9 ways Bungie can improve Destiny 2

Destiny games put me in a tough spot. Over the last four years and four months, I’ve likely dumped about 2,000 hours into Destiny and Destiny 2, easily more than any other game. I’ve had some of the most fun I can recall in my gaming life, and in certain ways Bungie has set the bar for what I look for in a game. That said, I still feel like Destiny 2 is far from reaching its potential. As I wandered about last night doing my daily and weekly tasks, I started tossing ideas around that could improve the player experience. Both big and small, and in no particular order, here is a list of ways Bungie could improve Destiny 2.

Weekly Exotic rewards

Exotics have been both too easy and too difficult to earn since Destiny 2 released. We’re at a point right now where it’s too difficult, or at least too random. What I’m proposing is Xur giving Guardians a weekly exotic if they meet certain criteria, such as completing three weekly bounties (Crucible, Gambit, Vanguard). This exotic would be one that the player doesn’t currently have. If someone has them all, great, nothing to see here.

A loot identity

The loot system has had more core changes than Destiny has had years in existence. It seems that every few months Bungie overhauls how people progress and how activities reward loot. It’s at the point where players have had to create infographics to help Guardians prioritize what is worth their time and what isn’t. Bungie needs to find their loot core. The heart of their loot system. An identity and set of loot rules that all activities follow. I get what I’m asking is generic, so perhaps I should have said consistency.

Raid and Nightfall matchmaking

Activity accessibility is a major problem with Destiny 2. Any time you must visit third-party resources to get players to play with, the game is missing the mark. Guardians shouldn’t need a special subreddit to do a raid or Nightfall (although there is poorly implemented Guided Games system in place). Why not treat the Nightfall like a strike and have the option of matchmaking? The only thing that might happen here is three random players beat a piece of tough content, become friends, and then go do a raid. Isn’t that the goal?

Fix the ammo already

Just like Guardians have endured a dozen changes to the way loot works over the years, it feels like we’ve been talking about ammo for five years now. We have. I can’t recall many times when it felt right. There’s always examples of raid encounters where your entire team is out of heavy, or you kill an entire room full of enemies and no heavy drops. Is this problem really that difficult? Remember when we had ammo synthesis? Why not bring that back? Not sure what else to spend my 1,500 Legendary Shards on. All I know is that I’m tired of having to get heavy kills for a quest and never finding heavy ammunition.

Private Guardian quarters

I’m going full Monster Hunter: World on this one. I want a private residence in the Tower that only myself and those that I invite can enter. It should have displays for my armor collections, or perhaps awards on the wall for my triumphs. I want a piece of Oryx’s skull in a jar on a shelf. And you know why Bungie should do this from their perspective? I would pay gross amounts of money to buy new furniture and skins for my private residence. I mean, at this point we’re all the most famous Guardians in the history of the universe, and yet we don’t have so much as a place to chill and eat some Ramen in peace.

A proper arena (again)

Circling back to Monster Hunter: World, there’s a reason fighting the same monsters over and over isn’t as tedious as doing strikes. The reason is because Monster Hunter: World allows players to engage enemies in various locations, drastically changing the encounter. In Destiny 2, we have the Prison of Elders just sitting there, asking to be repaired and populated with all the creatures we’ve beaten over the years.  Give players a proper arena where they can face various levels of challenges, various bosses, and get real loot for their efforts. Dare I suggest players even be permitted to choose who they face? I would have fought Taniks 1,000 times for his cloak.

Improved event instancing

There are activities to complete in Destiny 2 right now but getting a group together to do them is nearly impossible. Why is the Blind Well not in an instance of its own? You could even keep the entrance in the same spot, just apply matchmaking. Escalation Protocol might be more difficult, but that should also have matchmaking. These are fun activities that players want to participate in but can’t reasonably pull off without trying to sneak someone’s buddy through the basement window. If players are cheating the system to enjoy the content, it needs to be improved.

Shorter Crucible matches

Generally, you’ll only catch me playing Clash and Control when I’m in the Crucible, and both modes feel a tad long to me. Personally, I’d lower the kill limit in Clash from 100 to 75, and the score limit in Control from 150 to 100. My reasoning for this is simply that the end of the game is determined by the expiration of time too often. Lower the score limit of each mode just a bit and more matches will end because one team reached that limit.

Make Xur relevant again

Xur has fallen out of favor with Guardians, mostly because he doesn’t sell any new exotics, meaning those of us that have all the older ones have nothing to spend our Legendary Shards on. Xur could be made a bit better with my first suggestion of a weekly exotic being earned, but he should also be selling new items each week. Nobody is having fun not earning exotics and thus not getting to play with them. Put unique and fun weapons in the hands of Guardians and they’ll enjoy the game more.

Despite a long wish list of features I’d love to see, Destiny 2 is still one of my favorite games, and it’s gotten better with age. Even if nothing changes, I’ll still be grinding out my weekly bounties and trying to organize a raid among friends. I could make a list like this about almost any game, and I’m sure nothing here is a new concept to Bungie.  Maybe you have a better suggestion, though? Leave a comment if I’ve missed something you’d like to see added to Destiny 2, or visit our Destiny 2 complete strategy guide for help with your journey.

Bill Lavoy

Managing Editor

Bill, who is also known as Rumpo, is a lifelong gamer and Toronto Maple Leafs fan. He made his mark early in his career through guide writing and a deep understanding of editorial SEO. He enjoys putting in the work to create a great content, be it a wild feature or grinding out an in-depth collectible guide. Tweet him @RumpoPlays if you have a question or comment about one of his articles.