I am hopeful about Destiny 2’s new roadmap.
A while back, I talked about a lot of my complaints regarding Destiny 2, specifically how content would be taken away after they reached a critical mass on their back end. I hated it. If I paid for content, I shouldn’t simply lose access to it because they said so.
Well, that was remedied in their big announcement, among many, many other things.
The new expansion, Lightfall, will release in February 2023. Revealing a new location, Neomuna, in Neptune.
The first big reveal of this is the trio of new subclasses, Architect for Warlock, Threadrunner for Hunter, and Tyrant for Titan. Called “Strand,” these new subclasses utilize psychic energy, tapping into the “4th dimension” to destroy your enemies. These new subclasses look very interesting, and now that all three base specs are completely revamped and generally well received, having a new subclass by next year is a welcome inclusion.
After so many years, we’re finally getting an in-game LFG system, called Fireteam Finder. There’s nothing here that’s super innovative or anything, but it is worth noting that this is not a matchmaking system, meaning that it will not auto-queue you or anything, rather function like a traditional MMO party finder. This is much needed, and will make things so much easier for finding groups for any content.
Additionally, Guardian Ranks will be Bungie’s take on a prestige system. Per their description: “Higher ranks require you to ‘prove’ to other players that you are a strong player and leader.” This may mean tangible rewards for proving mastery in things, such as speed running raids, or doing a Strike without dying, etc. This will be great for completionists and trophy hunters alike. Guardian Commendations will also be included. This is similar to FFXIV’s system. Nothing too much more to it.
The expansion’s price will raise to 50 dollars. While steep, it’s implied that every season during that expansion will be free, included with the expansion. So in the long run, you’ll save a lot more money, even if you have to pay a bit more up front. I kind of like this new model. My only worry is the season rewards being toned down as a result. If the rewards aren’t at least as good, then it may not feel worth it, regardless of how many seasons are free. The benefit to paying for each individual season was that you could pick and choose which season was “worth it” to you, even if you were a hardcore player. Now, if you decide not to play for a couple of seasons, or play at all, you lose out a bit more. It’s a small deal though, especially given how much you’re getting in this expansion itself.
The expansion itself looks great, lest we forget about the new upcoming season, Season of Plunder. This season features Arc 3.0, the last of the reworks. It has generally been well received, and with the cycle now complete, the metagame will surely develop naturally. Season of Plunder is also Arc focused, giving more incentive to give the new specs a try. The Deep Dive can be found here.
Lastly, a Destiny 1 classic raid will be making its debut in Destiny 2: King’s Fall. This raid was pretty popular way back when, and seeing it in Destiny 2 is a welcome sight. The classic gear will also be returning, giving old school players a familiar nostalgia kick in current times. This raid will launch August 26th.
I’m pretty excited for this new expansion, as I now feel confident that I’ll get, and keep what I paid for. I didn’t play too much of the Witch Queen, and I wouldn’t mind dusting off the ol’ Stasis Hunter. I have plenty of time to get acquainted, anyways. My concerns are with weapon customization, overall weapon balance, and longevity of Gambit and PvP. While I don’t need every weapon type to be perfect, I would like to not see exactly 1 type dominating for a whole season. This has been an intermittent problem in PvP, but I trust that things will slowly improve. Destiny 2 has stood the test of modern gaming times, and I fully believe it will continue to do so for years to come.