Bungie has set off an open yet extremely complex reaction when they launched a new pocket of epic raid in Destiny 2: The Desert Perpetual. The official Destiny account posted and called on the players to “assemble your fireteam and sing for the end of the unknown” against these four new Vex bosses named Agraios, Iatros, Epoptes, and Koregos. Sounds epic enough, eh? Well, the replies have perhaps echoed into a wail unto the void rather than in unison.
So what is the raid about, anyway? Another one of those high-stakes, mechanically intensive activities Bungie seems to churn out. These are the activities that need flawless coordination plus six really well-qualified players with no leeway for error. The kind of content that makes a real divide between hardcore and casuals. And judging by community response, this put content through the ringer and revealed huge cracks with Destiny’s player base.
The top concern raised in replies, perhaps even more than the content, is whether there are players who can even play it. The discussion has included lamenting stories of raid groups breaking up and vanishing: @RoxlydeTweets plainly stated, “Everyone I used to raid with quit…”, whereas @Gage66620578 simply echoed, “If I had anyone to do it with I would, all my friends quit and LFG’s are idiots.” This theme does really roll around there, and since it runs for some time now, it remains ever so devastating. Are gamers now losing their regular gaming mates, and is the Looking For Group system filled with people one individual describes as “idiots,” and the other calls “toxic”?
Then there is the anxiety that accompanies it all. @farnworthy_89 stated it on behalf of quite a number of players: “I’ll try it when you bring back explorer mode and expand it to all raids and dungeons. I can’t take the anxiety of people treating you poorly for trying to learn or messing up.” Here it goes into something real: the fear of entering top-tier content with strangers who will absolutely trash you for not fully knowing the mechanics. Then @Farnworthy_89 is far from alone in this feeling, even preferring solo content because those reliable gaming partners “have long since left the game.”
Now, the counterpoint to this cry for easier times is just as loud. @REALLYSOFTBEAR responded to the raid haters with, “Oh so my raids need to be glorified strikes because retards refuse to learn mechanics? No thanks.” Then doubled down with, “Hardcore cope. Epic raids are meant to be hard. I’m sorry you can’t run through content without learning mechanics. Maybe quit being ad clear and pick up a mechanic or two.” Oof, that is the kind of thing that backfires and scares people off.
Then, @Twist92331616 seems to answer the question as to why most players are shy about going on raids: low players count, toxic community, gatekeeping, and the classic paradox of needing experience to join groups, but needing to raid for experience. That is the authentic chicken-and-the-egg problem the Destiny endgame has suffered for years.
Some players are coming from here; @Fuoco136 predicts it as “the least played raid,” while @mcclain164 apparently quit but still can’t hold back a comment as to this matter, eventually causing @Zaunitez to call him out: “Quit the game but still commenting 😂.” And there you have it, the essence of the Destiny community drama.
Meanwhile, others are requesting the exact opposite: @uldren wants Spire of Stars back, @Matthew49926408 spontaneously wondered if “Maya can be deleted,” while @BrentBrewe48879 posted a gif of some dude trying to dodge questions about Bungie’s promised but still elusive “State of the Game.” It’s like everybody’s got some wish lists and grievances piling up
From there, the conversation even slides into Discord LFG territory for @FarisWeelll to “find carries,” and @SassenachHunte1 is just looking to be carried for the auto rifle, doesn’t “care much for anything else.” Fair enough- everyone seems to be doing it just for that one drop.
What is really interesting is that a single raid announcement turned into a massive therapy session for the Destiny community. These four new Vex bosses aren’t really front and center- it’s the health of the game, the state of the player, and whether or not openly, Bungie’s design philosophy at the moment is viable. When the most hardcore can’t even find teams to do your new content, that’s a problem. When the new players are too intimidated to give it a shot, that’s a problem. When those who try start tearing each other apart over whether the content should be hard or should be easy, that’s a big problem.
The Desert Perpetual raid might be immaculate, mechanically speaking, and beautifully designed; from all that we do know, the question arises: What does it even matter if there isn’t anyone playing it because they either cannot find teams or fear toxic interactions? Bungie continues to bring out beautiful endgame content, but the social infrastructure to support it all seems to be falling apart; players have been isolated, social cat clubs have collapsed, and all LFG nowadays is a gamble with way more misses than hits.
Maybe the real raid boss is not Agraios or Iatros or Epoptes or Koregos. Maybe it’s just the widening community divide that has bloomed with each new content drop. Or maybe it’s just another Tuesday in Destiny land, where everything about the gameplay is awesome, while looking for players seems to be the real endgame. Yeah, the Vex aren’t the only thing players are fighting these days.
