The game company Bungie has given the players of the Destiny 2 a powerful boost, but the community has a sideways response. Initially, the developers announced that the Guardians could now take a Techsec Supply Drop, which was located in the Tower next to Zavala. This was to give the players the opportunity to get a powerful gear, plus an enormous number (777,777) of Unstable Cores that would eventually enable the players to increase their account power to more than 300. It sounds very good and attractive, doesn’t it? However, it looks like there are players who are very much puzzled by this move and their responses are mixed.
What then is this power boost? To put it simply, Bungie is helping the players who could not make it through the existing power system. The Techsec Supply Drop allows one to gain instant access to the higher power levels while skipping the grind which is regarded by many as too tedious. However, the downside is that a considerable number of players have already reached the power level of 300 and above and, as a result, this power boost feels somewhat pointless for the most dedicated players.
The reactions on social media have been tremendous. Some players are ecstatic about the free stuff – one user in particular even stated “Ok ok i will download the game again” while another simply said “I can finally play the game.” On the contrary, there is a group of players who criticize this decision the loudest. Many players have asserted that they are in the power level range of 400-450 and have been there for weeks. So for them, a power boost to 300+ is of no use whatsoever. Ouch!
Moreover, the nostalgia factor is dominating the scene everywhere. A user named Typhon voiced the sentiment of many fellow gamers when he said that “I went back to play D1 and it’s ridiculous that I had more fun playing Rise of Iron and there are way more rewarding and fun activities in D1 than there are currently in D2.” He then proceeded to talk about how the original Destiny had better armor aesthetics and the sound of the weapons was also superior, and he had more fun with D1 in a few hours than he had had with D2 in years. That is quite a harsh statement indeed.
The gaming community seems to be divided into two principal groups. One group consists of players who perceive the power boost as a temporary patch for more serious problems. Comments reflecting this perspective are like: “The game needs content not pointless power boosts!” and “What’s the point of levelling if you’re capped anyway?” suggesting that some players prefer substantial content updates rather than quick power fixes.
The other group consists of players who are still complaining about the technical issues they are experiencing. Many players have reported vault problems with one saying “Hey so I can’t put anything in my vault :(” and others sharing how the vault storage system has changed or broken lately. When the basic quality of life features are not working properly, it becomes hard to be excited by power boosts.
Discussions even got quite heated in some threads. There was a tussle among users who were discussing game stats and the number of players, one asserting “the numbers are lower than before” while the other supporting the game’s current status. It also got personal – like when SamTheNicker and MyFadedSins started trading insults about follower counts and gaming credentials. Yikes!
Others, however, are thinking about more comprehensive solutions. One comment suggested that Bungie should “re-hire the OG Halo and Destiny devs but with better pay and more incentives” asserting that the firm is “doomed without them.” It is a very strong statement about the future of the franchise that comes with serious concern.
The case gets even more interesting – several players have mentioned that they are putting more time and money into Destiny Rising than into Destiny 2, one even claiming “I spent more money on destiny rising than d2 this year.” When players start choosing fan-made projects over the official game, that must be very disappointing for the devs.
The whole thing about power caps is really intriguing. Some players said that if one can reach all the power caps so quickly, then the whole leveling system loses its meaning. One user articulated it very nicely: “Remove the cap and let players build into difficulty. What is so difficult to understand about this.” It seems the players are asking for more meaningful progression systems instead of false barriers that are merely set up to keep them from reaching the top.
Then there is this strange psychological aspect where players mentioned that reaching 300 power “feels like it is a significantly lower number than the previous iteration” of Destiny’s power system. It is really fascinating how our brain reacts to numbers – higher numbers just seem more impressive even when the actual power scaling is the same.
The most astonishing thing is the fact that a good number of players believe that Bungie is continuously withholding fun from them. One comment expressed it very succinctly: “every time something begins to be fun you guys take it away. Let it ride.” There is a perception that each time players’ find something interesting or powerful it gets nerfed heavily.
What does it mean for Destiny 2? The power boost indeed entices some players back but there are still the content drought, technical problems, and players’ satisfaction issues which seem to be running deep as well. The community is certainly very passionate – simply the fact that people are still so heavily invested in having these talks is a clear sign that they care about the game’s future.
This is one of those cases where developers are trying to help, but maybe not in the way that players are actually concerned with the root problems. The nostalgia of Destiny 1 keeps surfacing because that game, although it had many flaws, still had a certain magic that current players feel is missing. Whether Bungie can recapture that remains to be seen, but for now, the Techsec Supply Drop is here, waiting in the Tower for anyone who is prepared to take the plunge. Just do not be surprised if, after claiming your loot, you still feel like there should be more. This is especially relevant for those playing on PlayStation and Xbox.
