As a seasoned gamer with decades of gaming experiences under my belt, I’ve witnessed the rise and fall of many beloved franchises. However, the tale of Destiny is one that stands out, not just for its longevity but also for the twists and turns it has taken over the years.
In Destiny 2’s Cosmodrome, old Russia, I find myself in the Skywatch area along with a handful of other players. We’re all patiently waiting for adversaries to appear. Suddenly, a Hive Tomb ship descends directly above me, unleashing exactly two enemies. I swiftly take them down with my machine gun barrage. My fellow players move towards me like hawks, but I claim both kills before they can reach, prompting them to retreat to rooftops and boulders, waiting for the next wave of enemies. Minutes stretch on as we wait for more adversaries to appear, and then we repeat the rush.
In this specific game scenario, I’m targeting these specific fish in this specific barrel as it’s necessary to earn the Legend title, a badge showcasing in-game accomplishments displayed under your name. Essentially, another player scoring a kill means I don’t, so we’re all vying to spend the least time possible here. Bungie, the developer, introduced this title for the game as part of its 10th anniversary celebration of the original Destiny. The task I’m currently engaged in is actually a humorous reference to the early days of that game. To complete it, we need to eliminate numerous enemies in Skywatch and gather “engrams” – essentially weapon or armor drops – from them.
Initially, when Destiny was launched in 2014, the process to elevate your character level and meet the prerequisites for its endgame content such as the Vault of Glass raid was quite grueling. At a certain stage, your power relied on the attributes of your equipment, making you perpetually pursue weapons and armor with superior levels. The distribution of gear was sparse; it could be obtained from participating in Strike missions, but often irregularly and inconsistently, or as random drops after defeating aliens. However, the gear wasn’t always an upgrade to what you were currently using.
Initially, gamers unearthed a spot known as the Loot Cave in the Cosmodrome’s Skywatch. Here, enemies would continuously respawn if you eliminated them quickly enough. Consequently, we all positioned ourselves on a rock within Skywatch, maintaining an optimal distance to avoid affecting the spawn rates. All we did was fire into the throng of enemies. Engrams were dropped at random, but due to the abundance of enemies, this boosted the drop rate from frustratingly scarce to absurdly generous. Although it remained tedious, it was at least more productive than repetitively playing the same Strikes without any rewards for your efforts.
Currently in today’s Skywatch observation, I’m perched on a rock, keeping watch for adversaries that eventually show up in varying quantities, lasting roughly around half an hour. During this period, only a solitary Engram descends. I snatch it, hoping to be done with this monotonous nod to Destiny’s less appealing aspects, and assess my advancement: 7%. To proceed further, I require a total of 13 more engrams.
Yup, I think. This feels like Destiny.
If you suggested to me that the purpose of this Skywatch mission was merely to tease the Destiny community about the Loot Cave, I wouldn’t find it hard to believe, given the amount of time it seems I would need to finish it. It could indeed be an ingenious prank, if there were a humorous payoff somewhere along the line. However, Bungie has already played this joke more effectively and amusingly with the Grasp of Avarice dungeon during their 30th Anniversary event – an occasion that felt genuinely festive.
It’s more probable that the engram drop rate issue is simply an oversight, making what was once enjoyable feel disappointing. Since Bungie mentioned adjusting enemy density in Skywatch, it appears this assumption is correct. It’s not surprising that something fun turning into a letdown aligns with Destiny’s 10-year anniversary experience.
For Destiny’s 10th anniversary, there isn’t much to celebrate except for a few secret chests hidden in the Pale Heart of the Traveler location and a new title, “Legend,” which is easily achievable by completing some objectives that vaguely remind you of the original game. However, these objectives are not particularly challenging or innovative, making the title less appealing to players.
However, you won’t find anything for purchase in the Eververse shop within the game, there are no special in-game celebrations marking the occasion, and generally speaking, there’s not much incentive to engage overall.
It’s quite peculiar, isn’t it? Although today marks the anniversary of Destiny and not Destiny 2, the game we’re currently playing, in essence, they share so many similarities that it essentially boils down to a difference in the number on their packaging. In other words, for all intents and purposes, it’s still just Destiny.
Not only that, but we’ve recently witnessed the climax of the Light and Darkness Saga, a tale that initiated on September 9, 2014, and could very well be Bungie’s finest Destiny creation to date. The Final Shape brought Destiny 2 closer than ever to realizing Bungie’s vision for Destiny – blending engaging shooter mechanics with a captivating, intriguing universe that draws players in, filled with compelling characters and heartfelt narratives.
Instead of triumphantly celebrating a win, it seems that Bungie’s grand finale is being met with spectators leaving the venue and making their way towards their vehicles.
Initially, when Bungie unveiled this game, they mentioned it would span a 10-year journey for players. Frankly, that sounded rather far-fetched at the time. Yet, we’re now approaching the end, and looking back, the journey has been astonishing in many aspects. You don’t have to be a supporter or participant to recognize that Destiny stands out from most others when it comes to longevity, popularity, development, and impact. This game has constantly innovated and reinvented itself, transforming over the past decade into what was originally conceived, while consistently defying the label of being a “dead game.” Its enduring success has had a significant impact on the broader gaming industry–sometimes negatively, as is common when corporations follow trends. Nevertheless, it continues to demonstrate the appeal of the idea of a “live game.
In truth, it’s quite unusual for a game to have a ten-year long impact like Destiny has. Other MMOs and multiplayer games such as Team Fortress 2 or Counter-Strike may also be considered in this category, but it doesn’t take much time before you’re discussing entire series and franchises. These are brands associated with numerous games and sequels that have been released for years. The 10th anniversary of Destiny, even though it seems a bit odd due to the technical sequel inclusion, remains a significant milestone.
It’s not hard to think that the 10th anniversary of Destiny might appear hasty, given the circumstances. Just two months after releasing “The Final Shape,” Bungie made significant staff reductions, letting go approximately 220 people in July. Among those let go were key figures such as veteran executives and members from the writing team who had contributed significantly to the development of Destiny 2, helping it evolve beyond a typical live game. Remarkably, Bungie had already dismissed around 100 employees just a few months earlier in November.
It appears that there’s not much to rejoice about regarding the Destiny franchise at the moment. The player count has decreased following The Final Shape, which is more than the typical decline after an expansion high, and it seems that The Final Shape didn’t sell as well as Lightfall, the preceding expansion. Since Sony acquired Bungie for $3.6 billion in 2022, it looks like they may make additional changes or cuts to the studio in the future. Contrary to expectations of a bright future for Destiny less than two years ago, the situation now is significantly dimmer, even with Bungie providing a vague outline of the next year and a half of Destiny 2 in a series of blog posts released this past Monday alongside an in-game update.
If a significant portion of your team is let go during the peak popularity of your video game series, it often results in a relatively uncelebrated or underappreciated anniversary.
Whenever I bring up the original Destiny, I can’t help but openly acknowledge that I wasn’t fond of it initially. However, as Bungie refined Destiny and Destiny 2, addressing its most tedious elements, eliminating time-consuming tasks, and embracing the distinct, enjoyable quirks of their creation, my appreciation for it grew significantly.
Absolutely, Destiny continues to embody many aspects of live-service games, where the primary goal is to maintain players on a continuous loop of progression to encourage microtransactions. However, it also embodies some exceptional concepts. It has the potential to weave captivating narratives that make use of its expansive universe and rich history. It frequently provides an immersive and fantastical experience that few other games can match. Destiny consistently presents us with innovative gameplay challenges and teamwork opportunities that have yet to be surpassed by any other game. Initially, Destiny was intriguing, but over time, it evolved into something noteworthy and often commendable within the realm of video games.
Two additional episodes of content are heading to Destiny 2, with expansions planned up until 2025. Although recent layoffs have caused a significant impact on both Bungie and the Destiny community, it’s too soon to predict that Destiny’s future is in jeopardy. However, as we reach the ten-year mark, I find myself at Skywatch, anticipating enemy appearances, pondering if Destiny’s future will bear much resemblance to its past.
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2024-09-12 01:09