Don’t Abandon the Progress That Was Made Since Launch
By far, the worst thing Destiny 2 did was abandon the improvements made throughout the original Destiny’s lifetime in favor of starting fresh with Destiny 2. It’s likely that this wasn’t done by choice, but rather out of necessity because of development issues, but either way, the end result was what it was. Destiny 2 had the same great gunplay and raid design, but in terms of depth and variety, it was a kiddie pool compared to the all deep end that its predecessor had become by the time Age of Triumph came around. Now it looks like Bungie is scrambling just to get Destiny 2 to a point that is at least comparable to its predecessor.
The Division had a similar path to redemption that Destiny had, albeit on a smaller scale. It had a decent enough launch, but its grindy repetitive nature with terrible gear progression turned off lots of fans by the time the first major expansion, Underground, had released. However, a series of patches starting with 1.4 made The Division’s grind much more tolerable and enjoyable. Diablo 3-like World Tiers, the addition of more recognizable PvP modes, a horde mode, thoughtful tweaks to gear and stats, timed events, plus revamps and expansions of its unique Dark Zones.
While those changes were too late for the casual masses that bailed early on, it was rewarding for those that stuck with it and should be used as a foundation for The Division 2. Ubisoft needs to be keeping everything that worked and adding to it rather than stripping it down and building it back up like what we’re seeing right now with Destiny 2. No sense fixing something that isn’t broken.
Prioritize PvE Content
In MMO-like games that have popped up in recent years such as Destiny and The Division, both PvE and PvP content have been important elements that attract a wide variety of gamers. Destiny’s PvP was flawed but still fun at the end of the day in both its regular PvP modes and its hyper-competitive Trials of Osiris. Interesting guns and armor were added to Destiny, and if it broke PvP, it was addressed later, but rarely did it feel PvE was held back severely. With Destiny 2, however, Bungie went too far in trying to make the game overly competitive and balanced. In addition to Destiny 2’s lack of content, it also now has a lack of interesting loot worth grinding for.
The Division has a similar style of gear being the same no matter where you decide to use it, be it in the Dark Zone or a cooperative mission. While PvP modes might be extremely popular, PvE is the bread and butter for games like The Division and is the way most people will get introduced and hooked to the game’s world and mechanics enough to feel confident to try PvP to begin with. If the PvE suffers early on in The Division 2 like it did with The Division, expect the masses to bail once again regardless of how much fun the PvP may or may not be.
Avoid Microtransactions and Loot Boxes Like the Plague
Listen Ubisoft, I understand the temptation and need to implement microtransactions and loot boxes in a game that is likely going to move a lot of units like The Division 2. However, The Division 2 is going to be heavily scrutinized by what will likely be a large number of people on the fence about giving the series a second shot. Ubisoft shouldn’t be giving the player who bailed, but recognizes the improvements The Division made, any reasons to stay away from the sequel.
Destiny 2 made this mistake. Bungie found a microtransaction system that was mostly tolerable in Destiny (similar to The Division’s shop added later on) and instead of just rolling with that again, they doubled down with the addition of loot boxes and more items added to the real-life cash shop. Destiny 2’s first Dawning Event was largely perceived as a ploy to get people to buy the game’s paid currency, and was the last straw for lots of players already feeling down about the sequel for the reasons we discussed above.
It’s unlikely that there will be zero microtransactions, especially considering The Division already had them. However, Ubisoft doesn’t need to double down like Bungie did either. Add some more silly Fortnite-like items if anything and call it a day.
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