Ah so you’ve reached the true ending of this article. Congratulations! Is it possible to fix Destiny and get Destiny’s most loyal fans pumped about the game again? Well, yes and no.
Right now Destiny has one carrot for players to chase. Equipment. Get your light up, complete new harder stuff, get better weapons so you can grind faster and eventually complete the hardest raid (Crota’s End) so you can have enough materials to max out all your raid gear.
It’s safe to assume, based on leaks and its price point, that House of Wolves is going to be pretty similar to The Dark Below as far as content goes. Adding a new version of that same carrot in House of Wolves isn’t going to fix anything in the long term.
What Destiny needs to do, some of you reading this may not like. Whether you believe that Destiny is a MMO or not is irrelevant, if it’s going to have longterm success (whether it’s within the lifespan of Destiny or more likely Destiny 2), it needs to embrace the MMO angle or do something completely different, because its current trajectory isn’t going to be sustainable over the 10-year lifespan Bungie wants Destiny to enjoy.
Like other MMOs that have multiple “carrots” to keep players entertained, Bungie is going to have to find ways to keep players busy beyond just grinding their equipment.
One idea could be implementing some form of a crafting system where instead of going to battle, someone has to explore and gather rare materials to level up a skill that allows them to eventually craft powerful armor. Weapon variety exists but all max level characters are pretty much wearing the same exact armor with minor differences. Giving players the ability to experiment by creating different armor (and weapons!) with different perks would be a welcome change of pace.
Some people want to just socialize. Giving people different areas to hang out besides the Tower could also go a long way. While we’re at it, let’s improve the social functions of the game so people can efficiently make new friends and work together without the use of a third-party site.
Maybe instead of just being glorified vendors, players can venture on detailed side-quests from the different faction leaders that lead to worthwhile rewards while letting players get to know Destiny’s buried lore.
Let’s not digress too much; this isn’t a wish list article. The point is, Destiny needs something else to do besides just shooting stuff. Since its launch, Destiny has always felt trapped between half-baked MMO and a social FPS. It’s actually amazing that we’ve gotten this far before these complaints started becoming a hot topic. Hopefully, Bungie gets the hint in time for that rumored big expansion next fall or at least for Destiny 2. Expansions need to mix up gameplay in a meaningful way in order to be memorable and effective.
Bungie over the years has earned its reputation for being a smart, community centered company. So let’s give them the benefit of the doubt that they will hear their fans out and eventually deliver. However, if Destiny’s future is just more raids, strikes and 10-minute story missions, then it’s clear Bungie has lost its touch.