After watching the livestream reveal for the new Kepler destination and portal system, I’ve had a few hours to reflect—and honestly, I’m concerned for whatever credibility Bungie has left. I intentionally waited to post, letting the dust settle so my thoughts could crystallize into what picture Bungie actually wanted us to see. I need to apologize, as my earlier research and posts didn’t show that there was a raid included in this pack—but it seems they've now added an “epic raid,” ... whatever that means. The trailer immediately evoked 1950s–60s Americana: malt shops, early NASA, X-Files, Alan Wake—and in that mix, I saw an allegory. An old rotary phone receiver rang on a table, its base missing. Someone moved to answer, but no one was on the line. That’s what it feels like being a Destiny 2 player right now. We picked up the gauntlet—but Bungie never showed up. The 1950s in America are remembered not because they were perfect—but because the story of them was. That story became a cultural myth, endlessly repeated and sold back in film, TV, and games. It’s comforting, familiar—and ripe for subversion. One of the most visually iconic periods, but overused and overfamiliar. Possibly life imitating art, reflecting life? The trailer reads like they have been copying Warframes homework again, with the train a focal point in the 1999 expansion and time travel front and center. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery, or just trying to make the old new again, something like that anyway. Kepler itself? What they showed felt vague, dimly lit, and not especially new. A mix of Prison of Elders tunnels and old Venus—but without the soul of either. Then came the gimmicks: Matterspark and the “be the ball” mechanic. It felt forced. Watching the live mission, it even looked like it glitched—three rooms recycled, then another chase scene as a literal ball. That's not gameplay depth; that’s padding. When they talked about gaining new traversal abilities and coming back to re-explore areas to break sequence, it didn’t feel like clever design. It felt unfinished—like a workaround for something not fully baked. A bunch of set pieces that should have had quick-time events attached, but someone forgot the button prompts. The "kick-the-ball" segments felt like a mobile game—maybe it was the camera angles, but it really didn’t hit the right notes with me. The whole story premise was more like the Nine turning up and saying "Hey dude, now that you've cleaned up the collapsed shelves of pasta sauce jars, and put it all back up, we're gonna need you to take a pay cut and work a bit longer, okay?! On your way out tonight, the Kelper toilet is backed up" The portal system? Honestly, it looked like a mobile game kill screen. Clean UI, menu buttons around the border, tuned to push seasonal content front and center. It gave me no confidence. It felt like a future storefront in disguise—primed for ads and over-promoted FOMO. Even more dull menu gameplay just to get into the real menu gameplay. They showed Imperian Hunts with a dizzying array of modifiers (up the wazoo and possibly into the player’s colon), but what really bothered me was seeing Beyond Light content used to reward high-tier armor. It screamed: “We don’t have enough new stuff—so go play the old stuff again.” And that’s the problem. This drop feels shallow. It’s mostly QoL tweaks dressed as content. It doesn’t justify the price. It doesn't inspire. Hardcore players are going to burn out fast—feeling like their time is undervalued. Casuals will bounce entirely. Most players will hit the seasonal cap and stop. Why chase pinnacle armor sets and red borders when you’ll be reset in three months anyway—and still do less damage than someone with the new stuff? Why build anything if the foundation is this weak? For me, this felt worse than a campaign playthrough of Lightfall. And I didn’t think that was possible. None of this is new information—and it shouldn’t come as a surprise to players who’ve stuck around this long. -blam!- the Bungie Reveal streams for D2 The Red War, and The Witch Queen? What makes Edge of Fate even more unsettling is the contrast with how Bungie handled previous reveals. Grand affairs, shown with pride not huddling on a couch bracing against the coming storm. The D2 Red War showed off the first campaign mission in its entirety. During The Witch Queen showcase, they showed actual campaign locations, explained core mechanics like the Lucent Brood and how to crush Hive Ghosts, and even unveiled weapon crafting with the Glaive. They weren’t shy—they told us the names of Lightfall and The Final Shape years in advance and clearly stated that the Light and Darkness saga would conclude. The raid’s setting and name were available on Bungie’s site from day one Vow if the Disciple set in a broken black pyramid. In comparison, Edge of Fate hides its campaign entirely during a major reveal stream, offers no raid name, and relies on vague mood pieces instead of substance. That level of secrecy doesn’t read as “mystery”—it reads as alarm bells. The mysterious StarHorse being taken into the slaughterhouse to be so many cans of spam by Xur, about sums it up for me. Bungie once had a golden goose: a loyal, invested player base willing to forgive missteps for the promise of meaningful evolution. But now, reading forums and watching reactions, that goose feels cooked—and all we’re left with is reheated leftovers. Players answered the call, but the line went dead.