Destiny 2 Announces Major Updates Ahead

In a 5,000+ word Destiny 2 news update, Joe Blackburn (Game Director, Destiny 2) laid out plans for updates in the next few seasons. Citing player complaints around updates feeling too repetitive, with in-game content not being challenging or rewarding enough, Blackburn laid out a roadmap for changes to the game intended to dial up the difficulty while streamlining in-game mechanics. The four main goals he laid out for Destiny 2 in 2023 were:

• Expand players’ imaginations  
• Bring challenge back to Destiny 
• Enrich our content 
• Connect our Guardians 

Regarding the lofty roadmap and goals laid out for Destiny 2, Blackburn stated:

"It’s not going to happen all at once, and we most certainly will try some things that aren’t going to land right on the first attempt. But we are going to continue to take risks with Destiny 2, because we think taking risks is essential to surprising and delighting our players."

Here are (some) changes coming to Season of Defiance and Season of the Deep

(Note: Season of Defiance is live with the Lightfall update)

• No more Umbrals and Umbral Energies to focus seasonal engrams
• Seasonal chests will unlock with a single key farmed from the seasonal activity
• Fewer but better seasonal vendor upgrades
• Deepsight weapons only drop for patterns you don’t have yet
• More challenging Vanguard Ops playlist
• New Crucible modes Countdown, Countdown Rush, and Checkmate Control
• Lake of Shadows and Arms Dealer strikes upgraded
• Battlegrounds missions added to Nightfall rotation

(Updates for Season of the Deep and beyond include)

• A new Looking for Group (LFG) tool
• Exotic armor added back into main activity loot pools
• Exotic mission rotator to bring back Presage and other favorites
• Random weapon rolls can be enhanced just like crafted weapons

One major change coming to Lightfall will address the power system at large. Ability cooldowns will be slower, and it sounds like the team has tentative plans to scrap the grind of its loot-power system altogether (though not for a few more years). “While we don’t want the entire game to feel like it’s turned up to 11, we think these changes will help the enemy forces patrolling Neomuna feel dangerous and worth your attention,” Blackburn wrote. 

I highly recommend checking out Blackburn's blog (linked above) for more in-depth details regarding these updates, as well as other initiatives in the works for the game, such as creating a more robust social system for players to connect. It's nice to see the Destiny 2 team take the time to lay out a considerate plan of attack that seems to engage directly with what players are wanting. While it's still unclear how the changes will be implemented exactly, and what that may do to existing game mechanics like crafting, at least the team is looking into ways to breathe new life into the longstanding title.

Do you think these changes will help bring more players to the fold and keep the active players happy? Are you a fan of Destiny 2 with some opinions to share? Let me know in the comments below!