return with Destiny 2, and that everyone buys the new game. No one should come up with the idea of continuing to play for free in the old game.
The decision means, that Destiny 1 will be massively devalued. It will not represent an alternative to Destiny 2. Those who want to play competitive PvP in Destiny must switch to Destiny 2. Destiny 1 is practically dead as a result.
Moreover, the future of Destiny 1 is not secure. It is only known that the servers are supposed to stay online “for the foreseeable future”. When one hears such news, it sounds as if the end is near.
It must feel like mockery when Xbox players will only receive the PlayStation-exclusive items in October 2017, which they have actually been entitled to for a year.
The news of ending Osiris and Iron Banner in Destiny 1 came in the last “This Week at Bungie”, while players were still recovering from E3, and Bungie promised them “souvenirs from Destiny 1 in Destiny 2” with some emblems. This brings us to the biggest outrage that Bungie is inflicting on the first Destiny.
Cosmetic items will not be transferred, even though players paid for them
The hard reset was probably necessary and without alternative: Players lose their weapons and gear to enable a fresh start with Destiny 2. In the game, this is justified by a Cabal attack.
But why should I not be able to dance anymore? Do the Cabal also wipe my brain?
In Destiny 1 players purchased gestures, including dances, via the Eververse, an in-game shop. Why are those gone with Destiny 2? Players did pay real money for them. The fact that the real money currency, Silver, will not be transferred to Destiny 2 is also an unnecessary decision that is disadvantageous for players. Why? Why do you push players away so unnecessarily?
The site Polygon indignantly addresses this in an article. The argument is: In WoW, players can access cosmetic items they received 12 years ago, and the game is doing wonderfully. And in Destiny, cosmetic items that could be purchased just half a year ago are gone?
It simply makes no sense. Bungie devalues the cash shop by imposing an expiration date on every item: You can buy something, but it will become worthless soon.
Especially the most expensive and valuable fans, who were willing to spend more money on fluff in Destiny 1, are punished by Bungie with this decision: Oh, you wanted to buy that dance for 5€? Yes, it will be gone in three months! That was only for Destiny 1 – Destiny 2 is something completely different!
Players will only realize all this later
The problem with the messages: Players do not notice them yet.
- The meta is annoying now, but it used to be too – players do not yet realize that it will not change.
- Osiris and Iron Banner will still run for a month, players will only notice their disappearance after a delay or in the worst case, when the mode in Destiny 2 is not fun and they want to return to Destiny 1 for a nostalgia trip.
- And the current cosmetic items from the Eververse have only disappeared with Destiny 2.
Similarly, politicians did it during the soccer World Cup. The VAT increase only applied six months after its resolution. However, we still feel its effects today, ten years later.
More about Destiny 2:
Like Game of Thrones – Destiny 2 is not a new game, just a new season
