Why Were Strike Emblems Removed in Destiny 2? Explained.

Years ago, in Destiny 2, strikes used to have strike-specific loot, that loot included emblems. Since then, Bungie has removed strike-specific emblems and loot. Today, we’ll reveal why strike emblems were removed in Destiny 2.

Destiny 2 is a live-service game of completion and collecting. Whether it’s exotic guns, armor, or even emblems, players enjoy having something to chase after. That said, Destiny 2 used to have specific emblems tied to their respective strikes. In fact, there used to be a challenge system in place where you would apply challenges to a strike scorecard.

In fact, if you and your fireteam reached over 200k points, that would allow for the strike-specific emblems to finally drop. Some might even remember your guardian would earn a unique helmet glow for the week if your fireteam broke that 200k in the weekly Nightfall. Unfortunately, as Destiny 2 evolved over the years, systems like these that held content behind skill benchmarks were removed, or at least diminished.

This is because Bungie has had a history of making rewards more accessible for a wider array of players. That is likely in an effort to help keep player retention higher if rewards can be earned easier. That kind of design philosophy can also be seen in game modes like Trials, where Adept weapons can be earned without a completely flawless ticket.

The trend of unique rewards being tied behind challenges is a concept that helps keep long-term players engaged. If Destiny 2’s in-game rewards aren’t good enough, or unique enough, in relation to the difficulty required to earn them, then most players won’t engage with that content. That’s why raids are still so popular, because there are exotic and craftable weapons tied to completing them.

As of late, strikes have fallen by the wayside in terms of content worth grinding. Which is a shame when in Destiny 1, there were systems in place that rewarded you more for consecutively completing strikes in the strike playlist.

For more like this, check out our piece on Destiny 2’s 2024 guardian games.