With a poorly chosen or communicated reward, Destiny 2 ruins the grand finale of its coolest puzzle yet. Not much was needed for a worthy conclusion to the mammoth puzzle – even with the same reward.

What was the puzzle about? Many Guardians had been eagerly waiting for this: Yesterday, on January 20, the massive puzzle surrounding the mysterious symbols and codes in the Corridors of Time was solved. This unexpectedly came into play with the Weekly Reset on January 14 and kept thousands of players busy for a total of 6 days.

More on that can be found here: The giant puzzle in Destiny 2 is solved – This is the reward

This is the largest and probably the most complex puzzle of Destiny 2 so far. It casts previous mysteries and the associated puzzles such as around the Perfected Outbreak, the Whisper quest, or even the notorious Niobe puzzle into the shadows.

This is how the last Destiny week went: Led by numerous well-known Destiny experts and streamers, many players diligently collected symbol combinations in the accompanying labyrinth. They matched these using programs, websites, and extensive data sheets, created a huge map from it, and ultimately cracked the mammoth task.

Poor reward – This is why the puzzle is disappointing in the end

How is the puzzle received? The puzzle itself is very well received by many players. On Reddit and in social media, the actual puzzle receives a lot of praise and acclaim. Many consider it the coolest puzzle feature that Destiny 2 has offered so far.

But the finale, or rather the reward, many were eagerly looking forward to, causes disappointment for many.

What reward was there? At least as much speculation occurred throughout the puzzle regarding the potential reward as regarding the puzzle itself. What might await as a reward at the end of the massive puzzle, many Guardians wondered.

In the end, a theory came true, which many apparently wish in hindsight was not true. The reward was not the Vex Mythoclast from Destiny 1 that many hoped for or a widely suspected exotic sword – Guardians received the new exotic item “Chronometric Weapon Core”.

With this item, one was then sent to Saint-14 in the Tower and received a new exotic quest for the fusion rifle Bastion – the 3rd and probably last weapon exotic of Season 9.

Why is there criticism regarding the reward? And it’s precisely with this reward that Bungie is facing various criticisms. But why, actually?

The puzzle completely surprised the Guardians. It came unannounced out of nowhere and built significant suspense. Comparable puzzles ultimately brought back popular exotic returns from Destiny 1, and once again, many hoped for an unknown highlight for the ongoing Season 9.

However, the reward, namely the exotic quest and the corresponding weapon exotic Bastion, were already extensively known – even before the puzzle. The quest for Bastion was actually supposed to start according to the roadmap on January 28. The quest steps were largely already known through entries in the game data, just like the properties of the new weapon exotic itself.

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Thus, the Guardians basically exerted tremendous effort and solved a huge new mystery, only to be confronted with something already known in the end. The expected big surprise completely failed to materialize, and nothing came of the exciting reward.

So the actual highlight of all the efforts was rather a disappointment and not an appropriate conclusion for a new puzzle of such caliber – this is the general sentiment of many fans.

What was missing for the crowning conclusion?

This is the biggest problem of the puzzle: In the eyes of the players, not much was needed for a reconciliatory finale – basically just a small thing. Most critics are not even concerned with the quality of the new exotic quest or the Bastion itself.

Rather, it is about the fact that at the end of the exciting unknown something already known was waiting. It’s like going to a thrilling movie only to realize at the end that the whole finale was already seen in the trailer – and just the finale. It should be clear that this doesn’t feel particularly rewarding or satisfying.

The biggest problem, in the eyes of numerous players, is the communication. Bungie simply revealed too much beforehand.

This is what players wished for the perfect finale: Many would have been absolutely satisfied with the outcome of the puzzle, the new quest, and the new exotic if Bungie had simply communicated nothing about the Bastion, not mentioned it at a different (later) date on the roadmap. Just by that alone, the mood would be completely different now, many Guardians believe.

However, a hype was created in which players expected something different, something unknown, only to be bitterly disappointed with something “old” at the height of the built-up tension.

In short: Even if many are disappointed – the reward itself is not really disappointing. It was simply chosen poorly or rather communicated unfavorably beforehand. Had players heard nothing about the Bastion and its quest beforehand, many would simply have been excited about the coolest puzzle of Destiny 2, which finally led them to a truly completely new weapon exotic.

Instead, the top-notch puzzle is now completely overshadowed by how disappointing the reward for 6 days of hard work and numerous sleepless nights is – even if it is actually about a completely new exotic.

Only a little more finesse could have created a completely different mood here.

What do you think? Would you have wished for a different ending – preferably without a previously known quest and reward? Or are you happy with the outcome of the puzzle and the reward?

By the way, the Bastion will be easier to get soon:

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In Destiny 2, the guessing game is over. As a reward for the efforts, a new Exotic awaits: Bastion. We take a closer look at the kinetic fusion rifle and tell you how the weapon performs in PvE and PvP.

This is the weapon in question: Bastion is an exotic fusion rifle for the kinetic slot and requires special ammunition. The fact that the weapon is kinetic and does not deal elemental damage like any other fusion rifle is Bastion’s unique selling point.

The weapon fires three projectiles in rapid succession after charging. Each of the projectiles contains 7 projectiles (eng. Slugs). With one unit of ammunition, Bastion fires a total of 21 small projectiles.

Bastion is at home in the family of precision fusion rifles with a charge rate of 740 (780 through perks) and damage of 80. This includes, for example, The Important Ingredient. However, Bastion behaves very untraditionally.

Instead of being futuristic and elegant like other representatives of its kind, Bastion appears raw, martial, and mechanical. The weapon has a noticeable punch.

Additionally, the Exotic has these unique perks:

• Fists of the Saint – Charge to fire three salvos of kinetic ammunition
• Breakthrough – A portion of this weapon’s damage bypasses elemental shields.

How you can get Saint-14’s special weapon yourself, read in our guide:

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On the Test Stand – What can Bastion do?

This is how Bastion performs in PvE: Small adds and weaker enemies are taken down by Bastion in droves. Against enemies that are a bit tougher, Bastion performs well, but not outstandingly. It is worth noting that both body and headshots deal the same damage.

How about shield bypassing? Damage against enemy shields is also reduced with Bastion – as with any kinetic weapon. About half of the projectiles deal additional damage to the shield, and a small portion of the damage attacks the protected health bar directly. However, this cannot compare with the damage of a suitable elemental weapon.

In combat against the AI enemies of the Guardians, Bastion makes a rather average figure for an Exotic. Although Bastion is classified as a fusion rifle, it plays more like a hybrid of a futuristic fusion and a shotgun. The weapon can be compared in many respects to the Exotic Lords of Wolves.

This is how Bastion performs in PvP: In contrast to PvE, Bastion holds its own better in the Crucible. This data is important for PvP:

• One projectile deals 29-30 damage.
• This means a salvo can deal a maximum of 210 damage.
• If all 3 salvos per charge hit completely, the opponent receives 630 damage.
• There is no precision damage with Bastion.
• The optimal range is about 15 meters.

The weapon has a decent kick. It currently seems that the recoil can be better controlled with a controller (exceptionally) than with mouse and keyboard.

Comparable fusion rifles deal about 40 damage per projectile (also with Liquid Coils). However, weapons like the Erentil only manage 7 shots and not 21 per unit of ammunition.

Bastion is a super-killer: Where Bastion excels in PvP is in the fight against powerful Supers. The combined damage of the projectiles usually sends a hostile Super back to respawn in one charge. So you can confidently face the so-called most powerful weapon of the Guardians.

Another strength of the unusual fusion rifle is hip-firing. Each salvo has a very compressed shot pattern. This does not seem to change much even during hip-fire. So unless the situation absolutely requires it, you don’t need to aim precisely.

How is the new Exotic received by the Guardians?

This is what the community says: Many Guardians are currently expressing their dissatisfaction with the weapon. The reason for this lies in the mega-puzzle that the community has been grappling with for a long time. However, this is criticism of the weapon as a reward and not of the performance of the Exotic.

Currently, Bastion receives mediocre reviews from serious Destiny players. In PvE, the weapon is nice, yet many prefer other top Exotics. Whether the weapon allows for strong and creative builds will be revealed in the near future.

In PvP, the fusion rifle is more convincing. Especially the ease of handling and the enormous damage output are praised. Whether the weapon is worth its Exotic slot in the long run and can displace the dominant Jötunn remains questionable.

What do you think of Bastion – are you giving the rather unusual fusion rifle a chance? How do you see the development of the current weapon Exotics in Destiny 2?

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