As expected, today Bungie published a blog outlining the state of Destiny 2, and what they plan to do going forward to address community’s concerns over the game. Primarily, the intent is to keep long-term players engaged through more meaningful rewards and systems designed to increased the game’s longevity.
Find out how Bungie’s missteps have been alienating Destiny 2 fans.
“Going forward,” reads a statement from game directors Luke Smith and Chris Barrett. “Destiny 2’s post-launch game systems, features, and updates are being designed specifically to focus on and support players who want Destiny to be their hobby – the game they return to, and a game where friendships are made. We want Destiny to be a game that fits into your life, providing you with reasons to log in and play with your friends, clans, and families. We want Destiny to be a world you want to be a part of.”
The blog post wasn’t just philosophy, either, as Bungie outlined some very specific changes coming to Destiny 2. Some of the biggest additions include a “Masterwork” weapon tier, which will feature stat trackers, re-rollable random stat bonuses, and unique item details. There are also improved vendor rewards, adding new ways to acquire items with shards and tokens, and armor ornaments that add new types of visual customization without the need for spending shaders.
Several of these updates will be coming in updates on December 5 and December 12. Later in the month, a heroic strike playlist and more generous rewards will encourage more strike play. Rewards for adventures and lost sectors are on the way, but won’t make it in time for the December update.
January will bring better incentives to complete prestige activities – though details on those aren’t yet specific. Private and ranked PVP will be coming to the game sometime early next year.
You can check out in full the changes coming to the game in the official announcement, with especially detailed reports on what will be available in the December 5 and 12 updates. Bungie will be uploading a new podcast shortly featuring Luke Smith and Mark Noseworthy addressing the condition of the game.
Bungie also spoke specifically on the recently madeXP changes, removing an invisible scaling system while doubling the requirements to reach the next level. “We already see that the newly adjusted 160K XP per level value means that leveling is too slow for some activities, and we have begun the process of collecting data and recalibrating XP earn rates to improve them as quickly as possible.” They say there will be plenty of further tweaking and calibration of this system in the future.
Perhaps most significantly, Bungie will be taking greater efforts to communicate with players in the future. “We know it’s frustrating when there isn’t enough of a dialog with the development team. You have our commitment that we’re going to do a better job going forward.”