Destiny 2 is an immensely popular shooter game that is available on PC, Playstation, Xbox, and Stadia. Over the past few years, however, there have been mixed reviews on the popularity of the game. The divided reviews have been largely been fuelled by several factors including weapons recategorization, elimination of the original raid, and the inclusion of newer activities, such as the Lost Sectors and Adventures. On the other hand, Destiny 2 has also been hailed for changes to PvP and overall improvements in the game world.
In this article, we are going to explore the popularity of Destiny 2, the different changes that have occurred over the past few years, and how these changes have affected the popularity of the game.
Destiny 2 In Numbers
Unlike its predecessor, the meteoric rise of Destiny 2 is pegged on its versatility and compatibility with multiple platforms including PC, Playstation, Xbox, and Stadia.
Although Bungie has never published the official number of Destiny 2 players, there multiple third-party sites that track various parameters of the game. For example, the number of Destiny 2 players took a nosedive amid the Covid-19 pandemic, although there has been an upward trend, thanks to the latest expansion pack named Beyond Light.
Image Source: Twitch Tracker
According to statistics published by Twitch tracker, the highest number of Destiny 2 viewers in November 2020 was 108,000. During the same period, 6,474 channels streamed the game live to fans all over the world. In terms of the number of players, 2020 statistics published by Gamstat.com indicates that Destiny 2 had 21+ million players on PS alone. With all these numbers, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the demand for Destiny 2 boosting service has continued to grow, with players hiring professional boosters to help in making progress in the game.
Destiny 2: Then Vs Now
If you’ve been playing Destiny 2 since the beginning, you probably have seen overhauls to the game, improvements within the game’s architecture, or even lack of it for that matter.
Let’s take a look at some of them.
Guns
In the original Destiny game, weapons were categorized into three main classes, Primary, Special, and Heavy weapons. When Destiny 2 was initially released, there was plenty of reorganization for the weapons, as they were now categorized as Kinetic, Energy, and Power weapons.
Some of the Primary and Special weapons featured in the original game such as hand sidearms and cannons were now classified as Energy and Kinetic weapons. The Power weapons category, on the other hand, included shotguns, sniper rifles, and grenade launchers.
The Shadowkeep expansion also introduced two major changes that affected gear. For starters, instead of using random perks, the "Armor 2.0" system now started generating armor using randomized characteristics such as class, class skill, assigned element, and energy level. Secondly, the Shadow expansion introduced a new array of armor mods, which are mostly limited by element type and energy requirements.
The Forsaken expansion revamped the mod system further. And although gear still accepted mods, some of the items could only be acquired once from the game's world, either from the vendors or as activity rewards. Along with that, players could add or swap the mods from the cost in glimmer, making it easier to customize gear.
These new elements eliminated the inherent flaw of Destiny 2 having weapons with almost similar powers and limited customization, allowing players to look forward to new loots. Recently, the Destiny 2 team revealed they’re be launching legendary guns in the future that have a power level cap. The announcement has been hailed as it will give meaning to the grind and in exchange for new and powerful weapons.
Based on this information, it’s safe to say that there’s a transition in Destiny 2 in the area of guns and armor, and the potential for a bright future is immense.
PvE and PvP Environment
Initially, Destiny 2 had a decent catalog of content to explore including adventures, bounties, and lost sectors, meaning players could spend many hours in both the PvE and PvP activities without getting bored. The Iron Banner, Trials of the Nine, and the weekly Raiding also turned out to be substantial additions to the endgame, and they kept players going back week after week.
With that said, the content became stale at some point, and worse still, players ended up getting rewarded with a bunch of generic rewards after grinding for long hours.
Fast-forward to today, Bungie has continued to churn out loads of fresh content for new and returning Guardians to explore and enjoy including new zones, strikes, and exotics.
Key among the largest and most popular boons in Destiny 2 is the seasonal structure. And although the seasonal structure is also offered by other leading games such as League of Legends and Diablo 3, Destiny 2 has perfected it. It runs for three months, with each new season introducing new, fun, and exciting activities in the universe for the Guardians to complete.
Gameplay Experience
The smooth and tactile gaming experience of Destiny 2 is the strongest point of the game, and the concept has remained unchanged from the beginning. The game runs extraordinarily smooth, and slaying the enemies is oddly satisfying for the Guardians.
Final Thoughts
The long arm of technology has had far-reaching effects in the gaming industry, and Destiny 2 hasn’t been spared. With the help of technology, Guardians can now enjoy a seamless gaming experience across different mediums.
In today’s competitive gaming world, no player players are looking for games that offer new exciting experiences. With that said, no one wants to start playing a game, only to realize that it has been hurriedly replaced with a new version. If the slow-paced expansion of Destiny 2 is anything to go by, it is safe to assume that the game still has a good shelf life left in it. And considering Bungie has been using the seasonal content to revamp the universe, you can’t rule out the possibility of Destiny 3 in the future.