Just in case you didn’t hear, Bungie released a hot update for Destiny 2, for which the player community is a bit restless with wrenching. What’s new? A score multiplier for the Portal meant to bring better bounties to all Guardians. A thrilling proposition, though the community responded with a clashing brew of hype, confusion, and downright irritation.
The winning scenario here is supposed to be do more, get more loot. Come on, with such a concept, no paywall and no exclusives, just grinding and rewarding. But we already know that the problem lies within those specifics. Players are down to dissecting the mechanics to the level of a raid team studying boss mechanics.
Points for the positives? Some Guardians love it; more rewards for their accumulated Portal time. A solid score multiplier, tweeted Ceeker_UK moments before complaining about matchmaking. Classic Destiny: beautiful idea, questionable implementation. Another asks for more rotations of exotic missions with Sloth saying, “it’s dumb that I don’t have access to certain exotics because you won’t add them into the rotation.” True! If you’re gonna reward people for grinding, at least throw them some variety along the way.
And now for the salt worthy of legends. Lucifer_Doggo publicly belittled the Portal for being half-baked, empty, and devoid of any joy. And what of their chief gripe? The power-level gating associated with the multiplier. “If you’re not rated athletically pretty epic high on power, good luck luring in those oh-so-sweet rewards: ‘Your low-power Guardian + Other high-Power Guardian = no rewards,’ summarized Bill_Zhu_, giving voice to the frustration of those feeling left behind.”
Let’s hear more of the same concerns for solo players. “Is it even possible to GET to tier 4/5 as a F2P?” Zaffy2005 questioned, echoing a very common concern. Destiny 2, though being most community-oriented, surely has it rough for solo players, much more rough than a Master Nightfall. Standing in sharp contrast, Raijinmeister dropped nuclear criticism accusing Bungie of designing fireteam activities to be “a straight waste of time.” Harsh? Perhaps. Those are definitely some loud talking points that immediately affirms that there really is something wrong.
Lastly, the existentialists: Metroamericana had its first-ever regretful statement about buying an expansion since Destiny 1: “I don’t have a goal to grind.” Oof. Retardo_Retard (No, it’s really their tag) took it to the next level by branding modern Bungie as just a “husk” of what it had been. Oof, volte!
Amidst the clamoring, some are still hoping. Freestylinyoshi proposed things like third-person mode, more katanas, and the holy grail of shared flying between players on PC and consoles. Bungie, we’re praying you read this. Then Harry 🦎 gave a pitch for a Discord app to track solo ops stats because if the game won’t help you optimize, the community sure will.
So, where does that leave us? The Portal score multiplier, oh classic Bungie move, ambitious, divisive, and loaded with unfulfilled promise. Some players are thriving, some players get by, others are ready to throw their Ghost into the sun. Will Bungie fix this? Most likely. Will the complaints continue to pour? Undoubtedly. One thing is for sure, though: This rollercoaster ride from the Destiny 2 community is one you simply cannot disembark.
Go! Go! Go and grab those multipliers, Destiny Guardians. Or maybe not. Whatever the case may be, lovely entertainment.
