5 Ways Bungie Is Improving Destiny 2 for New Players

A Clean Slate for Loot

Yesterday’s Destiny 2 gameplay reveal brought with it a ton of new announcements and details about the upcoming game. Dedicated Guardians are likely counting down the days until they can begin earning loot once more, with the added benefits of new and improved features that are set to bolster the core experience. However, Destiny 2’s gameplay reveal didn’t just bring exciting news for the most committed fans in the community, but for newcomers too. As long as the game delivers on what we were told yesterday, Destiny 2 couldn’t be a more perfect

It’s going to be tough for dedicated Guardians to leave all of their hard-earned loot in the first game, but it’s a necessary step that Bungie needed to take for Destiny 2. In doing so, everyone starts at the same point, preventing a split in the community between newcomers and dedicated players.

It also ensures that those who poured thousands of hours into Destiny 1 don’t spend the first few months dominating the Crucible while everyone else catches up. Sure, there will still be those who, within a matter of days, are running a perfect loadout, but at least it doesn’t put newcomers at a disadvantage from the very start both in terms of gear, and mentally being discouraged from trying as well.

While your gear will remain in Destiny 1, it’ll forever live on in memory. At least you get to bring your Guardian over, anyway!

More Defined Classes (and Subclasses)

Our features editor Ishmael Romero was at Destiny 2’s gameplay event and got plenty of hands-on time and impressions with the game. One of the improvements he noted during his time with Destiny 2 was the way in which both the classes and subclasses feel more defined and unique. While this will certainly allow dedicated players to perfect their Fireteam loadouts and strategies, it’s also a pretty great improvement for newcomers too.

With more to differentiate between each of the three classes and their respective subclasses, Destiny 2 looks set to make it far easier to choose and master your character role. In the first Destiny, it wasn’t that clear what role Hunters, Titans, and Warlocks all had in a fireteam. At the start, they were more or less all damage dealing classes with varying degrees of usefulness depending on the situation. With the exception of the Defender, and later the Nightstalker which both served as support roles for the other subclasses, party role was very fluid. For example, Hunters in vanilla Destiny were not very sought after in the first raid, Vault of Glass. So anyone picking that class expecting to lead the way in vanquishing Vex, were probably quite disappointed. That script flipped of course in Crota’s End where Hunters were arguably the most sought after class to take on Crota. It’s easy to see how casual or new players would be confused.

For Destiny 2, Bungie seems interested in giving the subclasses more defined roles. Titans for example, look like they are finally heading towards the path of being a true tank class. The Defender subclass seems like it’s on the way out, and instead it’s natural defensive style is being pushed to all Titan subclasses.

It might sound somewhat trivial, but in a game that’s best experienced with others (and with Bungie really driving community interaction in Destiny 2), these more refined classes are sure to help newcomers find their roles within the ranks of Guardians.

A New Story

This one somewhat speaks for itself. Destiny 2 may not be severing ties with the story and great cast of characters we met in its predecessor, but it’s by no means a straight continuation of anything going on in the first game. Sure, Cayde-6, Zavala and the rest will pop up every so often, but this time Guardians are pushing back the darkness of a new threat.

Said new threat is Dominus Gaul, the leader of the Cabal group known as the Red Legion. These folk were taught that they were the ones worthy of receiving the Traveler’s light, and with humanity getting the light instead, well… they’re not pleased. As a result, Dominus and the Red Legion intend to take your light and claim it as their own, as any self-respecting villain would do.

While dedicated fans are sure to pick up on a few things that’ll go over the heads of newcomers during Destiny 2’s story, a clean break is a perfect way to ensure new and veteran Guardians alike can appreciate and enjoy the story Bungie has crafted. Here’s hoping we get plenty of memorable moments and even more lore tidbits in Destiny 2.

Guided Games

Bungie’s social lead M.E. Chung took to the stage during Destiny 2’s gameplay reveal yesterday to talk about the community. Over the course of almost three years, the Destiny community has grown to become one of the most dedicated out there. However, Bungie is well aware that there were still many who didn’t find their place in the world. That’s where Guided Games comes in.

Only fifty percent of people who reached the level cap in Destiny completed a Raid, and that’s a figure Bungie wants to ensure is way higher this time around. Guided Games seeks to bring even more people into the community. The feature allows solo players to join up with a clan to fill a vacant spot in a Raid, Strike, or Nightfall. Both the clan and the solo player can accept or decline one another, too, allowing both parties to veto one another until the perfect match is found.

Considering Raids are such a significant part of the Destiny experience, making the matchmaking system more personal and streamlined makes experiencing them far more enticing. Additionally, it gives newcomers the opportunity to meet and interact with members of the community they otherwise wouldn’t, and we all know playing Destiny was way more enjoyable with company.

Loot Sharing for Clans

M.E. Chung didn’t just announce Guided Games, though. In-game support for clans was announced and will give players a number of customization options to boot. While this in itself is sure to help newcomers find like-minded players and become a part of the community, Bungie had to sweeten the deal for more dedicated players. After all, not all Guardians are equal in skill and the amount of time they can dedicate to playing.

The answer is loot sharing for clans. This means that, regardless of whether you play one Strike a week or three a day, everyone in the clan will be contributing towards a common goal that’ll unlock more loot. As a result, it makes sense to bring more people into your Destiny 2 family and share experiences together, because who doesn’t want more loot?

While we’re yet to see exactly how loot sharing in a clan will work just yet, additional rewards regardless of your performance could help to make the grind less arduous for newcomers.

All in all, Destiny 2 is looking like a perfect sequel for veterans of its predecessor and complete newcomers to the franchise.