Last Monday, Destiny turned five years old. Our author Christopher sees this as a good opportunity to reflect on his best moment and consider the future of Destiny 2.
Which moment am I talking about? For experienced MMO players, this may come as a surprise. But my best moment in the past 5 years of Destiny was a 10-hour raid run in Destiny 2 that ultimately failed.
Because during it, I experienced a new type of content that makes Destiny 2 an absolutely unforgettable gaming experience on console for me even today.
Raids have since become – in my opinion – the best thing the game has to offer.
When was the moment? This moment was probably about 2 years ago. In September 2017, I dove into a Destiny raid for the first time – and played through for over 10 hours straight.
Why was my first raid so late? In Destiny 1, it was much more complicated to play a raid, as you had to assemble your own fireteam. In Destiny 2, you can let the game handle player matchmaking with “Guided Games,” which is why I only got to play my first raid on a console with Destiny 2.
The Memory of Past Days
Why was this moment so special for me? The player matchmaking made it extremely easy for me to get into the raid, and soon people found themselves wanting to fly to Calus’ Leviathan with me. We spent hours exploring all the hidden mechanics and thoroughly investigating the ship.
One of the funniest phases for me to this day is still the circus section on the Leviathan. Here, as in the rest of the raid, it was particularly important that everyone communicated well. Terms like Chalice, Sun, and Dog were vital at this point. If a player didn’t fulfill their role correctly, it was usually the end for everyone else.
This led to a tremendous group dynamic and some of the funniest moments and conversations in the entire game. After spending hours trying to understand a mechanic, the joy was immense when we finally succeeded. But it’s precisely this effort and teamwork that makes the raids something truly special.
Without a proper raid team, no matter how good you are, you still won’t progress. Certainly, this isn’t fundamentally new in the MMO space, but Destiny made raids on consoles a norm. Something I am still very grateful to Bungie for.
After spending many hours in the raid, unfortunately, we couldn’t defeat Calus on our first try. Our first run went well over 10 hours and ultimately we failed. One more attempt turned into what felt like hundreds, but we had nothing left to counter the Emperor of the Leviathan.
Was I disappointed? No. Quite the opposite. For me, the motto in raids to this day remains “The journey is the reward.” The experiences and funny moments are much more valuable to me than completing a raid on the first attempt.
After I had the chance to experience the fascination of “Destiny Raid,” I installed Destiny 1 on my Xbox a week later and caught up on every single raid from the Glass Chamber to the Wrath of the Machine and I do not regret it. I realized there is a reason why these activities are still played by Guardians today.
A Game Full of Special Moments
This is how Bungie celebrated the anniversary: The developers also remember the moment when it all began. On Twitter, they thanked the players who embarked on the journey into the universe of Destiny 5 years ago.
Destiny 1 celebrated its release on 09.09.2014.
Why Destiny has always been special: As a player from the beginning, I have gone through hell and back with this game. It took a while for Destiny 1 to become the game that everyone loved so much.
Most Guardians will likely still remember the story of the difficult development of the game. With Destiny 2, the whole spectacle repeated itself and once again, we were reliant on trusting the developers. Over the years, I have built a very special connection to the game because I knew that trust would pay off.
Through the fundamentally very good gunplay and the deep lore of the game world, Destiny continues to captivate me to this day.
Why I am looking forward to Shadowkeep: The upcoming expansion already holds a very special place in my heart. It’s not about the quality, as I can logically only judge that when Shadowkeep is released. But Shadowkeep brings back many memories of Destiny 1. What others would call a recycling festival, I find great.
The Moon was one of my favorite places in Destiny, and I can’t wait to rediscover the same locations in a new way and even find a new feature or two.
Also, with the Garden of Salvation a piece of Destiny 1 returns – in the form of the Black Garden. The raid will surely be something special again, and I can’t wait to dive into the next adventure with my teammates.
What was your best moment in 5 years of Destiny? Tell us in the comments!
