In the last few months we have heard all manner of game news. Fortnite was said to be falling off, if by losing a few million players out of their hundred million plus population, well, okay. Call of Duty launched their battle royale and is doing well. Diablo is on the Switch, and there is this little western game out there sweeping up all the headlines. Red Dead Redemption 2 is amazing. However, in all this news, Destiny 2 continues to prove its value with a hugely successful expansion called Forsaken.
In recent data reports Forsaken has done well for Activision. Players are logging back into the game and the console market is proving that an MMO can exist in that space and maintain its staying power. Destiny one was a solid launch and a great mix of online elements with a shooter RPG. With Destiny 2 many players felt much of the same, but joined onto the ride and began to play in the new story.
Now with Forsaken the game is showing its consistency with players. Unlocking the new powers is always fun and Forsaken offers several to each archetype or class. These powers give the classes new trees which cover several MMO troupes. The Titan gets some serious tanking power, while the Warlock hosts a healing tree. All based around Destiny’s raid philosophy which offers a good mix of story and epic content. None of it is easy or handed to you either.
Do people really care about the Destiny storyline and Cayde-6? Apparently so, this plot line adds some meaning behind the lore and unites players in goal to figure out the story, then act upon a battle deep in the world. Bungie does a good job in narrative design here. The plots are simple and effective and maintain a common thread to bring players back into the game.
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Destiny 2 is also pushing out an open world end game zone which will give players a reason to explore. This is something a lot of game get wrong. Once a player finishes their journey, every game goes into a gear grind. Don’t worry the gear grind is there too, but at least you have an open environment to run around in and explore. The raid in Dreaming City centerpieces this content and really brings in the MMO.
Finally, PVP has always been a success in Destiny. Players have spent nights fighting it out. With the new mode of Gambit, there are some additions to the competitive PVE idea which is creeping into more games. You have probably played Gambit a ton by now, so you understand its appeal. That is the type of gameplay which has put Destiny into the comeback phase. Iterating on great ideas and building a game mode which is fun, competitive, and exciting.
With these additions to the game, it is no wonder that Destiny 2 had a great month in September. With everything else going on the game world, it felt like the title was seeing some twilight, but not anymore. The question begins with how the next expansion will be planned and what do players have to look forward too. For now, Destiny 2 came in strong with some classic MMO ideas and new game mechanics to keep players happy and bring back a host of fans. Let’s hope more games follow suit.
