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Edited by GradeMyGuardianTTV:
2/19/2026 2:52:25 PM
7
The Portal Problem: Playerbase Dilution
I remember the good ole days. Specifically [i]The Witch Queen[/i]. When pinnacles were directly tied to core activities and a select few Seasonal and Expansion activities. Vanguard Ops. Gambit. Crucible. Your Seasonal Activity. Dungeon. Raid. Wellspring.
No dilution. It was straightforward. The "[i]Big Three[/i]" guaranteed queues. The Seasonal Activity was alive and well. LFGs were always running for Raids and Dungeons. And the Wellspring stole the show as a goofball arena and place to chill.
Now there's like 1,000 different ways to chase out pinnacles, and it really stretches the playerbase. I'm not saying autonomy is bad, but there is something special about the entire community being driven into the same few activities together. It's how new adventures and friendships form.
But the design of The Portal (and dare I say Fireteam Finder?!?), have diluted the playerbase immensely.
I miss the days reset was a thrill. For the servers to be alive. For LFGs to pour in. Because everyone had the [u][b]same goals[/b][/u] and needed the [u][b]same activities[/b][/u].
D1 captured this concept masterfully. Still does. And yet Destiny 2 has failed to retain a community centered approach. It's all about [i][u][b]who you know[/b][/u][/i] to complete activities. No longer about [u][b]'[i]who you meet[/i]'[/b][/u] while completing.
And it feels.....soulless.
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Agree was no need to make changes
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1 ReplyHalf of Bungies problems would stop if they stopped trying to fix things that weren't broken, and stopped ignoring the things that are.
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1 ReplyEdited by PandaPapa146: 2/20/2026 2:29:50 PMWhen the ‘space magic’ vibe was alive and well, in D1, prior to the Sunset debacle, and we raided nonstop with our regular crews from around the globe, and our Friends List ran to a page or more, there was a rhythm* to how most of us played this game… Prior to reset, meet in the VoG caves and loot the chests x3 H/W/T…RESET…do the NF to get the blue flambé buff…hit the Raid…once done - sometimes 2-3 full runs for friends of a friend to get a piece of gear or a weapon run…after, for those with* any time or energy left, it was into Trials - to see how far we could team it, eg, 3 or 5 wins on a good day, 7 wins was for the ninjas! And we had fun! 👈 We also had a very limited vault space…lots of places to go hunting materials and other useful bounties…and very hard Quests, eg, Thorn…and in PvP if you heard a Vex M or Suros - it was game over for you! And Gally was but a dream! Gambit was a required taste…and as many disliked it as liked it; I got Dredgen done…and I loved those coloured armour sets that let everyone know what one was all about, and wanted to do, eg, red - Invader, white - mote harvester, etc. Raids weren’t a cakewalk either…they were hard though doable, and were a hoot! Anyone remember the jumping ships stage?! 🤪 But we had fun! 👈👈 Then came the Sunset debacle…and everything changed…the ‘space magic’ vibe was eliminated right there! Virtually overnight, one’s Friends List evaporated…the new D2 vibe was not good. Players left…me, too…to WF (MR24 😎)…and I had a whale of a time…until I was done. After watching some homemade Destiny vids my (then) young Ninja and I had made, I returned…but this time, my engagement with the game was very different… Also, the Neomuna Overtuna (N.O.) vibe was getting ramped up…the influencers were calling for things to be harder / faster / more difficult - to feed their own business interests as they milked their fans for likes and subscribes and follows…for a chance at a carry in Trials… The ‘carry’ trade got ridiculous! Yet, nothing stopped it. They even advertised their carry / booster services on LFG…and some Streamers formed actual online carry businesses?! 🧐 It was getting ridiculous! Then came Lightfail - where they turned the Neomuna Overtuna (N.O.) vibe dial to the max. And it just got even worse thereafter. As did all the good stuff getting locked behind the EverWorse paywall. Witch Queen was very good…and a beacon amidst the darkness. The epic 12-man mission was* absolutely first class…and the following cut scenes were very good…hankies were required! And, for me, that was it…my 10-year compact was done! But I stuck around as hints of a continuation were broadcast…and soon, the game took a radical change of direction…and the Neomuna Overtuna (N.O.) vibe got turned up even more… But…the majority of reasonable Guardians didn’t like it or want it…and so they voted with their feet. The numbers don’t lie. The radio silence for months was a big no-no…yet BHQ leaned into it. Marathon…the new shiny thing was where they turned…but not many Guardians shared their (BHQs) new vision…the numbers don’t lie. Now, the latest announcement that the planned and advertised expansion is being pushed back to June 9 (69 😵💫) is another horlix of the first order, imho. Apparently, so as not to upset the Marathon launch… Marathon: the free weekend experience happens next weekend*…I’ll probably play it…but I won’t buy it. I like the artwork. That’s it. Already there are videos appearing about negative comments being massaged out, amid a flood of positive treacle comments…allegedly?! 🤥🤔 My POV: I would rather Destiny survive and thrive…and good luck re the Marathon endeavour. ITMT, I’m waiting for the launch of the Steam Game Cube and access to the Steam Game Library…and if it’s priced right…I’m off! What does that mean? Sony can wave goodbye to my PlayStation annual subscription…my PS5 game purchases, and PS6 related hardware and any game purchases… BHQ - maybe they’ll be gone, too?! BHQ - since D1Y1*, the very definition of a SNAFUBAR! 🤡🤑🤥 That is all. Ease Springs! 🖖👻 MTFBWY *autobot corrections 🙄
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2 RepliesFor me the rot set in when Bungie stopped caring about the 3 core activities - Strikes, Gambit and Crucible.
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1 ReplyThe Portal could have been so great, but Bungie implemented in a way that it made the Director Useless. It could have been used as a way to earn extra loot ontop of the director, or a way to bring back vaulted content on a weekly rotation.
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In addition to all this so much other good stuff has been taken away like vendor resets giving gear with more perks, saint-14 selling legacy trials weapons, most of the vendor bounties. They have ripped the heart out of the game and replaced it with this soulless portal that rotates the same activities over and over again with the same seasonal weapons and armor ... and we are stuck with this for another 3 and a half months.
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Edited by Talia Sendua: 2/20/2026 8:38:24 PM[quote]I miss the days reset was a thrill. For the servers to be alive. For LFGs to pour in. Because everyone had the same goals and needed the same activities.[/quote] I miss the times of Destiny 1 on console, when LFG was only facebook, Whatsapp was new, Discord didn't exist and people approached you via Xbox/PSN network messages, asking for your help with things because the game was designed like early World of Warcraft in its social rundown, greatly encouraging group play over solo play for the most part of the game. A game which was about social memories first, content and power second. Now everything is optional, all ways lead eventually to maximum power (the time effort may differ however), everyone has their god roll from crafting or weapon focusing, exotics are as common as food at my store and worst of almost everyone playing this overpriced mess like some spreadsheet simulator or not at all, because social bonds don't matter and everyone is replacable. Back then I had issues with my Xbox Live Friendslist because it could only hold 100 players at the time because of Destiny 1. Today, not even one of my best friends who's sometimes a bigger Destiny fan than me (he joined much later than me in Destiny 2 Shadowkeep) is playing anymore, instead he is saying "if it dies, it dies, I don't care" and doesn't play anymore. Bungie had the Diamonds in the making, but chose to mine for ordinary, boring Iron. Marathon was never needed as an extraction shooter. Remember when this company got big by "good singleplayer experience first, multiplayer optional"? [quote]Those that don't learn from history are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.[/quote]
