There’s been a heated fundamental discussion in the Destiny 2 community for a few days now. It was triggered by a pro gamer when he expressed his opinion on the current sandbox and advocated for a nerf of the Divinity. However, his opinion was not positively received by everyone. MeinMMO tells you why elite gamers and casual players do not understand each other.
What does the player base look like in Destiny 2? As in any game, there are also different player groups in Destiny 2. But especially the gap between demanding elite gamers and casual players is particularly large.
- The typical casual player enjoys playing Destiny 2 but doesn’t have much time for the game. He knows what to do, but usually has his preferred favorite weapons and only a few armor builds at hand. A Grandmaster raid or challenging missions are not his preferred content and are rather the exception.
- In contrast, there are the elite gamers in Destiny 2. They usually play the game very professionally, stream it, and are very knowledgeable about buffs, debuffs, and game mechanics. They also possess every weapon in “perfect,” whether obtained from raids, crafted, or in the master variant. Additionally, they have a variety of builds at hand, which they adjust depending on the activity.
For years, both fronts have hardened, as the views of the two groups on how Destiny 2 works or should work differ greatly.
The intensity of the recent debate about the Divinity, the exotic from the raid “Garden of Salvation,” was evident. Here, the elite gamer “Saltagreppo” shared his opinion on the weapon and its strong effects on the game.
If you missed the article and the discussion, you can check it out here:
Now, it should be noted that the Divinity in Destiny 2 is a special and helpful support weapon. Many Guardians use this trace rifle to get through endgame content like a raid more easily. There are also many Destiny 2 players who often help other Guardians with the weapon. Because it is completely sufficient if one in the team uses it.
- The Divinity makes accuracy less important and allows players to deal more critical damage. Additionally, the laser beam weakens enemies and ensures that everyone in the team can deal 30% more damage.
Sure, not many Guardians possess it. According to Warmind, it’s just about ~5% of players.
But when someone has it, and in gameplay it becomes evident that too little damage is being dealt to a boss, the weapon is always a good option. Casual players are often grateful when someone in the team can provide that support.
The suggestion for a nerf from elite player Saltagreppo felt to many like he wanted to take something really good away from them in the game.
For example, Missed Opportunity commented on MeinMMO:
Because it’s becoming too easy for a “pro” player, a weapon should be nerfed for everyone. […] If it’s too uncompetitive for him with [Divinity], he should just leave it out. What does it matter to him if others want to make it easier? Where is the harm in how others play their personal raid or dungeon?
commented the player Missed Opportunity
Zero Tonin explains it like this:
You are forced to play Divinity when it comes to competition like [for example] Day 1 raids. That removes some skill. The best race car driver in the world doesn’t disable any part of his car just because the races are too easy for him.
writes Zero Tonin in the MeinMMO comments
Not all players are against change: Nerfs are usually something that takes away something good or fun for players in Destiny 2. However, the statements of the elite players that the “casuals” just want to keep everything that makes the game easier is also not true.
This was shown by yesterday’s nerf of the Lorelei Helm. Of course, it was fun to utilize the easy mode thanks to the overpowered Solar exotic “Lorelei Splendor Helmet.” But when the nerf came, there were hardly any complaints about it. Rather, players were aware that Bungie adjusted something that was simply too strong and that the nerf was long overdue.
As MRxDubhead commented on MeinMMO:
I’m glad it was nerfed. I’m also a Titan main, and it doesn’t bother me. The only thing that bothered me was that suddenly out of 6 people in the raid, 5 were Titans, of which 4 were always playing Lorelei to activate easy mode. Just the occurrence of something like that is more than justified for a nerf.
RMxDubhead finds on MeinMMO
So it’s not true that casual or occasional players always want the game as easy as possible. They also recognize when something is too strong or too powerful in the game.
The difference is simply that casual players do not have a large voice in the community, as they are also less active in it. While elite gamers and content creators express their thoughts publicly to Bungie and a large mass of players at any time. This often leads to the conclusion that their opinion carries more weight than that of regular players.
That this is not the case has also been emphasized by a Bungie employee.
What Bungie says about the current discussion
Has Bungie commented on the discussion? Indirectly yes. Bungie’s social media manager, Griffin Bennett, believes that no player in Destiny 2 should be publicly insulted for their opinion.
He tweeted on September 10 on his account: “I am really disappointed by many of the reactions to [Saltagreppo’s] post. He shared a well-thought-out opinion but was met with incredibly rude and occasionally toxic responses. Destiny thrives when players can share their respectful thoughts without fear of attacks.”
Furthermore, it can be assumed that Bungie does not change a nerf based solely on the opinion of a content creator. The developer had already announced before to review the Divinity and will gather its own data on the weapon’s usage and effectiveness in the game.
We assume that Bungie has an overview of the situation and knows how valuable the Divinity is for some players in Destiny 2. Elite gamers know exactly how to maximally harness their abilities, buffs, debuffs, and headshots. For all other players, even boss phases are not always doable on the first try, even with the Divinity.
The problem is therefore less about the nerf of a weapon and more about the difference in the abilities of these two player groups. There are therefore many themes that ensure that this is definitely a complicated matter.
Despite the hail of criticism from the community, Saltagreppo remained factual and is still willing to discuss the Divinity. The pro player just wanted to provide food for thought:
I provided feedback and enjoy discussing with people about the sandbox; many have very cool ideas. The [negative comments and insults] are unfortunately part of the process, but I still talk with them to better explain my perspective; maybe they will change their opinion.
Saltagreppo posted his statement about the hate via Twitter
Thus, he is doing something that other content creators and elite players, like the Destiny veteran Datto, have so far shied away from. They knew that it could be a tough discussion for them if they publicly called for nerfs. Only when the discussion became a huge topic did Ehroar, Aztecross, and Datto also jump on the bandwagon.
Do you believe it is possible for the day to come when content creators and players talk together about constructive solutions for Destiny 2? Or do you think that’s completely impossible? Feel free to leave us your opinion in the comments.
For all PvP players, a note: Bungie has already activated the announced quit protection. So be careful in the future if you plan to leave a match early:
And King86Gamer captures the feelings of most casual players even more accurately.
[…] Sorry if I have to say this, but not every Guardian runs a Day-One raid in 5-6 hours. Many Guardians take much longer and depend on various helps when it comes to damage. All these statements just ruin the game.
expresses King86Gamer on MeinMMO
A nerf forces everyone to adapt: These reactions were understandable. Especially since Saltagreppo, as the voice of the elite players, also mentioned the lack of options in Day-One raids for the top teams.
Due to the capabilities of the Divinity, it would ultimately push other exotics out of the meta, affecting the weapon balance. One would have no other choice but to use it.
Zero Tonin explains it like this:
You are forced to play Divinity when it comes to competition like [for example] Day 1 raids. That removes some skill. The best race car driver in the world doesn’t disable any part of his car just because the races are too easy for him.
writes Zero Tonin in the MeinMMO comments
Not all players are against change: Nerfs are usually something that takes away something good or fun for players in Destiny 2. However, the statements of the elite players that the “casuals” just want to keep everything that makes the game easier is also not true.
This was shown by yesterday’s nerf of the Lorelei Helm. Of course, it was fun to utilize the easy mode thanks to the overpowered Solar exotic “Lorelei Splendor Helmet.” But when the nerf came, there were hardly any complaints about it. Rather, players were aware that Bungie adjusted something that was simply too strong and that the nerf was long overdue.
As MRxDubhead commented on MeinMMO:
I’m glad it was nerfed. I’m also a Titan main, and it doesn’t bother me. The only thing that bothered me was that suddenly out of 6 people in the raid, 5 were Titans, of which 4 were always playing Lorelei to activate easy mode. Just the occurrence of something like that is more than justified for a nerf.
RMxDubhead finds on MeinMMO
So it’s not true that casual or occasional players always want the game as easy as possible. They also recognize when something is too strong or too powerful in the game.
The difference is simply that casual players do not have a large voice in the community, as they are also less active in it. While elite gamers and content creators express their thoughts publicly to Bungie and a large mass of players at any time. This often leads to the conclusion that their opinion carries more weight than that of regular players.
That this is not the case has also been emphasized by a Bungie employee.
What Bungie says about the current discussion
Has Bungie commented on the discussion? Indirectly yes. Bungie’s social media manager, Griffin Bennett, believes that no player in Destiny 2 should be publicly insulted for their opinion.
He tweeted on September 10 on his account: “I am really disappointed by many of the reactions to [Saltagreppo’s] post. He shared a well-thought-out opinion but was met with incredibly rude and occasionally toxic responses. Destiny thrives when players can share their respectful thoughts without fear of attacks.”
Furthermore, it can be assumed that Bungie does not change a nerf based solely on the opinion of a content creator. The developer had already announced before to review the Divinity and will gather its own data on the weapon’s usage and effectiveness in the game.
We assume that Bungie has an overview of the situation and knows how valuable the Divinity is for some players in Destiny 2. Elite gamers know exactly how to maximally harness their abilities, buffs, debuffs, and headshots. For all other players, even boss phases are not always doable on the first try, even with the Divinity.
The problem is therefore less about the nerf of a weapon and more about the difference in the abilities of these two player groups. There are therefore many themes that ensure that this is definitely a complicated matter.
Despite the hail of criticism from the community, Saltagreppo remained factual and is still willing to discuss the Divinity. The pro player just wanted to provide food for thought:
I provided feedback and enjoy discussing with people about the sandbox; many have very cool ideas. The [negative comments and insults] are unfortunately part of the process, but I still talk with them to better explain my perspective; maybe they will change their opinion.
Saltagreppo posted his statement about the hate via Twitter
Thus, he is doing something that other content creators and elite players, like the Destiny veteran Datto, have so far shied away from. They knew that it could be a tough discussion for them if they publicly called for nerfs. Only when the discussion became a huge topic did Ehroar, Aztecross, and Datto also jump on the bandwagon.
Do you believe it is possible for the day to come when content creators and players talk together about constructive solutions for Destiny 2? Or do you think that’s completely impossible? Feel free to leave us your opinion in the comments.
For all PvP players, a note: Bungie has already activated the announced quit protection. So be careful in the future if you plan to leave a match early:
