In Destiny 2, the discussion has revolved around a highly controversial feature for 10 months: “Sunsetting,” the weapon retirement. Fans strongly opposed it, but Bungie stood firm in their idea. Now, quietly and quietly, they are retracting the feature, but selling it differently. MeinMMO author Schuhmann says: It went very strangely.
This is the feature in question: The idea is called “Sunsetting” – the term comes from old Westerns. When the hero rides into the well-deserved retirement after a job well done, heading towards the sunset.
The idea was that legendary weapons and armor in Destiny 2 had served their purpose after a certain time and should be replaced: The weapons could only be upgraded to their respective maximum Power Level for a limited time, after which they could not be upgraded any further. The maximum Power Level increases in Destiny 2 approximately every 3-4 months.
The players were meant to “retire them” and collect new weapons and armor that would accompany them into the endgame. This was supposed to start with “Beyond Light,” the major expansion of 2020.
Weapons and Armor with Expiration Dates
That’s why players found it terrible: The announcement came early: Already in May 2020, Bungie announced the plan, which would not come into play until half a year later.
But immediately there was a massive backlash from the Guardians against the idea. In the first article about Sunsetting on MeinMMO, there were 219 comments from fans, most of them angry.
We quote a comment from back then as an example:
Destiny 2 has an expiration date for me as well. It ends at the moment when I can no longer use my recluse and summit. I hate PVP like the plague, and I sweated and cursed a lot until I finally had both. And soon both will be worthless.
doc.toa on MeinMMO
It was not really a rational anger, but behind it was: “I am working on my perfect setup, looking for the best weapon and armor, grinding for weeks or even longer – and then Bungie comes and takes away what I’ve earned through my hard work by blasting aliens in the face.”
For six months, players had the feeling: All the weapons and armor I am currently collecting and liking are only temporary and will not matter later when I need them. It simply did not feel right.
There was actually constant shooting against this change: Nothing in Destiny 2 angered players more.
Bungie Knows Better
This is how the idea was defended: Bungie remained adamant. Like the spray against rocks, the criticism from the Guardians crashed against Bungie, who did not budge an inch.
The argument was: Players were completely unjustifiably going crazy. Weapon retirement was not so bad, the power level was only relevant for endgame activities; otherwise, people could continue playing with the weapons.
A big Destiny expert, SC_Slayerage, said: Equipment items had to be removed from Destiny 2 time and again to make room for new exciting weapons and armor. One should trust Bungie, they could handle it. They had also delivered good items in the past.
There was once again the feeling: Bungie thinks they know what is best for their game, expected the shitstorm, and are now riding it out. But in the long run, players would see that Bungie was right.
Destiny 2: A Loot Shooter Without Loot
This is how it really was: When weapon retirement arrived in Destiny 2 in November 2020, all of the Guardians’ fears were confirmed, and it turned out to be even worse than expected.
Although many weapons rotated out of the pool of truly strong items, Bungie had hardly provided any replacements in “Beyond Light”: Destiny 2 suffered from an now far too small pool of weapons.
- Bungie feared: Without weapon retirement, the pool of items would be way too large
- In reality, however, it was now far too small
Players scoffed: Destiny 2 is a loot shooter without loot.
Bungie then admitted to being insightful and promised to reflect on the topic again. However, there were no concrete announcements. In November 2020, it still looked as if they were sticking to their idea.
Bungie: “Missed the Target”
This is now the change: In a smooth blog post, the new strong man at Bungie, Joe Blackburn, has now effectively retracted the change, without really addressing that the idea was doomed to fail from the very start and that fans had been telling them this for 10 months.
Blackburn merely says: “We missed the target.”
Now it is said: “The system made rewards feel like they had an expiration date”: Exactly what players had explained to them in detail for nearly 10 months – and in a volume that was impossible to ignore.
Therefore, Bungie now wants to ensure that weapons remain in Destiny 2 without an “expiration date” going forward. However, the weapons that have already been affected by Sunsetting will remain affected.
This is what it’s about: Things have gone strangely. Bungie has gotten what they wanted: The loot pool is now thinner. That’s what they wanted to achieve.
But the price for this are angry fans who feel like Bungie never listens to them but always knows better – even when they are constantly wrong.
Bungie is now giving in with exactly the arguments that Destiny 2 fans had been shouting at them for 10 months. This once again creates the impression that Bungie is stubborn and continuously emphasizes how much they listen to the community, but then push through their own plans regardless of how much backlash they receive.
Now they are rowing back, where the damage has already been done.
Bungie’s Unique Problem
What is the actual problem? In many MMORPGs like WoW, weapons “expire”: Players collect the best items throughout an expansion, and when the next expansion comes out, these items are left behind and replaced with new, better weapons that have 10% to 20% better stats and deal more damage. This is not a problem in WoW because the weapons are essentially just carriers of certain stats – hardly anyone is really emotionally attached to their bow or staff.
In Destiny 2, every weapon feels somewhat different due to gameplay mechanics: The recoil, the fire rate, the scope, the sound – each weapon has its own feel. That’s why this topic is so delicate and also unique in Destiny 2.
Bungie does not want a game where players have a choice of 200 weapons, and then the number grows to 250 in the next expansion. Because that is a balancing nightmare. But players want that; they want “cooler and more exciting weapons” with each expansion that are worth grinding for again.
However, if Bungie always delivers “cooler and stronger weapons,” there is a “power creep” where in the end Guardians run around with weapons like the Gjallarhorn that pulverize every boss in seconds. Then the gameplay mechanics of the bosses become completely irrelevant when every boss is dead before they can even start their secret power attack. Such a state has occurred in Destiny 2 repeatedly.
Bungie needs to find a solution for this unique problem of Destiny 2 and apparently wants to take a lot of time for that now. However, it is important that they involve the players and do not cling to an idea that has been causing a public uprising from the start, only to defend it endlessly and then quietly retract it.
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