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Blog entry by Brodie Petit

Destiny 2 is Taking Small Steps Forward with Many Lessons to Teach

Now let’s talk about the changes to the PC version. Overall, not a lot has been added in terms of content. Like the original release, players will need to wait a little bit before jumping into the Leviathan Raid and Trials of the Nine, which is a little disappointing for those transferring over, but it makes sense in the overall timeline. It’s up to Bungie to bridge the gap between PC and console updates moving forward, though. The mouse and keyboard controls are a welcome addition to the formula as Destiny almost feels perfect for the twitch-based shooting. Granted, this can be said about almost every first-person shooter, but Destiny feels even more attuned for keyboard and mouse controls than say Halo. I’m still unsure why Q was assigned to grenade when G is wide open, but thankfully you’re able to completely remap your commands to better suit your style.

One of the biggest questions around Destiny 2 is if Activision and Bungie are doing enough to fix what is an extremely wonky machine, and if so, can it be saved? Destiny 2 does have a dedicated fan base, but even that has hit a low point compared to when Destiny found itself going through these same woes, just with less grief, which makes sense. Destiny isn't perfect and it came a long way from when it launched, but many of the problems in Destiny 2 didn't exist for Destiny. In many ways Destiny 2 felt like it had taken about a thousand steps back. Now Destiny 2 finds itself not only on the same trajectory as the original, but also with more patches and leaks to fix. The boat was sinking as soon as it hit water, it just took a little time at sea to see just how bad things were.

Well that didn’t take long. It’s only been about a month since Destiny 2 released and it’s already struggling to hold its players’ attention. Many are focusing on loot or the sheer lack of content as the cause, but the game's real issues run a bit deeper. Having loot to grind for is all well and good, but it doesn’t amount to much when there’s not a whole lot one can actually do with it. The game’s economy has also undergone a very player-unfriendly change, https://Www.Destiny2Focus.Com one that encourages microtransactions and hoarding over fun and engagement. Even the moment-to-moment gameplay has suffered. What was once relatively fluid and fast-paced combat has become slow and laborious. As it stands, Destiny 2 meets the basic requirements necessary to be called a full and proper sequel rather than a glorified expansion, but falls into the category of unsatisfying sequel that "fixed" all of the wrong things.

The RNG system is still here but has been streamlined to be more rewarding. Faction Leaders regularly dole out Legendary items after you turn in enough Faction currency to them, which can be found by participating in activities in the world, playing Crucible, breaking down old items and participating in Strikes. All-in-all, it’s not much of a chore to get to a high Power Level to take part in the late game activities. What has been negatively impacted in Destiny 2 is a player’s ability to customize their Guardian and earn certain rewards

Dark Souls and Demon’s Souls were easily two of my favorite games to have hit the last generation of consoles, so when From Software announced a "direct" sequel, my anticipation was palpable. Somehow, From Software is able to create some of the most grueling, most depressing worlds out there, while at the same time urges us to venture forth. While there are some hitbox issues that can add to the frustration, the bosses, environments and enemies are all well throughout, along with an incredibly intriguing hidden storyline that ties directly into the past game. It’s almost as if the developers deliberately set up scenarios to screw over players, but we took it and enjoy every minute of it.

It would seem that the Fallen have been able to get their hands on the Golden Age SIVA nanotechnology, transforming them into technologically enhanced beings capable of mass destruction. This story is pretty cut in dry as you’re initially tasked with investigating the Plaguelands, which leads you to gain further information on SIVA itself, and then you need to destroy the Splicer leadership.

This is where the Cabal are fiercest, and it doesn’t help that they have also been looking into the Vex Gate, so you will need to get past their forces to make any progress. It's revealed that the Vex are returning through this gate to the Black Garden for an undetermined reason, so like any good Guardian, you follow them through. This is where you will arrive at a very unnerving location as the Vex seem to be worshiping a Black Heart. The final boss of the vanilla game, the Sol Progeny, is summoned to defend this heart, and upon defeating them, light is restored within the Traveller.

It's been less than a year since Destiny 2’s launch, with highs and lows, but mostly lows. Players may have fallen off Destiny 2 faster than a Sparrow racing its way through…oh wait (I miss Sparrow Racing). It's this exact feeling, however, that Bungie is battering its player base with. For those who have come from Destiny and stuck around -- through gritted teeth -- and those who are newcomers to the IP, it's been like climbing a vertical mountain that's starting to invert itself on the way up. Slowly, Bungie has course corrected and it's filling in much of the gaps that should have been filled in to begin with. When an entire weapon selection is useless for much of the first year, something might be wrong, especially because it leads to one of the worst grievances of all -- not having fun.

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