Good ole Destiny 2. If I can say anything about Bungie’s Destiny franchise, is that they always find a way to pull me back in. But this little discussion is going to be a little different. I am actually looking forward to what Bungie has in store for the esteemed “schlooter” (is this really a thing? Please no). There are some big things that will be taking effect this fall, and it is positioning Destiny 2 to be the go-to first-person shooter. But to me, there is one thing that has me playing on a semi-consistent basis now. The grind. It’s fun. Weird huh? Let’s discuss.
Growing Fat From Strength
I logged into Destiny 2 for the first time in a while about two weeks ago and I have to say, there is a lot to do. And not just throw-away quests that don’t mean anything. I mean, there is plenty to do that will help you obtain powerful engrams to help you level up. You know what that means? The grind is actually enjoyable. There are so many options to choose from when it comes to leveling up that it makes it easy to pop in, do some stuff and gain a few levels, then hop off. If I don’t have too much time to play I can just jump in real quick, complete a few strikes with some random guardians and call it a night. During my next session (which could be a couple of days later) I can dabble in some of the other games modes: like the PVP focused Crucible or the hybrid of both PVE and PVP, Gambit. Or I could simply just complete bounties from all of the different vendors throughout the tower. It is fantastic to be able to have all of these options to obtain powerful gear.
It makes my Destiny 2 sessions feel a little more rewarding and gives me a nice sense of progression. It also makes the game feel more manageable in terms of leveling up my character, and I feel like I can take my time to prepare for the next big content drop and not have to grind my butt off just to level up a few levels.
To top it off Bungie is adding even more ways to get powerful gear. The most recent addition is the Menagerie. A chaotic mess of a game mode that pits six guardians against a whole slew of baddies. Let’s break it down.
Get What You Want
The Menagerie is a mode that focuses around Calus (a character in Destiny 2) and him further testing your abilities. To unlock the Menagerie you have to run through a few quests steps. These don’t take too long and they also help you level up quite quickly along the way to prepare you for the Menagerie. Once you are in the Menagerie, get ready for hell. It is an all-out blitz of bullets and explosions and it’s great.
The idea behind the Menagerie (and here is the best part) is that you know what you are getting when you come out of it. To begin you have a chalice. This chalice is your ticket into the Menagerie, but before you can enter you have to insert a rune into the chalice. These runes are the specific gear pieces that you will obtain after completing the run. Cool right? The interesting part about this is that you can upgrade your chalice to hold more slots. These additional slots are reserved for different types of runes that can further specify the exact drop you want from the run. Do you want a hand cannon with a certain trait? Or maybe a sniper with a certain masterwork? The options are there. And they are guaranteed. Now admittedly I have only done the Menagerie a few times so I will defer to other websites on the very specifics of how to get certain rolls, but I can confirm that the game mode is fun and really opens the doors for what is to come.
What Does This All Mean?
So where do we go from here with Destiny 2 and the future of Bungie? Well from my perspective, Bungie is trying their best to evolve Destiny 2 into two things: Something casual players can enjoy, and something hardcore players can master. They have had a difficult time keeping both types of players involved with the game. But I think they are on the right path to making Destiny 2 a true gem.
September brings Shadowkeep, the new DLC for Destiny 2 and with it, a new and vastly improved Eververse as well, something players have been yelling at Bungie for some time. Couple this with the Menagerie, a fun grind to get the loot you want, and tons of stuff to level up. And not to mention Destiny 2 will also go free to play starting in September. Crazy right!? I think with these new additions, it will be the perfect time to give Destiny 2 a try. If they can keep creating content like the Menagerie and continue to give players fun stuff to do, we could really see Destiny 2 rise to greatness. I have to say I am impressed and honestly didn’t really have much hope left for Destiny 2. But after playing these past few weeks and knowing what is coming this fall… the future is bright.
Eyes up guardian.
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