It has been about three full months since Destiny was released to the world. Since then, I have invested about 148 hours into my main character, a Voidwalker Warlock. Yet, it was only after my first week that I wrote areviewfor Destiny here. Looking back through those long months of Destiny, Destiny has certainly changed a bit.
Please note, this is a reflection from my experience with Destiny so far and and a long-built post evaluation of the game after its review.
Destiny had a bumpy start since launch. Despite many problems and criticisms, Destiny still had a lot of potential. Throughout the three month period, Bungie has experimented differently with their game, based on the requests of fans and already ongoing problems. One problem that they did not address was the lack of content, a key request to many Guardians. Not actual extra content was added to the game itself. Yes, we had received the Iron Banner and The Queen’s Wrath. But those were only temporary. The Queen’s Wrath was especially disappointing, considering that it was already hinted within the main campaign and thought to be new content, but eventually became another bounty grind; it was actual worth it since you received Legendary loot, but it was patched so you wouldn’t receive ascendant materials after breaking them.
The game is still as repetitive as it was at launch. This was another element of the game that was never really addressed at all. This slightly changes once you reach around level 28, where you are able to compete in the Nightfall and level 28 Weekly Heroic Strikes. These two modes add a slight variety in terms of how to approach certain enemies, how to approach the Strike as a whole, and the difficulty. Yet, this is mostly feasible for those in groups and for those that can manage to such a level. The daily missions are also worth noting, especially if you attempt them at level 28. But once you realize that the slight increase and difficulty are only an addition to the same missions and Strikes, you realize that these are generally the same, repetitive, missions and Strikes.
The Raid has also had its fair share of problems as well over the months. Some critical portions of the Raid, especially the final battle with Atheon, have had many reports of bugs. Bungie have tried to fix them, but it still wouldn’t be surprising to see an error occur right in its final battle. One bug worth mentioning was how three players in the back room would teleport once Atheon made them teleport. To many at first, this was thought to be a part of the Raid and users have utilized this in their strategy against Atheon. But when it was announced that this was a bug all along, a patch was done to make players teleport randomly instead this basically ruined the Raid’s experience for many since it removed what was once an essential strategy.
Compared to the other modes, the Crucible did not have as much problems. But there were still problems. At times, the Crucible would still feel unbalanced, mostly because of the perks used. At times, it would even appear as if people have done some sort of exploits in order to gain an advantage. The layout for one map in particular, Blind Watch, changed the experience for numerous people as it was more hectic. The Iron Banner felt somewhat broken at times. Probably the biggest problem was the lack in the amount of maps, considering that some of the maps were not playable throughout the different modes.
As said, Destiny has had a lot of problems within the last few months. Bungie did their best, as it appeared, to fix these problems. Most still linger to this day. Yet, there is a dark to every light. These problems may have affected the game. But there is still much good that bring it back up.
Destiny was generally meant to play with friends. After playing story missions alone, this would later be realized. No matter how repetitive this is or how it lacks content, this game is always fun to play it how it was meant to be played, with friends. This was generally how I have played this for the majority of my time. It would have been better if more modes allowed a full six-player fire-team. But the three-player fire-team seemed to be enough for a majority of the game. Difficult missions and Strikes feel so much different when you have others to play with, to strategize with, or to simply show you something you might have missed.
Despite the problems with the Raid, the Raid is still one of the most difficult and unique multiplayer experiences I have ever played in. The way it implements stealth and platforming brings these elements that would have thought never existed. The boss fights required actual teamwork and communication with your fire-team. Actually gaining good gear brings a very satisfied feeling, if you are lucky.
Despite the few problems with the Crucible, it is still one of the most enjoyable competitive multiplayer experiences I’ve had with a FPS. The few random modes bring a nice variety every now and then. Yet, the actual gameplay and combat is fun. From teleporting across gaps to blasting away a team capturing a control point, it is still a very fun experience.
At the end of the day, not matter how good or bad, Destiny will always be a well built game in terms of presentation and its universe. The environments are still gorgeous as a whole. The audio is still enjoyable to hear during combat, no matter how many times you’ve heard a track. The story may not have much to it and requires you to read the grimoire, but the universe itself is still well built, with amazing lore about its enemies, worlds, and even about the exotic weapons; if only this was more implemented into the actual game.
Bungie may have tried and failed to fix some of the games problems. But some of the changes done have actually been beneficial. A beta for fire-team chat was added for Crucible and Strikes, which helps you chat with strangers during these modes. Materials from worlds can now be bought, instead of farming for hours. Extra bounty slots have been added, to help you do more bounties and level up. Changes to the exotics have helped many of them becomes stronger; but some are still weak though. The changes done to the recent Iron Banner made it an event worth waiting for, where there are less boundaries and higher level gear to earn. Even little changes made in the game, such as the Halloween based update and the message in the Loot Cave, have shown that there is life and Bungie intends to add more.
The Dark Below Expansion is here. It will bring numerous changes to the game overall, with a free update that may affect other players. New content includes new guns, increased level cap, three new story missions, a new Strike (two if you play on Playstation platforms), the New Raid, and more. From what is shown, it appears to have more story and more depth than the actual game, and appears to provide the same enjoyment.
Overall, my rating for Destiny still remains as an 8/10, a very good game overall. The core game has had problems at the start. But games can change later on and can generally get better. Did this game get better though? This is up to everyone’s individual opinion.
Your Destiny continues at the FextraLifeDestiny wiki
