Destiny 2 players are struggling with the game’s lack of content lately, and while it’s definitely a “first-world problem” to have, I can sympathize.
As a former habitual player, I have felt their pain. When a game becomes a part of your daily routine (for better or worse), it can feel like there’s a hole in your day-to-day when things change. And things have changed a lot for Destiny 2 players over the past few years. I haven’t touched it in quite some time, and it appears I’m not alone as the game currently has less than 7,000 players on Steam.
It definitely feels as though Destiny 2 is not the main priority for Bungie right now, after it launched Marathon almost three months ago. The extraction shooter’s second season is launching in a few weeks, and Destiny 2 has been left in the lurch, with many players opining that it’s been sidelined. But for some, they just miss what used to be.
“I can’t play other games anymore,” one Reddit user and Destiny fan said. “This game was meant to be the one you always go back to. PvE. PvP. PvPvE. It had everything. I’m just stuck playing so many different games, but they don’t fill the same void.”
It does seem as though Destiny 2 has reached its max potential, and no expansion or update can help bring back both players and excitement. Instead, it feels like a true sequel is needed to reinvigorate the series.
“Maybe Destiny 3 will come,” the player continued. “I beg it does. Because the rabbit hole is too far dug this time [and] it’s not like the other times Destiny struggled. It needs a reset.”
In the ten-plus years since Destiny launched, it’s gone through several “droughts” and been declared dead many times. This drought feels worse than normal, though. The game’s next major update, Shadow & Order, was supposed to launch in early March, but it’s been pushed back to June 9, as of now. And while there’s undoubtedly still a chunk of Bungie staff working on D2, it feels to many that the game is being sacrificed for Marathon, which is having plenty of its own struggles.
“I feel the same way, too,” another Destiny player replied. “This game was my all time favorite. I miss the days of just vibing in the Tower emoting and dancing with randoms, or someone breaking out the drum emote and everyone starting a dance off. I miss helping blueberries in the Cosmodrome. I loved the music, I loved the setting, the Eliksni are my favorite alien race and anything involving Caiatl got my attention too. Seeing it go downhill because of greedy shareholders and CEO’s absolutely breaks my heart. I’d love for this franchise to get a breath of fresh air from people who actually care about it.”
One of my main issues with Destiny 2 over the past few years is that The Final Shape expansion felt so good, and like a truly satisfying endpoint to the original saga. But instead, the story has continued with subsequent expansions and updates (with varying degrees of success) in a new story, and it hasn’t felt the same.
“I think the big reason it went downhill was that we defeated the main big bad that we had been building towards for years,” one player agreed. “We were told repeatedly for years that the Witness was the biggest threat to the Light, and we beat him. The newer expansions just don’t capture the same fear and setting that made us fall in love with the game.”
Destiny 3 may one day come, if Bungie and PlayStation will it. I also hope it does, because I think it would be genuinely exciting for not only habitual players but erstwhile ones who can be enticed with a new universe, new characters, gear, and an all-new experience. And who’s to say that maybe Destiny 2 feels the way it does because a chunk of Bungie has moved on to work on a potential sequel? Maybe we’ll hear more soon.
For now, Destiny 2 may continue feeling stagnant even with some decently-sized updates to keep the most dedicated Guardians involved. I’ll always be down to check things out when they pop up, but deep down, I want something new.
