Since launch, it has been clear that Destiny had suffered from a lot of flaws. Of course, as we are getting close to the end of the first year since the launch of the game, we have seen some adequate improvements with the launch of the first two expansions, and expect to see a major improvement when The Taken King launches next month. Thanks to an article by Ben Reeves from Game Informer, he laid out the three major issues that are impacting Destiny, and how Bungie is fixing them.
Problem 1: The lack of story-telling
To those who are unfamiliar with the main plot of Destiny, it is a “mythic science-fiction world” as described by Bungie that follows the events after the collapse of the Golden Age. During the Golden Age, human life-span extended throughout our solar system of the Milky Way Galaxy and then started to face a decline to extinction during the events referred to as “The Collapse.” The only survivors who have survived “The Collapse” now inhabit the Last City on Earth, and are guarded by a mysterious white sphere “The Traveler.” As the Guardians of The Last City, it is up to the players to venture out into the Solar System to fight the mysterious hostile alien race, and reclaim all that has been lost from the Golden Age.
The Traveler guarding the Last City on Earth
Of course, it not the plot that is hindering Destiny, it is the narrative that is told as the players progress through the game, and the only way to dive deeper into the narrative is to unlock Grimoire cards by investing time into the game, and read the Grimoire on Bungie’s website. Thankfully, this is all bound to change with The Taken King expansion this September, and should be easier to follow. “An evil creature – consumed by darkness – has returned to our solar system, seeking revenge for the death of his son.” This is a much simpler segment to grasp, because it gives the idea of what is actually happening. The narrative also blends in with the gameplay as well, which is beneficial for a more memorable experience. The NPC characters the players encounter in the Tower will also have a meaningful role that ties into the story of Destiny, and even the in-game companion “The Ghost” will play a major role into the narrative as the game progresses.
Problem Two: The Progression System
One of the biggest and most complex aspects of Destiny was the leveling system. From the beginning, the leveling starts of with the progression system from one to twenty by simply eliminating enemies and completing missions and bounties like in traditional RPGs. Once the player reaches level twenty, they can advance over level thirty, but to do so, they need to acquire certain gear that has a certain element called light.
Players who are not fond of this system will be glad the light leveling system will be taken to a different direction when The Taken King launches. There are currently no details on how it will play out, but now the light leveling system will be separate from the player’s character leveling system. Of course, that means in order for the player to reach level forty in the game, they can simply go through the same process just like they did as progressing from level one to twenty. However, the light leveling system is still very significant part of the game, and is identified by a different number, which pulls in all the light based gear the player has equipped. The light level is also a great representation of how strong the player is, and will play a major role in the certain strikes and missions they play on, since each mission throughout the game will have a recommended light level.
Problem Three: The Grind Fest
This is what became one of the major issues in Destiny. This loot system was almost like gambling and expecting to randomly get the best items by chance, which made the complete experience feel unbalanced and making other players feel as if they are being held back from progressing through the game itself.
This is also another aspect of Destiny that is going to change, when The Taken King launches. New shells to remodel The Ghost, and a revised item slot will expand for relevant items for the players to collect. With Bungie fine-tuning the algorithms of the loot system for random equipment drops, the players will more likely receive the weapons and armor that will be worth to add to their collection. The progression from receive weaker gear to more robust gear will be well polished out as well.
Destiny: The Taken King is set to launch on September 15, and it’s starting to look like it will make a huge redemption for how it turned out the first year.
