Year in Review 2018 Letter Series: Destiny 2-Through Thick and Thin

Last September, Destiny 2 launched, and I thought it was a great game. However, people fell off easily since it didn’t capture their attention past the cap level, and the added DLC was weak and disappointed many fans. We wanted more lore, more end game material, and something we could really sink our teeth into.

Destiny 2: Forsaken was the biggest expansion to the series, and was exactly what Destiny fans needed. Whether you’re a casual player, into the lore, or just want to play against other people, Forsaken was the redemption story the franchise needed. Although it broke many of our hearts to see one of the main characters (and the comic relief of the series) go, it started a part of the story we wouldn’t forget. Avenging our fallen vanguard member, Cayde-6, felt amazing, but we also got a brand new lore series and a continuing story over the next few weeks.

The Forsaken installation showed longtime fans and hardcore players alike that Bungie cared about the way we wanted to play. We didn’t want to finish the story, get to the highest level in a few weeks and then stop playing. That was the expectation, and we were tired of feeling let down. Forsaken has held up so well, my friends and I log on every week and are still discovering new activities, ways to grind up to the highest level cap, and the best tricks to grab new exotics.

Forsaken’s storyline was one of the best Destiny has offered us. I enjoyed playing through it  more than the fan favorite Taken King expansion from the original Destiny. Discovering the Dreaming City for the first time was magical, and seeing it unfold over the next few weeks was even better. I was excited to log on every Tuesday after reset and be the first one to see all the new things to discover (I still do every Tuesday). Bungie outdid themselves with new content for fans, even adding a three player dungeon activity, which was the closest we would get to a mini raid. I’d say that this is the best time to be a Destiny fan. But things haven’t exactly stayed perfect.

After Forsaken, Bungie launched an Annual Pass for players to continue their endgame content, and providing updates to keep the game alive. The pass is a hefty $34.99, and it includes 3 main expansions that are unlike their predecessors, featuring less story content and more endgame grind. Personally, I don’t have too much of an issue with the price point; you get a ton of new activities and content to last for a year. But there is a problem: you can’t buy each expansion separately.

In order to play the newest content, you have to pay for the rest of the year’s expansions as well. Some would say this is the best DLC launched, and I think most would also agree that this is a huge step forward from the major flop of their original Destiny 2 DLCs, Curse of Osiris and Warmind. However, if you were like me and extremely disappointed with the day one content drop, you might regret your $34.99 purchase.

When the Black Armory DLC dropped a few weeks ago, I was ready to turn on my console and jump right into some new content with my friends that had been hyped up for weeks. Well, I was quickly disappointed to learn that in order to play the new stuff I was excited for, I had to level up and grind older content for a couple of days to be successful in my attempt at the new stuff. Being a longtime fan, this was a slap in the face to me.

But after playing for another week, I have no problem with the grind and the content, and I see that Bungie is trying to make this experience as long term as possible. Does it still bug me that I’m not getting the content that I’m used to? For sure. But, the game has been thriving more than ever. I’ve been playing Destiny 2 nonstop with friends and strangers for the last year and a half, and I’ve made more friends through this community than I have through any other game in my life. So I guess I can thank Bungie for that.