Following their departure from Microsoft, Bungie’s first game was polarizing to the gaming community. While some gamers saw this as a second coming from a company that could do no wrong, others saw it as a far cry from what they got with Halo. With high expectations preceding the game’s release though, many were in for a disappointment. Coming soon, Destiny 2 has many wondering whether to give Bungie a second chance, fearing it will be a hyped up flop that relies purely on name rather than substance for a quick paycheck. Here are 5 improvements that might win back some fans.

5. Grimoire in Game

Why is this even a thing? Having breadcrumbs of story and trivia is great in any game, provided it’s actually in the game. Nobody wants to be required to log into a website just to know what’s going on. We are decades past an in game bestiary or info section being a novelty. It’s sad too because the UI for the grimoire was well designed, making this a wasted opportunity for no apparent reason.

4. Guild System/Matchmaking

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In anticipation for the game some friends and I had found the option to create a guild so we could play together and have a hub where we could congregate. Although it did give us a tag under our names which allowed us to be identified in PvP matches it really did nothing else. I found myself going to party chat or my friends list to join people for groups because there was no guild chat. This felt like a step towards competing with MMOs however it was poorly utilized. This goes hand in hand with matchmaking, as while it was fine finding a small dungeon group you faced a much greater challenge with creating a raid. It would be convenient to be able to queue up and be paired with others who were of item level to do the raids. After all multiplayer games are for meeting new players aren’t they?

3. Map and Loading

In Destiny when you wanted to go somewhere, your first trip would be into orbit, followed by your actual destination. Logistically I should be able to open the map wherever I am and port without needing two loading screens. This would cut down significantly on load times, which is vital considering zones tend to be small and you end up travelling regularly. It was often brought up sarcastically that when we were prepared to do something we would get to look forward to our double loading screen. While load screens in games tend to be inevitable, it tended to be about the amount that could be loaded into game at once and with modern technology many games keep it to a minimum. To have a triple A title not only force you to load often, but ensure it’s two loads every time, is atrocious decision making.

2. DLC

This is a trend in the overall gaming community that needs to change. I don’t inherently dislike DLC and have purchased the extra content for many games. When developers have “extra” levels or content to offer there is no reason for them not to sell it to yearning customers. That is not what Destiny did though. The base game is incomplete due to removing parts to sell in future DLC, and this is not even well hidden. A DLC should be an addition to the game, not a piece of it. Finish your story arc and sell additional story, races, or classes afterwards.

1. Complete Story

There were so many problems here. I was definitely intrigued about the world and factions in Destiny, however nothing was ever completed. I don’t mind if they have an overarching storyline for their 10 year plan but to have just about every side story unfinished feels like a slap in the face to the players. I still remember one of the early missions on the moon where the hive had captured a piece of the Traveller which you were required to get back. Spoiler; you get it back, but not once during the rest of the game or DLC was it ever mentioned as to why the hive had it and what they were doing with it or if returning it did anything at all. Perhaps giving players a sense of accomplishment instead of a gun and a ‘to be continued’ is in order. Until improvements are announced for Destiny 2 I will look on with skeptical anticipation.

~~Josh Pang~~