Before the start of Season 18, rumors circulated in Destiny 2 that Bungie is considering removing the Power level. Now Bungie’s Game Director has officially commented and actually given players hope for adjustments. But before that happens, we’ll be doing a few ‘strange experiments’ with you in the upcoming Lightfall DLC.
What is the change to the Power level about? Just before the start of Season 18, Liz from the Twitter channel Destiny-Leaks made a post hinting at the removal of the actual Power level in Destiny 2.
Her announcement was surprisingly well received in the community and left some hoping to escape the grind wheel in Destiny 2.
Especially since advancing the Power level currently requires a lot of time and is also largely based on randomness. Something that many players would like to rid themselves of completely, without hesitation.
Especially the comparison between the “real” Power level and the fleeting artifact Power level shows players that it could certainly be easier to collect Power in Destiny 2.
Players hope for less grind in the future
Though the ongoing Season 18 hasn’t introduced any changes to the Power level system yet, the topic doesn’t seem to be off the table.
The latest statements from Bungie give players hope that the supposed leak turns out not to be just a rumor and that they will soon need to invest less time in leveling or be disappointed by the RNG system repeatedly.
Bungie is considering adjustments, plans initial tests: In an interview with GamesRadar+, Joe Blackburn, the head of Destiny 2, revealed that Bungie is indeed considering this.
He doesn’t talk about the complete removal of Power or the Power level system – but he hints at possible changes to it.
We still want to make significant changes to the Power system. We viewed [weapon] crafting as a daunting task we wanted to add to Destiny, and Power is ten times that. There are some good things that Power brings to the game, and there are some really bad things that Power currently means for Destiny.
explains Joe Blackburn, Bungie’s Game Director
This emphasizes that adjustments are not an easy change for the gameplay of Destiny 2. They take time and especially a few live tests to make the right decisions for the development of Power in the long term.
Bungie announces ‘strange experiments’: He did not elaborate on what these tests would look like. But he informed players to expect that a few “strange experiments in the year of Lightfall will be launched”.
Players know exactly what they want from Bungie
In advance, the Destiny community has already voiced its own thoughts and ideas on how such changes might look in the future. Or rather, what they wish as players from the developer.
Here are two of the strongest options:
- Option A: No more Power through gear
- Players would only level by purely collecting XP. Powerful or endgame loot would be redundant. Players would have a certain Power level, but it wouldn’t be defined by gear anymore. Such a system would be very close to the current artifact system.
- Option B: No activities locked behind the Power level anymore
- Every activity in Destiny 2 already has a certain level of difficulty, which is somewhat independent of the player’s Power level. Therefore, both new players and veterans can tackle every activity because activities have a fixed difficulty level. This has also been consistently continued with the Legendary Campaign of Witch Queen 2022.
The game would simply further utilize this fact with Option B and scale the difficulty based on the player’s Power level. For example, you would always be 15 underpowered in a Grandmaster Nightfall or 25 underpowered in a Challenge Nightfall. No matter what level the player has.
- Every activity in Destiny 2 already has a certain level of difficulty, which is somewhat independent of the player’s Power level. Therefore, both new players and veterans can tackle every activity because activities have a fixed difficulty level. This has also been consistently continued with the Legendary Campaign of Witch Queen 2022.
When are the tests supposed to start? On February 28, 2023, the new DLC “Lightfall” will launch. From then on, there will be four fresh seasons where Bungie is apparently planning to conduct its tests. When exactly or in what context remains to be seen. However, it cannot be ruled out that the experiments might even be tied to seasonal events.
Will Bungie completely remove Power leveling? No, that is currently rather unlikely. Leveling has been a part of Destiny 2 for years, defining the loot shooter.
A large part of the Guardians also draws their motivation for the game from leveling their Power. Also always with the goal of being able to play certain activities, such as Challenge Nightfalls or Grandmaster Raids.
Joe Blackburn also notes that the current system ultimately also “tells players what to do” and helps them structure their progress in Destiny 2. Therefore, Bungie also has to consider the downstream effects for other parts of the game when they want to change the system in the future without taking the fun of progression away from the players.
What do you think about the confirmation or alteration of the Power system in Destiny 2? Are you happy that Bungie is working on the Power system or do you prefer it as it is now? Feel free to share your personal opinion in the MeinMMO comments.
Read here why thousands of Guardians are currently dressed in gold:
